When I was young, I was constantly rearranging my room, changing the direction of my bed, moving around my desk and building forts. I remember watching TV sitcom Silver Spoons and was always jealous of Ricky Schroeder’s car bed, to say nothing of the train that ran through his living room. My bed, as neat as it was—a captain’s bed with built-in drawers—wasn’t quite as cool.

When you’re a kid, your bedroom is Shangri-La, the one and only place where you can express your burgeoning tastes and lifestyle, no matter how ill-conceived they might be. Parents only have a short window of time to decorate their kids’ bedrooms; as soon as they reach double-digit tweendom, their bedrooms become closed-door fortresses smothered in pop posters and sports stars. Or worse.

In the meantime, before your kids round the teens, there are lots of great bedroom design themes and fixtures that are way cooler than anything Ricky Schroeder ever had.

As a general rule, stick to a single theme, such as superheroes, animals or fantasies such as princesses. Just remember, you’re decorating for your child, not to your own taste or needs.

If you live in a city, chances are your house or apartment is slightly cramped. You need extra furniture, especially if you plan to have house guests; at the same time, you need to save space, so filling up your rooms with clunky couches and tables isn’t going to work. If only furniture could adapt, or transform, to fit the moment—and not just a horribly heavy, horribly designed and horribly uncomfortable fold-out couch.

As it turns out, double-duty chairs, couches and tables exist. Trolling the web for transformative furniture, I came across some stunning examples of changeable, collapsible furniture on WebUrbanist, a blog about urban living.

As noted above, there’s nothing worse than a sofa bed—the thin mattress providing a worse bed than a carpeted floor—so U.K. furniture-maker bonbon trading came up with a solution perfect for overnight guests: a couch that turns into a bunk bed.

Of course, modular design isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and more often than not you end up paying for the look, rather than the materials, especially when it comes to ubiquitous Swedish tastemakers IKEA; heirloom quality, not likely. However, even if you’re not quite ready to drop $4,750 on a coffee table–loveseat, you owe it to yourself to at least take a peek.

We’ve come a long way from the garden gnome when it comes to garden sculptures. The iconic gnome, originally created from terracotta, was first made in Germany in the mid-1880s, as both decoration and to add a helping hand to gardeners by gardening at night when everyone else slept. This myth continued to spread for the next century, even spurning a new pastime, gnome hunting.

Continuing on the Home Improvement Blog’s theme of otherworldly phenomena, we’ve discovered that nowadays, the gnome isn’t the only creature of the night spreading soil and warding off evil spirits. For $90 you can protect your turf with a Zombie of Montclaire Moors Sculpture, designed by British artist Alan Dickinson.

The life-sized, grey-toned zombie appears to be clawing his way out of the dirt, his facial expression potent enough to scare away trespassers and priests alike.

Dickinson was commissioned by Toscano Design, a company specializing in both indoor and outdoor statues and sculptures. The Zombie piece is one of 36 so-called “extraordinary sculptures” sold by the Illinois company, which also includes pieces depicting Bigfoot, Easter Island, an alien and—for a mere $695—Revenge of the Great White Shark.

Of course, those resilient gnomes aren’t taking this garden invasion lying down. Expect revenge. No word yet on whether or not this will improve the lot of weed-ridden front yards throughout North America.

In Part I, we discussed distressed furniture as a design idea. Now it’s time to stop talking and start damaging furniture!

Distressing furniture is a lot of fun. When else do you get to drag heavy chain across tables, burn cabinet edges or drive over cabinet doors all in the name of an “authentic” look of yore.

Before beginning, there are two things to keep in mind. First, only real wood can withstand on-purpose distressing; MDF, particleboard and other synthetic materials don’t stand up to damage. Second, you’re trying to make the damage look convincing, so concentrate on areas that would naturally wear, such as near handles and along edges. In other words, don’t add a tire squeal mark to your tabletop. For inspiration, take a gander at some examples of well-worn furniture and then simulate the look.

While there’s no single method for distressing furniture, remember that a little damage goes a long way; don’t go overboard or you’ll be left with a decrepit piece of, well, garbage. Start slowly with a few scratches created by dragging a heavy chain across the surfaces, a method equally effective using coarse rocks or rasps. You’re trying to create random markings, so any heavy uneven surface works well. Continuing with the medieval methods, half-drive a few nails into a piece of wood and then simply drop it onto the object you’re distressing, or wrap a pile of screws, nuts and nails inside a cloth and then throw it against the surface. The list goes on and on.

You can also create a distressed look through paint or by lightly sanding around edges and handles (a sander, or even just sandpaper, is another useful tool to get your hands on for this project).

First-timers are encouraged to experiment with random pieces of wood before tackling and potentially ruining your furniture. And if you’re feeling nervous and looking for specifics, you can always Ask the Expert.

Take a spin along a country road in summertime and you’re bound to come across antique furniture for sale—or, in some cases, antique-like furniture: purposely distressed dressers, tables, kitchen cabinets, doors that are made to look used and abused.

Distressed furniture, whether real or faked, carries a feeling of warmth into any room, used sparingly of course; too much and your house becomes a mismatched auctioneer’s room or, worse, a set from Little House on the Prairie.

Having one or two pieces of distressed furniture in an otherwise modernized room creates great contrast and dramatic effect, showcasing the antique object, whether real or faked, as the room’s focal point. A distressed dining room table looks especially striking amidst sleek flooring and furniture; the minimalism of the modern surfaces allows the knotty, pocked-looking tabletop to shine through.

Of course, adding distressed furniture doesn’t begin and end with movable furniture like tables, cabinets and hutches. Equally effective: lining a wall with barn boards or using the boards as trim around a window frame, putting down barn board flooring, or installing a distressed wooden beam that spans an entire room.

Up next: making your own distressed furniture. Why pay for someone else’s old or old-looking furniture when you can make your own?

It’s official: I’ve entered my Carlsberg years. it seems like only yesterday conversations with friends revolved around derelict landlords, overdue philosophy papers and who did what at weekend house parties. But these, as it turns out, were minor stresses compared to thirty-something worries over marriage, new homes and—the crux of the matter—home renovations.

Renovating a home is a rite of passage most of us go through, the lucky ones at least, and yet few things in life create such high stress as figuring out what projects to set in motion, how to pay for it, and whether or not to hire a contractor. It can be overwhelming to say the least, especially since most of us have never encountered anything of this sort before, which often results in nothing getting done. Sad but true, this is the new wing-night chat.

Not surprisingly, the web is full of blogs created by newlyweds with renovation on the brain, whether they’re greening their lives or trying to turn an old home new, complete with his and her shopping trips. But for every keen couple there’s a flipside—those who barely made it and those that broke down, thanks, no doubt, to the fantasy world of home renos depicted on TV.

Rather than planting a few platitudes on how to manage stress (count to 10, breathe deeply…as if this ever works), let me leave you with one tidbit of real reno advice: plan ahead. Like everything else in life, remodelling is all about deciding on a plan of attack and executing it.

Project derailment (and that other D-word) is avoidable with preparation, so before saying “I do” to that bathroom fix-up, make sure you’re both in tune.

Taking a breather from building a deck this weekend, I flipped on the TV for some French Open action. Between sets, I happened to catch part of a design show on HGTV. There, onscreen, sat your typical couple talking to your typical design guru about how to trade their dated, mismatched style for something the host termed “casual modern.”

I started to think of my apartment, and what a “design expert” might call my style. Eclectic certainly comes to mind, as does cluttered and obsessed, about books and vinyl records. My pad, at best, resembles something between a flea market junk shop (in a good way) and a defunct school library. Like an entomologist, I derive pleasure in cataloging, so it makes sense that my style should reflect this.

It turns out I’m not alone. Book decorating is hot stuff. There are even books on book decorating. (Note to self: do not display on coffee table; too gaudy.) While most of us actually read the books we collect, some people are more interested in the look of books—the covers we’ve been told not to judge—and how they’re positioned on the shelf. Unlike curtains, books increase in value, don’t go out of style, and, combined on thoughtful shelving, come together to create a unique look not available at Ikea.

A well-designed book room doesn’t need to have an antiquated, dusty, 221-B Baker Street look; books are just as welcome in clean, contemporary rooms, or used in sparse amounts throughout the house. The key is to decide on what look you’re after, not just place things on shelves haphazardly. Books don’t have to be in alphabetical order, or even lead you upstairs. When it comes to design, the more important elements are size, colour and shape.

There are no hard-and-fast rules when it comes to the the Big Three of interior design: design, colour and shape. As with any other aesthetic decision, you need to consider the look you’re going for. If, for example, you own a lot of colourful art books, consider lining them up according to, well, colour; same goes if you own a bunch of large books; don’t place an oversized tomb next to a tiny Ian Fleming paperback. Also, don’t just go from large to small; create variance—another design element—by grouping together books in sections rather than across the entire shelf or case.

Which brings me to another benefit to book-lined design: you can always change things up when you get bored with a certain look, or if, upon reflection, glass of wine in hand, you decide to change the mood. After all, we’re not talking about painting walls.

Have you ever walked into a friend’s home and noticed similar design elements to your own house? You know, the same kitchen layout, or carpeting or even—heaven forbid—the same wallpaper. Sure, we all steal ideas, but some of us are more stealth, taking the idea itself and running with it.

Open house season is upon us, whether it’s someone’s daughter finally graduating high school, BBQ invites, garden tours or public viewings of for-sale homes, June is all about opening doors to friends and strangers. But don’t just hang around the bacon-wrapped scallops and Yellow Tail — there is a certain manner in which to approach open houses. But better yet … take a look around for reno inspiration.

It’s no surprise that a home for sale is typically a house that’s been recently renovated, so even if you’re not in the market (why move when it’s so much fun to renovate?), go in and see what they’ve done to the place. Not only will it give you ideas for new projects, but browsing also gives you a sense of how much your home is worth, and what you can do to raise the resale value.

So the next time you see that “Open House” sign with an arrow, consider it a personal invitation to learn from someone’s else home triumphs … or trials.

I’ve always been drawn to before-and-after pictures, whether real or fake. There’s something satisfying about seeing the transformation, usually from cluttered to clean, or drab to fab, to borrow a term from all those perky, slightly annoying home design makeover shows. What’s popular today can quickly look dated before the wallpaper even starts to fade.

Far from slick, the most interesting before-and-afters are taken by regular people for their own amusement. (“Hey, remember what this placed looked like when we moved in? Why were we so into ducks?”) So I was glad when I came across a wonderful blog dedicated to all things past and present, which in turn led me to (gulp) the girly magazine CasaSugar, part of an online media company targeting home-loving Carrie Bradshaw types, I was pleasantly surprised by a whole section devoted to my beloved B&A photos.

The site features seven pages of B&A photos and stories, covering everything from a classic aluminum trailer renovation to kitchens, bathrooms and even colour, proving that not all renovations require tearing down and rebuilding; sometimes a simple coat of paint is all that’s required.

On a slightly higher-end note is noted blog Design*Sponge, which features the before-and-after shots from various creative geniuses who reinvent their spaces with things like chalkboards culled from soon-to-be-destroyed schoolhouses and lampshades made from fabric they’ve painted themselves. The only problem? The before pictures often reach a level of put-togetherness that my rooms could only hope to attain.

For those of us still grappling with the before, not able to gaze into the future, there is help online. And check out the Home Renovation Guide’s very own PhotoShare program for a chance to upload your own pictures too.

My friend Antony and I often joke about the pleasant feeling evoked by a “Canadian Basement.” You know what I mean: dark, wood panelling, old curtains, shag rugs and often a hint of brown-orange-yellow. Step downstairs and it’s 1976.

Yes, some nostalgia is fine, but when your whole house starts reeking of a bygone era, it might be time for an overhaul into the new century.

The fine folks over at One Project Closer, a blog co-written by two married couples from Baltimore County, Maryland, tackled this very subject in a post about sanding away stipple ceilings.

Stipple ceilings were very popular in the late 1970s and 1980s as a simple, cheap way for homebuilders and cutoff jeans–wearing DIYers to finish a drywall or sheetrock ceiling without having to mud or sand the drywall joints. Often confused with popcorn or spray-on ceilings, stipple ceilings are renowned for great acoustic properties (they reduce room echo) but the porous, crater-like texture looks dated, too space-like, too 1970s, too, well, I hate to use this word, groovy.

If your home was built before 1990, chances are it’s still got some outdated designs. While my heart belongs to wood paneling, some people—most people—aren’t keen on the dark, dingy look, so the panels are the first to go, replaced by drywall or painted over.

Next stop, bathrooms with outdated bulky cabinets and enough sinks to please the Solid Gold Dancers. As a general rule, getting rid of a cluttered look with big drawers is Step 1 in any bathroom update.

Of course, ceilings and counters aren’t the only parts of your home that can quickly look dated. Walls, especially wallpaper-covered ones, can look out of style before the glue dries. But then again, recovering walls with paint or paper is also the quickest way to bring something from 1978 to 2008 in a weekend.

So now that your home is completely up-to-date, ever wonder which of its features will look dated in 10 years?