Back to Top

Ask Christopher Web Series - Winter Holidays

Too Many Gadgets: encore It's the big gift rush before Christmas. So may of you 'foodies' are looking for the latest and greatest in gourmet gadgets to give to each other. And there are also some people who are just getting ready to set up a first-time kitchen. Before you buy, you might want to review this segment again. I love to cook and entertain and have even written a cook book. I also hang out with foodie friends and we all agree that you really only need a very few items to turn out chef-grade meals. So here in their encore episode is my picks for the must-have kitchen essentials.

Guest Bath re-constructed (Part 2) encore: The economy is tight thus making hotel rooms less affordable. That means people from out of town might want to bunk in with you. So many of you might be opening your guest bedrooms and baths to holiday friends and family. Yikes! We thought another look at this episode might get you thinking about how to get guest quarters ship shape for incoming visitors. In this encore episode, we're picking up our showcase house guest bath after we showed you how to color sculpt in small spaces. Now it's time to furnish the space not just to make it pretty, but to really accommodate the needs of the guests in a way those five star hotels do. In tight square footage, everything 'there,' must be 'there' for a reason pulling double-duty. From where to put mirrors and make shared vanity areas, to towels, blow-dryers, robes and even soap...you'll get a quick education on how accommodate your guests and keep them happily self-contained.

Making Things Smile...a lifts and levels encore: As the next holiday approaches, getting the house looking as pulled together as possible is right up there with food and gifts. In this encore episode we show you that by adding to what you already own, you can make ordinary things look special. Lifts and levels used with ordinary objects set them well...on a pedestal and make them look expensive while helping to make the display process easier. From stands and trivets to plinths and shadow boxes, you'll see that it doesn't have to cost a lot to make everything you own smile and tell your personal story in a more artistic and compelling way.

Bistro Style Chic This encore broadcast is just in time for you to start thinking about holiday entertaining. We answered a (viewer mail) newlywed's inquiry about how much fine china patterns should cost. We said skip it altogether! Instead we think the better way to go is to take your cue from those hip and cool bistros you love eating in. Invest once in pieces that will handle the entertaining basics and also be an ongoing part of your 'entertaining wardrobe' ---both on a year round basis and for your family everyday. We'll show you the shape and right-sized pieces that you'll need, what they're used for and much more. You'll be surprised that for the cost of a single up-scale china service, you can fill a whole cupboard with versatile items that will turn your home into a bistro chic experience. While you watch, think about visiting your local restaurant supply store and purchase many of these items for a fraction of the cost. Also think about renting these items by the case for an event. Then they're delivered to your door and picked up when the holiday party is over. For more ideas on entertaining check out my book The Hassle Free host! Enjoy....

Table Lamps encore: In this encore webisode we answer the viewer question, "How do you mix and match different lamp styles in the same room?" Believe it or not, lamps have a huge visual impact in rooms since they furnish, accessorize and light the mid section of them. Often lamps (and especially the shades) are the first things you see because they are at eye level and in many cases right in the center of the space. So choosing the right styles and understanding proper placement are far more critical in the design of a room then most people think. In fact I've seen many cases where the wrong lamps choices killed the visual effect of what would have otherwise been a great space. So watch and learn the two key principles of dealing with lamps in any space.

Dispensing accent color in public rooms part 3: Two areas of our living room are now done (part 1&2). Now we're ready to pull the accent color from the center of the room over to the remaining shell of the room in this encore episode. I have used these elements in this color way literally fifteen times over the years which just continues to prove that timeless classic items can move from place to place and remain timeless for life. In season 2 of Ask Christopher, we recently showed you the re-re-do of our guest bedroom where the majority of these season one living room accessories now live. When we pick up next season, you'll see this same room completely transform by using what was once on the season one bedroom giving both rooms a totally new life, look and function. Our goal as always is to prove to you that the things you may already have, just need to be looked at in a completely different way.

Dispensing accent color in public rooms part 2: In this encore episode we show you the basics of working with pattern and color as we start from scratch accessorizing our first season's showcase house living room. Often the rooms that work best visually are those where two to three dominate colors are chosen. Because it's accent color and not built into your high-ticket investments like upholstered furniture feel free to go bold! The key however is dispensing the drama evenly around the room to create visual balance. From the center of the room all the way up the walls at the shell of the room, these accents help move the eye pleasingly from corner to corner. It's a real clue that time and attention has been paid to every single thing both in terms of color & pattern and placement. Can't wait to show you that same room done completely different when we return with next season's Ask Christopher.

Dispensing accent color in public rooms part 1: Now, in part 2 of our encore episode we're moving on to the next portion of our first season's showcase living room. Already (part 1) you can see how affective the two accessory colors of orange and green make the room really pop. Now mind you this room has been done with the walls still white for you renters. So the accent color is even more critical to assuring that the eye sees harmony as guests survey a room at first glance. When we return for season three of Ask Christopher you'll see that wall color has been added and much of what was in the old guest bedroom has been moved into this space and vice versa. It's testament that when you purchase classic and timeless things, not earmarked for a specific room, they can go anywhere. So keep this episode in mind when we show you that exciting new makeover when we return.

Dispensing Color...the encore: Now that you've seen the new re-redo of this season's guest bedroom (in what is currently a more "plantation" style) we thought you might like to revisit the original guest bedroom re-do. For those of you just joining us, you'll get a practical lesson in how simply adding one or two accessory colors can also give a room a sense of purpose and design---even on the smallest budget. You'll note how we allocate one simple color combo evenly around the room to give it visual balance. It's key to making sure the eye flows easily over an entire space. Room harmony is the element required to make a room look deliberate and intentional no matter how sparse the final effect or how much the investment. Enjoy!

A SNAPSOT OF Ask Christopher. As many of you who have been watching from day ONE know, Ask Christopher recently finished its second season. For those of you just joining us, here is a quick overview of the series and what it covers. While we're on hiatus for the fall, we'll also be airing encores---"The Best Of Season One" so you can get up to speed with the rest of us and compare season one to season two. See, to prove that you can get a whole new look in your home just by thinking outside the box we've redone our showcase house twice using everything already there. Yep, the very same stuff got repurposed for a brand new look. If you buy classic, it can change and evolve as you do. So here's what we call "a sizzle reel" that we take on the road with us and use in meetings with sponsors. So come into the boardroom and see what they see behind closed doors. Enjoy!

Fall Break. After a solid year of producing Ask Christopher we're taking a short break to allow many of you newcomers to catch up with the series. In season two we re-did the very same showcase house using what was already in all the rooms from season one. Our goal was to prove to many of you who might feel kind of stuck (due to the economy) that by using your imaginations and being willing to tackle every single room with a fresh perspective, that you can give your own homes a brand new look. Well our re-makeovers were received so well that many of you then wanted to see season one again just to compare and remember how different the transformations really were. So for the next few weeks, we're re-airing the 'best of season one' makeovers to further prove that a fresh new home is truly within your reach.--

All the best!

Christopher Lowell

Santa Fe, NYC, LA