Dig up your roots and let them help you create a home decor that tells a story about your personal history.

Back to Our Roots

Christopher Lowell

7 Layers of Design

Handyman Special

This show is dedicated to filling the home with classic elements that have the quality and design to withstand both trend and time. A trip to Ethan Allen shows that classic doesn't have to mean old-fashioned. Quality and traditional lines will make the big ticket items last. Romantic Home magazine editor Eileen Paulin gives a studio sitting area the feel of romance by accessorizing with personal mementos and warm fabrics. After asking viewers on Universal's City Walk what their favorite piece of furniture is, Christopher demonstrates how scale is an important part of creating a classic arrangement while placing items on a dresser. Next he gives step-by-step instruction on making an old-fashioned clock for under $100. Steve Enkeboll of Raymond Enkeboll Designs shows off some of the moldings, onlays and corbels his company makes and how they can be used in the home and on furniture to add architectural interest.Then, it's into the kitchen where chef Prince Akins of L.A.'s Georgia Restaur

Test of Time

Find out how to maximize function and space in small rooms through the transformation of a 10 X 7 empty room into a luxurious girl's room. Christopher first demonstrates how to build a daybed with a storage drawer and upholstered fold down headboard/desk top. Next, Pam Hastings teaches a basic technique for making a fabric and Velcro vanity/desk cover with skirt to hide storage areas under tables. Christopher constructs a cardboard valance, then tours the completed girl's room pointing out how different space saving ideas are incorporated into it. He also shows the sketch boards he used to design the room, offering tips for choosing fabrics and colors. The episode ends with instruction on building a standing wardrobe with a rotating base seen in the show.

Every Inch Counts

See how the approach of the year 2000 is affecting furniture and home design with this peek into the future.

Living in the Millennium

Creating atmosphere and drama in the home through lighting design is the goal of today's show. On a trip to Lamps Plus, Christopher shows the variety of options available in accent, task, and decorative lighting while discussing their uses in creating an overall lighting plan. He next explains how different light sources can mix together, using the living room set as an example. To simulate a natural light source, Christopher builds a light box (also featured in show #107, segment 5) with wood and plexi-glass, then makes two different lamps out of stacked kitchen colanders and lampshades. Professional lighting secrets about shadowing and highlighting are shared on the set of the sitcom, ""Brother's Keeper,"" by Rick Maas of Universal Studio's Set Lighting and Grip Department. Home entertaining expert/author Deborah Fabricant sets up a romantic tablescape with a floating candle centerpiece. Stencil artist Jeff Raum demonstrates covering self-adhesive lampshades with beautifully stenciled

Let There Be Light

Discover how to accessorize your home like a professional in this show dedicated to one of Christopher's top decorating musts â€” merchandising.

Home Displays

Christopher transforms a small space with a bay window into a cozy English nook.

Contented Cottage

Fun and functional ideas for decorating children's rooms fill today's show. With the aid of the telestrator, Christopher revisits some of the simple and clever ideas used in kid's room re-dos from past seasons. Designer Michael Buchanan shows off four bedrooms he decorated with input from their occupants - the young daughters of a New Jersey family. Christopher next builds a canopy headboard made from plywood, batting, and half of a sports umbrella. At LA's Enchanted Attic store, co-owners Ken Appel and his wife, Sue Tornetta discuss the inspiration behind their unique handmade and hand painted furniture they design for their family owned business. Kathy Peterson, crafts designer, shares some creative freehand and stenciling techniques usable in painting your own festive furniture. Designer Pam Hastings from Waverly Fabrics uses basic fabric rectangles and drawer pull hooks to make simple but interesting window treatments. Spiderman surprises Christopher outside of Marvel Mania at Univ

Child's Play

Explore some creative ways to convert the furniture and accessories you no longer like around your home into new treasures.

Use What You've Got

Discover how to turn a plain front hall into a grand and inviting entryway as Christopher makes over the entrance of his home.

Grand Entrances (1)

Learn how to make your home so comfortable, you'll never want to leave it. First, Cecil Adams, Creative Director of Expressions Custom Furniture, shares some rules-of-thumb advice for investing in high-price ticket items like sofas and shows how to customize a basic frame couch by mixing and matching a variety of arm, leg and cushion options. Christopher offers a simple solution to organizing all couch-potato necessities (like the remote control) by placing everything in a decorative basket to keep at the ready. Next, he displays the latest designs in fashionable recliners and hides a television in a large pedestal shaped cabinet. Universal City Walk visitors answer the man-on-the-street question ""what's the longest amount of time you've ever spent on a couch?"" Lee Moore, Set Designer for ""The Bold and the Beautiful"" takes us behind-the-scenes of this daytime drama and explains how he designs the many different looks for the variety of characters and scenarios in the show. Christopher

Easy Comfort

During the course of today's show, Christopher turns an underused dining room into a dual purpose family room and formal eating area. He first revisits some makeover projects from past shows on the telestrator, then goes through the ""before"" of the dining room, explaining the basic design elements he will add. Next, he introduces bookcases, a shelf and deacon's bench constructed to utilize a wall with windows, along with rolling carts to serve as both a sofa table and the base for a dining room table. He also offers tips on painting over wallpaper and discusses picking out dual purpose furniture like armoires. Visitors at Universal City Walk answer the man-on-the-street question ""what's your idea of the perfect family room?"" The deacon's bench is broken down into easy to build steps, and Christopher shows how to add decoupage designs to it. He also gives a quick lesson on painting over inexpensive furniture materials, such as particle board, and using old paintbrushes to create a wood

All in the Family Room

The show focuses on ways to create your own personal decorating style.

What Your Style?

This show is devoted to carving out a private refuge for yourself in a small space.

Special Spaces

Unlock your hidden creative potential with inspiration from the fun ideas found in today's show. Christopher first meets Victoria MacKenzie-Childs on wild trip to her MacKenzie-Childs, Ltd. store in New York City where they discuss the joys of adding traditional whimsey to the home and rekindling the child inside yourself. He then shows how to emulate their designs on your own items. Next, Mosaic artist Rose Portillo opens up her home to share the colorful tile designs that fill every room and demonstrates at Christopher's house how to create a mosaic tray. For quick ways to fix up wooden flea market finds, Scott J. Sallinger, owner of Sunny Boy Designs, presents three easy and decorative finishes made with an assortment of paints. Wylie, TX chef and restaurant owner Cammie Spillyards makes two desserts â€” poached pear and a brownie â€” in under four minutes which have a presentation that makes them a feast for the eyes. A fruit and flower arrangement is next on the plate, as Dokhi Mirmir

The Artist in All of Us

Explore Americana design elements such as quilting and shredded paper bowls.

American Dream

Find out how to carve out a space in your home where you can explore your own creativity through seeing a spare room transformed into a dual functioning workspace and guest bedroom.

Creative Spaces

Discover how bold designing in black and white can be.

In Black and White

This show is filled with top designers who share their secrets for stylish success. First, designers Alexandra Stoddard, Van-Martin Rowe, Frances Schultz and HaRry Segil join Christopher at his house for a roundtable discussion about forming relationships with their clients. At a NYC workshop, we meet the ""Prince of Chintz"", Mario Buatta and see how his designs are taken from a paper sketch to a finished piece of furniture. Universal City Walk visitors answer the question ""what's the biggest decorating mistake you ever made?"" Christopher's designer roundtable continues their conversation, this time focusing on some of the common decorating problem areas people run into while working on their own homes. Jan Jessup of Calico Corners shows how her company's catalog allows you to design your own custom furniture through mix and match frame styles and fabrics. The members of the roundtable define their personal styles and inspirations. A visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art store offers

Designer Sources

In this show, Christopher shows us how to disguise unsightly items around the home and turn them into beautiful design elements.

Art of Disguise (1)

Christopher offers up some easy and fun ideas which allow kids to help make design decisions for their own space. Checking out a school supply store, he points out the many colorful and useful items that can be used for decorating while simultaneously creating a stimulating learning environment at home. Next, he shows off a study nook with furnishings that are easily replaced as a child grows into more adult needs. In a Design Doctor segment, viewer Sean McMahon's dilemma of transforming his son's old room into a new one for his daughter is tackled. First, Christopher visits the home to assess the room, then Sean comes to Christopher's house to receive a design board of Christopher's ideas along with a headboard shelving unit to get him started. A trip to New Orleans introduces Jana Napoli, founder of the Ya/Ya Foundation, and a group of young artists who have now become famous for their hand-painted, storytelling furniture. From the viewer mailbag, we see a photo of a PVC pipe canopy

Kids Live Here, Too

This show brings the pleasures of seaside living into your home without moving to the beach.

Down by the Sea

Learn how to make beautiful celebrations at home without causing yourself a lot of stress - or breaking the bank!

Party Time

On this show, see how make your home a comfortable refuge for yourself, your family and your friends.

Comfort Zone

Learn how to take inspiration from grand public spaces and make the ideas relevant to your own home.

Public Places / Private Spaces

Discover the ins and outs of window and door decor in today's show.

Opening Up New Ideas

In today's show, Christopher proves that a few simple changes can turn an ordinary bathroom into a relaxing sanctuary.

Squeaky Clean

Bring a little flair and style of Italy into your own home through the many ideas offered in today's show. We start with a visit to the San Diego home of Robert Yates where Christopher began a dining room makeover last year. Mr. Yates takes us through the now completed room, filled with colorful marionettes and other inspirations from a music box he found in Venice, Italy. Back in Christopher's house, Leslie Erganian of Specialty Prop Design of Los Angeles demonstrates how to create an Italian design wall treatment with a pencil and some paint. Next up is a history lesson from ceramist Karen Koblitz about Italy's famed and intricately patterned Majolica ceramic ware. Then Rosemary Watson, artist/representative for Liquitex ""Glossies"" Paint, shows how to emulate the Majolica look on your own inexepensive dishes. A ""You Did It!"" segment takes us to Northwestern University where sophomore Ryan Du Val spent six days painting a rendition of the Sistine Chapel on his dorm ceiling. In the kit

Italian Influences

Discover how to make houseguests feel as comfortable in your home as in their own. First, Christopher shares some photos from ""Elegant Hotels of Europe"" for a little inspiration. Next, we visit Harry Segil, artist/designer, who turned two unused bedrooms into self-contained, whimsically designed guest apartment. Christopher, as the Design Doctor, surprises a viewer Jane Haven who wrote in asking for help sprucing up her formal dining room to fit in with her recently redone kitchen. After Christopher assess the room, she joins him at his house to receive tips on creating a window seating area and to see a demonstration of building and marbleizing a new mantle for her fireplace. Janet Fletcher, author/chef of ""Fresh From the Farmer's Market,"" whips up a fresh vegetable and dip platter. Eileen Paulin, associate publisher/editor Romantic Homes magazine shows how small, homey touches can make a big difference in creating the perfect guest space. Christopher makes an old-fashioned wooden gue

Company's Coming

Discover how to get your home in the mood for romance! Christopher takes us to the beautifully restored Victorian San Francisco bed and breakfast, The Spencer House, where owner Barbara Chambers details the steps she took to renew the home to its original splendor. Back in his own home, Christopher creates a boudoir for a romantic evening for two. Designer Van-Martin Rowe of Front Porch Designs, sections off a portion of the front yard and turns it into a cozy, private, romantic retreat. At the Pasadena Showcase of Design , interior designer Jennifer Bevan from the Mission Street Design Group explains how she transformed a neglected space into an elegant lady's sitting room. Botanica floral designer Brad Coon demonstrates how he designs lavish arrangements by combining vegetables and flowers. Gina Steiner of Flame Inc. gives a quick lesson on making your own candles. For a final romantic touch, Christopher shares his recipe for cheese and chocolate fondue.

It's a Fine Romance

Today Christopher demonstrates a number of ways to incorporate water into home design.

Designing with Water

Kitchen Kozy

See the many ways you can bring the outdoors inside for year round communing with nature. During a visit to the L.A. home of Michael Benasra, designer/owner of Guess? Home, we see the outdoor kitchen and entertaining areas he designed to reflect the feel of the South of France. He then comes to Christopher's house to share his latest nature inspired bedroom linen collection. Metalwork artist Griffe Griffiths makes a garden scepter hook out of a fork and shows some of the other intriguing metal accessories he creates. At the Pasadena Showcase House of Design, interior designer Amy DeVault, explains the concept behind the solarium she decorated there. Christopher gives some tips for using big plants indoors then discusses ""underplanting"" as a way to make miniature landscapes for the home. Next he presents a quick and easy way to cook salmon and vegetables on an outdoor grill. Viewer Judy Zielinski of Quakertown, PA shows us around the home she fixed up to reflect her love of plants in a

Indoor / Outdoor Living

See how to design, accessorize and maximize small spaces through Christopher's redo of a breakfast nook. He first uses drawings to illustrate the additions he will make to the space, then describes how he put together a Japanese inspired stairstep book case and a long bench seating area. Emphasizing the usefulness of dual functional furnishings in tight areas, he demonstrates construction of a hanging false beam used as a space divider and a table that can be adjusted to three different heights. He also upholsters back cushions for the bench seating area with Velcro flaps to be attached to rods in the windows. Liza Glen, a Plaid Enterprises artist/representative, shows how to make floor clothes out of canvas and linoleum remnants then demonstrates some paint techniques for applying personalized designs. Christopher next visits owner Mark Held of Mark's Garden to get advice on the ""language of flowers"" â€” knowing what to ask for when ordering arrangements. Back in the kitchen, Christophe

Cozy Corner

Learn how to give your home a personality that reflects you.

A House of Art and Soul

Christopher focuses on making key areas of the home, especially the bedroom, relaxing environments. As the Design Doctor, he visits the home of viewer Lisa Kalins to help give her railroad style dining room and den a comfortable feel. There he discusses furniture arrangement, then uses the telestrator back at his house to offer advice on color and fabric choices. Next, he demonstrates construction of a wrap around window bench with storage. Interior designer Michael Buchanan of Goralnick Buchanan, NY show us the sophisticated yet warm master bedroom, bath and sitting area he designed for the Connors family of New Jersey. Christopher makes a mirrored headboard out of an old window frame and decorates it with glaze paints and ivy stamps. He then takes us to Linens 'n Things to suggest ways to update your bedroom look on a budget by mixing and matching fabrics. To give plain linens a personal and elegant look, Christopher uses glaze paints and foam stamps to make patterns on them. Finally

Room to Live In

Christopher focuses on making key areas of the home, especially the bedroom, relaxing environments.

Sleep Tight

Learn how to incorporate your pets into your living space without sacrificing design elements.

Four-Legged Roommates

The show offers fun and simple projects to do for a relaxing and satisfying day. Christopher takes a trip to the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone where garden manager Diane Martinez shows off their decorative herb garden and gives tips for creating home container gardens. Next, he checks in with chef Bill Briwa who cooks up some herb based dishes. Back at the house, Christopher make some decorative vinegar bottles. Mary O'Neil of Hot Potatoes shares a technique which uses stamps to make patterns in velvet and Christopher builds a newspaper/magazine rack from plywood and poles. Evelyn Weidner of Weidners Gardens explains how to create arrangements with flowers and plants that stay in their own containers. Christopher next uses the telestrator to give her advice on sprucing up the kitchen in her home. Sandra Woodward of S W Design Studio whips of some simple, gourmet tasting Sunday brunch dishes. Viewer Gabrielle Wheat of Shawnee, Kansas shares the replica of an Australian Outb

Sunday Afternoon

Learn how to update retro looks from the 1930's through the 70's and incorporate them into your home design.

Vintage Vamp

See how to create hi-tech industrial looks in your own home with easily available construction materials.

Industrial Interiors

This show is dedicated to using hanging objects to make small spaces look great.

Out on a Wire

In this show, Christopher will inspire viewers to gain the confidence to create rooms with attitude.

Room Tones

Today we explore some great designs for small spaces taken from rooms that are on the road.

Portable Palaces

The show is filled with simple and stylish accessory ideas that add fun to your home.

Hand Made Homes

Learn how to trust your instincts and use them in your home design in this inspiration filled show.

Intuitive Interiors

Make your home the most welcoming place on the block with the many fun ideas from this show.

Welcome Home

The show focuses on how to make a new home â€” or the one you are already in feel ""more like home.""

Christopher details step by step how he used his concept, the ""7 Layers of Design,"" to transform the living room in his house from a barren, white-walled space to the warm and inviting room seen daily on the show. The purpose of Christopher's 7 Layers of Interior Design is to keep you on budget and out of overwhelm as you re-do a room.

Back to Our Roots

Seasons5

Season 1 Episodes49

Cast1

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Episode Summary