Overstock: Makeover Takeover with Angelo Surmelis

Just recently, former HGTV personality Angelo Surmelis was in Atlanta for a design event called Makeover Takeover.  A lucky winner was to be the recipient of one of Angelo’s room makeovers, courtesy of the online shopping mega-site, Overstock.com.  Their PR firm contacted me and asked if I’d like to meet Angelo and see the finished room.

Of course I would!

I love this stuff.

So, I headed down there one Sunday afternoon hoping to meet Angelo and see the room finale.  Unfortunately, do to scheduling concerns and a flight out of Atlanta before I could arrive, I didn’t get to meet Angelo, but he graciously called me and gave me his email so that I could send him some questions.  I think you’ll enjoy hearing from Angelo and I know you’ll love seeing the finished room.

All the products are from Overstock.com.  They are not paying me to blog about this, but I happen to really love this site and have bought many items from them over the years.

The homeowner, Silverline, lives in this apartment complex in Atlanta.

Angelo, taking in the space and figuring out his design plan for her bedroom.

Angelo met up with the homeowner and found out her likes and dislikes before he tackled her room.

Silverline leaves for a few days, so that Angelo can work his magic.

She had purple swatches taped to her wall, so he used that as inspiration too.

Here’s the bedroom before Angelo took control.

Another view of the Before bedroom.  Are you ready for the After?  It’s colorful, moody, global!

It really is a pretty space and Angelo added a lot of texture and color to fit her personality.

Overall scope of the new room.  The deep purple walls are a nice contrast to the oranges in the room.

Close up of the lamp.

Fresh flowers always add personality and a splash of color.

Before and After.  I talked to the homeowner, Silverline, and she was just thrilled with her new room.  She was beaming from ear to ear and I can definitely see why.  It feels so cozy and comfortable now.

I asked Angelo a few questions by email and he was so great to take the time to answer all of them! Hopefully, you’ll enjoy reading them too.

1.  How long have you been a designer and what is your background?  How did you get started?

I think I’ve been designing since I first started dragging my parents furniture around our Chicago apartment when I was six. I wanted to change space and create different ways of feeling in a room. When I was going to school I wanted to be an architect, but quickly realized that I wasn’t that bright (math, not my best subject), so I studied fine art. I worked as a window dresser for department stores and designed and build theater sets in my early college days. The interior design work really started happening because my friends started asking me to help design their homes after seeing what I was doing with my apartments, with little to no money. I never thought that interior design was an actual job—I just assumed everyone designed their own home. I stated my design firm about 15 years ago.

2.  When designing a space, what are the top 5 tips you might offer to homeowners who want a beautiful makeover?

1) Have a budget. It helps you stay focused.

2) Look for inspiration and Create an overall plan of what you want your room to look and feel like. Move your existing furniture around in the room before you start on buying anything new. This will give you a re-energized feel for your room and help you see some old pieces in a new light. Plus, it will help in training your eye in how scale, placement and flow can really make a huge difference in the way a room feels.

3) Go classic with the bigger, more expensive pieces in the room. You can use the trends in color, fabric and style with the smaller/less expensive items. Those are easier to change out as your tastes and trends evolve.

4) Go bold. Once you have the basics in place and you’ve set the foundation for your room (i.e. flooring, walls, large scale furniture, etc) find ways to create some uniqueness in your room. Your home should be all about you, not a new trend or a cookie-cutter looks, Don’t be afraid to mix your hand-me down chest with a new modern set of chairs that you just purchased. If it doesn’t work, you can always move that chest to another room. Experiment with what you have and add new pieces that are from your travels, flea market finds, bold in color or pattern. This is the stuff that’s going to make all your classic choices really stand out and feel fresh.

5) All your hard work can go flat if you overlook lighting. Balance light in a room–meaning that  you make sure that all four corners of a room are covered if your using table/floor lams and not just overhead lights. Put lights on dimmers. If you have a 60w bulb on your bedside table lamps, don’t do a 100w bulb in the floor lamp on the opposite corner. it creates an imbalance in light. Make it all the same so that your room feels even and that you notice the room, not the light.

3.  When creating a new bedroom for Silverline, how did you decide on which colors to use?  I  know you got ideas from her on her favorite colors and she mentioned orange, so how did you come up with the entire color scheme?

Silverline had a few different shades of lavender swatches on her bedroom wall. She had them taped on there for about two years and couldn’t decide which one she wanted. I knew she liked the color, but could’t commit. It was my job to do that for her. She wanted the room to feel tranquil, so the wall shades and the larger pieces (bed, media cabinet, drapes, rug and some of the bedding) were tranquil and soothing, Then , since she is not afraid of bold colors, different shades of orange were used as a way to pop against all the neutral foundations. That mix help create a room for her that felt it was part of her sparkling personality while still being cozy an soothing. It was also key to add some layers of texture and organic elements with woods, flowers and accessories. This helps bring in the final layer that really makes Silverline’s room feel more personal.

4.  Tell me more about your Angelo line with Overstock? 

We launched angelo:HOME in later 2009 and Overstock was one of our very first retail partners. They just “get it.” Overstock shares my main belief that design should be for everyone! I grew up in a family with very little and as much as we wanted to live in the “home of our dreams” we were limited buy finances. The goal with my line was to create great style and value for all. Overstock gets that and already tells that story on their web site with their products, so forming a partnership was a no-brainer.

5.  What are you up to these days since you left HGTV?

Since launching angelo: HOME in 2009, with only upholstery, we have now moved into bedding, bedroom furniture, occasional tables, rugs and outdoor furniture. I have also designed throws, lighting and dinging tables that will be introduced later in 2012. We plan on opening the first angelo:HOME brick and mortar store later this year as well. There are a few other projects in the works with Overstock and a couple of different type of collaborations. It’s fun to be able to design for people and be a part of making their house into a home they want to be in. The best part of my day, is looking into a homeowner’s eyes when they see their new room for the first time. It gets me every time! I have the best job in the world.

Thanks, Angelo for the interview and feature and I hope all of you enjoyed this makeover takeover!  It was so fun to see the inspiration in person. 

Here’s a list of products used, all from Overstock.com.  I do not know the paint colors!

Cosmo Bicast Leather Queen-size Bed

angelo:HOME Braden Media Console

angelo:HOME Marlowe Square Mirror on Mirror

angelo:HOME Marlowe Charging Station Nightstand

angelo:HOME Kent Walnut Brown Wall Hugger Storage Ottoman

angelo:HOME Kara Trunk Coffee Table

angelo:HOME Harlow Desert Sunset Brown Paisley Accent Arm Chair

Madison Park Dune 7-piece Queen-size Comforter Set

Pima Cotton 400 Thread Count Deep-fitted Sheet Set

Pima Cotton 400 Thread Count Deep-fitted Sheet Set

Jiti Pillows Floret Orange Cotton Decorative Pillow

Joson ‘Poppy Anemone’ Framed Art Print

Joson ‘Apricot Parrot’ Framed Art Print

Kenan Oil Rubbed Bronze Table Lamp

‘Visite Espana’ Canvas art

Essex 3-piece Quilt Set

Indoor 2-light Light Marble Table Lamp

angelo:HOME Bowery Pedestals (Set of 2)

Jordan 86 to 150-inch Mahogany Curtain Rod

Signature Eggplant Velvet 96-inch Blackout Curtain Panel

Sean Jacobs ‘Autumn Shade I’ Canvas Art

Sean Jacobs ‘Autumn Shade II’ Wrapped Canvas Art

Dianne Poinski ‘Southern Charmer I’ Framed Art Print

Reclaimed Teak Wood Lotus Carving (Thailand)

Chinese-inspired Wooden Bucket

Vintage Chinese Water Bucket

Handcrafted Rustic Metal Wall Decor Stars (Set of 3)

RLF Home Barret Chenille Decorative Pillows (Set of 2)

Jullian Grey Shag Rug (7’7 x 10’6)

Premier Down-like Personal Choice Density Pillows (Set of 2)

Deluxe Natural Feather Pillows (Set of 2)

angelo:HOME Hyde Park Cotton Throw

Oxford Decorative Throw Blanket

Argento Seville Matador Candlestands (Set of 3)

Comfort Dreams Select-A-Firmness 11-inch Queen-size Memory Foam Mattress

Panasonic Viera TC-L32C3 32-inch 720p LCD TV

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