Cool Tool: Domino Before-and-Afters

I eat up a good decorating "before-and-after" -- like the new series of room makeovers that the Domino magazine site recently put up.

I just find it especially inspiring (and heartening) to see a room that looks like one that you or I might actually have in our home: Maybe the architecture is nothing special, the paint color a bit drab, the furnishings and accessories tired and worn. Then, via the magic of good design (not to mention a generous budget and great photography) -- BAM! -- it's suddenly magazine-worthy. It gives us amateur do-it-yourselfers a glimmer of hope.

Plus, seeing the "before" shots somehow makes it easier for me to break down what the designers did -- in other words, exactly how they infused those ho-hum rooms with a touch of magic. Perhaps they chose a truly transformative paint color, or really great bedding, or a bold piece of art to anchor the space, or maybe they did something simple and ingeniously clever to disguise the room's architectural shortcomings.

It's all fodder for my mental notebook of design tricks -- and my actual notebook of decorating inspiration.

Check out Domino's new "Before and After" slideshow right here.