Plan ahead for visit to giant home expo
Thursday, March 10, 2005
BY KIMBERLY L. JACKSON
Star-Ledger Staff

With warm weather and spring improvement projects just around the corner, what could be better than finding inspiration and ideas from 500 home and garden design exhibitors in one place?

That's what visitors to the New Jersey Home Show & Interior Design Expo can expect Friday
through Sunday at the New Jersey Convention & Exposition Center at Raritan Center,
Edison, show organizers say.

But how does one make the best of it all without suffering info overload?

Be open to new products and ideas, but have a plan, suggests Libby Langdon, host of the Fox Television show "Design Invasion."

" It can be daunting and overwhelming to just show up," says Langdon, who will be among the home show's celebrity speakers. "Before you arrive, if there are specific areas in your home that you want to work on, you should have those in mind", says the actress and former fashion model whose interior design projects include the new Massimo Bizzocchi menswear store and La Masseria restaurant, both in New York City.

When you take a look at what needs to be done at your place, you should also assess how new products or materials might work with what you already have, Langdon says.

" Make a list of some of the things you'd like to accomplish in your home. If you have a general idea of budget, that's going to help you make decisions."

Along with Langdon, the show's presenters include "The Wall Wizard" Brian Santos, an expert on painting, faux finishing and wallpapering; TV Chef Paul Dillon of the show "Let's Cook," and gardening expert Ralph Snodsmith, host of WOR Radio's "The Garden Hotline."

Langdon's chats with show guests will be on Saturday at 11:30 a.m and 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. She plans to discuss "how people can make a huge transformation in their home without a carpenter, spending lots of money or taking lots of time," she says. Much like what she and five staffers do in the 12-hour time frame they have for each "Design Invasion" episode.

" I've learned so much going into those people's homes," Langdon says. Mainly, the way to make the fastest and most dramatic interior changes for maximum televised appeal. Among the show's most important tools that also can be used by home decorators are paint and lighting, she says.

" It really begins with lighting, says Langdon, who has also worked behind the camera, having produced several films, including "A Shot at Glory," starring Robert Duvall and Michael Keaton. "Lighting is such a key element to the ambiance and mood of any room," she says.

Langdon also will discuss her design philosophy, which, like her work on "Design Invasion," draws inspiration from the personality already existing in a home. "Most of us can't go through and just completely redecorate and have all new things in a room," she says. Her objective is to incorporate suitable pieces by rethinking and reworking them, she says.

Santos, a frequent guest on home improvement television and author of "Painting Secrets" (Meredith, 2004, $19.95) and "Painting & Wallpapering" (Ortho, 2002, $11.95), will demonstrate some of his techniques on Friday at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Saturday at noon, 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., and Sunday at noon and 3 p.m.

Dillon will demonstrate cooking techniques Saturday at 1 and 4 p.m. and Sunday at 1 and 3:30 p.m.
Snodsmith's informal presentations at 4:30 p.m. Friday, and 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday will help do-it-yourselfers have greater success with their gardens, show organizers say. Snodsmith, author of the "Tri-State Gardener's Guide" is former director of the Queens Botanical Garden. His syndicated radio show airs on 130 stations nationwide.