Lisa Quinn cheat sheet

Quinn is the poster child for easy and affordable decorating, not to mention ideas that are low maintenance. Faking it: The living room’s beams look like wood, but are actually made of Styrofoam with a faux finish. “They weigh like a pound apiece!” laughs Quinn. Fabricated by Faux Wood Beams, they were installed with an adhesive. Art is everywhere: “My late friend Jim Parrot always said that anything looks good framed,” says Quinn, adding that he framed an array of items, from expensive prints to matchboxes. Quinn recommends the Ribba frames and shadowboxes from Ikea, and visiting places like Berkeley’s Urban Ore to “find random things to frame. Just last week, I found a dozen vintage wood paddles from an old beach-ball game. We framed them in black shadowboxes for a client.” The Midas touch: “You can’t change the shape, but you can always change the color,” says Quinn, referring to the potential of objects. Case in point: the mirror in her dining room. The Costco purchase came with a plain brown frame that she later gold-leafed. Consider consignment: The orange velvet curtains in the master bedroom were initially purchased for an episode of “Inside Job With Lisa Quinn.” “I impulsively ordered them on eBay, and when they arrived I realized they were too short,” she explains. “The seller did not accept returns, so I decided to use them myself. It was a happy accident. But everyone makes mistakes. Sometimes, if we find ourselves with an item we can’t return or use, we sell it on Chairish.” Stroke of genius: The great room features a Quinn original: “T-Bone,” which she painted on a wood pallet plucked from Urban Ore. “I go there about once a week to look for wood to use as my canvas,” she says. The pallet was missing a chunk of wood and its shape reminded her of an animal’s ear, so she decided to paint a cow.