She went to the hardware store to buy five gallons of paint in different colors.

“I wanted to make a mural in the corner of my bedroom,” she said. “And then I realized it doesn’t take 5 gallons to paint a few square feet. But I was stuck with $200 worth of paint. So I decided to just paint my whole damn house. I did a giant mural going down my entire hallway, down the stairwell, my cabinet and wall trim, my ceilings, I was just like, I’m getting rid of this paint. That quickly changed my house to be colorful and bright.”

“It was very much art therapy,” she said. “And it made me feel better. I had always wanted to make my space my own, but I just couldn’t. This was the first time where I was like, I have a canvas, I can do whatever I want!”

Slowly, she turned her home into a work of art. “When my friends saw my house, they told me to post it online, and I said, ‘This is crazy, I’m way too old for TikTok!’”

But during a slow period at work, she decided to try it. She cut two shots into a simple video, showcasing a bedroom window surrounded by a DIY greenery wall, and posted it to TikTok. Within one day, it had a million views.

The greenery wall that started it all, via her Instagram.

“It just went viral, my very first video!” she exclaimed. “I had no idea that was special! I didn’t really use TikTok. I just thought, this is so easy, anyone can do this!”

So she continued creating videos, documenting her painting, sharing renter-friendly decorating hacks, and making response videos to some of the crazier comments. “Boomers call it a tacky preschool aesthetic,” she said. “People think it’s young, but I just think it’s fun!”

She says she doesn’t read her comments anymore, since some are quite toxic, especially on TikTok. “I can’t believe people get upset about how other people decorate their homes. It’s not your home, chill out!”

In January 2023, she lost her full-time job, a casualty of the big tech layoffs at the time. But rather than look for another job, she decided to lean into content creation. She parlayed her internet fame into a new career as an interior decorator, taking on projects for open-minded clients that give her free creative rein, doing brand partnerships, and creating her own wallpaper designs.

The post The web’s greatest DIY decorator lives in San Francisco | by The Daring Italic | Feb, 2024 appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Home improvements, especially the do-it-yourself kind, are really booming these days. Stuck at home, we are all noticing the jobs, big and small, that need to be done. But do you have the skills?

You could hire a handyperson to take care of them, but during these coronavirus times, you might not feel like having an extra person coming into your home. So here is an alternative: a video handyperson.

Fixer.com offers in-home handyperson service in Chicago and a virtual handyperson service everywhere.

RELATED: DIY backyard water park-style ideas for your family this summer while staying at home

CEO Mike Evans has faith in your abilities, telling me, “We say homeowners can do more than they think they can do, and with a screwdriver and a coach they can work through just about any task in their home.”

Mike says the video service gets a lot of calls about hanging something on a wall or taking something off a wall.

So I go along on a virtual visit and meet these two: “Hi my name is Siri. Hey, I am Eric,” Siri Vemuri and Eric Christophels introduce themselves.

These two want to do both: take something down and put something up.

“We want to replace the existing curtain rod with a new one that we bought and we have a couple of questions about that process,” they say.

Paul Poweziak is Fixer’s lead trainer and is going to help get the curtain rod replaced.

RELATED: Fix it or throw it? The top goods and gadgets we tried to fix ourselves last year

“Removing your old drapes should be pretty straightforward,” he tells them via a video streaming session. “Do you guys have a ladder on site?”

Eric says, “Yes.”

Siri says, “We have a ladder and a bar stool,” then adds jokingly, “Is that code?”

John seems concerned.

The project moves forward with Eric taking down the curtain, then, following John’s instructions, takes down one of the old brackets and compares it to the new.

The bracket holes are nearly identical. John says this is good, but Siri is concerned because the bracket is shorter and the second screw hole is only a half-hole.

John tells her, “I think they were trying to save money on materials, but it is equally as secure.”

Siri asks, “I didn’t actually buy a cheapo?”

“No, I think it will be all right,” says John.

John continues giving tips and ideas, while Eric and Siri follow his advice, asking questions along the way.

RELATED: Here’s how to make your own air conditioner for $8

Siri gets up the ladder, but the ladder is facing the wrong direction. John is concerned.

“I am getting a little nervous with Siri up on the ladder. Just because typically when you are on a ladder you should be working in front of yourself and not working sideways or at an angle,” he says. “It’s making me nervous.”

Siri replies, “I am standing on a ladder wrong?” She turns the ladder around and goes back up.

Now Eric brings two screws, one from the old bracket the other from the new, up close to the laptop camera so John can see the difference. They look nearly identical.

John tells them it is fine to use the new ones, then asks Siri, “Do you feel safer on the ladder?”

There is a long pause. “Sure,” says Siri.

The two outside curtain brackets are installed, the drapes go up, are level and look great. Like a pro did the job.

The middle bracket is removed, leaving anchors in the wall.

Eric asks, “If we decide to take them out is there a trick to getting them out?”

“Put in screws,” John says, “but not far enough in, to open the anchor. Then grab that screw with pliers.”

Eric goes up the ladder to try that out and it works perfectly.

“Look at that,” says Siri.

“It was super easy,” says Eric.

“Look at that magic,” Siri exclaims.

So how much does this virtual service cost? Nothing for the first 5 minutes then $15 dollars for each additional 15 minutes.

Take a look at more stories by Michael Finney and 7 On Your Side.

Copyright © 2022 KGO-TV. All rights reserved.

The post Sort out DIY house enchancment initiatives with the assistance of a ‘digital handyman’ appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

You could hire a handyman to look after them, but during these coronavirus times you may not feel like an extra person is coming to your home. So here is an alternative: a video cellphone person.

Fixer.com offers in-home cell phone person service in Chicago and virtual cell phone person service anywhere.

RELATED: DIY Backyard Water Park Style Ideas For Your Family This Summer While You Stay Home

Trusting your skills, CEO Mike Evans tells me, “We say homeowners can do more than they think and with a screwdriver and a coach they can do just about any job in their home.”

Mike says the video service receives a lot of calls when it comes to hanging something on a wall or taking something off a wall.

So I make a virtual visit and meet these two: “Hello, my name is Siri. Hey, I’m Eric”, Siri Vemuri and Eric Christophels introduce themselves.

These two want to do both: take something off and put something up.

“We want to replace the existing curtain rod with a new one we bought and we have a couple of questions about the process,” it said.

Paul Poweziak is Fixer’s lead trainer and will help replace the curtain rod.

RELATED: Repairing Or Throwing? The top goods and devices that we wanted to repair ourselves last year

“Removing your old curtains should be pretty easy,” he tells them through a video streaming session. “Do you have a ladder on site?”

Eric says, “Yes.”

Siri says, “We have a ladder and a bar stool,” then jokingly adds, “Is that code?”

John seems concerned.

The project moves forward with Eric pulling down the curtain and then, following John’s instructions, taking down one of the old clamps and comparing it to the new one.

The mounting holes are almost identical. John says that’s good, but Siri is concerned because the bracket is shorter and the second screw hole is only half a hole.

John says to her, “I think you tried to save money on materials, but it’s just as safe.”

Siri asks, “I didn’t actually buy a cheap one?”

“No, I think it’s going to be fine,” says John.

John continues to provide tips and ideas while Eric and Siri follow his advice and ask questions as they go.

RELATED: How to Make Your Own Air Conditioner for $ 8

Siri goes up the ladder, but the ladder is pointing the wrong way. John is concerned.

“I get a little nervous when Siri is on the ladder. Just because you should normally be working on a ladder in front of yourself and not working sideways or at an angle,” he says. “It makes me nervous.”

Siri replies, “I’m wrong on a ladder?” She turns the ladder over and goes back up.

Now Eric brings two screws, one from the old bracket and the other from the new one, close to the laptop camera so John can tell the difference. They look almost identical.

John tells them it’s okay to use the new ones and asks Siri, “Do you feel safer on the ladder?”

There is a long pause. “Sure,” says Siri.

The two outer curtain brackets are installed, the curtains go up, are level and look great. How a professional did the job.

The middle bracket is removed leaving anchors in the wall.

Eric asks, “If we decide to take it out, is there any trick to take it out?”

“Put in screws,” says John, “but not far enough to open the anchor. Then grab that screw with pliers.”

Eric climbs the ladder to try this out and it works perfectly.

“Look at this,” says Siri.

“It was super easy,” says Eric.

“Check out this magic,” exclaims Siri.

How much does this virtual service cost? Nothing for the first 5 minutes, then $ 15 for each additional 15 minutes.

Check out more stories from Michael Finney and 7 On Your Side.

Copyright © 2021 KGO-TV. All rights reserved.

The post Deal with DIY house enchancment tasks with the assistance of a ‘digital handyman’ appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.