The Web is the Place for Design Ideas.

Looking for help from the Web on design, painting, lighting, or decorating? It's all there if you know where to look.

A great starting point for design of any kind is www.builderonline.com. This website has it all, from the highlights of the recent annual International Builders Show to hot new products available in construction and design. Their Daily News feature discusses everything, from a quick look at the latest news shows reports on the lack of affordable housing to the trend in business-to-business commerce sales and advanced building technologies.

One of the most practical sites out there is www.paintquality.com. While their website has terrific information (did you know the hottest colors out there today are Robin's Egg Blue and Wasabi Green?), it also has a "Paint Problem Solver" that can help you correct a bad paint job by telling you exactly how to solve the problem for either interior or exterior paint jobs.

It also lets you know what some of the hottest new products are in painting. Their latest hot product, Elastomeric Wall Coatings (EWCs), are, "catching on rapidly for exterior masonry and residential and commercial application. They are advanced acrylic latex coatings applied in heavy coats to exterior masonry (brick, stucco, concrete, cinder- and cement block) ... they stretch to bridge any cracks that open in the masonry due mainly to normal day-to-day changes in temperature. They provide a smooth, uniform appearance while keeping moisture and even wind-driven rain from entering the surface through cracks."

Want to redecorate your models, but just don't have the time to traipse all over town looking at furniture and fabric swatches? Have we got a site for you, www.goodhome.com. Like the site says, "Point, Click, Decorate," it's that easy. They even have pre-selected the color and fabric combinations for you.

Everyone can find something on the Home and Garden Television website, www.hgtv.com. This site has the listings for all 48 programs on their network, along with hundreds of ideas on design and decorating, building and remodeling, garden, landscaping and lifestyle. The site is worth a visit if only to take a look at their Recommended Reads.

Architects can get their fill at www.architectmag.com. Interior decorators will love www.homepoint.com. Not a professional designer or architect? Head on over to www.redecorate.com and peruse the message boards. This website, run by Use What You Have, is an interior design firm that specializes in redecorating with items you already have on hand.

Looking for lighting ideas? The website, www.bulbs.com has everything you could possibly want. If you have a specific lighting question, click on "Ask Dr. Bulb."

Once you've got all these great designs, customized paint jobs and beautiful light fixtures, how are you going to keep them looking their best and in top shape? Go to Lowes Hardware's website, www.lowes.com, for color diagrams, photos, and their Safety First feature.

Lisa Trosien Ms. Trosien is an author, educator, and consultant with more than 20 years of industry experience, as well as being an expert on targeted uses of the Internet for all facets of the multifamily housing industry. She will be presenting a seminar on marketing and training at the 2000 NAA Education Conference June 22-24 in New Orleans and has served on the NAA Communications Advisory Board.