Yes, indeed.

Lamp cords are one of my pet peeves with the design industry! Sheesh! I hate those damn things!

The cords should be retractable so you could adjust the length for various locations in your home.

OR -- the cords themselves should be able to "snap-in" to the base of the lamp -- similar to the phone cords that snap into the base of a phone. Then customers could choose the correct color for the cord!

Seems like a viable option to me! :) AND a profitable one!

Something- glasses I guess- that would allow you to look at your own decorating with fresh eyes.

I think that when you look at your room over and over to make sure you "got it right" you start losing the ability to really see it!

Decora type switches and receptacles that had an outer plastic sleeve so the outlet and switch itself could be color coordinated to the room. (not just the plate or cover)

A better recessed outlet so the plug would be recessed into the wall and not stick out.

I would specialize in mid to mid high quality transitional only furniture pieces and accessories with a large choice of paint and finish kits w/instructions so budget minded people could get a decent quality in the main piece but save on the finish by doing it themselves. It would have a different spin than furniture in the raw type places where you are left to your own imagination. My site would show a piece in different settings and you would also be able to order different top surfaces such as wood or stainless, granite or marble and more. My place would be the place to come if you wanted a different look and a piece you could change down the road if your taste changed.
Is there already such a place or site?

Refrigerators that are three times as big and only cabinet depth. This exists I'm sure in high end, custom homes.

All small appliances and lamps should have retractable cords.

I know this probably sounds silly but we have two birds and I would love to invent housing for them that provides them with what they need but is also more decor friendly. The ones we have are large and ugly.

All small appliances and lamps should have retractable cords.

Amen to that! We have practically no counter space, and I'm forever fighting with the stupid blender, toaster, coffee maker and can opener cords! Grrrrrrrr.

I would love to invent wallpaper remover that actually works for all walls and all kinds of paper.

Now that LED light are becoming more readily available, a battery operated lamp with a reasonable battery life is starting to seem feasible. What would be great would be a conversion kit for existing lamps.

The battery lamp idea made me smile! When I was a child in England in the 1950s we lived in a remote (but beautiful) place that had no electricity. We had propane type lamps downstairs and candles or oil lamps upstairs in the bedrooms. No baths! One day my father came home proudly with a battery operated lamp! It was made of plastic, and looked a bit like a spaceship but we felt as though we had just moved into the 20th century!
I have never seen a battery operated lamp since!

Exterior paint that can be applied regardless of how low temperatures get. And over dirt. Not to mention in the rain, too, while we're at it.

lukkiirish -- you just reminded me of my friend who dedicated a whole bedroom in his house to his birds. He has all these ropes hanging cris-cross across the room, and the room is in the front of the house, so when he has the blinds open, you can see the ropes from the street. I always wondered if his neighbors wondered if he was into some kind of S&M, LOL.

I would invent flexible, decorative curtain rods for people with bay windows like mine.

Sasha, that's hilarious! I have heard of some people with large birds doing that. It's a cool idea. Our birds are just cockatiels that are spoiled rotten and with larger than average cages. :c)

Pokemom, I think I saw rods for that once made out of flexible piping.

If you remember where you saw them, please let me know! I need them desperately!

There already are cordless lamps. What I'd rather have is a wireless lamp similar to a wireless mouse on your computer where you just plug in a little thing in the outlet that transmits to the lamp.

Here is a link that might be useful: cordless lamps

I just found the article about flexible bay window curtain rods

Here is a link that might be useful: Umbra Bay Window Rods on Amazon

I have a cordless reading lamp. it can work on batteries or plug in to socket.

I love my remote for my lamp. I don't have to get up and down to turn it on/off. just keep the remote next to me.

i'd invent ceiling lights that would just lower by remote control to change the bulbs. no more climbing on a step stool/ladder to do it.

I have a cordless reading lamp. it can work on batteries or plug in to socket.

I love my remote for my lamp. I don't have to get up and down to turn it on/off. just keep the remote next to me.

i'd invent ceiling lights that would just lower by remote control to change the bulbs. no more climbing on a step stool/ladder to do it.

I would invent really classy Garanimals for home decor.

This stuff is easy for a lot of you, but I agonize over it. I overthink it, for sure (I'm a natural analzyer), and end up doing things wrong because I'm too focused on insignificant details. If I could go to a store and know that I could buy anything with a "hippo" tag and it would coordinate perfectly with other hippo items, I think I would be happy. I could still have a creative outlet, but know that my basics were solid. That would be nice.

I can usually work my way around corded lamps, BUT it would be nice if they had swivel bases so that I could control where the cord came out from, or invent a standard that there's a cord "cutout" on all sides to accomodate it. The lamp I have behind my sofa right now -- in order to get the on swtich reachable, the cord has to wrap 3/4 around. That's silly.

I would like to invent the next big fabric trend, so that I could find something other than dupioni. :)

Sadly, that pole will not work for me. I may have to fashion something out of PVC.

avesmore, what an awesome idea! I'm sure there are many folks on this board and around the world that could greatly benefit from that, though I know many of them have more talent then they give themselves credit for, including you, but this sort of system would allow them to relax and enjoy decorating instead of agonizing over it.

avesmore you have some really great thoughts there...you better go patent protect them QUICK!!!!

Easy. I've been thinking about this for YEARS and we're talking about it in Jen's England topic.

I'd wiggle my nose and become an Interior Decorator for nice furniture stores that everyone shops at, and I'd go to market and buy tons and tons of sofas and chairs in colorful fabrics..florals, checks..stripes..damask..you name it!

And it won't cost a fortune either!

It would be possible, but so expensive and time consuming that I dont think it would have a wide appeal.

Wii guides are unusual enough that you do not need to go buy one. You can easily get Wii guides and find the best Wii games all around. The Wii is great for both parents and kids so make sure you get the best games if you can.

JoeGlass, what's that spam at the end of every one of your posts?

I think I would try to come up with a cat roost, a scratching post, and dog bed that aren't generally ugly or cartoonish looking. Dog beds have gotten better but the cat things are not too attractive.

I would also foster a return to high quality vinyl in the residential market. There are some pretty amazing ones that are used in the contract market. (You probably think you are sitting on leather in some pricey restaurants). People have really turned their backs on Naugahyde and the like but it wears like iron and tends not to stain. I get depressed going to client's houses and seeing stains on their furniture. (I told you its all about me, right?)

Why can the computer be "wireless", but the TV must be placed near the cable hook up thingy? ALso, toilets...why do they have sooo many nooks and crannies to clean? A woman could have never been the designer!

Why can the computer be "wireless", but the TV must be placed near the cable hook up thingy?

I know! I wouldn't need so many TV sets if I had a small one that I could take to different rooms. I do understand that Sony or some other manufacturer has comeout with a "wireless" TV, but that it is really expensive.

I hate how our baseboard heat makes everything stick out two inches off the wall so I would come up with a line of furniture that notched over it and was flush to the wall above it. I'm seriously thinking about radiant for our new build because this drives me crazy!

self coloring walls. Hold up a swatch, and the wall changes to match. :) hey you asked, right?

A dog toilet that worked

What a fun subject! I really like the wireless idea for all electronics and appliances.
How about walls that are magnetic? And all wall decor comes automatically with a metal plate on the back. Presto! Move it anytime and anywhere you please. No more hammering, filling nail holes, painting...

Well, back in the post war era the Lustron company made all steel homes that you could decorate with magnet backed art.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lustron Homes

Oh and I just thought of another -how about some sort of special light on studs so when you shone a flashlight on the wall, the studs showed up?!?

And while we're at it -wouldn't it be cool to have moveable, modular walls, so you could make rooms bigger, smaller and have a different floorplan when you needed it?

Special lampshade store. I'd license it to various home decor outlets like JC Penney, Lowes, little boutiques and specialty stores, and I'd have special relationships with a delivery company and one or more lampshade builders/importers.

There would be a warehouse that stored every size of round, rectangle, oval, drum, etc -- all the classics -- and had samples of all the colors. This warehouse would have some kind of routing JIT deal with a transport company where you could get any size and shape of shade at your outlet within 24 hours of requesting it. Then, once you decided on the one you wanted, after trying the sample on your lamp, you could get a new shade in your choice of fabric within a week or two.

I would not deal in the Victorian style shades that you can order online, and I would find a way to deliver the completed shades for a low price. Smart routing has got to be one of the biggest money-saving opportunities out there today. Overstock knows how to do it, why couldn't I.

Yes, I did recently go shopping for a shade. The two shade stores within driving distance of my house would have special order anything I wanted, but I would not have seen it on my lamp first, could not return it, and would have to wait 12 weeks.

Area rugs/draperies that can be reversed and used for different seasons, light color for spring/summer, darker for fall/winter? ;o)

I second jamies' lampshade idea! Impossible to find the right shade for a lamp, the offerings even in the lighting stores are so limited.

Attractive soap dishes and dispensers. Dishes where the bar of soap doesn't sit in a puddle of water, but drains. And dispensers for kitchen dish soap that are useful (pick up, tip, squeeze) but attractive enough to sit out on the counter all the time. Best I can do right now is a plain clear one that I had to soak the label off of!

best years: we have a studfinder.

Cooper and Patty cakes win's by a landslide!!! Wouldn't both of those ideas be dreamy? I think I'm channelling "Gidget." lol

I know, I have a number of studfinders... but they just don't ever seem to work quite the way they do on tv LOL....

terriks, thanks for the heads up! There is a Lustron home about 5 min from my store. I had no idea! I am going to drive by on my way home today.

Patty cakes - You can reverse wool flat weave (soumak) rugs. The texture or weave might look slightly different on each side, but they are definitely reversible.

Also braided rugs. Back in my country decorating days, I had a gorgeous wool (combined with some other fabrics) that I would reverse.

BigDogLover, I just started using an extra oil & vinegar glass container for my dish soap.

I had one of the built in ones at my sink but the plastic container broke were is screws into the dispenser part from underneath the sink.

Which reminds me I'm make a metal container to replace the plastic one so I didn't have to worry about it breaking.

justgotabme a 'Never MT' might have solved your problem. Now that is a good invention! I love mine!

Here is a link that might be useful: Never MT

Wow Sis3 thank you so very much. I'm definitely going to order one of these! It's even better than getting a metal one since this will be so much easier to refill!