Win an interior decorating consultation
The new Chicago-based interior decorating business Kelly + Olive is offering a giveaway to How About Orange readers! (You don't have to live in Chicago to take advantage.) If you've been helplessly wondering what to do with that blah room in your house or apartment, the "young, professional, modern, whimsical, pragmatic, ecclectic, and thrifty" pair from Kelly + Olive will help you solve your decorating dilemma.
What you can win:
"For virtual clients, we're offering our Style Sheets, a six page presentation which includes a moodboard with inspiration photos, suggestions for furniture placement, window treatments, color and fabric selection, and accessories. We source everything we suggest, so it's easy for you to find online or at a local store. We work within your budget and your constraints. If you can't paint, no problem, we totally love that color anyway. If your husband's bowling trophies MUST be displayed, not only will we work them in, we'll make them work!
If you're in the Chicagoland area we'd love to work with you in person! The service is essentially the same, except we'd get a little more face time to plot and plan with you, which we love. We'll even take you shopping!"
How to enter:
Leave a comment on this post mentioning one thing you dislike about your current home. (Might make for some entertaining reading!) Contest ends Tuesday at midnight (CST). Make sure to leave a link or way to contact you if you win. The winner will be randomly selected using a number generator.
(Giveaway is now closed. Kerry B., comment 313, is the lucky winner!)
For a complete outline of Kelly + Olive's services and more about who they are, visit www.kellyandolive.com. You can view more style sheets on their blog right here.
449 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 400 of 449 Newer› Newest»Oh, please random generator pick me!!!!! Although I don't really believe that there is any hope for my house! Hmmmm, but if I must pick just one thing....Sure it can't be a list of things? No? hmmmm....I know. I hate that other people can pick things out of the trash and dump it in their living space and it looks like art (okay, I don't hate it when they do it) and when I do it, it just makes my house look like the place the furniture was off to in the first place(the junkyard!) I think that's the part that is the hardest for me,being on an almost nil budget and trying to make due with what I have in such a small place.
My husband and I have decided to stay in our apartment for a while longer instead of moving, but we definitely need some design help! We need some color and patterns to freshen up our tired neutral walls and furniture.
I love design but can't figure out how to make it work in my house. I also have a "multipurpose" room that houses our office and toys right off the kitchen that needs serious help!!
Thanks for the giveaway!
I hate the fact that my son is about to graduate high school...and he has never lived in a home that is completely finished! I am a magazine junkie and, with all the great ideas they showcase, I second guess myself at every turn until I start to feel paralyzed...what if the perfect idea is in next month's issue?! Deep down, I know I should give up the mags and peer into my own soul to find my dream house, but I'm addicted!! HELP ME!!!!
caylor@daktel.com
I have no idea what to do in our bedroom. We have a tiny master bedroom.
oh you poor poor things! we want to help ALL of you!!!
I LOVE my children (5yo ds, 2.5yo ds & 8 mo dd)...however I don't love how they have taken over. I would love ideas to have a family friendly great room that is comfortable and inviting for adults and children.
cmverinder@yahoo.com
I'm back! 97 more comments to add. I don't always like the people living in my house. :) Can they fix that?
I love love love the rest of my apartment, but my bedroom drives me crazy.. There are some elements of it that I like, but for some I just can't seem to bring it all together! It's a beautiful room... I just got tired of trying, I guess. :)
One thing I loath about my house is the absolute lack of storage. It's a small 1,000 sq ft home that has to hold 5 people. We need much more storage space.
this is SO exactly what i need! we remodeled our home in '03, and have been living ever since with paper window shades and wall-mart plastic shelving. in addition, our front room is an echo chamber used only for scooter races and fort building... HELP!
abigailee2@gmail.com
My house needs some cool paint on the walls! I am sick of white!
Besides the fact that we need twice as many square footage as we have, I would say my many dislike about my home is that it is very VERY boring. I am actually an artist and have the most boring home ever. I just feel very uninspired in it and have no idea how to decorate a functional, beautiful home. But I would LOVE one.
I need help with my workspace! It's a great size and gets good natural light, but I find myself "working" too much to do anything pretty and fun. This is a really awesome contest, by the way!
Just one thing? Well, I have bare walls and lots of artwork lined up along the baseboards. I'm afraid to hang things up because I think I'll make a mistake. So everything just sits on the floor. Dumb, I know, but I don't know what to do!
OMG! Budget interior design help...I could use summa dat! What a brilliant concept!
My living room is...in bad shape. We no walls without doors, windows or fireplace so I can't figure out how to anchor my furniture. We are also trying to upgrade our college furniture to "grown-up" stuff ;-) I just can't pull anything together, it seems.
I hate my living room! We inherited the small size, the blandest of bland beige wallpaper, the stained and cracked ceiling, the dreadful faux-Edwardian pendant light from the previous owners - but the rest we've managed to be uninspired about ourselves. It's a hodgepodge of things that don't go together, that don't really suit the function they perform effectively, and overall it's just...blah. I feel uninspired and annoyed every time I go in there which is horrible because we spend a lot of time there! I feel sort of helpless not knowing where to start. No bowling trophies but there _are_ two mis-matched goldfish in a very blue aquarium!
it is very possible that upon entering my home your eyes might atrophy from lack of visual stimulation.
Disliking the bedroom right now! I love color and it's the only room in the house with lack of it! It's also connected to our office so hard to combine the two and make them seamless~! Thanks for the opportunity!
Hi! i hate having a huge and random block of space in between framed prints. It's like...what do you put there that won't make it look cluttered? and if you do put something there, it looks intentional. Ack!
Emily, that sounds serious. Heh heh.
A framed picture of Ronald Reagan, barfed up popcorn, and hearing the neighbors pee also sounds pretty bad. I'm definitely coming over, you guys. :)
The previous owners of our townhouse were big fans of the southwestern theme. We've finally eradicated about 95% of the evidence -- the greatest improvement was achieved just by tearing down the turquoise and peach wallpaper and throwing a coat of paint on the walls.
The one room that I would love to do more with is our office. There's two of us (and three computers) sharing the room, and organization is horrible. My desk usually ends up looking like a bomb went off on it since I have no other place to put things.
Please help!
I don't have a pretty bedroom-just a bed and a dresser...boo-looking to encorporate details that don't cost much for my walls since artwork can be expensive!
I would love a consultation! I think accessorizing is our biggest obstacle. Oh, to have direction! We need help everywhere!
Yeah! Well, I hate my office! I sew& craft constantly & my husband is an illustrator. We share the same small space and it never feels organized!
With the baby on the way I haven't had the $ to invest into organizing products so this couldn't come @ a better time!
Thanks!
Jennifer
amerrymishap.blogspot.com
Moved into a 120-year old house with 1-2 years of constant projects (which is great because the design can happen over time, with thought) - there are a few rooms, though, that are rectangular with little light coming in most of the day and I want bright, saturated color but I'm unsure how to do it without overwhelming the room and turning it into a color-cave. Also, some fantastic suggestions on the potential-rich 1940's kitchen that needs a rehab would be helpful.
My kitchen is small and old...from the 60's! And not it a cute way ;)
I live in a house with four other girls. We're all paying for university and broke! We have good taste and even some things with "potential" but we are too busy to come up with affordable ideas! I would love, love, LOVE some help!
-Sarah
I have a new house... and the stuff I have to go in it is completely lacking. I have no direction.
I'm bpampell at gmail dot com :)
Everything. My husband is a tech nerd, so everything must be functional... and ugly. Cords, brackets, electronics, yuck. He doesn't understand why I would place something in a windowsill every morning because he just has to move it to close the blinds. I bought a beautiful bookcase for our livingroom - ne promptly filled i with receivers and game consoles and speakers and ugh.
I need help incorporating his "stuff" and making it look good.
I have raspberry carpet throughout the house. (It came with the house.) It's great for hiding red wine stains but that's the only up-side!!! I've even tried giving it away!!!!
hopd@att.net
I feel bad that my daughter and son have to share a bedroom that only stores their stuff and beds. They don't have a separate and special area to call their own. I would love to create a cool space for each of them to call their own. But I'm too overwhelmed with clutter and lack of space to start.
Caroline, it does sound like a counselor would be quite helpful in some of these situations. ;-)
Our poor neglected living room needs some colour and pizazz! Please help give my poor lonely living room some love...
My livingroom is very spacious and for the most part color coordinated. The huge issue is trying to figure out how to make it look less cluttered, have a defining theme, make the main wall not look so empty (perhaps a large painting? several small ones? 3 medium ones? help..). The *biggest* problem is the lighting. 3 windows that face South and one bright halogen bulb makes the lighting situation a bit dire.
I don't like the physical layout of my main floor. It's like one big hallway. In purely decorating terms, my master bedroom needs major help!
I have a very strangely oriented town home with an asymmetrical fire place that has me really stumped. I would love some help figuring out what to do about it and make it more interesting. I really would love to have a mantel on it and I just don't know what to do about it.
I love my house, but hate my master bedroom! YUCK!!
My husband and I are stuck in a hand-me-down time warp! I'm scared of starting from scratch when it comes to decorating, so I could use all the help I could get!
courtneygoodman@gmail.com
My family room is just tiny and sadly blah.
Our first home still resembles a college apt with mismatched furniture and clashing styles.
Where to start on what I don't like? I have a very multipurpose house. The dining room is my office and sewing room and music room. The bedroom is also the exercise room. The kids room is also the play room. The pantry is also the laundry room. But if I had to pick just one, it would definitely be my bedroom. Sleeping next to an elliptical is not ideal.
I dislike that it's the first domicile I've ever been responsible for decorating all by myself and I am basically clueless, therefore the entire apartment stars blank walls and is very very blah.
email: comedyofmanners@gmail.com
I HATE the horrible, hideous, stained dark green carpet/brown ceramic tile combo that we inherited upon moving into our house. YUCK!
one word: neutral. another word: broke.
Why, oh, why, must life be such a stuggle??!!?
okay, the last few words: whiner drama queen.
I think that the interior of home does not reflect my personality at all. Please help!
Well, we bought our house from my husband's parents, which I'm really appreciative of. But I've been struggling with trying to make this into MY house, not theirs. After living here for a few months (this was last year), I convinced him to take down all the wallpaper (think old 80's style, complete with texture and peeling edges!). So yay, they're down. Uhm, a year later, yay? They're still down but nothing's gone up. Our family room is the worst. With the wallpaper removal, it's taken off the paper off the drywall, so we have these "gorgeous" rips... cardboard brown against aged-drywall cream. One rip actually looks like the head of the United State Post Office eagle! He's almost become my pet. We have this bay window that's probably really useful, but I know we're not using it to it's full potential and I cannot figure out what to do without making it look like how it was when it was my father-in-law's house! My family room needs help, please! Everyone who comes into our house sees this room, and I'm so embarrassed for them to meet our eagle!
One thing? Master Bedroom. It is the most embarrassing room in our entire house. I wait until dark to go to bed just so I don't have to look at it. :)
Our home needs more color. and the legos don't count :)
I have a blank wall I just don't know what to do with.
I have my studio apartment set up with a tiny tiny living room. I'd like to have people over to hang out and watch TV and I'm not sure what's an effective floor plan to do that in.
The inside of my house has looked the same for 8 years. I am just tired of it. I need some more color!
I want to win this! Pick me! I have no idea what to do with above my fireplace. It is sort of an alcove. I have not much money - so a big sculpture it out. I hate clutter too... now you can see why I am confused what to do...
Pick me!
Ariane :)
The living room has plenty of light during the day thanks to many windows. After dark the room seems to just suck light. I can't buy enough lamps to make it feel like more than a cave. And when we watch TV in there the sound is somehow amplified so anyone not in the room can hear the TV better than a person sitting in the living room. Can you help with that?
My living room doesn't seem like the most difficult room to decorate -- but I tell you it is!! It's completely open to the kitchen, and also the first thing you see when you walk in the house. Walk in the front door and you are in no man's land, half in the doorway of the formal living room, half in the hall, and staring at the living room. I need help!!
I love my house but it needs HELP! From the doorbell to the back porch nothing matches or flows. It is 35 years of mismatched and hand-me-downs from moving with the military. If I have to pick one room it is the living room which has 4 couches, all different (ranging from maroon to big yellow flowers!). Or maybe the space that calls itself the entryway....flooring that matches nothing else in the house and nothing else...no wonderful collection of things that greet people when they come through the door...and sadly, not even a quilt.
I love my home but I deperately need a fresh perspective. I have lived here so long (22 years) that I have trouble seeing it in a fresh way. Right now I desperately want to redo my kitchen and living room. It's a tie as to which one comes first. The russet red walls in my living room havs sucked the life out of me.
sewclaire@hotmail.com
This is so exciting, thank you! My personal style has radically changed in the last year, and I'm not sure how to create the sleek new look that I'd like to achieve. I've really started to love the 50s/Scandinavian modern look. It would be amazing to get help figuring out how to create it. Our living room in particular feels narrow and not unified.
I have two male dogs, a husband, and a little boy who is nearly two. I am the only woman here! So I have claimed the small third bedroom as my EstroDen! But I can't figure out how to work my sewing machine, my comfy reading futon, and a photoprinter all in there in a way that looks nice and feels both girly and comforting.
So much visible clutter -- damn my too many hobbies!
I am lucky enough to work from home (love the 5 second commute!) but unfortunately my "office" is also our "catch all" room. Apart from my desk it also contains: a piano, my husbands desk and computer, board games, files, books the cats litter box and MORE. To top it all off, the walls are beige! I'd love to learn how to make this room work functionally and look beautiful at the same time.
Thanks!
Michelle
michelle[at]gmail[dot]com
Wow, thanks for this! Oh my, there is so much. I do not like my small kitchen and dining area. Whenever we want to do one thing, we have to move things around to another area. I really need some fresh ideas!
Oh, pick me please!!
I don't like that I have NO style at all. I have a bunch of hand-me-down stuff that doesn't match and I definitely lack any amount of interior decorating sense.
We're purchasing our first house soon and I know this would come in handy.
Thanks!
Our bedroom is a mess and has no real style. I would love to have another person's ideas and suggestions. We need help!
Our bedroom is a mess and has no real style. I would love to have another person's ideas and suggestions. We need help!
So, I actually paid a guy to retexture my master bathroom, he painted it and glazed it as well... we kept thinking that maybe it was okay and that we could live with the aqful brown it turned out, until our two year old daughter saw it and said, "Oh, mommy poopoo walls! You in trouble!"
ugh... so... now we have poopoo bathroom :)
I think my living room needs the most attention. it is not a square or rectangle, so arranging the sofa and tv have been an issue. I could really benefit from some professional advice!!
The one thing that I hate about my home is that I don't know how to make it more "me". It has some awesome areas that are very difficult to decorate. I need help! Thanks for offering your time in this giveaway!
ugh... we have a somewhat large room with dropped ceilings that, at some point, was added on to the side of our house. back in the day it was the local general store (which, at the time of purchase, we found kind of neat). now we have no idea what to do with it. it currently houses all our odds-n-ends (stuff we don't know what to do with either). we could definitely use some help!! :D
we bought an old house with lots of wood paneling and stained wood floors...help!
Oh, ~Jamie... that is toooo funny! If I were the one doing the choosing, I'd sure pick you and your poopoo bathroom!!
I don't like how everything looks old. I need to update and add some new pieces to my place. It's so boring. I could go on and on.
Because we are renting this home this year, we are not allowed to make more than a few holes in the walls. It is a very modern, spacious place, but I struggle to find a way to effectively decorate, and make use of the ample wall space, without hanging things! Help!
email is jessica.brogan@gmail.com
My place is great! My problem is that my husband and I can't agree on anything, so we leave it all bare and tell people we are "minimalists" LOL
we just finished a remodel and need some help
Let's see...where do I start? Our master bathroom needs to be redone as does my husband's office. We have a living/dining room that is one huge toy room for the kids but I would love to get some ideas for what to do with it once we finally do reclaim it!! I would love, love, love some help!
I'd love to see what they can do with my itty bitty budget.
I don't like the wall paper and the sea foam green ceiling lamp....
bebookwise@gmail.com
I don't like that everything in my house is so 1991! It needs updating and I don't even know how to start? Forrest green carpet anyone?
I don't like the lack of architectural charm. I'm currently digging through photos to get some inspiration, but haven't found the right idea just yet.
I have one large room that is a dining room, bedroom, office, and my sewing/crafting area rolled into one. This has lots of potential of being an awesome space that includes all these components.
I live in a rental. I hate that I can't do some serious decorating, because my place could really use an injection of personal style to keep it from being just like any monster house. princess_twenty AT hotmail DOT com
The options are endless in my home. It is a newer home, only three years old, and lacks character.
We are a family of 4 with two young kids. Toys rule the house. There is a small space that is probably supposed to be a study that is an awful unorganized and uninspiring play room. Our living room is a long rectangle with very little wall space because of lots of windows. We have a love seat and chair to our name and haven't had guests in ages. Our family room in our basement is virtually empty minus the large entertainment center. Our master bedroom has a huge king bed, a filing cabinet, a desk and an elliptical machine. How romantic.
This houses layout perplexes me and we can't figure out what to do to make it inviting. It has gotten to the point where we just want to move but the economy has put the brakes on that idea. I would flip if I won this - I think about seeking out professional help (in more ways than one) daily but the economy puts the brakes on that idea as well.
Thanks for the fun contest.
You know what. I {love} my home. I really do. Slowly but surely we have been making it ours ... except our master bedroom. We are far from our ... ahem ... early days and what should be our haven looks like we still are in college. So much for 'atmosphere'. sigh.
I euphemistically call my house a "blank canvas"....
Blah brown walls, poop brown furniture, there isn't a single picture hanging on the wall, one wall is nothing but windows....yeah my living room is silently screaming for help! Thanks for the chance to win.
Our thrift store finds + bare, boring walls = less than fun and funky.
Please help.
Suzanne
I don't like that I am the one that decorated my place! I like my style, but I feel like a second opinion could really help me pinpoint what I like and don't like and pull it all together. Also, it's tiny and has no storage, so we're cramped. I need help!
Boring! That's my house's problem!
Jennyy
I feel like slipping into bed is like crawling into a cave
- just as dark and stark. Help! ladicakes {{at}} gmail.com
My house is a 1979 ranch with a two story addition that has a crazy design without much usable space. The kids leave their stuff everywhere. I've finally done some great things: wood floors, new windows, etc. but I have a terrible time making decisions so have a hard time implementing my many ideas. I'm currently scheming a bold orange and yellow color scheme in my front room. You can help...pick me, pick me, pick me. Seriously! klong at gmavt.net
I have low, cove ceilings. How do I paint the walls without having to paint the entire ceiling?
savingrooster@juno.copm
We have spent several years gutting a 1947 house and rearranging rooms. We have a sitting room attached to an awesome kitchen that we need help decorating.
Wow - so many things to choose from.... it's a wee bit too small and my son's bedroom is the dining room; the closets are non-functional due to their odd shape, therefore clothes are strewn about the flat; there is a very weird green color painted in the bathroom and kitchen that I can't change because I rent; and there is clutter everywhere since I have too much stuff and no organizational skills! So there ya go. I'm not sure they can help me with my organizational skills, though.
tygerlotus AT gmail DOT com
Oh my, I want some sparkle around here, and am caught in the "safe" trap.
We are in the process of finishing our basement, and what a fun opportunity to really shine! But, remember me? SAFE! I really want to sprinkle in unexpected, happy, inexpensive, out of the ordinary touches....but am befuddled.
I would love to work with some experts!
Pick Me Please!
We don't really have any design right now -- unless piles of random stuff everywhere count (which they might if they were more decoratively piled... hmmm...) We have a bunch of fun pieces that don't necessarily fit now (or are too hidden under the piles of stuff...)
i would love to have a bedroom that feels like a retreat, a place to relax. great stuff! hope i win. etdonovan@gmail.com
I have some pretty cool things. Lots of mid century modern stuff but I can't make a decision on how to reupholster. My biggest problem with my home is fear!
We're in the process of moving into a fixer upper and are in desperate need of help! The kitchen/living room area is the room I'd like help with!
I have a really odd shaped living room space. our couch is sitting at an angle so we can see the television, but it totally wastes the space behind it. We have two long walls, and two openings (kitchen and entry hall), plus a door to the backyard and a fire place. The room is pretty open but too small to put furniture out in the middle. I've been pondering for about four years on how to furnish it.
i have a blank slate. new home, beige everything, ikea, hand me downs, blah.
What a great give-away!!!
My living room is a problem.
It's long and narrow and small, and has doors in weird places, and no matter how I try to rearrange things, I just can't make it work. I'd love to have some help!
I hate Hate HATE the glass coffee table and glass kitchen table in my apartment. My roommate picked them out, and I think they look like they belong in a timeshare in Boca Raton. Gag.
My home is boring, it's neutral with tall ceilings. Very uninspired. Needs some creativity!
Lol - where to start...such a small kitchen - not enough storage, have to go through the garage to get into the backyard, etc. ~ :) Thanks!
sounders68 [at] gmail.com
Our house is small, 100 years old, and has plaster walls that we have partially fixed. However, my bf is slow moving. He was divorced 10 + years ago, and still hasn't removed the awful apple stencils his ex-wife crookedly painted :) I would re-do them. I hate country motif. I hate green leather couches and burgundy carpet. It's like Christmas all year long. ARGHHHH Help me! I need to be somewhere peaceful after work, not somewhere chaotic!
Our master bathroom is covered with chip board and blue plaster - I refer to it as the "Tahitian Prostitute. Doesn't really jive with my federal revival style, to say the least!
Oh to even start. Our to do list seriously has over 100 items. After 8 months in this 80 year old house with great bones I am questioning the location, location, location thing. Really the 80's wallpaper has got to go and in its place a blend of our love for contemporary and respect for an old house!
We just bought our first house and it has big, box-like rooms. It's great for our kids to run around, but hard to figure out how to keep our stuff from looking small and dinky in so much space.
Wow, how I need this! We took a wall out between a small family room and the kitchen a few years ago with the kitchen remodel. I really struggle with what to do with the open, elongated space. We have a 4 stool angled-penisula counter as part of the kitchen. Currently have dining room table in the family room space and that furniture in the smaller dining room. I painted it all a wonderful red, but it's a north exposure and rather dark...WHAT to DO? pick me!
Our basement *used* to be "finished," but after it got water a dozen times last summer we had to rip up the carpet and chip up the 50+ year old (possibly asbestos?) tile from the floor. Now the floor is unfinished with remnants of glue, there are holes in the ceiling from when they installed the support beams, and it's a dismal sight on my walk across to my sewing room. There's a little "bar" area with a sink, and a fireplace, but I'd love to figure out how to decorate it/finish it off so I could actually have people down there--and maybe even put in a play area for my baby.
Okay... right now I am unhappy about the layout of my living room. The room is big and I think I have too many places to sit, but I am clueless about how else to place furniture.
Kerry B - www.kabsconcepts.com
One thing I dislike about my current home is that its not decorated.
I don't love that my home is really bare. I don't really know how and where to put decorations. It definitely needs some wall decor!
My husband and I just purchased our first home, and it is nice, but PLAIN. I'd love to add some design somewhere! :)
Oh and also, it's tiny (the cost of living, and real estate, is sky-high in hawaii!).
My bedroom is very small and dark. I also have a beautiful antique dresser that needs some attention.
My house is a cluster of things that were bought for a different house. I feel as if we rammed everything in, but haven't really dedicated the things we have. Oh... and we have gross carpet and not much of a budget to fix it. I mean GA ROOOOOSSSSS.
Tiny Condo. Needs a PERFECT paint color combination. I *love* all colors bright and wild, BUT in such a small space (under 700 sq. ft.), it's DANGEROUS territory in color land. I'm a virgo, so I am ridiculous/obsessive with the choosing...it takes me FORever. and it gets so annoying. I need advice and I've been WANTING to work with kelly + olive ANWAYS!!!
Our bedroom/office is just NOT working for us. No headboard, just the bed, sidetables, desk and hope chest that my dad built. It needs warmth and the kind of feel where we can actually spend time there instead of just sleeping! hmmmm don't even want to mention how bare the walls are...
I need some help pulling together a small office with too many random pieces of furniture, including 2 amazing, albeit, non-sympatico desks.
My biggest problem is that I know what I like, but I don't know how to make it all work together. I need help making my rooms look fluid and adding some sense of continuity to my look. A consultation is just what the doctor ordered!
eroscoe@gmail.com
we have a breakfast bar covered with pergo flooring....
I have an open bathroom into my bedroom and have never liked the wallpaper in the bathroom. Would love help updating the two rooms.
I don't like my wife telling me about all the things she doesn't like about our house. But, since I can't change that...hmm, lets start with the fake plants. (knubre at gmail dot com)
i want my house to flow better--i need help with my open floor plan.
Wow, look at all the comments.
The walls are blank, even though I own lots of art. The carpet it old and ugly and I should put in a wood floor, but what if I screw it up? I think I'm in an abyss of indecision.
I don't like that I have too much clutter which gets in the way of realizing my home's potential.
elenafreed@yahoo.com
Okay, our living room is a big rectangle with a fireplace in the middle of one of the long sides. This is a furniture conundrum. Help!
I love love love this giveaway
as a young interior designer wannabe, this is perfect for me, and i really really hope i win :)
thanks!
um, the one thing that i hate the most in our house is the lack of consistency. we are really not consistent with a theme, or style, and it is just all over the place. plus, when it comes to decorating and designing, we get REALLY lazy, and put everything off...oh, not to mention the sloppy paint jobs... :)
pamplemousee-juice.blogspot.com
lemonsquirtblog@gmail.com
I would love to win this for my mother! She has a lovely home that she could use the help with. This would be fabulous!
living in a dorm room, soon to move into an apartment that will probably be in a basement. so, can't paint white walls, but want a classy, mature look. need to dress up my posters (a collection of black and white), and my cheap ikea furniture.
madden.meredith@gmail.com
Oh, I was supposed to say what I don't like about my mother's home...it is just dated! Not modern, bright and fun. It needs help!
I love my house very much, and it would look great in a black and white movie. Scary shag carpeting (house built in 1971, you guessed it), mesmerizingly ugly floral wallpaper, and an offensive hanging lamp in the entryway that misses it's original home in the Nevada bordello. Also my husband is wicked cheap.
nwpierre@yahoo.com
Looking at my house I've resigned myself to the fact that I can slowly and unsurely try to "copy and modify" all the great inspirational ideas I read in these design blogs; or I can wait for contests like these to come along and wish for the experts to nudge me in the right direction!=)
My kitchen is 3' by 10'. Enough said.
What do you think they can do with enough cat and dog hair in my living room to make a whole other animal? Oh and a moose that likes to hang out on my porch and that vintage thrift store look with my furniture. Please pick me!
Kelly
I feel like I can't find my style. I like the stuff in my house but don't feel like its "me". I am overwhelmed and don't know where to start!
I don't like that we have only one bathroom. The house was built in 1910, so I guess we're lucky to have even ONE. Do I have to pick just one thing? I also don't like that the first floor has this hideous drop ceiling from the 70's covering up a wonderful high ceiling. AND I don't like that we have no storage space. Our closets are teeny tiny. Okay, okay, I'll stop whinging.
we live in a dorm parent apartment that was originally set up for a bachelor. we live here with 2 teeny tiny closets for all of our clothes, linens, etc... we have no storage and the layout is very challenging. we could use all the help we can get in decorating this small space.
The previous owner fancied himself a carpenter when he was really a physician by trade. Now I have pony walls, cracking plaster and a weird, off-center skylight in the family room.
Overall, I quite like my house. It's very eclectic, but it could use more zip. I think some areas are a little boring. Wouldn't I love to win this!!! Susan in Colorado
We have LOTS of orangy oak colored cabinets/built-ins (50 doors throughout the house). I hate them. They feel country, but there are too many to refinish. I keep hoping to stumble upon color palettes that will make them work with my zen modern design sensibilities.
jenmont@gmail.com
How fabulous is this?! We've just recently taken the plunge and actually painted our rental apartment. (First time ever!) Now I'm a little stuck on what to do with our bedroom. I love the slate blue color we used on the walls, but now I'm at a bit of a loss as to where to go with it. What to hang on the walls, windows, furniture, etc? I'd love a good nudge in the right direction.
I'd like to win this because although I love design, my house is the last place where it gets to take effect and my place needs it badly.
OMG I need this in my life! My living room is dreadful! It's paneling, painted red (Never pick out paint colors when your pregnant. The hormones are raging too much to make rational decisions). The ceiling is exposed beams and the exposed flooring from the upstairs (150 year old house). There used to be a doorway, that has been covered up, and turned into narrow shelving. With the door frame still attached, mind you. The trim is white, and my furniture is green, so it's like permanent Christmas. I don't even know where to start with this room, so I haven't. But I highly dislike it! :D
I don't like that my house doesn't look and feel the way I feel and want to express it. It doesn't feel like ME. :) Especially my kitchen....goodness gracious. Blue countertops, white cabinets and floor(which is horrible with kids)... I have a nice big empty open wall in my kitchen i don't know what to do with! My kitchen is just not ME...i want it to feel warmer and want it to be a place i WANT to cook in. :)
ashspassion@hotmail.com
Thanks so much!
ashlee
I like my huge bedroom, but I have no idea how to arrange the furniture in it.
I laugh at my kitchen cabinets. When I bought the house I said they would be the first to go tho I have never been able to afford new ones. The cabinets are made of press board - routed and shellacked press board. I love to cook and would love any inexpensive ideas that would make them, and the small narrow kitchen look better!
Okay, here it goes. Consider this my call for help.
I do not like my bedroom. Having a full-time job and 2 active boys I feel it is a necessity to have a beautiful, cozy room to retreat to at the end of each day. Well, right now it is every woman's nightmare. Bare walls... no headboard... old dresser thats falling apart... no window treatment... tiny closet. I just redid my home office and am very proud of it. My bedroom is my next project but I don't know where to even start. This prize from Kelly and Olive would be perfect!
I would LOVE to win some advice for my itsy bitsy 500sq ft apartment!
My biggest problem is storage, which in turn makes clutter because everything does not have a home.
So really my problem is clutter, no storage, no clutter...you see the never ending cycle.
I need a brilliant mind to offer creative storage solutions that will make me comfortable in my own home.
Please and thank you.
rachael.driscoll@yahoo.com
Our living room is shaping up but there is this wall by the door (not a true foyer) that I don't know what to do with. Currently, it's become a catchall for online purchase packaging. ugh.
I'm not allowed to paint my apartment - all the walls are white! I desperately want it to feel warm and inviting - instead of sterile. HELP!
I love the bones of my apartment, but the guest bedroom/husband's office is, in short, a disgrace. We need functional storage and to get stuff up off the floor.
I don't like how cramped our little living room and dining room are. We have a few large pieces of furniture that we can't discard but don't know how to use best.
Kara
karasmailbox@yahoo.com
I have a small apartment, and I just can't get the placement right for furniture and artwork on the walls. Not to mention that we have the stuff for way too many hobbies and interests to cram into a small space.
My husband and I just moved into an old house from the 1940s and I have color commitment problems! I just love them all so much, but I don't want our house to look like a crayola box explosion! Our bedroom is the only blank canvas remaining--it's fairly large and very neutral. I'm anxious to make it pretty, but also afraid of adding more color to the mix! I could use a rescue.
cmcjennifer [at] gmail [dot] com
I hate that everything I own has to be portable... we have yet to live in the same place or country for more than a year since we got married ten years ago!
I'm offering this on my blog too but that means I can't win it. So I guess I'll take my chances here. It's such a great deal.
This would be such a treat! I love my little house and have been working on it room-by-room. the living room is a tough one. We have rearranged about every six months and can't seem to get it right. I don't think it's the furniture placement. I think that, with the exception of a couple things, the room is bland and needs to be jazzed up!
The huge white blank wall of death! Boring and it would be really difficult to paint because it's 11+ feet tall. Boo!
kathrinegutierrez@gmail.com
Hi Jess!
The thing I hate about my house is the office. It is a cluttered ugly mess that my husband and I don't know how to fix. We both need a space to work, and it's tiny.
Thanks!
I hope I win!!
I've got 3 unfinished spare rooms in my house (but all have stuff in it, like my office, spare bedroom, and music studio) and get so many great ideas from blogs like this, but just afraid to commit to one or bite the bullet and just decorate.
We share our living room with all our children's toys and I'd love a creative solution which gives us back some grown-up space but still lets the kids have a place to play.
Thank you!
Lucy
llmcmurrer@hotmail.com
I am in the midst of a huge decluttering and organisation frenzy... The next step is to make my home stylish and somewhere I love to come home to. I'm going to need all the help I can get!
I don't like how our basement has a nice fire place and it is finished but it has just become a storage area. We need to reclaim our basement as usable space, especially since our second child is due any day! :)
Jen J
What don't I like? It would be easier to list what I do like!
I live in a small apartment, which already hampers things. I love how comfy my couch is, but hate the color (a tired sort of country blue) and wish I knew what to do with the rest of the room to perk up the place. I also dislike my bedroom. I want a bigger bed (only have a twin) so I haven't done a single thing for the bedroom as far as decorations go. Sigh!
(kimberweeme at gmail dot com)
We are moving into our new place (military housing! ah!) on March 19th... the place is brand new and actually quite beautiful, but I am lost as to what to do with my home office (I'm a wedding photographer) HELP!
Everything in my home is so neutral. I'd really love to add some personality.
I've repainted a few rooms way to many times. I can't seem to bring unity to the whole house.
caloeffl@yahoo.com
I have beautiful furniture in my great room, including an 18 foot red sectional. I have a wall full of windows and more in the kitchen and I haven't a clue what to do with them. I have stared at these blank windows for two years, and I need help!!! I am desperate for window treatments, and I want something a little out of the ordinary. Any help would be sooooo apreciated!
Thanks!
jenn
Come to Ohio -- fix my bedroom that currently looks like a dorm room. (or worse) Awesome mid-century home - downright scary bedroom. How did this happen to such a cool couple?!?
Our basement just doesn't work for us! It was finished by the previous owners - who were musicians and put in a soundproof studio! We have no idea what do with it and have turned it in to an exercise room, but the ceiling is so low my boyfriend hits his head when he uses the elliptical. At least it's padded! The rest of the space is just empty, we never use it. The walls are a great color though (bright green with white molding) and it has awesome berber carpeting. Please help us turn this into a space we'd actually use!
I live in a dorm room. Enough said?
I'm about to move from a 4 bedroom house into a 1bedroom apartment... I need help editing it all down!
My home has an open floor plan and I have not, after 6 years, figured out how to put together a look that flows well.
Actually we just painted the whole apartment and installed new windows, a sliding door, and flooring. But we still have some more projects to finish before summer...so I guess I don't like that we're not done yet! :) It would be nice to relax.
Our living room needs something besides furniture. Our living room is a large rectangular room. Our front door, foyer, closet and dining room are between this room and the rest of the house. This in between space is usually empty as we don't know what to do with it. Would like to paint the white walls a chocolate color but then what. I just need a little motivation.
Wow, this would be amazing, I am at a loss for what to do with our living room! Thanks!
I just visited the K + O site. Love it! Your style is truly inspiring. My husband and I are getting ready to tackle the nursery. We've taken everything down to the studs and are rebuilding the entire room. And now we have a very blank slate. So many possiblities - yet sooooooo blank. :-)
I'm a designer and should know how to figure out how to make my work room look cute but it still hasn't come together even after adding a work table and shelves. Help!
I miss a stylish way to keep my 10 baskets of yarn, boxes of fabric, paint....on disply without it getting dirty and messy and all over the place... To have a creative home that dosn't get overrun by mess all the time.
sadly hideous kitchen, shiny black cabinets and 1980's floral country wall paper, need I say more?
Hello, Thanks for the great giveaway and the even greater blog. The one thing I would love to change in my house is the living room. It has a large window on one side and a big fireplace with lots of orange and beige stone. I want to make it bright ( I love orange of course) but I want to mix in a lot of other colors.. all without it looking like a clown. I am thinking girly modern *sigh*
oooo, oooo! i need some direction in my one-year-old daughter's room design--i have some indian-bohemian elements that need to come together with practicality and function in a graceful way.
I want to win simply because I don't think it's possible to fix my space. It's tiny and my efforts to "decorate" have all but made it unlivable. Our furniture placement is tyrannically dictated by electric outlets. I'm not afraid to make bold choices. It's just my solution to every problem is: the accent wall. I have 4 walls (one in each room of my place) painted maple leaf red, mango yellow, dill pickle green and balmy sea blue. (doesn't that sound delicious?) You'd have your work cut out for you.
if you dare: maryrudd@gmail.com
Ohmygosh. What a GREAT giveaway!
Our house is over 200 years old, and while I love its character to bits, I need help merging its old style with more modern looks and making it all work together.
I forgot to leave my contact information: phan.tracy@gmail.com.
My friends tell me I have style, but I think my living room does not reflect this. I feel like I'm a poser without a room makeover. Help. Don't let me let my friends down. I have a reputation to uphold. Thanks!
One thing I hate about our new house is the room that will be my office. The walls are literally flesh-colored, blech. And I have no clue what to do with it because it connects to the dining room and is also the pass-through to the backyard.
Our sunroom has been taken over by the dogs! We just give up during the winter and the hottest part of the summer, and the dogs have it the rest of the time. The black leather couches (inherited from the previous homeowner)just don't cut it. And why did they think it would be good to have oatmeal- colored berber out there? A glass ceiling and walls mean furnishings have to withstand lots of sun. I'd love to change it up. Only 2 very small walls to paint. Pick me, PLEASE!
-Ketra (kalidev@aol.com)
OM Goodness. I sooo need this. I have a "dining room" open to the kitchen that is seperated with a eat at bar (1970's wood). Well, the dining room is actually my craft (scrapbooking) and photography business room. The problem is, I have a window that is directly next to the adjacent wall, so you can't put cabinets on that wall (the largest) and then I have the eat at bar that is across from the longest. There is like no way to arrange anything in there. I so need help. Oh, that is the only window, which is in the farthest corner so there is no light except a crapping ceiling fan. Oh, please pick me. I'm begging!
My husband and I have a two bedroom apt. in Madison WI. When we had to convert the second bedroom into a nursery for our new little girl (from his office) we ended up with a living room that is a dining room, my sewing room, his media room, and our family room (and completely fails to be any one while being all of them!) While we dream of owning our own house in a few years, the current space may just drive us crazy before we get there! We have a 'bachelor-pad' furniture collection and arrangement: help us turn it into a functional and cohesive family room! ... Did I mention the awful couches? :P
I concur. Clutter clutter everywhere. I'd love some built-ins.
We're just moving into a new space, but we'll have one big amorphous room--and I already know it's going to be hard to keep it all from turning into "amorphous child's play area"! Aiiigh!
We've been in our house (built in 1912) about 18 months now and haven't done a thing!!! I'd love some help w/ our living room/office area.
My backyard. We can't decide what to do with it, and the years keep flying by and nothing gets done.
I don't like clutter!
Our master bedroom is an akward shape and I really could use some help with it.
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