Twitter Chat with John Gidding, and a HUGE Giveaway!

Amanda

What a great giveaway! I would love to know what he thinks would be the best/cheapest patio/deck option for a house with two sets of french doors on opposite ends of the house (bedroom and kitchen) and with those doorwalls about 4-5 feet off the ground due to a sloping backyard…

Kathy

What is a good source for affordable large-scale artwork?

Rhea (Greek Feaster)

Wow! What a fantastic giveaway and event. My question is how to decorate an office space (home or otherwise) to feel cozy yet professional. I work in a law firm, but I would love to find a way to display my plants and ecclectic art. How can I temper them so my space doesn’t scream “DHARMA!!” in my “Greg” office?
I’ll be following on Twitter– I’m @GreekFeaster!

Amy N

Please ask John if he thinks that white trim is the only way to go these days, and if wood trim makes a house look out-dated. I have trim that I don’t feel like painting, but am afraid that it is making my home look old-fashioned.

Jenny

I need the rules on skirting boards! If I want to change the colour of my baseboards/wainscotting in one room, does that mean I will need to change the colour throughout the whole house?

Paul

I would like to paint a room blue, but I can never choose the right shade. How do I pick a blue that’s warm and welcoming, and not cool and clinical?

Kelly

What sort of window treatment would you suggest for a guest room that has one sad window that faces the neighbors’ house… 5 feet away?

Beth Dotolo

What’s a creative way to display family photos in a modern way?

christina winters

Hi! I recently moved from an apartment to a house, and I am finding it very challenging to make an attractive outdoor area that doesn’t cost a million dollars. Do you have any secret sources for affordable and nice looking garden furniture and accessories?

Alison

What colors look best with orange?

Pam

What are some ideas to make a shared bathroom in my house (with a young child) fun and classy?

Karen

I love really bright, graphic wallpaper designs but am afraid that using it for a whole room would be too much. What’s a good way of incorporate big, graphic designs without overdoing it?

Melissa

I live in a very, very white apartment, and we cannot paint the walls. To make it even worse, most walls are immediately butted up against plumbing, etc, preventing us from hanging much art. How can we add color and interest to our walls?

Emily W.

Fun! I’d like to know what John recommends for an affordable (yet still attractive) option for window coverings besides the ubiquitous white panels from Ikea. I have lots of huge, non-standard size windows in my tiny house, and I’m out of ideas and money to make them look nice.

Lemon

Need help for wall finishes that will hold up to two very rowdy dogs. My walls are marked, scuffed, gouged, you name it, they’ve done it.

Raquel

I’m moving in with my fiancee soon, and he doesn’t have any place to dine (he eats on the living room couch watching TV). My idea is to have a small fold-up table we can bring in, or perhaps one of those wall mounted tables whose legs can be folded up against the wall when not in use. Do you have any other ideas? (The space is very small and he says he doesn’t want to “waste” it on something we won’t use every day.)

Rebecca

When selling a house, what pieces should be left minimally in a bedroom. Is just a bed enough?

Molly

Any suggestions on how to give a room a new look without spending any money?

Kim

I love this idea, i just got married and have a ton of new gadgets. But no where to stash them, so my questions is: Where do you put the kitchen aid mixer? That thing is huge and does it look OK on the counter? And this goes for the crock pot, and burger press!!! Thanks!

Mindy

We just bought an old home with plaster walls that make it difficult to nail a lot of holes in the wall…how can we hang art or add interest to those walls?

Sarah

How do you make small windows look bigger?

Cassie

John,
Any nifty ideas on what to do with our basement to make it workable and livable without completely finishing it?

cassie dot l dot smirz at gmail dot com

Kana

I love vibrant colors yet I am terrified of bringing in colors to our home. Currently we have a beige wall and all of the furniture that we have are dark brown – It also doesn’t help that we have a huge black marble mantle. What’s the best way to overcome color splash jitters? How can I start introducing color?

Julie

I agree with Margaret – I’d love to see some ideas for renters who can’t change the basics of their space (updates to flooring/paint/even shelving and other major hardware installations are limited).

Alison B

To marble or not to marble in the kitchen that is the question!
I love marble counter tops..but are they really as bad as everyone makes them out to be??

Amy G

Woohoo, what a great giveaway!
My question: What is the best type of fan for a large kitchen? We just redid our kitchen and replacing the fan is the last step. Do we need to get a hugger or does that depend on our ceiling height?
Thanks!

Shoshana

I’d like to know if you can hang anything on top of graphic wallpaper. I have Anthropologie’s You are Served. I saw in an old Blueprint issue, hooks strategically hung but that’s not appropriate in my dining room. Thank you!

Lauren G

I’m looking for resource ideas for fun, cheap rugs that are not going to show pet hair and can be vacuumed! Also, small and stylish bathroom rugs that can be washed in the machine.

Sarah S

I’ve seen a lot of articles on custom made couches lately – how much more expensive are those, and are they worth it? Or what other couch brands do you recommend? I would like my next couch purchase to last a long time.

Erin

My husband and I bought a new house just under a year ago. We painted rooms when we first moved in, made some pretty bold color choices even. But that’s kind of where our decorating stopped. Never finished hanging things on the walls- never got the finished look. I’m looking for some tips to finish decorating- where is a good place to start? After a while you sort of get used to what it looks like- I think because it becomes comfortable…

Truly

I love color, but sometimes I go overboard. How do you know enough is enough?

Laura C

We have a sliding glass door that takes up just about the whole wall in our townhouse. Not sure how to cover it to keep the hot summer sun out. There’s only about 9″ on either side of the 120″ window…meaning that curtains aren’t really an option. What’s an affordable option other than the dreaded vertical blinds?!

James U.

Hi guys!

Any suggestions for dressing up 5 foot high windows that span the width of a room? They begin about three feet off the floor and extend to the ceiling. Our blinds are vertical blinds and are pretty tacky, and the openness of the window dominates the entire room. Is there any way to make use of such a great source of natural light and open area to make the rest of the room work?

Thanks!

Kim

I LOVE big wall art but have neither the budget nor the creativity to own any. What are the best places to find (cheap!)signature pieces for my home?

Johanna Troupe

We just moved into a home with refinished wood floors (gorgeous!!). But it seems that having wood furniture with the floors seems to be a wood overkill. Is there anything I can do to play down all the wood?

Rachel

What type of counter top is your preferred choice for kitchens? We’re about to replace our counters and feel like there are an overwhelming amount of options.

Kirstin

Hi, John! I’m a huge fan. :) My husband and I are in the process of getting rid of all our white walls. Our downstairs is pretty open and for most of it–i.e., combined living area/dining area/hallway–we’ve chosen Valspar’s Caramel Honey (gold), Toasted Pumpkin in the bathroom (did I mention we like color?), but for the kitchen we’re stumped. We want something that works with the other colors, but I’m not sure what would go with light-colored maple floors, St. Cecilia granite, and cherry cabinets. Any suggestions?

–Sorry this is so long, Nicole. Feel free to cut it if you plan to use it. :) And thanks for this opportunity!!