Twitter Chat with John Gidding, and a HUGE Giveaway!

Rebecca K.

Great giveaway!

I’m wondering what he thinks are one to three things renters can do to make the biggest design statement. Obviously, there’s only so much we can do since we don’t own the space–but we still want to make it ours!

sunny

I am renting a condo that is all beige carpeting + fake-wood-cabinets + plain pale walls. I adore Swedish/Danish decor of paleness + pops of color + no matchy-matchy. Is there a way to achieve that look with beige + brown (with white walls) that I have now?

Tanya

Do you have any decorating tips for renters who are not allowed to make holes in their walls?

shermi

I live in a rental apartment with a small dining area, I don’t want my desk and computer in my bedroom how can I make the area multifunctional for eating and work.

Katie

How can a I create a piece of art for my living room wall that adds texture and dimension without costing a lot of money, or requiring a lot of artistic talent?

sarah

What is an inexpensive way to divide a large room that works as an office and a family room?

Kelly S.

How does one evolve their style over the course of several years, and yet not need to totally buy new furniture/ accessories/artwork with each change?

Cate

How do you start thinking about a room?….do you find a great rug and go from there, or maybe curtains, wall color, etc. We are preparing to move and as excited as I am to re-invent and start with new colors and a new feel, I’m not sure how to begin thinking about each of the rooms and how best to begin building a cohesive look.

lisa g

Where do I find a stylish, yet affordable laundry hamper that IS NOT made of wicker?

Lauren

I’m moving in with my boyfriend at the end of the month but our new kitchen looks the same as thousands of other new-ish buildings in the area (stainless steel, black counter tops and medium/dark brown cabinets). Furthermore, the kitchen and the living room are all one big space. How do I play down the same-ness of the space and lighten the room up a bit?

Zoryana

What are some affordable ways to spruce up a kitchen, besides painting the walls? Mine is sort of drab and could really use some fun accessories/decor.

Sukanya

Everything in my living room is dark brown (wood) – the whole room looks really dark as a result. What can I do to make the room brighter without painting the wood?

Micheline

We have a beautiful, light-filled family room thanks to an entire wall consisting of two sliding glass doors and angled windows above those– along with southern exposure! What do you suggest for window treatments that would help prevent faded furniture and overheating while not completely detracting from the view?

Allen

You always come up with unique designs for different spaces. When you walk into a new space, where do you draw inspiration from?

Tanya

What are the most important things to consider renovating or replacing (on a tight budget) when trying to sell a home?

catherine s.

We are currently in the market to build a home; however, love the ‘character’ of older homes. Where are some unique, yet economical places to look for character touches…we currently scour flea markets, antique shops and the loads of ideas on the internet for our craftsman character items, but are wondering if there are some places that come to mind that are definite ‘go to places’ for the like…

Great giveaway by the way – awesome!!!

Elena

How do we decorate a tiny apartment on a major budget without having to change too much when moving out (i.e. repainting)? Thanks!

Doug

What are some easy and inexpensive ways to vamp up your yard?

Tina

My husband and I live in a nicely sized Pittsburgh attic apartment and are expecting twin boys in October. We are saving up for a big move to Maine in a year so we want to avoid the temptation to spend ten billion dollars on nursery design.
The issue: I am having a hard time finding nursery decor for boys that doesn’t involve cars or sports. Are there any nonbaby stores that sell things that would work well in a nursery? Where did you do your nursery shopping for your little pumpkin?

Olvia

We are a household with 5 children and 3 bedrooms. We have 3 children in one and twins in the other. How can we maximize the space in these bedrooms and still create ways to individualize the rooms for each girls’ taste?

Becky Ceravolo

I love the effect of opalescence on surfaces and want to add it to a wall in my bathroom. How can I achieve this effect without many added steps or expense? While I’m asking, are there any other effects or paint additives that would be fun to try?

Best wishes,

Becky

Sheena Louise

How should/could two room-mates with opposite decorating styles work together? For example, one of us likes very clean, simple lines with lots of white and the other loves lots of color and mix-matching patterns and furniture styles.

Rachel K.

We have a house with a concrete floor underneath the carpet. The floor layout flows poorly and ideally I would love to move walls around and change plumbing lines (but too expensive)–outside of moving to a new house or demolishing the concrete floor to change the layout, how can we make the house flow better?

MondeFlottant

Dear John, I am living in a small flat with a tiny kitchen, if I should pick only one element what do you recommend as the essential element on a kitchen ?

MondeFlottant

I forget to specify : Dear John, I am living in a small flat with a tiny kitchen, if I should pick only one DESIGN element what do you recommend as the essential element on a kitchen ?

G

The living room and kitchen in my new home are open to each other and share a very long wall. The color schemes I have for each room don’t go well together. Is it better to paint the common wall a neutral color that will go with both rooms, or break the wall into 2 colors that match each room but may not match each other?

Amy

Any good inexpensive ways to expand kitchen storage? We have limited cupboard space (and no more wall space) and have been trying to think of unusual solutions.

michelle young

We have an odd little hallway with a small nook that runs between the kitchen and dining room. The kitchen is very small, so we want to do something with this space to expand the kitchen . The former owners had merely stuck an extra kitchen cabinet there. I’m thinking we should take out the cabinet and add either an antique pastry cabinet or just add numerous shelves to the “nook” area to create a “pantry”. Which would be a better design option?

Kendra @ My First Kitchen

What an awesome giveaway! One decorating question I’m staring at right now is what to do with my dining room table. The room is great – statement window treatments, a table we love, lighting that rocks – but the table itself just looks so bare! Are there creative centerpieces for dining tables that don’t look weird but still give some life?

Nichole

How would you add storage to a roughly 8’x 12′ bathroom with a full tub/shower, toilet and pedestal sink?

dawn

My almost 4 yr old son will soon be sharing his very small room w/ baby#2 (we won’t know the sex until baby arrives). It is currently a buttery yellow color and I’m thinking about adding some sort of accent color (red? green? maybe blue?) that would be good for a boy/girl room or a boys bedroom. Thanks!

Katie

I would love to know how to incorporate baby and kid stuff into an adult design.

becky

i have a very old house and the living room is connected with the sitting room (which has the stairs). my husband has to have a big tv and we only have one wall it could really fit on (other have a door or windows) and it drives me nuts. how could i decorate these two rooms and hide the massive tv?
boon1211 at gmail dot com

Katie G.

How on Earth are you able to do so much around the house with a baby? Please tell me, because I have a 3 year old and it is so difficult!

Sarah

What’s the easiest way to refinish my ugly knotty pine kitchen cabinets?

adrienne

I have an 8 month old son and my house is being taken over by Fisher Price. How do I contain the toy madness before it gets even worse??

brynn

do you have any ideas on how to create a bold piece of art for a large space on a limited budget?

Lucia

We are looking for an affordable kid-friendly couch with a mid-century vibe. What are our best options?

Emma L

I love to cook and bake, and consequently spend a lot of time in the kitchen. How can I make my kitchen – a strangely shaped area with no space for seating – feel like the heart of the house instead of simply its stomach?

melanie

i’m needing to purchase a large rug – something like 6×9 – but hate the thought of spending that much money on something that my 2 year old will set out to destroy. any other great ideas for under our dining room table?

sarah

My husband and I are NYC teachers who are renting our dream apartment. We have found everything (and more!) that was on our dream apartment list: backyard, garage, two bedrooms, separate dining room, more than one bathroom, lots of closet space, normal neighbors….the list could go on forever. Basically, we LOVE this apartment and want to stay here for a long time.

Our problem is this, the apartment is bi-level; the first floor houses the kitchen, dining space, upstairs bathroom, 4 closets, the master bedroom, and the office (soon to be nursery) while the basement is where our living room is along with the half bath and two more closets. Because our living space is downstairs, my husband and I don’t really know how to make use of all of our space correctly. Neither one of us likes to be down there alone but there isn’t really defined space for us to hang out together and relax upstairs. We’ve been hanging out in the bedroom fighting over the remote or taking turns hiding at the computer in the office.

Can you help us?

Rachel

How do you connect different styles (ex. art deco, modern, traditional, boho) in decorating different rooms to make the house feel cohesive?

Melissa

We are redoing our floors. Should we do laminate or stain the concrete… If we stain the concrete, do you have any advice?

Lonnie Kasow

I’m trying to decide what kind of window coverings to put in my bedroom. Is there any general guideline to deciding which kind would look good in a particular room?

Shellee

How do you make all of the rooms in your home feel cohesive? While I like several of the rooms in my home individually, I don’t feel like there is a nice flow or a common feel in each room.

Amanda W

I really love all white decor but have a dog, and kids, and a husband who likes to wear his shoes in the house. Are there any ways to work a white background into my home without constant cleaning?

Thanks for the fun giveaway!

shannon kaufman

John, I have a small sitting area that has a fireplace. However, the fireplace is not center with the area. Should I place the coffee table center with the wall or the fireplace.

Marie O.

What are some flooring ideas for renters who can’t really tear up the unsightly tiles that come with the apt?

when skies are grey

We have a little alcove in our living room that I’d like to put a desk/computer into. I have this idea to use a door as the surface but would love any suggestions on how to go about this in a way that makes it look integrated into our decor. Thank you :)!

Monique

I need to put my TV in a cabinet because we have a little boy who likes to charge into things. My house is going for the fresh and modern look, but I can’t seem to find a solution that matches that. Any tips on where I should be looking?