Twitter Chat with John Gidding, and a HUGE Giveaway!

Kelly

I’d love some advice on mixing patterns, textures and colors in a room. I want interest, but not insanity. How much is too much?

Tracy

What words of wisdom can you offer someone thinking about repainting the exterior of a house (specifically, a tiny little brick Victorian). How do we pick a color that’s bright and happy without being too much? Should we take into account the colors of our neighbors’ houses — for example, should we avoid green and purple because the house next door is green and purple?

Johanna

I enjoy color in a room, but do not want to commit to just one pallet since I move frequently. What would be the best way to bring in color without looking indecisive?

Joel

How would you choose curtains based on different windows?

fresh365

Would love to hear thoughts on unique DIY art- photos or other fun ideas for the house.

Shawna Wagoner

I have many art pieces that I love. My husband and I like to buy art when traveling. The problem is that I feel my wall decor isn’t cohesive in my open floor plan home. How do you decide what works together in a space and what to edit out.

Kc

I would love if you could discuss merging furniture. We just moved in together and got married, and his ikea/contemporary/sage microsuede sensibilities and my shabby chic/french provincial/vintage feel don’t seem to mix. So we have a dining room and living room that are entirely “his” and bedroom that is “my” look (with the odd ikea dresser and bookshelf for extra needed space).

With no spatial conception, design vision or professional budget – how can we blend what we have to maek our look rather than these awkward pods of style in our home?

Thanks!
Kc

Brianna

Do you have any suggestions for how to decorate with a strictly decorative fireplace in a small space?

Ashley

How do you make your house cohesive when you are in love with so many different styles?

danielle

Basement flooring question – looking to finish our basement. Currently, there is a rug glued (!) down on what looks like old asbestos tile. It’s not wet down there, but the carpet has been getting damp and definitely needs to be removed. What are the best (and easiest) options for basement flooring in these conditions?

Megan

My boyfriend and I are getting ready to move in together. We have both owned our own homes for 5+ years and are having trouble combining our furniture and styles. How do we find a cohesive balance and not make it too masculine or feminine (or too junky b/c we have a lot of stuff combined)?

Sarah K

I love the look of “collage” art walls that I often see in catalogs and in pictures of other people’s homes, but whenever I try to do it in my own home my type A personality takes over and I’m unhappy if things aren’t in a straight line and the frames don’t all have the same feeling. Any advice on how to approach this project so I get a similar feeling but have enough order so that I don’t take it all down by the end of the weekend?

My space is a 10 ft long hallway, and I have both potographs, prints and original art that I would like to incorporate.

caroline

Do you have any advice on how to bring color into an all white kitchen (white cabinets, appliances, back splash, etc)? I own the house, but can’t afford a major overhaul. Thanks!

Gillian

I need help choosing a rug that will look nice with neutral furniture (think white and taupe) but will allow me to change the color scheme/accents now and then. Thanks!

Ellen

Please help with affotip for picking light fixtures. I’m so afraid of choosing the wrong size or the wrong style. My house is art deco but my style is MCM.

Kara

I would like to buy an area rug for my living room. I’d like it to be neutral (or at least somewhat neutral) and I don’t want a bold or busy pattern. But the thought of a solid beige or gray rug sounds too boring. What other options do I have?

Eileen

I am moving into an apartment and the bathroom vanity is a little shabby in a few places, any suggestions for hiding it without making it too cluttered?

Samantha

Help! I have too much “stuff” in a relatively (800 sf) space – arts, crafts, a lifetime of posessions and paperwork. What can I do to feel less “hoarder”, and more chic?
Thanks!

Kristen

Our rental is covered in wallpaper-which has been painted over numerous times. We got permission to paint our bedroom a different color, but we don’t know if we have to do anything different because of the wallpaper underneath?

Mandy

I have slowly been redecorating my apartment (post law school/no money) and don’t know what to do with my evil brown/brown peach-ish bathroom. The walls are white/off-white but the tiles go four feet or so up the wall. I’ve considered covering them with cloth and putting FLOR on the ground (I can’t retile nor do I want to in a rental) but I’m not sure how well this would work in a bathroom b/c of water, steam, make-up, etc.

Sayeh!

I want to paint an accent wall in my office but feel like a bold color like purple would look a little bizarre. Are there only certain colors you should paint accent walls with?

I am dying for that kitchen aid mixer btw!

just a girl

I’m a renter that is not allowed to paint. I want to make the place feel like my own and that means color, are there some cost effective ways to get color on the walls that isn’t permanent?

Jenny

What’s the #1 item I should invest in when redecorating my bedroom to make it more eco-friendly?

Jeanette

How do you know when your room is overdone? For example, Ilove bright colors and use red, pink, and lime green in my living room. I love it but maybe it’s too much? I also mean how do you know when to stop decorating?

Hannah

Do you have tips for focusing your style or at least narrowing it down enough to complete a design/feel for a room? When you have a lot of interests and purchase a variety of things you “love,” it can be difficult to figure out decor!

C

If you have to focus on only one item which is going to make the biggest impact (not paint) in a bedroom, what would it be?

Samantha M.

i would just love to know the best advice you’ve been given–concrete advice about what works–and how you’ve applied it in a favorite space. thanks

Cary

I am trying to find some visual decor pieces that are kid friendly, do you have any suggestions?

cindy

We need a third seating option in our living room. Right now we have a leather couch and chair. There is really only room for another chair. Should I stick with leather or buy something with fabric? Is it safest to go with a solid or should we give the room a boost with a fun pattern and color? I’m just a little nervous we would hate it 5 years down the row.

Kari Holland

What’s a good rule of thumb on when to splurge on something nice for the home versus cutting corners and maybe doing something a little cheaper (i.e. kitchen accessories, or maybe furniture :: you want something that will perform as well as look well, but realistically don’t have enough money to buy EVERYTHING you’d like to have:)!
Also, what’s the simplest and quickest way besides (and maybe even in addition to) rearranging a room to give it a little facelift on the cheap?
How about THREE favorite foolproof decorating tips anyone can follow when decorating or REdecorating their homes/apartments/homespaces? Please?

sonya rasi

That would be the most attractive eco friendly and economical kitchen counter?

Christine La Jeunesse

In rooms with lots of electronics, what are some creative and practical solutions to keep the cords and accessories hidden?

Melanie Schroeder

As a creative person, I sometimes find myself sticking to tried and true looks. Is there anything you find yourself doing over and over in designs because it just works? Or do you try to continually challenge yourself to try new things?

Joanna

Storage – I need to know about some good cheap storage options that also look great! Any ideas?!!!

jenn

First off, we have a definitive lack of storage in our apartment. But secondly, we have these built in bookcases which hold not only our books, but games, cds, dvds, and binders of our tax and other important info. THE PROBLEM is that the bookcases are not deep and/or wide enough to accomodate these things…and our daughter (15 mo), loves to attack these objects that dangle precariously over the sides. How can I find a reasonable way to display, store, and use these items??? Thanks!

Jill

We are finishing our basement and are trying to create an industrial modern look. We have an old airplane tail that will become the bar top and have kept the space pretty open. We are considering doing the ceiling in corrugated aluminum but lighting will be tricky since the material is not flat. Can lights would stick out. We really love the reflective aspect of the aluminum because we have two great big windows that we want to fill the entire space. Do you have any suggestions on other materials we could use for the ceiling or other ideas for creatively lighting the space without using external track lights for every fixture?

caitie

i love the color gray but dont want to make a room look too dark. any suggestions on a good gray to use?

NEPD

For someone interested in a career in design or decorating – or any unconventional ‘creative’ job – what is some advice you would give about some key decisions that you made in your life that helped you get to where you are?

Alison

i have a pretty small kitchen and no dining room. i’m looking for some sort of seating solution so my husband won’t want to eat dinner in the living room in front of the television every night? any ideas or solutions?

Lara

I’m redoing my bathroom, taking down tile, putting up new walls and trying to make it more of a room with real furniture and framed pictures and such. Do you have any advice on how to make the toilet and tub (which I haven’t purchased yet but will be cheap basic fixtures) look less utilitarian?

Tirzah

My husband and I are living in a rental home. We have been given permission to fix it up however we please, but we don’t want to pour money in to a home we are renting (and will not see a return on our work from); however, the one thing that drives us crazy is an office that was built on. There are random electrical outlets all over the walls, as well as some crazy and chaotic looking wiring. Is there any cheap way to remedy something like this?

Alyssa Coberly

I would love to learn the best way to know how much fabric I would need to DIY reupholster a piece of furniture (ie : how much does a chair take vs a couch?)

Kristin

I am a renter and constantly struggle with inexpensive ways to make my home “mine” without actually changing the structure. I hate to spend the money improving the actual house since it’s so old and needs updates on basically everything. Besides painting the walls, do you have any tips or tricks to mask the things I cannot change and make it feel more like a space I love?

Sara

I currently live in my great grandmothers house, she passed away many years ago and the family has maintained her home and collection of art and antiques. I should mention that this home was built in 1760 and renovated and restored by my great grand parents in 1914. They collected fine antiques and were artists. I love living here and am lucky to be surrounded by so much family history but I find that I miss being able to express my personal style (I am not allowed to paint/remove furniture or change many things. Any tips on how to make the already painted/decorated space a little bit more me would be greatly appreciated. PS, my style is a bit bohemian, with dashes of modernism mixed in.

Maureen

My fiance and I are only 11 days away from our wedding. We will have a considerable amount of combining and moving in our future (we’ve never lived together and he is a Naval physician). What items do you recommend investing in very early on when combining two rather pared-down households? IE: furniture, decor, household appliances?

Vivian P

I live in a TINY basement apartment where the kitchen living room and office (which consists of a computer desk) are all in the same room. Any organization suggestions to make our space as efficient as possible but also to make it look good?

Amy

What are the best places and colors to infuse color into an apartment with basic blah beige walls? We’d like to keep large purchase items (ie Sofa) neutral as well but crave punchy color!

Francine

I’m moving to a new apartment that’s not huge but has several small rooms. One of these rooms is a bonus room that I’m not sure what to do with. I could make it into an extra bedroom, a separate dining room (we have an eat in kitchen), or a den. Any of these options would get some use, but I want to really maximize this space well. Any ideas?

Leah

I live in a apartment where I can’t paint the walls and I’m on a VERY tight budget. What are your top low cost ideas for redoing a space?