Twitter Chat with John Gidding, and a HUGE Giveaway!

Amanda

What advice do you have for decorating a small apartment? (Not allowed to paint)

Maggie D

What are your favorite design books and or designers?

Elliott

My husband’s British and has what one could only call “European” sense of style. Meaning: clean, modern, lots of glass, lacquer, dark leather, straight lines. Where can we find this look (while being budget minded) without resorting to Ikea. I loathe that place.

Allison O.

Any inexpensive ideas for adding to a plain, builder-grade bathroom mirror? It’s so boring without a frame!

Elissa

What advice do you have for choosing curtains? It seems to be more difficult than choosing a paint color since they’re so expensive (especially when you have LOTS of windows).

theycallmered

July 30 is my birthday. Is it lame that winning the vacuum would be an awesome birthday surprise?

Val

Do you think solid honey oak colored cabinets will ever be in style again??!! Our kitchen has been updated with the exception of the cabinets and they scream “90’s kitchen.” How well do painted cabinets hold up to wear and tear of 4 kids?

megan @ a life's design

What are some great sources for kitchen hardware?

Elaina B.

I would love some advice on budget friendly guest rooms. We currently upgraded from a 3 bedroom to a 4 bedroom home. We’ve never had a guest room before so we’ll be furnishing from scratch. We need something that will be big enough to sleep two, but small enough that we can still use the room ourselves when we dont have guests.

andrea

What are some key elements in decoration if I want my apartment to have that touch of France? I am looking to forget that I live in NJ and imagine I am waking up in Europe.

Laura in LA

What is the best way to open up a room? My living room is pretty narrow & sometimes feels like it is closing in on me! More lighting? Mirrors? Tell me your tricks.

Cindy

Ilive in a track home where all the houses look the same do you have any ideas on how to make my house stand out from all the other homes in my neighborhood?

Megan M

Wow – what a fun giveaway! I would love advice on the best way to utilize one room as an office and an occasional guest room. We’ve already got the super fancy Aerobed, but I’m curious if there is a better way to make guests feel more welcomed than cramming them in next our our desks/shelves. Thanks!

Jessie

What are your thoughts on matching furniture styles and wood colors versus eclectic collections of styles and tones? We have some sleek modern stuff in dark and light woods, and some antique dark wooden stuff from families. We have some unfinished trunks from Penzey’s, and Thonet chairs from a swap meet. Is there a rule to organizing this furniture in rooms so it looks more like an eclectic collection as opposed to a mismash of all of the furniture we’ve ever gotten?

Leah

How can I incorporate some fun patterns into my decor? Everything’s kind of blah and nuetral right now and I would love to add some ‘pops’ of pattern/color. How to find what works together?

Ashley

Awesome!

I am a mid-twenties gal, recently out of college, and though my budget is tight, I love making my house as nice as possible. I am a homebody. But I sometimes struggle to decide what items I should buy on the cheaper end and what items deserved to be bought as an investment. This is especially challenging in the kitchen. What is your advice as to what kitchen equipment is worth investing in and which items are okay to buy at cheaper prices?

Karina

Our rental has very high ceilings and is difficult to make it seem cozy…any suggestions?

Lindsey

Wow what a lovely, thoughtful and amazing giveaway!!!

I’d like to ask John: “How do you suggest decorating your home to look current, without being overly trendy? I’d love tips for updating spaces that won’t immediately date them when the trends pass.”

Sarah Coyne

My boyfriend is a severe minimalist, I am a serious collector. We’re moving in together. Any suggestions on affordable ways I can bring/display some of my precious items into his stark home? Can we live in both a lab AND a museum?

Victoria

Hi,

What is your best decorating tip for redesigning a new space?

Rachael

How can I make my two boring, very small full bathrooms look nicer and/or bigger? Complicating factor: the bathroom we use most has very minimal storage (only the cabinet under the sink) and no space for adding more!

Tara

What is the best advice you have for making a small closet functional for someone with a lot of clothes and shoes?

Michelle

Our bedroom is very small – 12 X 10, we have the bed pushed up against a wall with two windows, they are on either side of the bed and we have pictures above the bed. Seems reasonable. My question is what do I do with the wall that the bed is facing? Currently it is just a large plain wall. The space between the end of the bed and the wall is quite small, so putting any kind of furniture piece there would take up too much room.

Nora

I’m looking for an affordable way to change up a mishmash of framed photos on a hallway wall into something more streamlined and classic.

Thanks for the amazing giveaway!

Cortney

I’d like to frame some family photos and hang them on the wall in our hallway, but need advice on how to strategically place the frames. I’d like the placement to look artistic and stylish, and just don’t know where to begin.

Jacqueline

What are your favorite budget friendly sources for furniture, rugs, and curtains? (besides Ikea)

Crystal

I keep hearing don’t paint your bedroom Yellow,but I adore Yellow… what are your thoughts on this?

Nikki

I have light wood colored kitchen cabinets. They’re in good condition but the color makes them look dated. I love white cabinets but am afraid to paint them b/c they’ll show the grain or have lots of wear and tear with my kids. Thoughts? Paint recommendations that would last?

Lacey

When furnishing a room, what pieces are worth splurging on and which ones are you better off getting on the cheap?

ChaChi

I have an old pass thru window in the wall between my livingroom and diningroom. It is the first thing you see when you walk in my house. Now it has stained spindles vertically with a small space to pass a plate. It looks a lot like a Jenny Lind Crib on the wall. How can i update this to be more pleasing to the eye and give it a more modern function since we rarely pass anything thru?

Thanks!

Jenny

What a fantastic post! My question is this:
What are the fundamentals of a color palette for a space?
Thanks!!

Sara

How can I add lots of color without looking kitchy or crazy?

Hally

My husband and I have jobs that require us to move close to once a year. I get tired of buying cheap furniture only to toss or sell it a year down the road. What are some quality multifunction furniture pieces that I should consider buying that might help someone whos not quite ready to buy a home yet?

Emily

What is your favorite decorative item under $20?

Maggie

I really want to paint my room white, but everyone keeps telling me not too. Is it bad to paint it white?

Kristen

I am stumped when it comes to what to hang on the wall above my buffet in my dining room! I like the look of those floating shelves so you can put your dishes and glasses on them, but will I be able to reach them? I’m only 5’5″!

EmilyH

Is there an easy rule of thumb for figuring out scale of furniture for a room, or do you just eyeball it?

Julie

When I shop, I am drawn to colors and mid-century patterns that are vastly different. How can I design a room with kitschy accessories to make it less wild and scrappy and more clean and sophisticated?

Kelly

John, When rooms flow from space to space by open doorways- such as a circular first floor layout with kitchen, living room, entry, dining room- how do you tie the rooms together?

Christina

I would love ideas on how to design and decorate a combo office/guest room (so it has to be both efficient, organized, without being cold or uncomfortable).

Samantha

We’re moving from our 2 bedroom suburban house to a more urban (but smaller) 1 bedroom apartment.

How can you make a “guest space” in a common area that’s still welcoming/functional?

Amy

How do I make my small living room that doesn’t get much natural light feel bigger, airier (is that a word?)? =)

Rebecca M.

We’re expecting a baby soon and it feels like the baby gear is already starting to take over the whole house. Any tips for keeping a stylish home while still having the baby gear accessible and usable when its needed?

Meredith

We are in the middle of a HUGE kitchen/dining/living room remodel. At the start of this project we were removing wall paper with GEESE on it! Obviously, the house (we inherited it) has not been updated in a LONG time. One of our biggest concerns is my own tendency to be too trendy. I do not want to constantly change the decor/wall color/ style of my home every other year. What are your tips for designing for the long-run?

Sarah

Kitchen remodels always seem to cost a fortune and take a lot of time and effort to complete. What are some ways to update an old kitchen without breaking the bank?

Lauren

What a great giveaway and such a cool idea for a Twitter chat! My question is: How do you punch up a space on the cheap when you can’t use paint? (ie- a rental apartment)

Emily @ The Happy Home

What an awesome give-away!

I’d love to know some non-permanent ways to spruce up a rental. We’re not sure how long we’re going to stay in our current place, but we need ideas to make it feel more like home!

Starlet

We’re looking for a house to buy – and we saw a a cute tiny house that we liked. The only thing is there is only one bathroom and even that is shared with (stacked)laundry!

Can anything be done to make it look less crammed? Would you recommend moving the laundry area?

Thank youuu – and looking forward to the twitter chat!

Alicia

What are the best tricks to make a guest/hall bath look inviting and warm but still uncluttered and clean?