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Design Dilemma
emmelinewe

If you were to change the look of your home...

Emmeline Westin
9 years ago
....which style would you go for? Would you go from contemporary to coastal? Industrial to modern?

Tell me what your current style is and what would be your dream look - if it's not the one you currently have, of course.

Transitional Dining Room · More Info
Featured Answer
  • dkvhaus
    9 years ago
    Current style: New Hubby's Man Cave bachelor furniture.
    Dream: We call it French Colonial- turned leg dark wood furniture with a few tropical & ethnic accents (woven Vietnamese hats), colors: browns, greens, blues & cream), and white slipcovered sofa & dining chairs
    My inspirations from model homes below:

    Comments (77)

    • maggierateye
      9 years ago
      I live in a pueblo-style stone-and-adobe, with brick floors, vigas, lots of honey pine,and a terrific view of Big Bend National Park. Four years ago I began renting my adobe as a nightly guest house, and so I'm converting a barn on the same property into another home. This time, I want a cleaner look- light wood floors, white walls and cabinets, single-light steel casement windows for the breeze and view. A few barn elements such as silvery beams in the kitchen ceiling, a sliding barn door to the bedroom will be incorporated. I'm adding on a higher roof line for the living area, with clerestory windows on the south wall, plus an 8' x 32' deck with exposed steel posts on the view side. Is there such a thing as industrial barn style??
    • druesig
      9 years ago
      I don't like being pegged by a style... I think I lean more toward the 'coastal' but I simply LOVE the color of the ocean with the sand and the lush green foliage...

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    • defever
      9 years ago
      @druesig, we lived on our boat for over 10 years while we cruised Mexico...I can totally relate!
    • Sam Hill
      9 years ago
      Currently I live in a 50s or 60s 4-bed house. It has no character but it's in a great location. In my town there are some lovely medieval houses furnished delightfully. That's the kind of place I'd like to live. But if I had to stay, there's loads I could do to my current place, and it could be delightful... There's so much potential!
    • moggie73
      9 years ago
      I love every style, therefore I am extra-eclectic.
      Gotta say, I keep thinking the secret to every good design, is "clean and organized". That is an added design dilemma for an eclectic decor.
    • Lisa in Missouri
      9 years ago
      I have a home that is furnished transitional. I would add more modern art in the future.
    • indianpatti
      9 years ago
      Currently have modern ... would go midcentury modern.
    • Carol Woolf
      9 years ago
      Had the privilege of providing the artwork for a London Mansion in the Heights. Fabulous home of traditional style, ie. very traditional English with a twist. Just inside the door over a distant mantle is an extraordinary abstract....mostly white room. Beautiful. Also other rooms had abstracts where fitting. That mix of old family painted portraiture and typical English landscapes as well as abstracts made that home ever more interesting than it would have been if the style had been the same throughout. Rooms were not "themed" , just really good color placement. Splendid job by the designer.
    • caseydorman
      9 years ago
      Would love to have a scandinavian styled house, with the aspects of the light wooden features that represent a warming feeling as soon as you step in to the house. Big open windows with lots of green but all has to be modernised of course.
    • Leslie Hansley
      9 years ago
      Contemporary as I like a clean and uncluttered look with ethnic pieces from my heritage.
    • Claisabel I
      9 years ago
      last modified: 9 years ago
      I think this is eclectic. What do you think?
    • Farah Muzaffar
      9 years ago
      Love a airy and full of natural light house and I love any cheerful, casual and friendly style in my house ... With simple practical lines which makes your home beautiful and cozy not ornamental ...
    • matteosmom
      9 years ago
      Tuscan colors to coastal. Can't wait!
    • Design2 girl
      9 years ago
      I have a very traditional home with American, French antiques in warm tones. I would love to have a second coastal home filled with lots of white, light, bright, breezy & whimsical style!
    • Carol Woolf
      9 years ago
      .claisabel, eclectic indeed on the bedroom with well chosen elements. Very good example of what can be done. Nice placement of mirrors and the right mix to glam up this room. Well done.
    • Vicki D
      9 years ago
      Currently, we are contempory with a slight lean towards modern. My style of choice is a tie between minimalist and MCM.
    • Shawn Plain
      9 years ago
      I love old world styles and anything country. My favorite would be a mix of these two. A country kitchen with old world charm is on my dream list right now. Chunky wood, herbs and wildflowers, creamy white, with marble and butcher block. I've always wanted a wraparound porch with rocking chairs and a porch swing. A beautiful old world iron gate with hearthstone rock walls and lots of garden and forest landscaping. These natural elements just give me a real sense of peace and the cozy comfort of home.
    • subu111
      9 years ago
      Currently have midwest fixer-upper style! Slowly but surely we are going room by room and making it ours. We like creams and blues and greens - antique and industrial - an eclectic hodge-podge of our personalities. Home.
    • himilady54
      9 years ago
      Living in our work in progress dream home....French Norman exterior with a bit of English cottage, French country on the inside with some modernization in the remodeling. Prefer painted creamy cabinetry, warm wood furniture, light colors for upholstery, with pops of dark tones in pillows or frames for dimension. We've been remodeling on & off for 2 years with 2 rooms left to complete. Even planting a mini orchard with gravel ground cover around our raised bed veggie gardens. Lots of light and windows and earth tones and lavender colored flowers. So much fun, even on a retirement budget. Next 3 French hens!
    • Sibani Sarma
      9 years ago
      Our house is currently very contemporary with a lot of warm hues. Although design wise i am very happy, I would love to have a lot of whites across all the rooms, including the cabinets, wall finishes and furnishings.

      | would also love a lot more show space for all the curios and momentos that I collected during my travel across the globe.
    • gardenarian
      9 years ago
      Current style is traditional and a but messy!! I want to take the Earthship course and create my own handcrafted house - like a hobbit hole. The Earthship is the only really sustainable house.
    • beverlynn
      9 years ago
      I have decorated in a transitional style and wouldn't change a thing!!
    • Paulina V.
      9 years ago
      The bathrooms and kitchens are all new, and not faithful to our house's age. If I had been the one making decisions on finishes, in stead of the folks who remodeled the house before selling it to us, I would have aimed more for the '30s cottage look than for the "every new condo in Seattle" look. But although I'm not the biggest fan of the style, our kitchen works, and it's got a good 10-15 years of warranty left on most of the fixtures and appliances. Maybe some day, though!
    • Amy Klein
      9 years ago
      When I was younger I loved anything frou-frou and would have loved chandeliers, roses and crystal anything as well as tchotchkes galore. Right now I'd say our home and style falls into the "Transitional" category. Our home is mostly white, pale beige and cream, touches of light grey. Our furniture is an eclectic mix of pieces that were given to us, or were thrifted (or liberated from a curb before garbage pickup.) We have some new pieces, but everything falls into that middle category. Not too modern, not too traditional. It works for our casual, coastal lifestyle with kids and pets. But if I was frou-frou in my youth, I find myself gravitating towards ultra-modern as I get older. So I could see myself going for super-clean, very modern. Everything squared and spare. Less to keep, less to clean. Totally the other end of the spectrum.
    • Delora Dickey
      9 years ago
      Classic Antique Modern. A beautiful blend of antiques and modern styling.
    • ohsuyque
      9 years ago
      I dream of either a Rachel Ashwell look or Coastal. I like white upholstery, and Aqua and Turquoise shades are my all time favorite. Just sold my olive brown furniture and gave away all my rust and earth toned accents. Living right now with nothing but a loveseat which I plan to slipcover in white. I am tired of dark, autumn colors.
    • Norma Sassone
      9 years ago
      last modified: 9 years ago
      Looking to move to Portland Oregon soon, and will look for a 1950's house, with light wood floors, white wood sloped ceiling, triangular clerestory windows. Then I can spend my retirement days searching for all that cool midcentury furniture in Portland's many second-hand shops. Brings back memories of my childhood - and it's so clean and sleek.
    • Zoe Zee
      9 years ago
      I have always loved light color furniture but have been to scared to buy it because of the wear and tear attached to it. But now I am really thinking I should take the plunge.
    • M Giles
      9 years ago
      My tastes are pretty eclectic. I prefer not to stick to any one style a 100%. My preferences lean towards British Colonial and Japanese with a contemporary twist. I also like Prarie/Arts and Crafts (which to me are very Asian) but on the lighter side with some tropical and global elements thrown in. The two things I really don't like are on either extreme - traditional country and modern minamalism. I could never live in a stark all white interior or one that was fussy and ruffly. At the moment I'm really drawn to the warmth of organic elements like stone, wood, and metal. While I love the look of classical traditional, I couldn't live in a formal house.
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    • shars55
      9 years ago
      My home is very traditional with a french twist. I love it and wouldn't change much about it at all except the flooring. I would love to tear out the tile and carpet and put wood flooring throughout, so that may be my next big project.
    • soozmacrae
      9 years ago
      My home involves a lot of grey, black and silver. I would love to have another home that was white, rustic and coastal. The complete opposite from what I have!
    • bunnyllg
      9 years ago
      Coastal comfort if you are near the beach!
    • Judy Bihary
      9 years ago
      We moved into our house 10 years and the previous owners who built the house were English and the style of the home is English Country but my husband and I are renovating it slowly to modern Country - Hampton's with coastal influence.We love the relaxed calm fresh look. Though we still have a modern country style in some rooms still.
    • toomanycats12
      9 years ago
      Eclectic Contemporary with tons of texture; I adore Ralph Lauren Home, Williams-Sonoma Home and Restoration Hardware...picture this: slipcovered sofas, oversized table lamps (coolie shades), zebra rug, huge windows and lots of light, large leaner mirror, etc. (some of this I have, some not). The real dilemma isn't figuring out what you like, it's that by the time you have saved up for what you thought you wanted, you've changed your mind!!! But I'm grateful anyway -- hubby and I and 13 kitties (really just little people in cheap fur coats!) love our home together. I feel "decorating" is a journey and you're never done!
    • PRO
      Cast Glass Images Inc.
      9 years ago
      I think for me it depends on the type of home (vacation home etc), location of the home for me to decipher between style/theme I'd prefer for decorating. I love beachy coastal/vintage type look for a beach summer home but I also enjoy a good contemporary, simple, clean look for a main home with entertaining space. I love all the ideas @gwnorth posted!
    • druesig
      9 years ago
      I'm with toomanycats...by the time I've saved even half of what I need, I've changed my mind!!! My ex was going to build me a cabinet...he took so long getting his supplies (2 yrs), I didn't want the cabinet any longer. One of many reasons he's an EX... LOL
    • Barbara L
      9 years ago
      We're working toward Hollywood Regency mixed with lots of 70s chrome lighting - the clean, funky forms provide some of the whimsy that makes HR sing. It's a fun mix!
    • coconuts1234
      9 years ago
      Current: Minimalist Transitional. I'm bad at the finishing touches, hence the minimalist. ;) We bought this house a year ago and neither of us love it (the choice was buy this house or be homeless). We went with a very safe, clean, tan color palette knowing we will be here 5 years and then sell it.

      My future style would be similar, but with glamorous touches.
    • Dani Wallace
      9 years ago
      Current is Contemporary but I find myself intrigued by Modern and Transitional.
    • mopsmaureen
      9 years ago
      I love a modern look mixed with some antiques. For instance modern dinning furniture with an old chandelier over the table.
    • zweiback
      9 years ago
      Having a dedicated style to switch from might be a good start in my case…. :D
    • Ninette Enrique
      9 years ago
      My house is a mishmash, depending on whatever we bought or were given at certain points in our life. I have only two rooms that are done: my living room and a small bathroom. The designer calls my style French Span-Asian with contemporary touches. I definitely can't design on my own and need a professional! The art is original, but we saved money by buying pieces at Crate and Barrel (switching out couch pillows with custom pillows), Restoration Hardware, and discounted floor models at higher-end furniture stores. The bathroom is done with Restoration Hardware vanity and fixtures.
    • mopsmaureen
      9 years ago
      My current is eclectic leaning towards an antique mixture (WHAT????) That sounds confusing but that's what 30 years of living here has brought to us…a collection of things very important to us. I will say that in spite of this description, we have a lovely home. We are planning on building a smaller place down in an Ecuadorian valley called Cumbaya and it will be modern. I am wondering what to do with the things we have and will probably end up mixing them in some way. I really do like modern with touches of other styles, especially antiques.
    • edithsmom
      9 years ago
      last modified: 9 years ago
      I have always been attracted to the Carmel-by-the-Sea houses designed by Comstock...the interiors are often decorated casually, with comfy sofas, chairs, maple & cherry furniture and nature-inspired art and accessories. Big fantasy. In real life, we are retired on Cape Cod, Massachusetts and live in a 1200 sq.ft. condo one block off a large town's Main St. and two miles from any beach. Except for the building and location, we have the rest...not sure if our decor is English casual, English coastal or ???, but I wouldn't change it, except to buy better quality sofa and chairs.
    • iamhakim
      9 years ago
      Tuscan
    • Dan Trimberger
      9 years ago
      I like a mix of traditional, transitional, and coastal.
    • Joyce Gamm
      9 years ago
      I love my open floor plan, if I could change anything! Don,t know, lamps, maybe a little bigger.
    • Annalie Evans
      9 years ago
      very contemporary at the minute......not bad just boring :-)

      My dream? Pretty much eclectic.........vintage/ retro but bright and interesting to the eye as well!
    • honeyfieldsgraincompany
      7 years ago

      Right now I have eclectic but I would love to try modern interior.

    • Tricia Crossley
      7 years ago

      I like best to have the style dictated by the furniture I pick up when I see a piece that has the proportions and elegance that means it will add to the pleasure of sharing space with it, as well has having a practical purpose. I am shameless in applying a painted surface to unify a room. Thrift Shop style but I'd really like a French Chateau.


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