I find a lot of them too stodgy and too... chintzy for my taste. They also tend to feature pretty dull suburban and upper NW homes, which don't do it for me as far as house porn goes. I get that much of their readership is suburban and, in this area, likely favors a more traditional style. But still...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm more a fan of the post-madonna stuff.

I appreciate this, even if no one else does!!

I laughed, too. (But maybe I was Xing!)

They definitely play with dimensions -- Oh, look, now there's an extra four feet at the foot of the bed! Amazing!

The most recent one . . . look, she can't afford a $1200 couch. Why show one, even if it's listed as a splurge? It's a budget-wrecker. That's different.

Anonymous wrote:I'm more a fan of the post-madonna stuff.

I appreciate this, even if no one else does!!

I often like the ideas in the Post but this one struck me as silly fro the beginning. A linen fabric couch and fabric ottomon for storage? Puh-lease.

I don't think it's bad and I generally like them, but I do feel like anyone could make a room look great if they had thousands to invest.

Anonymous wrote:The playroom they just posted is awful. Dark walls in a basement playroom with very little natural light and barely any toy storage, or space to actually play. And the designer suggests storing a toddler's art supplies inside a fabric ottoman.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/home-garden/a-playroom-makeover-in-annandale/2012/03/20/gIQAOI2CgS_story.html

I agree, and that border is horrific. It not only cuts the vertical line of the room in half (making the ceiling look shorter); it is very babyish and will be outgrown/need to be re-done in no time.

I like some of them, not all.

They did a re-do of a room in my house several years ago. I anxiously awaited the piece after they'd sent out a photographer to take pictures, and I'd talked to them on the phone about my likes/dislikes, etc.

Although I liked some of what they proposed (and btw, they only propose - no furniture purchased or anything), a lot of it was in direct contradiction to what I had told them (e.g. lots of fabric after I told them I couldn't have fabric in abundance because of allergies), and if I had followed their proposal to the letter it would have cost many thousands.

Still, it was fun to see that room in our house featured.

Some of the re-do's I like, but I thought this week's was boring; anyone could have come up with that.

They're ok. A thousand times better than any of the befores, anyway. But they usually scream "bland hotel room" more than anything.

I'm more a fan of the post-madonna stuff.

We used this designer, Denise Willard, for a project last year. I was not impressed - premadonna attitude, tried to pull a few shady moves, and a very blah color pallette. Her idea fir kid-friendly fabrics was not realistic - no kids gerself. Would not recommend.

I like them but always wonder a bit about the scale in the drawings. The before picture look small for the furniture they end up putting in them.

There are a lot of great tips in those spreads that make a big difference in the rooms - the way they deal with small windows and do window treatments (at the ceiling, to the floor), getting rid of chair rails/paneling, seating areas, accessories.

Some I like, sometimes a lot. (I've been known to bookmark or rip out and store a few). Many I don't.

I don't get designers who want you to give up your TV. We watch TV. Every day. The TV is not going above the fireplace or hidden in a corner.

And the kid stuff is usually where I definitely don't like. The before pictures you see all the tons of kid clutter. Sure, you can cut down on it, but you can't hide the fact that kids live and play in your home.

It's almost like some designers want to design a room to look at, rather than a house to LIVE in.

I can't stand their redos. I've never seen a single one I've liked.

Disagree with you. I thought the playroom had potential and the designer's suggestions were good. In general, I really like the re-dos.

The playroom they just posted is awful. Dark walls in a basement playroom with very little natural light and barely any toy storage, or space to actually play. And the designer suggests storing a toddler's art supplies inside a fabric ottoman.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/home-garden/a-playroom-makeover-in-annandale/2012/03/20/gIQAOI2CgS_story.html