Anonymous wrote: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...

That's what I actually like about it though. I am a big fan of the shelter magazines but those people live in houses and have budgets that don't look like mine. And talk about not lived in - sometimes they look like museums. At least the Post makeovers feature actual houses that I can relate to - with window in weird places, or one that can't fit 4 separate seating areas, or with 8 foot ceilings instead of 11 foot ceilings, etc.

FUGLY!

Ha! With the pp's description of the designer, I am so amused by the set-up. Can you imagine: Primadonna designer *finally* gets called to be featured in the Post and her big assignment is the $1500 Annandale basement makeover? She must have been pissed! I don't think designers know what to do with a budget that low. She couldn't even find a couch for that price.

You all know Annandale Mom is going to end up with the same exact basement playroom the rest of us have: "fun" paint color that is maybe just a shade not quite right, slipcovered Ikea Ektorp, Expedit or clsoetmaid cube shelves with some kind of bins, the train-table-doubling-as-coffee-table, etc.

I've liked a couple but disliked the majority. In this one, this isn't a playroom for children. This is a playroom designed by adults who have never had children. Like a playroom in a model home. There are so many things that are unrealistic for a space that is supposed to have children playing regularly in it. And I find this case frequently with the WaPo's redesigns. They are often designed by designers who don't really understand what they're designing for. I saw a redesigned craft space once that was designed like a living room with a cute little corner office as the craft space. And their idea of "save" and my idea of "save" do not agree. Even though I can afford "splurge" sometimes it's just not realistic. I've often seen someone come in with a budget and one item (couch or table or something) is more than 50% of the budget. Meh.

I liked the playroom they features this week (except for the border) and I usually like what they come up with. I don't think the ideas are especially creative or unique. It's mostly something I could pull together by myself. However, the rooms are always a big improvement over the before pictures.