um...again, this contest is about more than just painting walls. Though, I definitely see the influence of "dreary days" but this contest is about "expecting rainbows"...

Also, if one of three pictures is of the sink area, why is there stuff in it blocking the view? (or are pictures missing?)

Are pictures missing?

Is this a joke?

Yeah, this post is a little weird...

I would have liked to see more pictures...awesome sink though

this is god awful ugly. ditto *converge* and *littlebrownbird*.

Colors ? Where ?

No need to be mean here. I think "god awful ugly" is a bit of an exageration, especially if it doesn't have any constructive criticism to offer.

Marie,
I think that having only three pictures doesn't give us much to go on, but the living room looks like it might have some promise, especially if the photo is taken in better light. Are those walls a minty-green? I love the colors in the painting on the wall above the couch (orange and green and brown) and think you could use that as an inspiration to tie the rest of the room together (some orange throw pillows, a green blanket maybe, a different rug, etc).

I actually had to register an account, my need to comment on this entry was so overwhelming. What the heck is going on here? How on earth could anyone who has an interest in design, possibly produce THIS as their pride and joy?! Perhaps, like people who are tone-deaf, there are also people who are taste-deaf? I know this all seems quite harsh, but I just have to think that this person is more interested in the chance to win prizes, than the input, respect or admiration of the AT community.

And where are the AFTER photos?

people, stop being so mean. criticism can be given w/o being cruel.

ok, first, let me say that i lust after your sink!

here are my suggestions. i'd take that valance down over the sink. the living room looks somehow empty. i think it's the walls. you have a large space, but the items on the wall are tiny. the book case is sort of floating there in the middle of nowhere, too high to reach. the mirror is far too small, as is the art. a possible fix would be to keep the small things you have, but put them in groupings. ask a friend you have who has great pieces hanging to give you suggestions. also, add more points of light. that will help break up the space & we'll be able to see the color.

join one of the flickr cure groups. we are really good at giving each other suggestions & support. doing all the steps of the cure will fix these little things that seem "off". after that, you will see a marked improvement. thanks for a submission!

"Color Tip: some times a good pallet is like matching the clothes you wear." I think she meant "palette", but the sentence is still a bit odd.

Re: arrangement of furnishings (style aside), I would agree that some of the items in the room are too small in scale and a bit disparate (e.g. bookcase, plant, art, art rack, mirror). Might be better to have less on display but bigger and/or taller items. Visual breathing room is a component of space planning too. (i.e. Don't feel like every open space needs to be covered in something.) Currently the room feels squat and heavy: the wall-hung things lack girth and float away and the sofas are disproportionately large and imposing. Also, the angle of the rug is fighting with the sofa on the right (weird sounding sentence). Just make the rug line up with the sofa(s). Keep it simple.

Is there only one light source for this entire room? Would help to define the areas more and provide a heightened sense of atmosphere if you had a light source in each area (back and seating). In the front, maybe a pair of lamps instead of the single centered table lamp or a side table by the door with a lamp? In the back, bring the chair and bench closer together to make more of a conversation area.

*moody* might be a more apt adjective to aspire to than *dreary*.

not even my grand mother's hose looks like that

I am so confused

This looks like a craigslist add apartment

i think that the angles in the living room is what is throwing me all off. i looked at this earlier today and came back 8 hours later to look again.

the larger couch doesn't look like it is up against that wall and is even off at an angle. with the sofa then at a different angle in the room. and the rug matching with that, but then being totally off from the couch, it's almost an optical illusion. The perspective of the room is wonky too, like it seems like it's getting smaller near the back.

It looks like if you have some room to work with there but looks like the furniture was arranged just for the photos to fit it all in.

For the kitchen, i would ditch the valance. I don't know what it is trying to do. Or at least get the curtain rod to match something. Something in brushed steel would go well with the sink, no brass... With your cupboards and countertops it looks like it has potential, but we're not seeing enough of it. But then there looks to be dirty dishes in the sink (is that an airbake pan?) and a stray cork coaster, and then we're seeing too much...

i think AT posts at least one of these wtf-type entries during every contest, perhaps to spice things up. and ordinarily i feel sorry when i read all the negative comments, but in this case, i think the criticism is warranted. not because marie's taste is different than that of the typical AT reader, but because it's really clear from the few haphazard words and photos she posted that she really didn't try. and if i were someone who takes the contest seriously (and i actually am!), i would actually find something like this a tiny bit annoying. not enough to ruin my day, mind you, but just enough to put in my two cents.

sorry if i offended anyone.