Love love the bed cover! I'm such a fan of light blue and red together...

At first I was kind of like, oh noes wood paneling in the dining room. But then I kind of like the retroness it gives. Are you wanting to eventually update that? If it's kind of a temporary thing, kudos. A lot of people would be intimidated by that much wood paneling.

The only criticism I can give is that the living room doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the house. It seems a little too... boring, or typical middle class American living room. Love the rest of it though.

yay for the Poang chair! At first I was going to say it was placed awkwardly, but then I read that you move it around the room to serve different functions... good idea and the Poang is great for that since it's so light.

This reminds me heavily of Young House Love, though with less of a clear vision.

Where is the little orange dog/sculpture/thing from in the bedroom, it is awesome! I really also like that you rocked the wood paneling, I lived in a wood paneled room and eventually learned to love it.

Nice job working with the wood paneling! Now THAT is inspiration.

I love the bed. But the couch in picture two and the wood panelings does do it for me.

Wow! Loving the wood paneling in the dining room...never thought I would EVER say that, but seriously, it totally works! Very nice!

the couches ruin it for me. otherwise, its cozy enough, but not a lot of personality.

Those sofas say "Double-Wide Trailer Park" in the worst way.

I like some of this, but I'm with those who are really having a hard time with the couches....truth be told, I'm not loving those dining room chairs either. Hoping they are just serving the purpose until they are able to afford something better.

What type of ceiling fan is that in the blue bedroom? We are looking for something similiar.

There are neat ideas in your place, but another vote of "meh" for the couches - as others have said, they just don't quite fit, though they do look comfortable.

And, sorry, but a 5'x8' bathroom is not "tiny". That's a bedroom size over here in Europe. (My current bathroom is 4'x4'. My previous bathroom was 2.5'x3'.)

I probably would have tried to paint the wood paneling white. There is just something in every room that isn't quite fitting. The bedroom is almost perfect except for that one flowery pillow in front...yikes

What is the green circular item on the floor in the fifth photo? Cat toy? I can't figure it out.

Well, goodness gracious...looks like not a lot of people like the sofas! I, for one, with first hand "experience," love those sofas!! In my opinion, they are the most comfortable things ever....especially the "Cuddler"/Love Seat! They fit well with the owner's personalities and are very affordable unlike some of the ugly (and in some cases, pretty), more "modern" couches that are sold for thousands of dollars elsewhere that feel like sitting on BRICKS. Nothing says "Double Wide Trailer Couches" about them! Go take a look in a furniture store here recently...they're all over the place. I guess everyone else's living rooms look like double wide trailers then...

Glad you guys added carpet to the bedrooms....definitely adds a "homey" feel to it :) My favorite room in this house would probably be the bedroom. The wall color makes it feel so welcoming and warm. It's a close second with the bathroom, of course! :)

Thank you all for taking the time to comment. To answer some of the questions (or criticism!):
The wood paneling is temporary. It was last updated in the 70's, and I'm kind of scared to see what lies beneath. We're in the middle of a kitchen reno/gut job, so I'll be tackling the paneling next! We chose not to paint the paneling because we don't like that look. I tried to work with it by incorporating lots of white and bright green accents to freshen it up some. Trust me, it's not easy making faux wood paneling look good! I'm shocked so many people actually like it! I thought it was cool the first month I lived there, but now I feel like I'm trapped in a faux forest I can't escape at dinner time :(

Due to overwhelming response about the sofas, I know they aren't the most beautiful things in the world. But after butt-testing 100's of sofas, we decided to get the ugly reclining ones with high backs and puffy arms. So function wins over form in this case, and we can squeeze tons of guests on those two pieces. I actually love sitting on the puffy arms, which is why it was a requirement! I was dying for a low profile sleek looking number, but it was either too pricey, or too uncomfortable.

@marlamischief1, The orange thing in the bedroom is an Eero Aarnio pup from CB2. I got it a couple years ago. @JulieLeanne, The green circle in the Xbox Command Center is indeed a cat toy. I was going to move it, but since they use it as furniture, I figured it should stay in the picture :)

@fraise, you're right about the bathroom not being "tiny" compared to most people on here. But in the land of Richmond's McMansions, it's pretty small! I personally think it's the perfect size.

@RocketJen, it's your typical Hunter ceiling fan from HD. We don't have central air in our house, so the fans, as much as I wanted a pretty chandelier, had to be installed.

@BLSjess now that you mention the front pillow, it's going. I never really cared what was on the bed before, but now I can just imagine how nice the bedroom would look without it!

Thanks again for the feedback. Please keep the ideas coming :)

@iheartmini: I love your view on the couches. Yes, there are sexy, sleek, ultra-modern/Danishwhatever couches, but a couch is first and foremost for comfort, and if what suits you and is comfortable is a little less "look at my painfully avant garde sofa" and more "squishy and comfy and not so self-conscious," so be it. It's that "good, cheap, fast: pick any two" thing, but with "comfortable, super-fashionable, reasonably affordable." It's all well and good to tell a stranger what kind of furniture to have when you don't have to live with it...and those couches are pretty darned inoffensive, especially compared with some of the really hideous couch crimes that have been committed.

--Owner of giant, somewhat cute, super-comfy, expensive as ALL GET OUT couches (that will never, ever fit in my next house)

I strongly believe that couches can be affordable, super-comfy, and look great.

These couches, as it seems we all agree, ain't pretty.

But it IS possible!
My couch for example:
http://eq3.com/cat-eq3/process/locale/en_US/currency/en_US/page/30024-01.html
Under a thousand, and you can choose your own fabric and leg style!

SIDE NOTE: I suggest changing out the plastic plumbing fittings under your sink with the chrome ones. Looks better when it's exposed like that.

(Love that bathroom and the way you worked with the paneling).

i just can't give this a thumbs up..those overstuffed sofas are HORRIBLE!

Having your friends write angry comments for you kills it for me. I do like the dwell studio stuff. And the most important thing is that the person who lives there enjoys the design. But, please don't take people's criticisms personally.

I didn't think the couches were all that bad! However, that is the reason we are still using the too-small loveseat that someone gave us 8 years ago... it's been impossible to find a truly comfortable couch that I like the looks of; especially since my boyfriend really wants it to be reclining. As far as buying a couch online - I've looked at way too many couches in the furniture store that were perfect until I sat down in them.

Love the bedcover... can you tell me where you got the duvet or is it a comforter? The house it tiny but not overcrowded. The MB is cool and relaxing!

I apologize if my comment came off as "angry." That was not my intent.

Also, she did not make me write a comment...I took it upon myself!

@R_Claw, I have no say in any comments posted except what come from me personally. I actually requested more feedback. I easily glaze over what's in my own home, but it's much easier to help someone else design their space!

@sagekitten85, the reclining feature was also high on our list. Obviously, lazyboy and Haynes provide far more of those than Crate & Barrel! But then you come home with typical overstuffed americana. I at least tried to pretty them up some with my handmade pillows :)

@islandgirl33, the comforter is from Target's Dwell Studio line. I just looked it up online, and it's $20 cheaper than what we paid for it 2 years ago! Highly recommend, it's a great quality item.

The couches may be comfy, but they're ugly. Entering an interior design competition with them is like entering a fashion contest wearing comfy sweat pants and sensible shoes: you need exceptional talent to carry it off.

This place looks great overall, but I can't help but have the impression that this is due to the beautiful dressing and photography, rather than due to the inherent style of the design. Strip the dinnerware from the dining room and it's suddenly pug-ugly. Take the three different vases of fresh flowers out of the living room and it's suddenly mediocre.

Samantha obviously has a good eye, especially for accessories and curtains, and once she completes her renovations it'll probably be an exemplary home.

I want to sleep on those couches. I don't think they're as repulsive as some of the comments suggest. They look soo comfortable and squishy (technical term, people) Not a fan of the bedroom though.

@jac7890: true. It IS possible. But it's difficult. Samantha probably could have kept searching, but didn't for whatever personal reason. I suppose you can knock for that, but...eh. It bothers me a lot less than something that's easier and less costly to get just right. I'd hate to see SC become the province of just well-off people in the design field, yanno? I had a heck of a time with my couch search six years ago now, and...ugh. I still remember how hard it was.

I agree with shanalulu. SC becoming the domain of well-heeled designers takes the fun out of it. I have nothing against wealthy designers by any means, but it's nice to see people creatively work with what they have.
(excuse my spelling :=0)