You've made a good point, Rjinga. If we've spent the time giving advice or suggestions, it's fun to see what a poster has finally decided to do . . . even if it wasn't my advice they took ;^D Those "Afters" are what make this forum so great. I especially like it when a new "After" post is started.
Lynn

I recently asked for help on my DR. It's not completely finished but here's the link where it shows the before and after photos.
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/decor/msg102235334881.html?66

I posted about my LR.....painting it red this summer but we didn't get to it at that moment. I had 6 grueling weeks of physical therapy on my shoulder & then mom went to nursing home so we just got busy with life. It was painted Ivorie on the SW paint strip.....new home & continous flow of the same colors on that paint strip were used mostly. Five years later we needed a change but without breaking the bank so paint was an easy update since DH had paid SW twice & gotten a credit. I am really thrilled with the way it turned out & the way it coordinates with my restrained gold DR with buffalo check red/gold silk drapes & rug with lots of red too. For those who have not seen it........here it is.....one week old paint job! :) Bonnie
Living Room Update

LOVE IT, bonniee!!

Thank you sweetly patty0315.....sorry it took me so long to finally paint & post pics. I studied the red pics here & in the gallery before I painted.
Bonnie

I'm doing my part, but started a new thread! See my rug follow-up.

Tuesday

Squirrel was wonderful with her photoshopping on my front porch stair posts.
We ended up only being able to do half of what we wanted to do because the builder had glued everything and when he took the top off of the first side, the post(set in concrete) snapped at the top. He was able to repair it , but I was afraid to have him try to take the trim on the bottom step off.
We were able to make the top plate smaller and stagger the trim underneath it. While not perfect I can live with it

This is what we started with.

This is what we wanted to do.

I think the problem is a lot of people come here looking for a paint color or hoping there's some small thing they can do that will make a huge difference and then they get a bunch of replies that look good but turn out to involve more time, effort and money than they had anticipated so they just go back to trying to find the right paint color.

Making suggestions and posting photoshopped images is fairly easy and someone who had intended to invest in a gallon of paint and an afternoon now needs permits, a cabinetmaker, a skid steer, contractors, landscapers, etc.

A few days ago there was a woman that wanted a suggestion on paint color for her dining room and it turned into a long post full of great suggestions but some jerk kept insisting she not only paint her walls but repaint her trim, refinish her dining room table and chairs, make slipcovers, install crown molding and a window cornice along with a lot more than she bargained for. She was almost brought to tears and I felt quite sorry for her. I mean, all she wanted was a paint color.

:)

What thread was that organicnoob? I see "I just might cry" out there, but that was you suggesting all of the above. Are you being facetious?

Well this group completely redid my living room, for which I'll be forever grateful. It is my absolute favorite room in the house and cost all of $300 for a new coffee table. The rest of the furniture and knick-knacks we already had -- just stuffed elsewhere or mostly hidden away. The 'Before' wasn't bad, but the 'After'...

Before:

And After:

What a transformation, sweeby! It's gorgeous!

What is your wall color there, Sweeby? Everything is lovely.

Bonnie, as always, you do a beautiful job!

Red

Love seeing the "afters..."
great thread!

Bonniee - great job with your lovely room - I love thie pillows - the whole thing just makes me happy!

Chloe - what an inviting porch and the stairs really do look great. That Squirrel is a treasure.

Sweeby - you have one beautiful, sophisticated room there - love your style.

bonniee, LOVE LOVE LOVE that armoire cabinet, I saw that piece in another post and immediately began coveting it. very nice room. could be in a magazine!!!

And the same to sweeby, what a difference!

I'm thinking of a few other threads that may chime in soon, maybe someone can help me recal who the OP was...one was room with a BIG GINORMOUS wall, that originally had a tv mounted on it, and then an adjoining fp room, where advice was given to mount the tv over the fp and move the furniture into that space...

another was a color question, squirrel did a whole bunch of mock ups (sorry that's like ALL of squirrels assistance) but this room had a focal wall (FP wall) that was green...an adjoining kitchen and some suggestions to tie them in together?

another that had a LOT of feedback was a room where DH built a bunch of bookcases and she had a wonderful HUGE mirror that she wanted to use in the room, and it was about where to put the furniture/bookcases, black and white kid photos that were on a staircase? ring any bells?

and then there was the aqua countertop kitchen (again a squirrely :) ps job helped bring light into how to make the most of that color by adding the same color to the walls)

oh ya, then there was a post of a LR, she/he had built in bookcases that were very nice, and they wanted to know about painting them or not, and suggestions were made for art above the stone/brick? fireplace

An then there was one where they were about to close on the house, it had a big fp immediately upon entering the front door, 2 fixed windows and the post was about how to dress up or hide? the FP brick, that went all the way up to the ceiling if I recall correctly..

that's all I can come up with now, but I'm sure there were/are many others!!

SHOW US HOW THEY TURNED OUT :)

Love that room, Sweeby.

Just in case anyone's wondering -- since I posted about 10 different queries over my dining room/library -- I am STILL waiting for the settee, and I STILL have not covered the seats of my CL chairs. So it will be a while, but I'll definitely post "after" pics... hopefully before Christmas!

Thank you rjinga, Red, cattnapp for your very sweet compliments on painting the LR raspberry truffle red!
We are thrilled it turned out too since red can be so tricky at times. Beautiful rooms here ladies.....I am drooling over here!
Bonnie

Love the red Bonniee!

I love seeing updates and usually post mine! I currently have about 5 things going on right now and none of them are complete. It's not me that's holding the process up. :) They'll all probably be done around the same time and I'll be sure to post.

That red is luscious Bonniee -- And what a comfortable and elegant-feeling room.

Redbazel - The paint is Ralph Lauren's Cathedral Grey. It's very, very close to Ellen Kennon's Sage which we have in the adjoining kitchen. The trim is Pratt & Lambert's Field Grey, which we adore! It's a swampy muddy 'oil sludge' color that moves from green to brown to grey depending on the light and what it's near.

Thank you so very much sweeby & sheesharee for the compliments on the newly painted raspberry truffle LR! I can mark that off the "to do" list now.....hooray!
Bonnie

Fantastic topic, RJINGA! I hate being left in the dark, but it happens all the time on forums:you see a thread w/numerous posts giving awesome ideas, and wait for a follow-up thread, but it doesn't happen. I've always wondered why NOT?? It would be nice to know if: the poster took someone's advice/forgot the whole thing/made their own decision/will be doing it in the future, whatever.

Yes, it would be nice to get a follow-up thread. Everyone agree? ;o)

Bonniee, that red room is TDF! What paint color is it? By the way, i'm in TX now!! patty_cakes/AKA Trish formerly from Passions/GI and that first French forum(what was the name)we met on! How are you, girlfriend??

I'm achingly jealous of those two chairs in the 'after', sweeby. So you just had them sitting around in the attic?!

Such a cozy pretty room.

Thanks Pattycakes/Trish! Yes, I remember you gf! Glad you are all moved & back to a decorating board. Such fun we have had! :)
The paint color in the LR is Raspberry Truffle. What have you been up to lately?
Bonnie

At long last, I just got a call that my mini-sofa from PB is being delivered on Monday! I ordered it at the end of August. So I'll be posting my "after" pics by Tuesday. I'm so ready to get this room done!

I posted an update earlier to one question I had, and I'm still working on other questions I've had. If you have any suggestions for light fixtures over the table in the post below, I'd love to hear them!

Here is a link that might be useful: Update on Question: Change Chairs?

Squirrel was very helpful to me about a month ago with a bathroom update...I have the cabinets primed, and paint determined, but we've had 2 deaths in our family since then, an out of town family wedding, and I can't forget the solid week of 2 kids with h1n1...And now I have my 81 year old father staying with us for 2 weeks. Then comes Thanksgiving with a boat load of company here...so I'm hoping by December to have the room done and will post pics then.

So I haven't been purposefully neglectful ;) ...I just haven't had time to paint and be done! I will though...I am looking forward to it very much! And I promise to post pics when I'm done. Crossing fingers for Dec with no other chaos interfering!! I'll be back soon hopefully!