Head to the Lone Star state where Cathy and Richard Riccardi's Texas-sized living room has remained vacant and untouched to the point that they cover up the white carpeting with a blue tarp. All that's about to change as the couple is ready to challenge three designers for a transformation that would make their living room, well, livable.
Since John Cox and Lori McCarney moved to Hawaii five years ago with their three sons, they have worked hard to make sure their home reflects their own spirit, as well as that of the islands. Their family room is especially troublesome. Since the space was originally an exterior lanai, the room's walls are exterior walls with windows hidden by art. The Coxes would like to make the room a more functional and attractive inside/outside family room. They also want a wall that opens up to the outdoors.
Ranchers Iris and Barry Yost have worked hard to make their custom-built Vegas ranch a Western haven for them, but are at a loss as to what to do with their basement rec room. They'd like a designer to create an old-fashioned saloon where they can entertain friends and neighbors, house various knick-knacks and put up the occasional overnight guest, all for a budget of $35,000.
When Marcelo and Lori Tubert moved to a home with a pool two years ago, they did so in hopes of the pool becoming a gathering a place for their kids and their friends. It has turned out to be just that, but with the pool located right off the master bedroom/bathroom, they've decided they need separate pool and bath access for the teenagers in addition to a facelift for the overall indoor space. For $75,000, they want a unique, high-quality bedroom suite that is a private retreat just for the two of them.
Dawn and Todd Hansen and their two young daughters moved into their ranch-style home in Biloxi, Mississippi, four years ago. Dawn has redecorated most of the house herself and the family is happy with the results. The kitchen, however, remains as they found it; outdated, less than functional and awkwardly apportioned. The Hansens would like to open the space up to the dining room and create a modern, efficient, family-style kitchen that reflects their casual lifestyle and captures the southern ambiance of the rest of the home, all with a budget of $50,000 for labor and materials.
Philadelphia is the home of the Liberty Bell and the cheese steak sandwich. It's also the home of a couple whose bedroom has gone to the dogs. Larry and Sondra Cramer are ready to say goodbye to their boring master bedroom as it's time to turn it into the relaxing retreat that shows their style. That's the challenge they put to three design experts.
For five years, Carrie and Tom Rooney have lived in a five-bedroom colonial home and they love the quiet neighborhood, good schools and family-oriented New Jersey community that's perfect for them and their four children. The couple remodeled the kitchen and family room, but now it's time to bring the dining room up to par with the rest of the first floor. Since it's the focal point from the foyer plus they have a large family and entertain often, they are hoping a design professional can help them create the ultimate, casually elegant space they desire.
Five years ago, first-time buyers Peter and Lisa Tucci moved into a wonderful English Tudor home in the suburbs of New Jersey. Prior to moving in, however, the home sat vacant for 15 years so it required a lot of work in order to make it livable for this young couple who intended to raise a family here. Due to its age, the home features many unique details such as beautiful archways, elegant woodwork and stained glass windows; all of which the Tuccis have tried to restore and enhance over the years. Now with two young children, they're finally ready to remodel the kitchen so that it better suits the needs of their growing family. For a job this large, the couple contacted Designers' Challenge in the hopes that a professional can update the space so it's more functional and maintains the integrity of the rest of the house.
Joy and Cole Portis and their three children live in a 15-year-old brick colonial home in Montgomery, Ala. Joy has decorated most of the house with sophisticated colors and styles. When it comes to designing a playroom for the children, she's drawing a blank. Joy and Cole would like to transform their upstairs den and enclosed porch into a functional, stylish children's den and play area that can also double as a guestroom. Their budget for the project is $25,000.
Julie and Chris Gilbert, a professional kite-boarding couple, have settled down, sort of, in a 100-year-old Oregon home. They want to redecorate and update the two main rooms without losing the bungalow's wonderful Craftsman style.
Just over a year ago, Robin and Kevin McGrath along with their two children moved into a home in Sandy Springs, GA, a suburb of Atlanta. With 4,000 square feet, the four-bedroom traditional European house is much larger than their previous home, and the couple has been busy furnishing the rooms to suit their needs and taste. However, when it comes to the great room and adjacent dining area, the McGraths are unsure of what to do. With a budget of $40,000, the McGraths want the designers to come up with a room that is functional and child friendly, but at the same time, elegant and sophisticated.
Sail over to sunny Virginia Beach where Tom and Dorothy Hitt are ready to have their den redone. The space has been anchored in the past, but now the Hitts are ready to move full speed ahead when it comes to renovating the space. Our experts hope to give them a brighter future with a better den design where they can unwind in style.
Manhattanites Chris and Deborah Gagnon took a grand leap across the river to the suburb of Weehawken, NJ, after they found their dream house where they can raise their family. This century-old three-story home came with the hidden treasure of an unused attic that seemed perfect to transform into a family room on a budget of $30,000.
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