TheDesignFile

HGTV Green Home is bright and open

I’m always fascinated to see the HGTV Green Home and get a glimpse of the newest trends and technology.

This year’s home may not be my favorite – but there’s still lots to love.

The house is located just outside Atlanta in Serenbe, a community in Chattahoochee Hills, Georgia.

HGTV will offer viewers an insider’s peek at the residence in the HGTV Green Home 2012 special on Friday, April 13, at 9 p.m. But you get to see some of the photos here today!

I really like the kitchen and dining area – particularly the rustic table and benches but also the pretty cabinetry. Plus, the rustic floors are fantastic.

The house was designed by Kemp Hall Studio and constructed by FrontPorch Builders. It’s a sort of modern, farmhouse style with a design inspired by Southeastern culture and regional architecture, HGTV says.

I love the pinkish-red accents in what’s called the Georgia room.

The home features an open floor plan with three bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms.

It’s meant to showcase “21^st-century responsible living” with design and construction elements that include solar panels and concrete countertops as well as recycled and recyclable rugs.

"We want our viewers to discover how they can live harmoniously with nature but still have a connection to contemporary architecture and the latest in eco-friendly products and practices,” said Kathleen Finch, general manager, HGTV.

Above is the the pretty living room. I love the color scheme.

Here's a contest worth entering! Win an entire room from Crate & Barrel.

I had to pass along this contest. Crate & Barrel is giving away a room from its spring catalog.

Yep. The winner gets everything in one of the catalog rooms.

This is a sweepstakes I couldn’t wait to enter.

I’m not even sure which room I’d choose. Maybe I’d get some new dining room furniture. Maybe we’d outfit our downstairs den/family room.

The grand prize is worth as much as $15,000 and 10 runner-ups will receive $500 gift certificates to Crate & Barrel.

Win a room makeover from O.Co

Do you want a room makeover? Are you willing to make a YouTube video to try to get it?

If so, you might want to check out a new contest at O.Co (you know that place that used to be known as Overstock but has been working to switch its identity).

The online store is partnering with celebrity designer Angelo Surmelis for a contest that starts today and runs through the end of the month.

To enter, you need to submit a short YouTube video of the room you want to make over, including a 360-degree view of the room and a brief explanation on why you are the most deserving candidate for the makeover. To submit your video visit www.o.co/angelo.

"We wanted to give our customers the chance to win a room makeover to help us celebrate our 12th anniversary," said O.co CEO Patrick Byrne. "Without them we could not have achieved this milestone."

O.co will also be offering a chance to win a $2,500 Birthday Party through its Facebook page. Fans can upload their "best birthday photo" via the "Birthday" tab on O.co's Facebook page. O.co will select the "Top 10" birthday photos, and fans will be able to vote for the final winner.

Museum contest returns with new CB2 room

Nearly a year ago, I posted about the CB2-designed cube in the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago that served as a temporary home for a contest winner who spent 24 hours a day for a month in the museum, exploring its hundreds of exhibits and then writing about her experience online.

Now, MSI is preparing for its second Month at the Museum and CB2 has redecorated the space in preparation for a new contest winner. I thought you’d want to take a look.

“The colorful space, surrounded by transparent walls and outfitted for the ultimate chic, science geek, allows guests to check in with the winner throughout the day,” the museum says of the room.

The photo above doesn't show off the room as well as I'd like. But you can see it bears the signature CB2 look with its modern lines and sleek furnishings. In fact, it looks fairly similar to last year’s room, which is shown below. (We obviously had a much better shot last year!)

What’s funny is that space feels similar – even though the colors are new and so are all the furniture pieces.

The carpet remains the same and so does the layout, which probably adds more than anything to the similar feel.

So which room do you like?

Now, I have to add that I actually thought the winner essentially stayed in this room. Obviously, she showered someplace and wandered around the museum. But as I look back at some of last year’s info, I see now that the winner actually gets a small suite in what looks like the museum’s lower level. Here’s a photo of last year’s suite:

You can see more pictures of last year’s CB2 room and the products in it here. And below you’ll find some of the products from this year’s room:

Clockwise, starting upper right: Bubble white office chair, $199; Go-cart carbon five-shelf bookcase, $199; Triumph ivory lounge chair, $229; Go-cart chartreuse desk, $149; and Type clock, $199.

Do you want to be the person who spends a Month at the Museum?

Win $2,500 toward your DIY project

We all love opportunities to have someone else pay to improve our homes!

Now you have a chance to win $2,500 toward one of your own home improvement projects. To win, you just have to impress the True Value folks with your DIY story.

“Have an outrageous, shocking or just plain overdue home improvement project on hand? Need a little extra cash or help getting it done? Say no more,” True Value says.

The company is rolling out the Facebook "DIY True Stories" Contest. Winners will receive $2,500 to compete their projects, receive expert advice to help them get the job done right and the opportunity to star in their very own DIY web series on Facebook.

"As the winner of the 2010 True Value contest, I was extremely excited when I was given the opportunity to redo a bathroom in my home that was in dire need of a makeover," said Marian Parsons, blogger of Miss Mustard Seed  and champion of the 2010 True Value "Design SOS: Friends to the Rescue!" Contest.

(Yep, this is the same Miss Mustard Seed that you’ve seen featured here many times!)

Giveaway winner gets two modern pillows

Congratulations to Charline who won The Design File's pillow giveaway.

She wins two piillows created by Jan, who sells beautiful, modern pillows on eBay under the ID pieceandjoy.

I used two fo these great, modern pillows as part of an exhibit I was creating with a friend at the Stutz Art Space.

Jan donated the pillows to the project and I agreed to give them away to a luck reader. The giveaway closed Monday and I chose the winner this morning using Random.org.

Here's how the pillows looked in our room vignette. Charline plans to use them on her bed. Congrats!

Giveaway: Two beautiful, modern pillows

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. Thank you!

Putting together The Couch Show exhibit earlier this month would not have been possible without some great loans and donations from some wonderful people.

Among them is Jan, who sells beautiful, modern pillows on eBay under the ID pieceandjoy.

I emailed Jan when I saw this gorgeous blue pillow with a mid-century design.

I knew it would be perfect for our room so I asked if she’d be willing to donate two of the pillows for the exhibit, which I’d then give away to a lucky reader.

I was so thrilled she said yes!

The pillows were a perfect match for our stylish gold-colored sofa (see below) and I hope they’ll now be a perfect match for one of your rooms!

I can assure you that these are very high-quality pillows. This a high-end upholstery fabric with a great insert. They are sewn beautifully and have the same patter front and back.

They retail for $39.99 each but you can win the pair here!

It’s easy to enter. You can get up to three entries – and you MUST leave a comment below for EACH entry:

• First, you MUST comment on this post. Nothing else you do counts if you don't comment on this post. Tell me where in your home you’d use these pretty pillows.
• You get another entry if you post the following on Twitter (and tell me you did so in another comment): I signed up to win 2 gorgeous pillows at www.TheDesignFile.net You can enter too.
• Finally, you get another entry if you receive The Design File's daily email. If you already do, leave me a comment saying so. If not, sign up! Look for the box in the upper right corner of the blog, enter your email and make sure and respond when you receive a confirmation email. Then, leave me a comment saying you signed up.

Sign up through noon EDT on Monday, June 27.

We’re taking down The Couch Show this weekend and so I’ll ship the pillows out as soon as we have a winner.

In the meantime, if these pillows don’t fit your decor, make sure you check out Jan’s other great options.

Here are just a few of the dozens of wonderful pillows you can find at her pieceandjoy eBay shop:

Dwell & Method offer fun, creative challenge

I’m energized by creative challenges and Dwell is offering a fun one that partners with Method, which makes Earth-friendly cleaning products. The contest involves finding new uses for Method bottles.

”Sustainability has always been an important part of Dwell and we're eager to find out the many ways an object can be rethought,” the Dwell folks say about their competition.

“The bottles can be transformed into something practical or artful, everyday or extravagant, interesting or inspiring,” they say. “The only constant? The design must contain a Method bottle — any Method bottle — the rest is up to the designer.”

There are already a number of interesting entries, including the hummingbird feeder at right, which was submitted by Stephanie Milanowski.

The deadline for the competition is June 30 and the grand prize winner will receive a year's worth of Method products.

“We think real creativity is about taking a second look and breathing new life into the old,” Dwell says. “We're looking for imaginative ideas that give Method product bottles and packages a sexy new lease on life.”

Are you inspired to make your own Method creation?

Head on over to the Dwell website for all the rules and information about how to enter.

Glidden to give away 200,000 free quarts of paint

You know how much I love freebies – especially when they come in the form of paint!

Valspar just finished a fantastic paint sample giveaway and now Glidden is going to be giving away QUARTS of paint – perfect for your next small project.

The Glidden 97% Paint Quart Giveaway will be this Monday and Tuesday (May 16 & 17).

The company says the giveaway is named for the 97 percent of Glidden paint users who said in a survey that they'd recommend Glidden to a friend. Interesting. So the goal is to “help consumers explore their color personalities and kick off paint season with household projects,” the company says.

The company recommends using paint to:

• Giving a bedroom a fresh new look
• Transforming a nook into a welcoming living space
• Creating a bold space with an accent wall
• Refreshing old furniture and accessories

So here’s how it works: The first 200,000 people who register online at www.glidden.com – starting Monday – can choose a free quart of interior paint in eggshell finish. You get to pick any of the 306 colors available in the Glidden color palette.

"Glidden paint helps people live a more colorful life with high quality paints and many innovative tools to make color selection and application quick, easy and affordable," said Rob Horton, vice president of marketing for Akzo Nobel Paints, Glidden's parent company.

The Design File wins 2011 HOME Award

I’m so humbled to tell you that The Design File is the recipient of the first-ever American Home Furnishing Alliance HOME Award in the social media category.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t be at the High Point Furniture Market in North Carolina to receive the award in person. I was dying to go but the realities of my job (the one that pays a salary!) just prevented it.

Still, I was so excited this morning to receive an email from Patricia Bowling, vice president of communications for the group, about the award.

The Design File received an honorable mention in the social media category. There was no first place given in that category.

Pat said the judges described the blog photos as “inspirational.” The judges said the blog “hit just the right balance between education and inspiration,” which I truly appreciate. I really want readers to get ideas and tips from stopping by here.

Another judge cited a post on sofa-buying tips (which included the photo at right) as practical help for readers.

Thanks so much to the judges and the American Home Furnishing Alliance for sponsoring this contest, which was created to “Honor Outstanding Media Efforts” in reporting on new home furnishings products and trends. AND a big thanks for adding a social media category.

Here were the other winners in this year’s contest: