A couple weeks ago, my apartment was featured in a home decor blog that I showed you a link to. A bunch of you expressed an interest in showing off some of your own design chops and in seeing what other DW readers’ homes look like, so I thought it would be fun to start a new feature: DW Reader Home Tours. If you’re interested in sharing a tour of your own place, please send me 3-5 photos of your place, including: your favorite room/spot in your place; where you spend the most time DWing; and a shot or two that represents your style the best. Let me know the location of your home, the type of property it is, and how many people (and pets) reside there.
The photos don’t have to be professional quality — even an iPhone shot is fine — but they do need to be in-focus, with good lighting, and showcase tidy spaces (no unmade beds, etc). Bonus if you want to throw in a cute animal or baby in a couple of the photos!
* To submit your home for DW Reader Home Tours, please send 3-5 photos with corresponding descriptions to wendy@dearwendy.com and write “Reader Home Tours” in the subject line. Please include answers to the following:
Your Name: (DW nickname and real name if you want to include it)
Where is the location of your home?
What type of property it is?
How long have you lived there?
How many people (and pets) reside there?
If you could change one thing about it what would that be?
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Amy March 6, 2012, 1:04 pm
Oooh how fun – what a great idea!
JK March 6, 2012, 1:12 pm
Great idea. Unfortunately I have 0 design ideas, so count me out. 🙂
Having just cleaned up the huge mess my 10 month old did with several packets of spices and herbs all over the kitchen floor Wendy, I have to ask if you´ve started planning your baby proofing yet?
honeybeenicki March 6, 2012, 1:17 pm
Ooo once we move into our new place and I actually get to decorate, this might be fun 🙂 My bedroom is going to be Van Gogh themed.
lets_be_honest March 6, 2012, 1:21 pm
Totally excited for this! I’ll be sending photos soon.
Isn’t a home tour showing where you DW an oxymoron though? Does anyone not DW from their office exclusively?!
bethany March 6, 2012, 1:35 pm
My thoughts exactly!!
honeybeenicki March 6, 2012, 1:54 pm
Monday – Thursday I DW at the office, but Friday-Sunday I DW at home
Addie Pray March 6, 2012, 1:58 pm
I DW everywhere – at work, in bed, on the bus, from the toilet… I don’t DW and drive though, mostly because I don’t have a car, not out of safety concerns.
lets_be_honest March 6, 2012, 2:21 pm
I can’t even begin to express how excited I am for this. I think there’s something wrong with me. I want to drive all the way home and take a long lunch just to take pictures. Would it be weird to include my closet? I finally have a walkin! And…and shoe closet! Is it weird I’m on the fence of thinking that my closet is my favorite space? There is a chair in my living room that I like too at least.
Addie Pray March 6, 2012, 2:24 pm
Ha! I included my closet….
lets_be_honest March 6, 2012, 2:28 pm
Awesome.
Also, am I the only one who noticed Wendy is obviously trying to find out the breed of my super original cat by asking to include it in a picture. Not happening Wendy! Nice try though.
Addie Pray March 6, 2012, 2:30 pm
I also included a picture of my 2 year old nephew cleaning my toilets. Proof I’d make a great mom, no?
But like I said, I sent her 10-12 so it’s possible she’ll cut out the good ones…
Brad March 6, 2012, 3:09 pm
“And…and shoe closet!” The image of my wallet shrinking into nothing flashed through my head after I read that, and it made me scared. But a quick pat to my butt confirmed it’s still in there.
lets_be_honest March 6, 2012, 3:14 pm
If I told you 90% were from Payless would that ease the fear?
Brad March 6, 2012, 3:41 pm
No.
GatorGirl March 6, 2012, 1:25 pm
I love this!! We’re still in the process of setting up everything since we just combined two apartments into one in January, but I think I’m up for the challenge!
bethany March 6, 2012, 1:36 pm
Can my home tour be a tour of the outside of my home (aka my garden)?
I’ll take a chance and send in some pics in a few months 🙂
Firegirl32 March 6, 2012, 2:17 pm
Me too! My favorite spaces are outside…in the summer… 🙂
Brad March 6, 2012, 1:45 pm
If I show you pictures of my apartment I’d probably have to stop commentating, haha! Let’s just say decorating started off low on my priorties list after moving in and I still haven’t reached it yet…
kerrycontrary March 6, 2012, 1:46 pm
Now I feel like I must actually finish decorating…(I moved in last June)
Addie Pray March 6, 2012, 1:52 pm
Done! But by “3-5” I hope you meant “10-12” because that’s what you got. Haha. I can downsize that….
lets_be_honest March 6, 2012, 2:06 pm
Right! I was thinking how will I narrow down to only 5. I’ve already cut the bedroom out entirely.
Addie Pray March 6, 2012, 2:06 pm
I emailed that too, because I want to show the DW community where the place where I never ever have sex. Sigh.
Brad March 6, 2012, 3:03 pm
There are other cities that you could move to 😉
lets_be_honest March 6, 2012, 3:15 pm
I smell a DW Reader Sex Tapes column…
Brad March 6, 2012, 3:29 pm
Heh, nice try. I consider myself to be pretty open minded when it comes to sex and there aren’t too many things I’d say are off the table, but filming it I think would be for me. Maaaaybe if my face wasn’t visable but otherwise yeah I don’t think so. Would be way to paranoid about that getting out and having negative consequences of some sort. Not to mention that I’m not the kiss and tell type either.
Addie Pray March 6, 2012, 3:30 pm
oh no, I can’t handle another DW lover. i’ve over-extended myself with Budj and now Will.I.Am. who is supposedly courting me. i don’t want any viruses.
Budj March 6, 2012, 3:31 pm
Brad and I could tag out WWE style if you would like to experiment.
Brad March 6, 2012, 3:36 pm
LOL! Yeah I don’t think so bud. I don’t share haha.
lets_be_honest March 6, 2012, 3:46 pm
I’m glad you’re not courting me, because I would MOA after you referring to it as WWE and not WWF.
Altho I do laugh at the imagine of you actually tag-teaming in the true sense of the term. That’d be pretty funny.
Budj March 6, 2012, 4:56 pm
I swear I didn’t mean that in a threesome way…I was saying “tag out” as in he could DW court her because then she would know if she really liked me and not just my gravatar.
Also – to address your WWF accusation. I was very upset with the panda bear that sued the WWF for it’s acronym…but since wrestling is now technically WWE…well… I had to move on some time.
Budj March 6, 2012, 2:02 pm
During the week my dwelling’s decor are dirty clothes that slowly pile up on my floor…I should probably find SOMETHING to hang up on the walls…I need a surrogate girl friend.
Addie Pray March 6, 2012, 2:19 pm
… Hello Mr. Transparent! You have to stop flirting with me so openly on DW, it’s embarrassing.
Budj March 6, 2012, 2:37 pm
You are right…I shame myself…my apologies.
honeybeenicki March 6, 2012, 3:06 pm
I think a DW wedding is in the works. Yay! I just got a new black dress (and by “just” I mean last year in the spring) and I need somewhere to wear it.
AKchic_ March 6, 2012, 5:54 pm
You can always head up here in September. *laugh* Nothing like an Alaskan late September. Always a chance of snow (if it’s not already on the ground).
Brad March 6, 2012, 3:06 pm
You aren’t the only one… And it doesn’t help that I don’t mind bare walls. I just know it freaks others out. If you ask me a blank wall looks clean lol but I’m yet to convince anyone of that.
honeybeenicki March 6, 2012, 3:09 pm
My mom likes naked walls too. I bought her tons of stuff to put up (so she has options, ya know) but she is very resistant. I was happy that she put up a pretty multi-frame picture thing that had pictures of her grandkids and granddogs. I don’t understand it. In our old apartment, we had the “wall of love” which was about 65 framed 5×8 and 3×5 pictures of friends, family and pets.
ChemE March 6, 2012, 3:14 pm
I like hanging collages of our vacation trips on my stairway wall area. My grandma always used the wall by the stairs to hang photos of family, and I always liked it.
And we also do puzzles together which get framed and hung on the walls. So all throughout the house, there are puzzles on the walls.
Brad March 6, 2012, 3:22 pm
I’ve considered doing the wall of love thing with pictures of the places I’ve traveled to but … meh … haven’t been motivated enough to spend money to do it. I don’t really take pictures when I travel or hang out with friends (just isn’t my thing). When I’m in my apartment and have free time I’m not looking at my walls, I’m looking at my computer or TV so … yeah.
I think it comes from the fact that I’m very much a minimalist/functionalist type person. Heh, I can remember getting into a discussion about souvenirs with this girl on my study abroad program. She was shocked upon learning that I didn’t buy anything to take home. I tried to convince her that I thought souvenir stuff looks too cheap/crappy to me and anything I’d want bad enough to buy over there I could get cheaper in the US but I think I would have been just as successful trying to convince her to go to a plastic surgeon for a 3rd boob…
Budj March 6, 2012, 3:27 pm
haha – yea I honestly do not mind the bare walls… and since I’m the only person that is ever in my bedroom I’m not too worried about people wondering if I’m a sociopath.
Budj March 6, 2012, 3:28 pm
NOT to mention it’s less shit to pack up when I move.
Brad March 6, 2012, 3:39 pm
EXACTLY!
Brad March 6, 2012, 3:44 pm
Well it hasn’t been a problem but seeing as how I’d like to have a GF and I’d hate to give any potentials any silly reasons to DQ me before they get to know how awesome I am.
evanscr05 March 7, 2012, 1:55 pm
Ha. When I met my husband, he had exactly one thing for his wall in his entire 1500 sq. ft. apartment, and it was on the floor behind the coffee table.
ChemE March 6, 2012, 2:31 pm
I’m not a good at the home decor thing, so I’ll have to sit this one out. Unless y’all want to help me design something 😉
lets_be_honest March 6, 2012, 2:39 pm
Maybe you will get inspired. When I moved I started checking out home decor blogs and all of a sudden turned into a wanna-be interior designer.
rachel March 6, 2012, 3:37 pm
My place is kind of boring, and I don’t think I’ve EVER made my bed in my own apartment…but I’m excited to see where you all live, and maybe I’ll get inspired!
katie March 6, 2012, 3:51 pm
ahhh.. if only i had any style in my life.
can i take pictures of a friends house and send it in and just claim it as my own?
AKchic_ March 6, 2012, 4:45 pm
My house is out. It’s never “clean”. *laugh*
LANY March 6, 2012, 5:54 pm
Best. Idea. Ever. Photos to come 🙂
Kate B. March 6, 2012, 6:00 pm
Count me out. I haven’t made my bed since grade school.
Brad March 7, 2012, 7:46 am
My bed is only made when I change the sheets, which is about once a week.
Kate B March 7, 2012, 10:15 am
Yep, that’s when it looks its best.
Addie Pray March 7, 2012, 10:26 am
Hey, Kate B, are you single and do you live in the “NOVA” area? I want to introduce you to my briend Brad…. He’s super cute.
Kate B. March 7, 2012, 4:19 pm
Hey Addie Pray! I am single but I live in the San Francisco Bay Area. (Where is NOVA? I have a feeling it’s on the East Coast.) If your friend Brad is DW Brad, I agee, he’s super cute. (And he can quote Star Wars to me. A huge plus.)
Addie Pray March 7, 2012, 4:23 pm
D’oh! DW Brad is in the DC area. Why do you have to be so far away?
Kate B. March 7, 2012, 5:21 pm
I do have family in DC but I don’t get back there very often. However, I am always open to a new penpal. 🙂
Addie Pray March 7, 2012, 6:15 pm
Ok, let’s do this. Because our comments here are completely confidential, I would propose that you and Brad swap emails here. … *or* you both send me your email addresses and I’ll put you two in touch. ninsjunk@hotmail.com.
Match maker match maker make me a match!
Kate B March 7, 2012, 9:34 pm
Check your email.
Anna March 7, 2012, 5:21 am
Awesome idea, but I’m afraid my place is out. There’s basically nothing on the walls, the floors are some horrible scratchy industrial carpet I would have never picked in a million years, and the office has to double as a storage room because the place only has two very tiny closets. Oh, and I’m not allowed to ever go through my boyfriend’s piles of clutter on both living room tables because I might throw away something he wants. But will he go through them? Noooooo…
If only I had my dream house, I definitely would…it will have dark cherry hardwood floors, all stainless steel appliances, black granite countertops, and a matching set of reclining chairs and reclining couch in black leather. My favorite room will be the kitchen. 🙂