My graphic settings are on high I guess I just don't have as good a graphics card as everyone else. If my scores are going to be effected by this can you let me know because I can't see the point in continuing in the contest if I'm going to lose marks for something I can't control. I spent hours on my application so I don't want to do the same with round 1 for it be worthless.

Thanks,

Vintage

For this design, I maintained a city loft feel by using exposed brick, metal framed windows, and a modern color palate (this loft is all about contrasts--dark woods or black accents, cream or white, and one bright color per room). But by using clean lines and just the right amount of clutter, the loft is still inviting and personal.



Confession Questions

Total Spent on Loft: $80,567

1) What was it like to design within a budget?

Since this budget was enormous--especially considering my most recent client who had me working under a very tight budget--this project felt much easier than I'm used to! It was great fun, and very freeing.

2) Is your original concept 'in tact'? Or did some elements have to go due to budget contstraints?

Nothing had to be sacrificed to fit in the budget. I felt like I was throwing money away left and right, and when I was finished I still had over 400k left to spend.

3) What's your favorite element of the room?

Hmm, that's a tough one. I think I like the way the exposed brick and interesting X windows tie the rooms together, and keep that city loft feel throughout, without being sterile.

4) Who, in your opinion, is your biggest competition?

Well, I'm doing my best to not worry about the competition, and just focus on my own performance. But I get the impression I'm not allowed to side-step these confession questions! So if I absolutely had to pick someone... I guess I'd say Billi Thurston.

(Nicked from Vampire, style-wise. Thanks, Vampire!)

Mina Carter
Wow. This really does scream 'fun, funky, boho', but it has quite a few very modern lines. I like that about it. One question: what was that third room? It seemed like a bedroom, but it was cut off, so I couldn't tell. Otherwise, it's awesome!


Armana Demetri
I like your style, it IS modern and classy. I also think that your office is a little bare and lacks some personality, which you DON'T seem to lack any of.
If I were to score this application, it would have scored:


Celeste Moranni
The atrium looks a lot like an unused floor that you decided to dub the atrium to impress clients. It's very empty, perhaps on purpose. But it lacks a focal point. The column work is gorgeous, however. I think you should have darkened the wall a bit to make it really pop. Your room appears a bit cluttered, but that's the sign of a brilliant mind!


Ginger Davis
What's with the giraffe in your office? Just have to ask! It's an interesting focal point, and probably a great conversation starter! The room you designed and showed us is very open and breezy looking, almost like a seaside home. My one gripe is that you're not facing us in your own bedroom.


Gerbera Svorsky
I can hardly see your office. It looks like it'd be a great design, if only I could see it! Your bedroom seems ... plain, somehow, for someone who describes herself as eclectic. Nothing really jumps out at me.


Billi Thurston
The growth chart in the child's room quite literally clashed. Your bedroom is beautiful - where did you get the bedding? I also loved the window treatment!



Carolyn Green
Very clean, very beautiful designs. I do love how you used the doll houses as models! The dining room is very airy and beachy.



Audrey DeBarbarak
I love the room you designed for your friend! So vintagely beautiful! And original.

Beate Broberg
Your angles make it really hard to see the rooms. And your bedroom shot wasn't of your bedroom, it was of you and your cats. Please remember that this is about the rooms, not the designer!

Jaimee Liddell
Turn your graphics up all the way before you start Round One. Your stuff looks fuzzy when they're not.

Chloe Chanelle
Your style seems almost blah to me. The room for Nina was dark and less than child friendly. Your bedroom was very blah as well - accessories! The only thing that seperates us from the animals is our ability to use them!

Adz Burnett
Very boho! Very very boho! I love your office area - so informal and sweet. I think your living room is a little dark. The wall mural in your bedroom makes that space!

Janelle Scott
You've done a fantastic job with your office areas! I also love the lounge area. The plants make that room really stand out. All your rooms seem almost cluttered, though. Maybe too busy?

(I will be at a graduation all day tomorrow, I was with a friend and working today. I will check in, but only to pop in and say hello if there's any happenings!)

Vintage -
It's just that much harder to see what your designs are. Your graphics card is out of your control, short of buying a new one. So no, it shouldn't affect your scores. Just try and get better angles, kay? We, as judges and host, will not allow something out of your hands to affect your score.
~Chelle

I agree, I have a rubbish graphics card and no matter how high my settings are my photos will come out blurry! It makes it harder to judge but thats on us not you and its not impossible - you'll get benefit of the doubt points. I liked your application so it shows you put in a lot of effort and please don't be disheartened because of a silly graphics card!

I just figured you hadn't turned it all the way up, that maybe you forgot. That's why I said anything at all. Your design is really quite good, but your angles aren't. Are you using an in-game camera?

To Vintage:
I hope I didn't offend you in any way, I just wanted to make sure that your pictures werethe best that they could be. I am professional enough to judge on the designs and not how well your graphic card is. That would be kinda judging a real life beauty contest on how expensive or what designer made the clothes. I really hope that you understand and in no way was i saying you were going to fail because of your card. i am sorry again and I can't wait to see your next round!

Bites and Kisses
Vampire

-peeks in-

I see not much is happening currently. I'm going to get in the pool in a while!

1. What was it like to design within a budget? Easy? Hard? Easy sometimes and hard others?
   It was interesting, as I found myself paying much more attention to the monetary costs of individual elements. This budget was rather ample indeed, but I can see how the money would quickly get used up in the case of a smaller budget or a larger space to design making things much more of a challenge!
   
2. Is your original concept 'in tact'? Or did some elements have to go due to budget contstraints?
   I was surprised at how under budget I was in the end, so my complete concept was very intact and I did not suffer any budget constraints at all.
   
3. What's your favorite element of the room?
   My favorite element of the loft is the kitchen/dining areas; I really love how the kitchen is separate, but still very open to the dining area with its beautiful views of the cityscape.
   
4. Who, in your opinion, is your biggest competition?
   Heh, honestly I feel like everyone is major competition at this stage in the game! But if I had to choose one person in particular, I'd say Carolyn Green, as her loft design was so stunningly classy and refreshing.

Should have kept the budget at 100,000! You guys are doing great!

EDIT:
I've had two extension requests. You've caught a little reprieve: you have till SUNDAY, MAY 18th AT 12 NOON my time to get your Round One entries in. I forgot that it's graduation/prom season in the US. At 12, all judging sheets will be sent out.

JUDGES, you will have until 10 PM to complete your judging sheets. PM them to me, and we'll post results (hopefully, my schedule permitting) Monday morning.

Oh that's wonderful. I was spending my morning finishing up but the weather is beautiful so I was hoping to get outside. The extension will let me finish up tonight and enjoy the weather today. Thank you for the extension!

No problem! I needed the time to do something with these headshots, too. So yea. I'm on my way out to a baseball game in a while, so y'all keep those entries coming!

Walking into the home, there is a small entryway leading to the living area. The fire pit makes an interesting focal point in this area designed for entertaining and socializing with company.


The living room also holds the television and stereo of course, which is visible from the various seating areas around the fire pit as well.

Walking through the living area leads you into the kitchen, with a clear retro design. Red and white with plenty of polk-a-dots really creates a 1950s flashback, though modern touches have been added as well.

The dining area is clearly separated from the kitchen by its raised design, though the retro style is carried over making these two rooms blend wonderfully. The chairs were salvaged from a fading diner and given new life in this residential dining area. A booth, salvaged from the same diner as the chairs, provides ample seating near the large window, which has great ocean views. A shelf runs the length of dining room, separating it from the living area and serving as a perfect spot for buffet style dining, or just keeping fruits and vegetables on hand.

You can enter the bedroom through a door from the living room, just outside the kitchen. The bedroom has a clearly feminine appeal, and features bright colors that catch the eye and rejuvenate the body.

The bathroom is located just off the entry way of the home. This room has touches of masculinity with the brown theme. However, femininity is maintained through the use of sheer curtains and candles to soften the room a bit. This blending of masculine and feminine makes it comfortable for guests of all genders but also fitting for the woman of the house.

Confessional

Total Spent on Room: §58,565

1) What was it like to design within a budget? Easy? Hard? Easy sometimes and hard others?
Easy. The budget was so large, I didn't come close to touching it. Of course it helps that I'm a bargain shopper! Yard sales and thrift stores are your friend.

2) Is your original concept 'in tact'? Or did some elements have to go due to budget constraints?
It's pretty much in tact, though while visualizing, I saw a brighter living room and bathroom. Once I was in the house though, those plans didn't really work for me. The changes in my vision had nothing to do with budget.

3) What's your favorite element of the room?
My favorite element of the room would have to be the retro inspiration of the kitchen and dining.

4) Who, in your opinion, is your biggest competition?
Wow, everyone is tough competition, but if I had to pick one person I guess I'd say Carolyn Green. Her creations are so perfect and seem to flow so well. I love her style and would definitely hire her if I weren't my own designer!

I don't pay attention for a day and the entries roll in!! Its wonderful, I love contests like these because you were all given an identical space and not one of you has come up with anything remotely similar!! Love it!!

The camera angles appear much improved as well!

Aerial Shot




Living Area
For the living area, I went with more of a darker design, as this room is for those lazy nights where you can sit back and put your feet up and feel cosy.





Office Nook
The office is part of the living area, but it is also set into its own little nook, so it doesn't look out of place.





Kitchen
With the kitchen I went with more brighter colours of green, biege and tan.





Dining Area
As this room is in line with the kitchen, I went through and used the same colours, but with a splash of white to give this area a clean and crisp look.





Bedroom
For the bedroom, Iwent with nice, pinks, purples and dark browns. It gives this room a feminine look to it.





Bathroom
For the bathroom, I have used, whites, aquas and greens to furnish this room, with little specks of pink.





Frontal View




Confessional




What was it like to design within a budget? Easy? Hard? Easy sometimes and hard others?

It was very easy to design this loft within the budget given.

Is your original concept 'in tact'? Or did some elements have to go due to budget contstraints?

My concept was to have comfort and sophistication in the designing of this loft. Due to the huge budget, it was more than easy to pull it off.

What's your favorite element of the room?

My favourite element would have to be sunny feel to the kitchen and dining rooms. It gives the feeling of warmth which in my experience in designing is very appealing.

Who, in your opinion, is your biggest competition?

Undoubtably Adz Burnette. Her style is just amazing, and she really can turn such a simple and plain floorplan into something just beautiful and classy.

Last pic coming soon and Price.

Edit: Sorry about the mistakes in the pictures, if I have time later I will fix them.

That extension really helped me i,proving some of the rooms, thank you very much =)

Beate Broberg, Round 1

Overhead:




Frontal shot:




Starting with the livingroom as seen from the kitchen. The mask on the left wall is the inspiration for the colours used in the whole livingarea, anad also the kitchen:




Another shot of the livingroom:




Playing a little song at the piano, I love playing!





A little relaxing-nook to read in:




On to the kitchen, still using some of the colours from the mask:




And the dining area with lots of fresh air:




The Bedroom, simple, but nice:




The bathroom:








Confession




1) What was it like to design within a budget? Easy? Hard? Easy sometimes and hard others?
I think it was easy, as it was a very big amount of simoleons. So it was very easy.
2) Is your original concept 'in tact'? Or did some elements have to go due to budget contstraints?
Well, I would have liked to use some colours on the walls of the livingroom and kitchen, but with all the other colours used in the furniture, it would be to much for my taste, therefor I painted the rooms black, wich I think looks really great instead. I love dark walls =)
3) What's your favorite element of the room?
I would say the bathroom because of all the coloured tiles, as I said before, I love dark walls, but also colours, and these tiles fulfills both.
4) Who, in your opinion, is your biggest competition?
I think the quality of design is very high in this competition and it is hard to choose one, but I would say Mina Carter because of her bohemian-like style, I really like the room she designed in her application.
Total Spent on Room: 62.766

I`m sorry to interrupt...but sawcarn...please tell me where did you get that wonderful beaded curtain? Nice contest and nice entries. I feel sorry I don`t have time to enter contest anymore.

ROUND ONE IS NOW CLOSED.

Exception is Urbanique, who PMed me and asked about an extension due to a game crash. ANY OTHER INCOMPLETE ENTRIES WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY ELIMINATED.

Judging should be posted late tonight or early tomorrow. Round Two will go up soon after that.

2 days and not a word. I hate to be a pain, but how's the judging coming along?

Well, I sent my scores yesterday, so I cant say what going on with the others...

Bites and Kisses
Vampire

Im sorry guys, I'm confused by the judging requirements so Im holdinig everything up!! I do apologise, and Vampire if you can explain it to me i'd be much appreciated!! im going to have another stab at it now and send it to our host!!

Really sorry all