PICK ME!

Here is my plea to Vintage Revivals for the Epic Room Makeover Giveaway Contest 2012:

My husband and I bought our first home in March. We both had different ideas of what our dream home would be and where it would be! When his job took us to Alamogordo, New Mexico, my dreams of a quaint, colonial style home with original hard wood flooring, a white picket fence, and a huge backyard covered with lush green grass flew out the window. Instead we decided to embrace New Mexico fully and go with a traditional adobe style home. This house has tons of potential, but needs help! We started working on the kitchen, and still have miles of work ahead of us. The room that I feel could be amazing (with the right help, of course!) is our family room. This room is big! It is 16 x 20 with 11 foot ceilings! Some serious awesomeness could arise from this room.

Since I grew up in the Midwest and have a pretty traditional style, decorating this home is causing me headaches! I don't want to totally go southwest, because is it way out of my comfort zone. I also know that the furniture/decor we have now isn't going to cut it. This space also needs to be mutli-functional. As you'll see in the pics, we currently use it as a family room and also an "office," or basically where my nerdy husband plays computer games and watches hours of YouTube videos about physics and space stuff...

I love DIY projects and decorating, but the kitchen zapped away way too much money and I am at a loss for this room! The corner fireplace is such a focal point, and our sectional couch is not working! Plus the brown on brown is just ugly. Can you believe these purple shades! They are super high quality, but why MAUVE?!!! As you can see, we had some issues picking a paint color. My husband wants a den-like feel, I believe he used the word, "dramatic." Yes folks, he does have considerate input on design decisions. Although, I usually prevail! MUWHAHAHA. Clearly, none of these colors are working out...

From the entry way looking in. 

The ceiling has a chevron pattern, how fortunate this pattern is ALL the rage these days!!

The fan, not so trendy... (not forget the gold plated lighting in the background!)

The windows in this room speak for themselves, the furniture...not so much.

Looking in from kitchen (Baby Willow is willing to work for snacks)

Another entry way view (again...amazingly HUGE window) Willow REALLY wants to help! 

The "office"/ dorm room furniture! At least i secretly sold the heinous swivel office chair the other day. 

Again, dorm room TV stand, it was free...like 4 years ago. Not only fugly, but huge safety hazard with littles running around. Also, Nigel the antelope will be staying somewhere in the room!

view looking out into entry/stairwell/kitchen.what were we thinking with all this BLUE?! yikes. 

bare-bones room, before we moved in.

I can see this room being fabulous and super functional. I just need your help, Mandi! Wouldn't this room be super fun?! Plus my husband is super handy, I can paint until the cows come home, and my children, well they love snacks and Dora. I have a super cozy guest room and I make killer eggs and pancakes! When will you ever have the chance of going to Alamogordo, New Mexico ever again. Am I right?! I prefer thrift store finds over new cookie-cutter furniture at all times and we have plenty of thrift store around here...though we may be missing a Starbucks. Plus you'll get to see this view every night from our balcony...