Open House Contest - June 2007

 

We have concluded the First Annual Open House Decorating Contest and I have to say, everyone was VERY impressed! Every one of the Contestants received a vote/tied vote. Again, I think that says is all. This was not an easy contest to judge and was just a superb showing on everyone's part!

Here are the results from the House Decorating Contest:

FIRST PLACE : Addos' General Store
* His themes and use of space has been maximized just so much work in the little details very impressed.

* Nice displays. Especially the cheese and milk buckets in the cooking area got my attention.

* For how much I hate castles this one is outstanding. Love the work they did with the Lilly pads and plants, lots of new and original work. Love the fountain made of statues and cotton and also the grape vines along with the armor statues. The little workshops have excellent detail.

* I think he used the most items and make them look and work for him.
Every space had a different theme and for lack of a better work feel. I spent a lot of time in this house looking at some of the stuff he made and seeing how he made it. Some of the things he used as very creative.

* A LOT of effort in original decorating there. A few nice light effects and an enormous amount of work.

* He gave good use to unusual items to make great kitchen type cabinets and other shelving made out of clock parts! The crowning jewel of this home though is the beautiful fountain and garden. Just  beautiful.

SECOND PLACE : Shy's Chateau
* Everything is in the right place. Not sure what it is but plants, furniture, everything just flows. I like this house the most of those that entered.

* Very well laid out. Roof top is very well done.

* There is so much stuff in this house but yet it's so easy and nice to move around. The upper layer being a garden makes a nice place to hang out and relax. I like the walkway over the pond, and the layers of the house flow together perfectly.

* The overall look and feel of it reminds me of something I would build and design. She gets my vote because of the various gardens on the lot and the custom fireplace that compliments the house nicely.

* This is a great design and when you go in a room or even look outside you know what its suppose to be. The deco is awesome and not to cluttered in my opinion. she isn't shy about trying something and making it work in her house. She uses a lot of green (not a favorite color of mine) but it works well in and where she put it.

* Beautiful design, with all the porches, balconies, ruined bits and roof garden. Decoration is well balanced and extremely elegant.

TIED FOR THIRD :  Library of Alexandria
* 2nd floor very nice layout garden path very well done.

* Bunny on a spit corner with accessible basket filled with food to go with the bunny when cooked. Vines, roses, big bathtub and not forget tekagi for a lamp holder. Designated area's well combined.  Even fine details as a soapbox near the tub and a help book on the NE corner near the skeleton.

* Several original ideas: Cloths line, rose bushes, grape vines and bath tub, loved them all.

* Each floor was a delight...the rose bushes were well done and I loved the use of the staves for hanging plants. The hot tub!! Fantastic! Who would think cloth and cotton would look so good! and the clothesline was great! Well lighted throughout also.

TIED FOR THIRD :  Casa De Saaaaaam
* Very good layout. Kitchen area is well designed.

* I like the use of folded cloth to create both a fish tank and a pond (with fish in it) The house has a very homey feel, the flow of items from room to room keeps me in the mood, no room shock. All in all makes me jealous my house is not this cool.

* A homey feel to it. His best point is the point near the entrance. It doesn't look like it is constructed out of different items at all.

* Nice design and consistent theme. Liked the fish tank and original pond.

* Used everyday items to create unique ideas. Cloth used to make fish tank and pond. Checker boards used as floor tiles was also a nice touch that is different from the rest.

* The lighting was great when approaching the house. Creative use of combinations of plants to fill the vases. Also the use of barrel lids to make a plant stand was good. Nice basket of cotton, too. The best part of this home in my opinion was the bedroom! How exquisite was the lamp created from a kasa and small vase! The stacked Elven chests and the aquarium were just wonderful. The lighting was well done throughout the house. Really well thought out and done.

 

 

Runners Up:

( These are presented in no particular order )

Lilli's Flower Factory
* Nice arrangements. Nice easy plan to move around. Very good effects. She shows she likes growing plants.

* What a lovely home! Loved the waterfall and the hanging ferns. Lighted to show off every detail!

Dan & Jen's
* Nice setup.

* Great rooftop garden! Beautiful soft lighting.

Channel's Corner Store
* Nice simple set up well done.

* Nice theme of shop and pub. Interesting addition of a cemetery! Nice lighting.

Hammerfall Keep
* Well done lay out, well thought out plan for a stone keep.

* Extremely well balanced fusion of two cultures.

* Loved the first floor living area with the table and pillows.


Jail & Workshop
* Nice design.

* Great theme! Love the guild mention on the roof...is good to be proud of your guild :) Well lighted.

I want a fence
* Nice and simple design. Nice fire place design on entry.

* I liked the way he used a pre-designed house and was able to create a personalized feel. Each room has it's own persona/purpose, and the downstairs is divided very nicely. I love the custom fireplace- it's not overwhelming- and the shelves above it. The hidden storage (VERY HIDDEN!) is also a nice feature, as it offers functionality within the design and helps to prevent the house from becoming cluttered.

* Even though she/he had a ready made house they used creative ideas for items in it. used ingots and boards to make a fire place, used benches to create a shelf/book case like look. Also used boards as shelves on the walls, and clock frames and boards as shelving. It was VERY creative after I looked at it a second time and saw what all was used for what.

* Very good use of available space. Creative fireplace and custom shelving and good lighting.

KOS
* Nice entry way. Nice setup.

* A lot of deco, detail and craftsmanship to make it all. With a couple original ideas with old items this could have been 1st place.

* Very good looking and there's an enormous amount of resources and work in it.

* Really made me feel i was in a guild house :) Loved the fishing net drying on the hearth! Good lighting.

Jade's Place
* Nice simple Japanese lay up. Well done.

* House design is marvelous.

* Lovely layout of stables and smith shop. good lighting but my question is: How did you place stuff on the bar??? I gave up and took mine out! Naked vendor lady?? LOL

Other Notes:

- "All of the houses had features/designs that were absolutely stunning! Overall impression: IMPRESSED."
- "All the contestants had great houses and should be proud of them. Its obvious they all put lots of time and effort into them. My house will never be as good as any of them. Congratulations to all the entrants and a job well done. It was a pleasure to tour them all."
- "Voting's not easy if you take too many things into account. (like I did...lol)"
- "I had a great time decorating and judging other homes. Thanks for another nice event."
- "This was very very tough. There were a lot of great ideas here."
- "Thanks guys for the fun! I loved getting a peek into the others homes!"

I think the first comment definitely sums things up : IMPRESSIVE!

"Trying to judge and ONLY cast two votes was incredibly difficult - contestants and judges found something in each of the entries they really liked. It says a lot when you have such a diversity of deco and design and each and everyone of them more then holds their weight in the Contest. Ova and myself toured the homes and cast our votes - but we decided not to use them. The players did such and outstanding job!" Shazzy and GameOva

 

We have included some of the notes made on each entry - the overall consensus being:

Congratulations to everyone and their wonderful work each presented!

Shazzy and GameOva