My first house was a kaleidescope of cows and bubblegum pink walls, burnt orange-coloured carpets with black and peach wallpaper, mint coloured balloon shades, and a forest green basement with a cheap wood bar.

Yeah, baby.

It was sort of the visual equivalent of this:

It even had one of these:

Side note: I was always so disappointed that it didn’t give me a ‘mooo’ as a reward for fetching the mail.

Alas, what it did give me was a whole pile of wallpaper removal headaches and one hell of a sense of pride for clearing the ‘Grannie’ decks. But – and here’s the kicker – ripping that shit out is easy when you own the place.

And what of the millions who are currently renting?

At the moment, that would include, er, me.

Whatever your reason or circumstance, renting doesn’t mean being relegated to the back of the aesthetically-privileged line. What it DOES mean is a whole other set of headaches and a sense of pride that depends to a great extent on the largesse of your landlord.

Case in point:

Oh, and:

With:

All very lovely.

And so very not me.

But hey, let’s not forget that I do this for a living. And while I’m stripping wallpaper and pulling down dusty sheers and wondering who on earth could possibly love mauve carpeting, I figured I couldn’t be the only one feeling a sense of rental purgatory.

So.

I decided to blow the doors off.

Ready?

I’m giving away $550.

I’m going to say that again:

I’m giving away $550.

Crazy, right?!

I figured there was no better way to highlight the decorative possibilities than by holding a contest. I’ll be showing one lucky winner how to Rock Your Rental without a) blowing the budget, and b) making the landlord hyper-ventilate.

So consider this your official invitation: send me images and details of your rental nightmare. Tell me what challenges you’re facing and what you would do if you owned the place. The best (read: possibly the worst) entry will receive a Design at Your Doorstep package worth $550.

That means you’ll receive the following juicy goodness:

• A one-on-one phone consultation. I listen deeply, and help you uncover your design objectives – the obvious ones, and the emotional ones.
• A digital inspiration board. It’s a personal style file – in high-resolution digital packaging. From furniture selections and window treatments to colour palettes and ceiling trim, this is a visual anchor for your emerging space.
• A priority rundown. What to do first, who to call last – from first purchase to champagne popping. And everything in between.

So come on now!

Send all the scary bits to: erica << @ >> ericaswansondesign << dot >> com. Deadline is May 15th.

Hold on to your hats…

I’m about to Rock Your Rental.