Actually, I stumbled in here, and keep finding myself coming back. I'd been a GW'er for years on the garden side, frequently hopping forums as my indoor/outdoor gardening interests varied. Then I started planning a master bath remodel, and after seeing several GW bathroom forum posts pop up on google searches, decided it was time to check out That Home Site.... Both lurked and participated on the bath forum, and as that planned remod drew to a finish, began exploring some of the other home forums. Some are more active than others, and the decor forum seems to have a greater variety of subjects then many of the others. I guess after a summer of planning remod/redecorate projects, it's become habit to check out the forums. Cool place to hang out with a wide variety of people and their correspondingly wide variety of tastes and opinions. As winter hits full swing and my spring fever comes back, I'll likely again turn to the garden side of GW, but I suspect this forum will continue it's place in my 'rounds'. :-)

Home decor has been an abiding interest of mine for over 5 decades so I can't help myself! I visit several home decor forums as well as blogs and designers' sites for inspiration and ideas. I love looking at well decorated homes. I'm still learning and often have to google for more info. Lurk here more than I post but occasionally volunteer my opinions too for what that's worth.

Almost never ask for advice on any home decor forum as I like to do things 'my way' and have more ideas than I'll ever be able to implement.

lucky, you never get stuck?

I love design. Pretty much always have. My Mom encouraged me to be creative in my own bedroom allowing me to have it the way I chose since I was in elementary school.

I also enjoy reading what others have done, are doing, or need help with. Helping others is a challenge and I like that type of challenge. Not that I don't have enough challenges of my own since we are still in the process of finishing the home we started building almost ten years now. We moved in just over eight years ago, but there's only one room that's totally complete. The half bath.

As you can probably guess by my chosen nickname, that I don't ask for advise too often. At least not on design. I've always had to have it my way. Even when I buy a kit, such as cross stitch, I wind up changing (re-charting) much of it to be more "me". I even call my style MEE for My Eccentric Eclecticism.

I love the art of decorating and any arts actually plus I love to help people and cheer them on so this is a perfect place for me. I get excited when one of you finds a great buy or discovers a new way to do a task etc. plus the friendly side of it. It's like a giant playground for folks like us. We search out your problems and tell ours and together we solve them, what's not to love about that. I love the before and afters too. Most of all it's the people and their humor that keep me coming back, it's like getting my daily fix lol.

I like the IDEA of decorating and design, but I am not that good at pulling it all together. It is good to go somewhere to hear other people's ideas and ask for their inspirations too.

I come here to learn, to be inspired, to offer ideas for consideration in response to other posters' questions and to enjoy discussions about design and decor.

I've loved decorating since I was a little kid . . . seriously. My mom has always said that I was born wanting to redecorate. I love decorating forums like this because I really enjoy talking decorating with others who love it, too. I also very much enjoy seeing ideas others come up with, watching dilemmas being solved and seeing Befores & Afters. A special bonus is the great people I've met here.
Lynn

I am a professional artist and I love to share the knowledge I've gained over the past 2 decades. I am drawn to the posts that pertain to paint and design, not so much about where to put the couch. OTOH, I do enjoy watching the progression of a room. It sometimes helps me with my own clients, as I get to see real-world scenarios.
I come here many times as an escape, or maybe to procrastinate a tad.

Ditto Lynninnewmexico, very well said... and don't we all need some help/inspiration sometimes? I'll never forget all the kind help I received when trying to incorporate the family kitchen set into my home! :)

I mimic sheryl8185: "I like the IDEA of decorating and design, but I am not that good at pulling it all together. It's good to go somewhere to hear other people's ideas and ask for their inspirations too."

I seldom weigh in when others ask for opinions (it's hard enough to "see" my style let alone others' styles!) but I love seeing the photos and responses.

I came to GW Kitchens when I was looking for answers to questions I had about countertops and backsplashes and explored the rest of GW. I need my GW fix on a daily basis!

It feeds my soul. :-)

I love decorating, love to use the creative side of my brain to try and offer help or perspective. I enjoy seeing what others are doing. I love learning from all the wise people here. Since I don't have the money to re-do my home, I get to live vicariously through others!

I also think this is a very nice community of people who care about one another, and share a connection rooted deeper than just discussing the color of walls.

This is a daily hangout for me.

To luckygal: There are other home dec sites?? Where else are you lurking?? I used to visit the HGTV site more regularly, but it doesn't seem to be as active as gardenweb.

I love to see what everybody else is doing with their homes.

I started in the kitchen forum a few years ago (and still not done but it's functional). We're renovating our 1825 house (converted it back into a single family and now making it livable). I'm lacking that decorating gene - especially for window treatments. I come here for help and inspiration.

It's like I stumbled into a decorating magazine where I'm talking to the people who actually live in the houses. Not sure if that makes sense.

I've been "decorating" and playing with my own home since forever, drooling over magazines while doing it.

I've gotten so much good advice here, and love looking at other's homes.

And the people I've met are wonderful!

I come here to get motivated, to see that other people are capable of making decisions and finishing projects.

I have trouble getting started and then making decisions along the way. I've gotten lots of great advice here which gets me through. I haven't shared many final results though as I do tend to want to (or have to) do things my own way. I think my standards are lower than others here. (and my pocketbook is smaller :)

I too came over here from the garden side - when I needed help with my kitchen. I was led there by looking for info on soapstone. I've found that GW is the only place to get good, solid info on lots of things. The people here are much smarter than those I meet IRL.

I come here because the opinons on this site are just as valuable as the opinions of paid designers that I have hired. Everyone has a point of view and just because I have paid you for your services does not make your opinion right for me or my home.

For the free food!

(eye candy)

Love the photos with (named) paint colors. Love the member's home pictures with great ideas. Have grown attached to the way that several posters write or express themselves. Even sometimes enjoy the links (on conversations) to crazy youtube videos.

Red

I know what I like when I see it, but I always have trouble pulling it together. I rely on this forum for feedback and direction. I value the opinions here because many of you post pictures of your homes, and they are inspiring.

I came here because I have always had a love of design and am and curious how others live and decorate their homes.

Paint info and architectural info are my weak areas and I have learned so much from this forum.

The added bonus is how much I have come to care about the people in the forum and what is going on with their lives.

I check in every day to see what you all are up to!

I come here to see what people are doing ..

I know what I like and am very decisive, so I don't think I've ever asked for help on this forum ... I may run something by my sister, though rarely, as she's a designer.

I also like the eye candy and people's "finds".

Because none of my "real life" friends are as interested in decorating as I am. That's pretty much the bottom line. And because whenever I am looking for something, someone here can almost always point me in the right direction!

I found GW when looking for answers to a bathroom remodel question. I've been hooked since. I love seeing before and afters. I love seeing the different styles. I enjoy being at a site that has friendly constructive criticism. I enjoy there not being 1 set of rules for design that you MUST follow.

I echo what everyone has said. I could have written what Oakleyok and Les said word-for-word.

I have been obsessed with houses and how they are decorated for a long time. I wasn't as a kid, but once I grew up and got my own place, I started to become obsessed.

I could spend every free moment going to open houses, just to look at the house, architecture and decorating. I am not in the market for a house. DH and DS not so much.

I subscribe to many, many, many (too many!) home decor magazines and I love, love, love looking at them and reading about the houses and rooms. This site is like a real-time decor mag to me. I love seeing what people are working on. I love seeing the progression of a room, even if it's not a style I would do in my own home.

The only part of Halloween I like is getting glimpses into the houses as we trick-or-treat. I get to do that here without having to go out in the cold and walk for hours :-)

I've gotten such great ideas from people here. One example is the beadboard wallpaper. I had no idea that existed, and it was THE perfect inexpensive solution to my hallway bath. I've been led to some fabulous blogs or websites that I hadn't found on my own.

This place is addictive! My DS just said to me the other day when he looked over my shoulder while I had my laptop on my lap on the couch and I came here "you are obsessed with that decorating thing". Ha! Yes, I am!

It's like driving around at night and peeking into homes with the draperies open (kind of like what jillinnj said) but I don't have to worry about being caught staring! And I can go back and look again. Plus, I LOVE to shop, LOVE to spend other people's money, so I really like to try to help people find things on the internet - courtesy shopping as my friends call it when they ask me to do it for them.

I googled this site one day and am so glad I did. I have learned more from this site than looking at magazines because people explain why something does or doesn't work. And most everyone is helpful and friendly. I just love to read all the ideas, and see the beautiful homes. When I walk by a cute house, I always wish I could see inside.

I can't stay away from this site! When i was building my home I used it primarily for kitchens in the beginning.. i moved onto Decorating but took a 6 month or so hiatus.. I couldn't resist coming back so here i am..

I feel like in my head i know exactly what I want and how to do it, but can't seem to get my picture out live. Speaking to everyone on this forum helps me make those pictures turn out the way I would like them to or at least gives me an opportunity to see things in other ways that I may not have thought about..

So many comments I could also easily echo. I can remember the decor in houses I visited since I was 3 years old and was especially fascinated with antique decor, altho not my parents MCM stuff. I can completely lose track of time when looking at house plans or home decor. IRL I find it difficult, really impossible, not to peek thru windows when walking down a city street. So many things, even non-decor, inspire ideas for decorating my home.

Jterrilynn - stuck? Not sure I understand the concept as it pertains to home decor. LOL There have been times I have been dissatisfied with some aspect of a room, however it's not something that IMO can be solved for me by anyone else thru photos posted online. Truth be told I really don't like 'managing' threads so seldom start one as I'd then have to keep checking back on it! I also know I don't have the same drive for 'perfection' that many seem to and like to live with some choices for awhile even if I am almost certain I will eventually change them. My house evolves constantly and I never consider a room 'done' even tho they all look as if they are to everyone else. I almost never shop for a particular thing but prefer to buy as I see things I like and allow them to work. Everything that I love will find it's best place eventually. I have closets full of (mostly) pre-owned home decor accessories I can pull out to change my decor. I am still in the process of trying to edit this collection to make space for newer treasures I will enjoy buying. I much prefer unique accessories and seldom find these in big box stores. So I guess I'm not the typical forum member altho I see there are a few others who don't feel the need to ask for advice either.

Ratherbesewing - I haven't yet found any home dec sites that are as active as this one. However there are some that occasionally provide inspiration and pics:

"HGTV forums"
"House & Home"
"Home Talk"
"Old House Web pictures - so many lovely period homes here"

One of my fav non-forum, non-blog places online to spend time looking at pretty pics is "Houzz"

I discovered the home forums about five years ago when we were building our house. I can't visualize overall looks well at all, and I discovered in building a home that it's those "unknown unknowns" that get you, and the GW forums have been tremendously helpful in that respect. As for this forum specifically, I value the creative suggestions folks post here - things I'd never think of. Also, people here are so generous with their time and are willing to help and make constructive suggestions. And sometimes I come here because I think I have something to offer. It also is the most relaxing place on the Net for me if I don't have a particular question; I'm very busy and just a few minutes browsing here are fun and companionable, I find.

I don't watch TV, I like to multi-task, and I can't concentrate enough right now to read for hours. I feel like I learn a lot on the kitchen forums, and its also good for sources. Other people find things I can't.

I started out on the kitchen forum when we were doing renos. Our renos was actually a whole-house reno and when we moved back in I had a blank slate and had no idea how to start with decorating. Furniture buying and placement I can do but I have a problem with colour and accessorizing. Although I don't post questions I have learned so much by reading about other people's situations and reading about the various ideas for solutions.
I also go to the conversation side of the home decorating forum and that is interesting.
The thing I like about both of these forums is how honest people are in their opinions without being mean or dismissive of other ideas.

Been an online reader for a while. Lurk many places. Post at a few.

The GW is by far my favorite daily stop because the posts are intelligent and well-written. Long posts, big words, punctuation (like caps) and proper grammar is common post to post. On the GW you can count on being able to pop in and read cogent streams of consciousness about a topic without having to piece it together, try to make sense out of a bunch of babble.

It's a PITA to post pix on this forum and as a result I think the writing is better. More comprehensive and more descriptive.

Love it when we tear into a topic - 50 or 60 responses each no less than three paragraphs long.

I come here because I love to read what you guys have to say about architecture, color and design and how you say it.

Been reading here since 2004 and I can't even begin to tell you all the things I've learned - suffice it to say you guys have taught me A LOT!

I came from the garden side, shortly after we moved to this house and stay because I stay inspired to keep plugging away at the long list of projects I need/want to tackle here--I've never lived in a house that was structurally less "me" and I really have to fight the impulse to just give up.

And since I HATE to shop, I love having expert shoppers to ask for advice when I am ready to jump in.

Plus, when I was having remodeling remorse and anxiety, so many GW'ers could commiserate and suggest a cocktail cure--just what I needed! Three cheers for having sympathetic, if virtual, shoulders to cry on!

So many reasons......

I discovered GW when we started planning our home a few years ago. I was a total novice and the Home Builders and Kitchen forums helped me through the process every step of the way. Once we moved in, after 18 months of rapid fire building decisions, I found myself agonizing over every little decorating accessory and furniture choice. Like sueb, I don't have any friends that are into decorating to bounce things off of. The Decorating Forum was the next logical place to "hang out". This forum has been such a great source of inspiration for me. I love seeing everyone's homes and as I become more familiar with the posters, I am starting to match their personalities with their decorating styles. I have always been a home decorating magazine addict but GW is cheaper and doesn't take up room in my closets.

Now, I visit the forum practically every day...I travel quite a bit with my job so I don't always have time to participate in as many discussions as I'd like but I am a faithful follower and have GW bookmarked on my smart phone. When everyone else on the plane is checking their e-mail before we have to shut down.....I'm checking out the forum :)

We're all on the same page. I too agree with a lot of what has already been said.

Love furniture, and my hobby is antique shopping. Forever.
Love watching what others do to their homes.

Sometimes I don't understand the things people advise someone,
then they actually carry it out and post a new photo,
and VOILA!

Then I 'get' it and wonder how you all knew to tell her to do that?

I'm very visual so it's the Before/After photos.