As suggested, if you are willing to stain the porch, go for a medium wood tone. Paint the porch ceiling "Haint blue" or another pale blue color. Paint the columns and railings to match the cream color of the house. If you are going to paint, again, as suggested, use standard gray porch color on the floor and ceiling. Paint the columns and rails to match the cream color of the house. It looks as if the storm door does not quite fit the space. I see a dark line above it. Remove the storm door and put it in the garage. Fill in the hardware holes with wood putty and paint the vertical parts of the door frame the same cream color as the house. Leave the horizontal blue trim at the top. Take a good hard look at the front door. If the wood is in good condition, give it a good cleaning, and then a coat of a non-yellowing clear satin product designed for outdoor applications. A regular polyurethane will crack. If the door is not in good condition, paint it. Houzz has quite a few ideas on what front door color is "fashionable" in different parts of the country. For quick curb appeal, check Houzz for articles. I would suggest taking down the dark decoration to the right of the door and leaving the wall plain. A few things that always seem to help houses sell: * Yellow flowers near the front entry. You could even get potted chrysanthemums and bury the pots in the front garden until the house sells. * Big, dark house numbers.

If you like industrial style - eclectic - here are some ideas: Get a futon - and a real one (Craig's list,ebay?) you can use this to sleep on and then it can become your sofa in the day time. I am the biggest believer in using industrial pallets, I don't know where you live but hanging around large building sites they get thrown into the bins - ask the builders if you can have some. These make great bookshelves, tables etc. Other Houzzers might be able to point you in the right direction. Burlap on plumbing piping works for your curtains with blackout blinds for the evening. If you want to go the whole way, you need a very interesting paint job that doesn't give a smooth texture - almost an aged plastered effect (you might find some wallpapers) Then you need some chicken wire or industrial lockers to complete your look.

I totally understand moving into something that doesn't feel like "home". It's hard to tell what the exact color of the carpet is. Is it a pinkish color? When I've moved, I'm one of those weird people who can't sleep until everything is put away, every picture hung, etc. (Luckily I've lived in my current home for 18 years, LOL). Those are the things that make it feel like "home" to me. If you are saving money, the only thing you can really do is accessorize around what you have and make the most of it. It sucks to move especially if it's due to finances. That alone probably making you feel blue. Since you can't change the walls or carpet, having things in front of the walls (artwork and bookshelves), and on the carpet (rugs) will hide them as much as possible. If you have any talent with sewing (or know someone who does), I'd recommend finding some fabrics at a fabric store and trying to get something that will match all the colors you have, and unfortunately have to inherit. In the past I've cut a few pieces of carpet in a room (in a back corner where no one will notice) and taken a piece of the fabric I'm trying to match (a true-to-color picture works too) to a fabric store trying to find something to match all those items. It's hard when you can't change everything you want, but trying to decorate around what you HAVE to live with sometimes makes it feel more like home. Plus, artwork and family photos helps too. Good luck.

I am having a similar problem. We are renovating the kitchen; however, there is no way to vent outside. We did not want to put the microwave over the 30" range. We are looking for a recirculating/ductless hood that can be inserted. We are in a quandary and the recirculating kits are not available in our area and will take a week of two to arrive. Our contractor hopes to complete the job within the next couple of days. We need ideas!