olldroo Oh Becky, did we really have that much fun? What a lovely ideasbook made better by your humour too. Wonderful to look back on like this, thank you and definitely beautiful new friendships were forged right across the globe.

Aja has definitely stamped her place in history on this site with that hilarious post and we all now sit and wait and hope that her precious baby will arrive safely and healthy.

Iyare1 won't be forgotten for her brave decorating in a hurry either - I have a feeling she will have a lot more to offer in 2013.

Casart Coverings Becky, you left me speechless!

patricia beharry You people have changed the whole routine in my household. On Sundays and Wednesdays AM, I am stuck in a computer room. I have also made a Houzz New Year resolution; If I cannot say something positive, try, (and that is the key word),to move on. Even though that is not in my DNA makeup.

Becky Harris Patricia, trust me, I have the same issue. Lately I've been trying to say "it's not my favorite" instead of "I loathe it" ... ;) I'm doing so-so at it. I think I'm going to have to keep a rubber band around my wrist and give myself a snap to break some of my habits.

astraea Gee, I must have missed some interesting discussions, before I heard about Houzz mid-year! I think we have to put things in perspective, while remaining honest to ourselves. If someone asks for help with an upcoming change, it's OK to be critical of elements that you recommend changing. But if someone shows a before & after, it seems non-productive & non-empathetic to criticize the "after" design. If a home is used in an article, owners have to accept that they've opened themselves up to the public, for both positive & negative feedback .. but commenters should focus on design elements & not start projecting anything about the owners personally.

Mona Ives Thanks for the sum up Becky. I feel like I commented on wayyy more topics than that and isn't it the case that some of these topics just keep coming back - like whether or not to paint kitchen cabinets, whether or not to put the TV over the fireplace, etc etc? :) Kinda bummed that I missed out on the real vs. fake xmas tree discussion though...

Casart Coverings I've taken to just "liking" comments that I agree with. No use in being redundant or verbose. Oh, oh. I did it again!

Becky Harris Casart, I tend to do both - just liked yours, then felt compelled to comment ... I am a very chatty sort, both in person and online - can't stop myself!

astraea I post on another non-decorating website, and after being on Houzz for a while, I'm sorry the other place doesn't let you "like" other comments. Sometimes you just want to agree with what someone said, without having to repeat or rephrase it!

imissliberty Re the fiscal cliff: "you have every right not to read discussions you predict will get political. I can identify the comments I wish to skip over by spying just one or two keywords when skimming, or seeing how long-winded the post is or whether or not the poster uses all capitals for emphasis. I suggest you all do the same." I laughed. I'm a libertarian, too!

sautrelle I agree with Astraea that comments can be either negative or positive without any insult. After all the one needing advice is already aware that their design is faulty or not to their liking. However there is always a nice way to be negative without making it personal to the person. Let's face it it is a design issue not a moral one.
I look forward to more discussions in 2013. I wish I had not missed the italian chapel blog but I will keep my eyes open to Aja's news of her newborn. By the way, Aja, I love the nursery you selected, very elegant.....any child would love to reside in.
Becky, thank you for the rehashing of the blogs.
Happy New Year everyone.

Iyare I I definitely had a blast on Houzz this year and I feel this site made me super productive. I redid my backyard, my kitchen, my living room, and updated a guest room. For the most part, people have been extremely helpful, filled with advice and encouragement. I find myself promoting the website especially to friends who have purchased new houses. This house is my third but its the first one I've actually made changes to.

So I'd like to give a BIG thank you to Houzz moderators, commentors, and even the lurkers for making this a great forum for newbies like me to come for advice, inspiration, and entertainment.

Final project will be this year, my master bath. Stayed tuned... because you know ill have lots of questions......

maddecorator I went back and read the "How to stage a dark living room for resale" discussion. I found it very disturbing to think that any home buyers could be so lacking in vision that they would base their purchasing decision on the seller's furniture and decor.

Oh, and thank goodness smythtracy didn't paint those gorgeous cabinets!

patricia beharry @ maddecorator,

Just look at House Hunters on HGTV, some buyers will walk away from a fantastic house just because they dont like the colour of the walls.

sautrelle Not everyone has an eye for decor or artistic vision but at least they are smart enough to ask for advice.
Everyone has talents in some areas and thank goodness they are not all the same.
It is not always easy to envision rooms that are filled with someone else furniture. It is often easier with an empty room.
Keep the ?s coming, some of us are more than happy to help.

A. Peltier Interiors Such a great roundup! I loved a recap of all the great advice and even saw some discussions that i was a part of. So fun to read!

jayvee1 I've really enjoyed this helpful, positive and fun site through the year. However I was wondering if there is a moderator? Often seems a bit of one-up-manship going on between those offering advice and one particularly annoying person makes insulting and unhelpful comments about the original poster's home and taste and finishes it with "oh well to each his own" - if only that was said in the true spirit in which it is meant, instead of the supercilious tone used.

Yes those who post pictures of their home are potentially opening themselves up to criticism but since when does that excuse bad manners? Let's celebrate the differences in people's taste - after all it would be a pretty boring world if we all had the same taste would it not?

I'm looking forward to the new year and the vast array of ideas - fabulous, interesting, weird and wacky - it will bring!

olldroo jayvee - you can email Houzz if you feel a comment is out of line. There are posters who are well known to regulars. Sadly there will always be people like that in this world and to admonish them in any way only brings on further abuse so we prefer to ignore them and enjoy the company of the nice people who appreciate this website and each other's comments.

There have been many friendships made right around the World from here and the benefits and enjoyment from that far outweight the few narky remarks from people who can't appreciate how much they can gain by enjoying this site for what it is.

jayvee1 Thanks olldroo - that's good to know. I haven't been on the receiving end of any comments but have cringed at some I've read.

olldroo jayvee, what also concerns me is that it also puts people off commenting at all and that is pretty sad when there are so many out there with great ideas.

Charmean Neithart Interiors, LLC. Thanks Becky. You obviously put a lot of time into this flashback, nice job!

Rebekah Zaveloff | KitchenLab What a great, comprehensive Ideabook! Wonderful for people like me who are playing catch up!

lessismoore Great round-up! Did see all of these, but got to "participate" in a few - tons of fun!