Your name:	Mike
City:	Fremont
State:	CA
Closest metropolitan area:	San Francisco
Occupation:	Information Technologies Manager
Teammate's name:	Ken
Teammate's relationship to you:	Partner
Occupation:	Owns and runs Body Electric — a school for massage and meditation

Distance and directions between houses?

70 ft from front door to front door

Room to be transformed

Entryway/Living Room/Dining Room

Measurements

The area is sort of Z shaped and is 21.5’ x 22’ at its widest points.

Why have you chosen this room?

Because it’s the entryway to the house, it would be nice to have it make a statement. Instead, it’s nondescript and uninviting. On top of that, the shape of the room is very challenging; the floor and ceilings are on many levels and there are many openings in the walls. It’s also one of the rooms we have done the least to and therefore needs the most help.

Do you own your home?

Yes

When was your home built?

1979

What style is your home?

It’s identical in every way to Dan & Marie’s except for a few exterior details.

Who else lives with you?

My daughter Lindsay who is 10.5 and Vern’s biggest fan. Two of her favorite activities are gymnastics and dance; next year she plans to try out for the competition team at the dance studio she (and Maggie) attends.

We also have a dog, a Blue Chow Chow named Kona.

Has either of you ever attempted any decorating or do-it-yourself projects?

Yes, we're very handy and love to do projects around the house. Ken and I have both done all the work on our prior houses including redoing a bathroom, putting up wallpaper, painting, and laying tile. Ken has even done some brickwork.

 

Tell us a bit more about yourself (hobbies, interests, any funny stories!)

How we decided to apply for the show:

As Marie mentioned, one night we had them over for dinner and swimming. Afterwards, all of us watched an episode of the show we had taped earlier.

Previously, we have all talked (together and apart) about decorating our houses but we are kind of lost and do not know where to start. We just don't know how to pull a room together. We don't know what will make a room really cool and inviting. Marie and I like color but are intimidated to use them; we’re not really sure what's goes with what and have had a few mishaps.

On top of that, Ken and I have trouble coming to an agreement on decorating matters so we don't take too many chances even though we would love to. Marie and Dan have a similar problem because Dan’s taste is more conservative than hers is.

After watching the program together for the first time, Ken said it would be just perfect for our two families to go on the show. Everyone instantly knew he was right, but we couldn’t figure out how to apply. It probably would have stayed at that, but Marie went home that evening and started to do some research on the web. She found your web site with the application, assigned everyone "homework" to get it filled out, and here we are...

How we got together:

We share a love of music and spend time playing pieces written for piano and violin. In fact when we met, each of us was looking for someone who played the other instrument because our previous playing partners had both moved. One of our challenges is finding a place in the living room to put Ken’s Steinway Grand Piano, which is currently being stored with friends.

Have you ever been on television before?

I have a vague memory of being on TV with my skating partner as a child. Ken was once interviewed by the Disney Channel for a special on the resurgence of tap dancing.

How did you hear about the program?

My daughter is a big fan of the show and got me hooked, too. We like to watch the show together. We get a kick out of watching a room get transformed. It's fun to see the ideas that the designers have that, by themselves, seem over the top but once combined with the rest of the room look great.