Lets continue our staging series today by cleaning up.
Cleaning out closets and cupboards so they are well organized and not stuffed is a great palce to start. Consider actually putting part of your clothing and other items in storage if your closets are stuffed to the brim. Not only will you feel better, the closets will feel more spacious. A definite plus when selling your home. Take time to clean out and declutter bathroom and kitchen drawers too. Don’t forget to scub all drawers and cupboards on the inside and out.
To create a home that appeals to many different buyers, a sense of detachment needs to take place. While we want to surround ourselves with the things we love, buyers may not be able to see our home through our “stuff”. A Stager can wander through objectively and tell you things that you need to pack away and what can stay. You’ll be packing soon anyway, so think of this as a head start. A Stager is not attached to you stuff. She can take the emotion out of the stuff and focus on what is best to create a space a potential buyer will love. For example a collection of coffee mugs on every nook, niche or cranny, may not be a good use of the space or a great selling point for your spaces. She would suggest packing them up. She may even suggest packing up some of the furniture to make a room feel larger as well. Remember that how you live in your home and how you sell your house are two entirely different things. The goal here is to create a “show home” of sorts.
Can you do this yourself ? Most of us can’t
One reason is this. We don’t see our home the way an outsider might. Let me give you an example. When we first moved into our home many years ago, I wandered through it with a very critcal eye. Places where the texture was too heavy, or the carpet could have been seemed better, etc. really bothered me. Do you know I never see those things now. We become blind to
many things like that in living our lives each day. We may not see the things that need “fixing” the way a stager might.
To be continued…
Staging it to sell Part 3
Staging part 2
Welcome back to my series on staging your home to sell (or to stay in if you choose.)
The first thing you may wonder is “why do I need to hire a stager, I can do this myself”. While it may be true that some of us can do it ourselves, most of us are way too attached to our homes to see them with an objective eye. Enter Home Stager: She starts the process of “packaging” your home properly to get the most earning potential.
The first thing she may do is go through room by room and assess what needs to be done. Do the carpets need cleaning? windows need washin? Does the home need painting? Do light fixtures need updated?. These are things that you can do to start the process of preparing to sell or just give a fresh look to the home you live in. The stager is available and will give you suggestions on paint color and lighting options to give your home optimum selling power.
We will be talking more in the days to come about the staging process and what to do next to get your home SOLD!
On a different note:
I have been told by several that my blog is not updating in their readers or blog rolls. I get a “parsing error” and have tried several things to try to fix it as far as I can tell it is still not working. I am kind of techno challenged so I am open to any suggestions or help to get this fixed.
Staging it to Sell
So… You’re thinking of putting your house on the market. What do you do first? Hire a home stager of course.
Home staging is big in the Real Estate world. It’s what will set your home apart and help fetch top $ for you. Home staging is not decorating. Although decorating is a small part of it, it is so much more. I am going to do a small series over the next several posts, with staging ins and outs and tips on how a home stager will benefit you as you prepare to sell your home.
Even if you are not selling your home, my hope is that you will find some tips to help you rearrange, declutter and simplify your home. Stay tuned, more to come…
Staging it to sell!
So… You’re thinking of putting your house on the market. What do you do first? Hire a home stager of course.
Home staging is big in the Real Estate world. It’s what will set your home apart and help fetch top $ for you. Home staging is not decorating. Although decorating is a small part of it, it is so much more. I am going to do a small series over the next several posts, with staging ins and outs and tips on how a home stager will benefit you as you prepare to sell your home.
Even if you are not selling your home, my hope is that you will find some tips to help you rearrange, declutter and simplify your home. Stay tuned, more to come…
New Year New Look
Now that Christmas and the holiday season is over, the decorations are safely tucked away, are you looking around your home and seeing emptiness and almost a feeling of lifelessness? It may be time to make just a few simple changes, to bring some life back into your home.
Can’t afford to redecorate? Take a look at how you live and what you have. Rearrange your furniture to better suit your lifestyle. Chances are if you are like most people, your funiture “has always been this way”. Changing it up a bit can make it feel new again.Take a good look at your wall art and accessories and try things in different rooms. Don’t forget the bathrooms and your entry way too. It’s possible to get a new look by using what you have, and not spending a cent. Now that’s decorating advice that any Hubby will love. If you are still needing new life in your room, try changing the paint on even just one wall. You will be amazed at how this one thng can create a whole new feel to your space. Hot colors for 2010 include bright or warm yellows, soft blues and turquoise, lavender for bedrooms and slate or charcoal grays to replace tan and beige tones as popular neutrals. Try to incorporate one new color somewhere in your home this year. Have fun and don’t be afraid to change things up a bit.
A Holiday Decorating Project
As a decorator I often get the opportunity to decorate trees and homes for my clients for Christmas.
That’s what I’ve done for the past 3 days. I love to do this and it is always fun to see how the trees will turn out from year to year. Though I often use the same items the placement of the items is different and it kind of takes on a life of it’s own. The outcome of each tree is always amazing to me. I did not get great pictures, or many of them. This particular home is huge and I haven’t taken the time to get pictures of everything yet. As always, I think the trees are prettier in person.
Thought you might enjoy a peek at what I do have.
Hope you have a great weekend.
The Great Comeback of Damask & Toile
Have you noticed Damask and Toile prints are everywhere these days? I have seen these fabrics in window coverings, bedding, home accessories and furnishings, and yes, wallpaper. Once thought to be fabrics for formal environments, due in part to the tone on tones of silks in the patterns, these fabrics have evolved. The color choices are vast. Fabrics are softer, not only in silk as they once were, but cottons, and cotton blends, dyed to provide colors to fit most any decor.
Toile’s have long been known to come from Europe but are now making their way to American manufacturers. The subtle scenes and soft coloring are reminders of days gone by and a simpler time. This adds to their appeal in this fast paced world we live in.
Blacks, whites, and creams seem to be the most popular. It is a good idea to remember that in these fabrics, a little goes a long way in home decorating. Because the patterns are often a large print, care should be given not to overwhelm the room in a mirage of “busyness”. Often one item, such as drapery, or a large chair, maybe a few accent pillows, can be enough to make a statement. I don’t know about you but I love this “new” look and am looking forward to using a bit of damask or toile in the master bedroom to refresh and update things there. The possibilities and color choices are endless For example can’t you see building a room around this beautiful chair?
If Momma Ain’t Happy…
Okay ladies,
We all know that the Mom sets the tone for the household each day. Right now, you are probably wondering what this has to do with decorating or making a house a home. To that, I say, EVERYTHING!!
It is easy in this day and age to get caught up in the keeping up with the Jones’s. I find it even true in the blogging world. Suddenly everyone is creating and making beauty from ashes and it makes you think that you should be doing it too. We see pictures of lovely tables and lovely rooms and suddenly all of our things pale in comparison. We begin to be discontent with things we loved even just a few days ago.
Our attitude towards all that life throws at us each day will determine the way our family will handle things also. If we are upbeat and positive about a situation, they will pick up on that. Conversely if we are grumbly or negative, they will sense that too.
I have felt at times a bit frustrated about all that I would like to get done in our home, as far as projects are concerned, causing me to only point out the negative. When that happens, it has a spiral affect.
I find that in my frustration I begin to be unhappy about everything. My family will sense my discontentment and feed off of it. If I on the other hand choose to find the good in all situations and point out the silver lining of a problem, they in turn will eventually see the good too. So moms, I encourage you to view your homes through fresh eyes. Eyes that see everything you like about it. Eyes that can see the hidden potential, not the problem. Purpose to be positive and look at the bright side of a “bummer” situation. I am not endorsing being a fake. If you are discouraged about something it is okay to admit it, but accent the possible positive side too. For example, You may have wanted new carpet this year but budget or time will not permit it. You could gripe and complain about it or you can enjoy the fact that you have more time to figure out what you really want. You can plan more family “picnic” dinners in the living room cuz you don’t have to worry about soiling a new carpet. It is all in the perception of the situation, that gives” mom” a chance to turn lemons into lemonade so to speak. It really is true, “that when momma ain’t happy ain’t nobody happy”
However, when mom is content in her circumstances and willing to share that fact by her actions, creating a warm loving home, home becomes a place of peace and a refuge from the outside world and then “everybody is happy”
Decorating with Baskets
I love baskets! They are a great way to fill in a space and help with organization. Baskets have been “in” and “out” in the world of decorating many times over the years. I am happy to say they are now “in” again. In my home, they have always been “in”. I love the way they bring style and beauty as well as functionability (is this even a word) to any room. From vase like baskets to tray type baskets,wall hanging baskets to oversize baskets, there is sure to be an area in your home where a basket would look beautiful. The most recent Pottery Barn magazine has a beautiful assortment of baskets to choose from. Some are pictured above. They also have some online videos to give even more ideas and ways to use baskets. I also have noticed a resurgence in baskets at places like TJ Maxx, Ross, and other big box stores. There are so many styles and price ranges to choose from, that there really is something for everybody. Here are a few of my favorites from lovethedecor.com
Transform your Lamps
Looking for some thing new to perk up a tired room? Transform your lamps. Change out the shades on your old lamps to something fun and with color. Recover a lamp shade with a great new fabric. Add a fringe, tassels, or beads to the base of the shade to bring them up to date. Don’t like the bases? Some of the new textured spray paints adhere to plastic as well as metal and can give that old lamp a great new look for just a few dollars. It is amazing how changing just one small thing on a lamp can give it a great new look. Amy over at Designing a life I love blog shows a wonderful example of how to transform an old not so pretty lamp into a new beautiful one. You should see what she did. It doesn’t even look like the same lamp. If you aren’t up for a project though, check out www.lovethedecor.com for great new lamps to work into any decor style
