Holiday Home Selling and Staging Rules

October 19, 2012

to Read (

Words)

A simple container garden can showcase the season

With a wonderful up swing in home prices, many people are ready to get those homes staged, marketed and sold! Selling your home in the fall/winter months have a few rules to be privy to, especially when it comes to decorating during the holidays. Here in Chicago, fall kicks off an open invitation to blanket a home with themed decor. Those darn retail stores, catalogs and show-off neighbors put pressure on us to adorn our homes both inside and out with piles of trimmings. Doing that is fabulous when you aren't selling your home... but if selling - restraint is the urge. Beyond the holiday decor, weather too can be a problem when lookers come knocking. Leaves, snow and wet can be a hindrance to both the prospective buyer and your wood or carpet floors. Let's make looking at your home a good and positive experience.

Make sure your home's entry is buyer friendly by maintaining walkways and having a lovely entry rug to land wet feet. A basket full of those blue booties can keep your floors clean and make your guests comfortable when walking about your home.

When seasonally staging/decorating a home keep true to the bones of the home and the decorative style of the interior. Be very careful when staging and styling the home keeping in-tune to the price point, architecture, and decorative interior style.

Accessorize to the style of your home.

When decorating, limit your accessories and decor -think "Holiday "Lite" when unpacking your festive boxes. Holiday and seasonal decorating make homes feel real and buyers happy. But too much, too personal, or too many colors can obscure views, make rooms feel smaller and distract buyers from their true purpose: deciding whether or not your home is right for them.

Go Holiday "Lite" when selling your home.

Create simple curb appeal when selling during Holiday months.

This same rule applies to the exterior of the home. Keep it simple. Two lovely urns seasonally dressed flagging your entry adds classic appeal, rather than a large blow-up Holiday character to greet guests.

Think twice before displaying decorations specific to your religious or cultural heritage, it makes it more difficult for others who don't share your background or beliefs to envision themselves living in the space.

Battery operated candles offer a cozy feel and keep your home safe, Fresh seasonal flowers or greenery in vases, bowls of ornaments are simple ways of celebrating the season when selling.

Stay safe when selling your home

Tap the spirit. Light the fireplace if you have one. Decorate with a pretty throw or pillow, add the scents of the season. Make your home cozy, inviting and warm someone else might want to move right in.

Make your home cozy when selling in fall and winter.

QuickEdit

battery candles bowls or ornaments bob vila# Holiday Decorating Home Staging rules selling during the holiday season

Julea

0 Comments

accent wall Bob Vila# head board powder room tips wallpaper decorating ideas wallpaper hiding paneling

Wallpaper Decorating Ideas

October 17, 2012

to Read (

Words)

Wallpaper can create a room's personality.

Wallpaper is back and I am hopping on the band wagon! What a wonderful way to add texture, depth, personality or ambiance to a space. No longer to be abhorred and painted over - This little wall flower has come a long way and with technology and innovation is very easy to remove, can duplicate anything and is on the forefront of interior chic.

If you are a Pinterest member, visit my Wallpaper board: http://pinterest.com/juleajane/wallpaper/

With all the wallpaper buzz, the Interior Stylist Network had an educational field trip to a wallpaper store. From beautiful patterns, to paper that removes if you are a renter, to elegant papers that have glass beads embedded on them.

Here are a few tips on working with wallpaper.

1) Wallpaper can hide hideous paneling. If the panel grooves aren’t too deep or wide, a simple liner can be applied first, followed by your wallpaper of choice.

2) If you are planning on redecorating a room – Pick the paper 1^st, then choose a paint color.

As a headboard

3) Always prime your walls before you paper . Painted walls are not an option! Shieldz® UniversalWallcovering Primer-Sealer. (Make sure you wait 1 day before papering.)

4) If you are working with freshly painted walls, wait 7 days before you prime.

5) Paper is no different than fabric. Check the repeat to see how much you need.

6) And just like fabric, there are commercial grade papers that have a higher durability factor as well as fire code protection.

7) Never paste a pre-pasted paper.

Re-fresh a China hutch with wallpaper

8) Consider papering a single focal wall, a niche, powder room or foyer if you have wallpaper fear.
9.) Wallpaper can be used to update a piece of furniture, line drawers, inside a China cabinet or as art

Upgrade a plain dresser with wallpaper

http://www.cimmermann.co.uk/product/london_toile_wallpaper/

This cheeky paper is called "London Toile."

Super size your style in a tiny space.

Use Wallpaper as your Art for the wall

Great Wallpaper Sources:

http://www.americanblinds.com/wallpaper/

http://www.thibautdesign.com/

QuickEdit

accent wall Bob Vila# head board powder room tips wallpaper decorating ideas wallpaper hiding paneling

Julea

0 Comments

Bob Vila# burlap seed sack candlestick chalk board paint fall decorating ideas pumpkins trends

Fall Table Decorating

October 16, 2012

to Read (

Words)

I have really tried not to go prowling around stores to buy more fall decor. This is my favorite time of the year and have oodles of boxes of decor already. This year, I've tried to be creative in the process and come up with some new arrangements and reinventions of the stuff I already own. Luckily, I had a kick this year because I was interviewed by a writer of a magazine on tablescapes and set the stage for inspiration.

Burlap seed sacks from Home Depot - End to end.
Southwestern accent rug used as additional layer.
Decorative paper suitcase and faux books used to create height.
Wire covered cake stand used in my garden makes for a rustic statement.

Anchor your arrangement with fabric or textiles.

Plate chargers can be used in multiple ways.

Chalk board paint chargers.

Buffet napkins with rosemary sprig.

Napkins can be bundled with your silverware and a fresh sprig of lavender from the garden.

The covered cake stand was a launching pad to another arrangement. This time I re-purposed some old bamboo bird cages I had in the garage. Sprayed with dark bronze paint, they went from give-away to a style statement. I can easily swap out the fall seasonal finds to winter!