DYI home staging: 8 quick tips for staging your home for a quicker sale

Do you have to spend a lot of money on professional staging? If you have some decent furnishings, you may only need to follow these 8 quick tips to achieve the same results:
A house should look like it is in moving condition when potential buyers arrive.

1. Curb appeal- Remember that the home buyer should feel at home as soon as they arrive at your drive way. A curb appeal is very important in selling your home.
So consult with your agent about the exterior of the house before it is on the market.

2. Paint- Many home buyers will not get passed that bright yellow wall you love so much. A fresh coat of neutral paint will make your home look more comfortable and relaxing.  Also no one likes to see dirty walls.

3. De-clutter- Store away all your excess accessories, furniture, artwork, blankets and family photos. A cluttered room looks smaller and distracting from all the nice features your home offers. Concentrate on one or two neutral colors with one splash of non-neutral in each room. Too many colors are seen as clutter.

4.  Focal point- Look for what is most pleasing about your living room area. It may be the view of the garden or the fireplace. Avoid creating a focal point around a non-pleasant view or the TV.
Make sure your focal point is dressed properly. Window coverings should be pulled back to show off the view. Fireplace mantel should have three nice accessories: a small bouquets of flowers and two candles. A row of three identical vases. Do not clutter your mantel. Fireplace screen is also helpful. But you could place candles in the fire box.

5.  Furniture arrangement- Arrange your furniture such that they do not block the natural flow of traffic. Upon arriving into the room, the most off-putting sight is the back of the sofa. It tells the buyer “do not come in.” Consider a diagonal arrangement of furniture. In a large living/dining area a sofa can be a divider between two rooms but in a smaller room, it cuts off the diners from the rest of the room.

6.  Lighting- Make sure there is plenty of light in your main living areas. If your agent is showing your home after dark, place floor  and table lamps if there are no ceiling lights.

7.  Function- Focus each room on its main function. If you have a home office, move away the workout equipment. If your have an office in the bedroom, move your office equipment temporarily out of the bedroom. Perhaps into a closet area in a guest room.

8.  Clean and repair- This seems like a no brainier, but I am obligated to mention it. If you have pets, you must make sure your buyers cannot smell them! Buyers open your closets to see the storage space. Make sure stored items do not avalanche on their heads. Clean dirty carpets, drapery, and shelves. If you smoke, clean and deodorize and do not smoke in the house till you move out. Repair broken door handles, railings, lights, etc. When one thing is not working it may signal the buyer that the house has not been maintained well.
Again, ask your agent for feedback. They are the experts.
...and good luck...

Planning for a successful makover, clean and cozy space to gather

If you are going to make over a room, think about what you would use it for first.

This unattractive breakfast/family room was right next to the kitchen. The client never really ate breakfast here. But when she entertained the guest chose to linger about this room.

So the logical choice was to make a comfortable seating area near the window. The room was cleared, painted with zero VOC paint in a soft butter cream color.

Worn out, broken, and unusable furniture pieces were recycled at the local recycle station. Usable items were donated.

New items:
1. Two identical small convertible day sofas, with washable slip covers. The Sofa arms unfold to create more seating (or serve as extra beds) if needed.
2. Two drapery panels that can easily be removed and washed, drapery rod, and a small coffee table purchased at the the local discount stores.
3. 100% wool rug with natural dyes was purchased at a local store at a deep discount. It can be removed and washed with mild detergent, and dried. The color and textures can only improve with age.
Wool rugs are inherently stain resistant making them perfect for an accidental party spill.

Client's existing lamp was placed here for additional lighting in the evening. Her Moroccan brass tray was placed on top of the small coffee table to make a larger table space. Her textile art previously folded in a drawer was framed prominently to create visual interest and speak to her personality and style.  The kitchen peninsula counter is used as serving station for parties.

Total cost of this makeover was under $1500.

 This room is easy to clean, its is clutter-free and yet has all the elements that makes guests comfortable. They love to spend time in this room!

Got Cables? Got cable Clutter and Dust! 3 products that make gadget life easier

With the myriad of gadgets and computer accessories you use daily, you also get to deal with all the unsightly cable and the nasty dust.

I have some solutions for you:

1. Ikea has a $5 cable organizer (pictured below), that is easily transportable and actually hides your cables it may not be the most attractive, but it really helps with the cable mess.

 2.Kangaroom 3-Pod recharger cost about $45 and can house 3 IPODs.The devices plug into a power strip in the attractive bamboo box.

front with sliding door

back side for access to the power strip

3. Another cable organizer from IKEA cost about $10. It can be mounted on the wall. The lid minimizes dust collection on your cables. So naturally I like this the best.






When shopping for cable management products, pay attention to the size of the product and if it can accommodate your needs.


The goal is to minimize cable clutter and dust collection on the floor and your desk. Less sneezing while you clean!

6 tips to maximize small spaces

I chose to live in a small house because it is easier to keep clean. Space and storage is always an issue and a compromise has to be made whenever something new comes in. It means something old has to move around or OUT.

Here are some tips to maximize your space and minimize compromises, at least to some degree:

1. Mount your flat screen TV on the wall. Above a credenza, or a fireplace or on the stairway wall are some options. Be sure that it is not in a traffic area, or you will be watching your kids pass by more than the program on TV.

2. Built-in shelves and storage on walls save a lot of space. Elevate the storage to maximize floor space below for tables and movables storage.




3. If you are building new or remodeling, choose wide/large flooring planks that cover vertically from the entrance and continue to adjoining rooms. Visually this creates a sense of continuation and spaciousness.

4. Pocket doors are great for small spaces, they can be retrofitted in existing walls as long as there are no electrical plugs, outlets, thermostats boxes already in the wall cavity.

5. Multifunctional furnishings not only save space but also money. Look for trunks that can double up as coffee tables or additional seating, or ottoman with storage that can serve as a coffee table.

6. Potted plants are wonderful to have, but make it an edible plant.  An herb garden near your kitchen can be grown indoors all year long and they smell wonderful too while they provide greenery.

What does your living room say about you?

Many of us make the TV the focal point on our living room. What does that say about you?

" I love TV!" that is fine if that is true about you.

If not, reorient the furniture to focus on a beautiful view from a window, the fireplace, or an art collection.

A sofa or two chairs looking out a window into your garden can be relaxing to you and your visitors.

Your fireplace mantel can host a few of your favorite objects. Even in summer tha firebox can be soothing with a few burnign candles.

If you make your art collection a focal point, group them in odd numbers. Use various sizes to create balance or create a complete symmetry by grouping objects on a wall. 

Use one main neutral color, add a secondary complementary color, and finally a touch of surprising red, green or purple.

A good interior designer will take advantage of the pieces you already own and incorporates them into your environment. So be sure to show everything to your designer if you hire one.

Taking advantage of the beautiful view of the garden

After all, a living room may be the first impression about you and your family. If watching TV is not all you are about, turn things around!

kids bedroom- storage ideas to keep it neat and clean

Kids need to play and explore to develop their imagination.
But teaching them about organization at an early age will help them set limits, show dicipline and be more responsible for their space.

Giving kids proper storage makes this task easier. But it also makes their space clutter-free and provides more space to enjoy and play. It also makes the space safe while they play.

Closed bins, shelves, and cabinets help minimize surfaces where dust can accumulate and spread in the air later. It is easier to dust the top of lids than to dust or individual items.
As the result you will benefit from the air quality which can eliminate health problems such as allergies and asthma.
Here are some storage ideas that look great and keep the room organized and minimize collection of dust collection:

1. Ready to use shelves and bins that can be color-coded are great for toys, accessories, clothing, school supplies, etc. 

 This is available through Pottery Barns Kids.

2. Install shelving with uniform/ see-through bins

create a calm and organized look. Items that are used frequently are stored at lower level.   

A simple shelving sustem can be obtained at your favorite hardware store. Usually require a small set of tools to install and cost less than ready-made systems. Look for variety of bins and baskets at stores that specialize in space organization products such as the Container Store.

Or you can purchase modules that fit together to form a unit:

these modular systems with variety of modules are available through the Container Store.

3. Cabinets with cubbies can separate books, accessories, and toys, open or closed they look nice and neat.

4. Good old toy chests have always been a great tool to organize and can be used as a bench if they are low enough.

 

This toy chest/bench is available through IKEA.

eliminate, organize, breathe easier, save time

 We all have things that we hold dear and can't let go of. When we accumulate too much they won't let go of us!
Yes, clutter can hold you back, pull you down, and sometimes make you sick.
If you are sick of your clutter it is time to get hold of reality.

I get called to organize peoples homes, garages, kids rooms, living rooms, you name it.
But when it comes to compromise, I get this: " but I love that" so I give them this: "take a picture of it, file it on your computer under -stuff i love- and let them go to a good home where they may even be used some day.

Here are some tips on how to organize your room:
1. start in small manageable areas. Feeling good about an accomplishment will make you want to do more.

Attack a closet or small room in the house where things are to be used regularly. Take everything out and pile them in 3 categories:

a. " I will use four times a year or less" --- move these out of here to a garage or storage. But keep them in a box labeled and easy to find again: " Christmas", "picnic", etc.

" I will use this at least once a month": Keep these in your closet. Create or invest in some shelving system and boxes to keep these organized. (confession: I am a big fan of IKEA! affordable and good looking storage solutions and available online.)

"I will never use this": if the item is useful, donate it. If the item is broken, can it be recycled?
If the item truly belongs to the garbage, then that is where it will go.
The goal is to end up with 2/3 of what you started.

A clutter free area means less dust and prettier to look at. But more importantly it saves time, it is easier to find things.
Pick an area today and plan your attack!

Clutter-free, allergy-free bedroom

This bedroom was designed to eliminate dust and allergens, but to create the comfort you experience at a resort hotel room.

Floating bedside tables, allow for easy vacuuming and wood headboard is easily dusted.
Intentionally minimized table top surfaces to avoid clutter of un-necessary objects. 
The custom wood trunk not only hides extra pillows and blankets, it keeps them dust-free for when they are needed. 

Custom carpentry by Mike Fair.