Home staging with a decorated theme demonstrates to the visitors that this house has been cherished and it should inspire anyone that enters. The designer touch for resale property enhancements is the focus of Phase 2. Your competition is not only the model homes designed to lure but also the professionally decorated staged homes in your area.
There is a reason model homes are so impressive the moment you walk inside. Someone was paid to design the house in a way that evokes such emotion. When a home is properly staged, simply walking in can revitalize the spirit. A room should "feel" as good as it looks.
Interior design has always played an important role in real estate, the residential building industry and now previously owned home for resale business. The goal is simple: to seduce a potential buyer into believing they cannot live without the house-no matter what the cost.
Phase 2 of the home staging process, we will be showing you the how to create the details of a decorated home no matter what your budget may be. We have added some of our favorite shopping links to help make your home staging experience easy and fast. Go ahead and take a peak right now if you must but you are not quite ready to purchase yet until you visit and read all the members pages. Lets begin!
How to create overall themes such as:
Coastal, shabby chic style...flea market finds!
What makes this look so appealing? It is easy on the eyes and men as well as women feel welcome. Everyone can relate to the casual lifestyle and will find it inviting enough to move right in and get away from their stressful lives. There is nothing demanding about the colors as well as the style. If this style appeals to you, it is very easy to achieve. You don't have to be a professional painter or decorator to create this look...you just need to love to do things yourself. Many times you will find pieces that do not need painting at all because they have already been painted by someone else...perfect! Throw it into the mix and see what happens. Following are some methods to achieve this look...
Paint your walls in light pastel washes (dilute the flat paint with 25% water and use a rag to smear the paint around after you roll it on). Aqua is delicious with all the accents in blues such as turquoise, teal, sky blue, and navy with painted white furniture as seen in this picture.
Paint your moldings white. We chose this photo as an example because everything here is a flea market furnishing painted all the same off white. It is a mix and match approach to decorating that is quick and full of surprises when it all comes together and just about everyone likes it.
If you currently have darker furniture such as oak, you can sand it lightly and primer, paint and lightly sand the edges and this look can be yours. If you do not have pieces that you can paint, hit the yard sales and flea markets to pick up inexpensive pieces to paint. No one notices that the pieces actually don't match. Then go through each room and paint, paint, paint.
White slipcovers and bed coverings in quilts and cotton comforters are also very inexpensive and easy. We have included some links for you to explore and order directly from our site so you can save time and money. Check out www.slipcovers.com for easy shopping and they will ship to your door.
Scarves, placemats, and cloth napkins in different prints but in the same color way (different shades of blue, different shades of reds, etc.) make easy pillows and seat cushions. There is a stitch tape that is so easy to use that you do not need a needle and thread to sew these adorable accessories. You can even make valances with fabric napkins turned to look like diamonds and a little Velcro.
Stay away from the ruffles with this look. You want to achieve an ease of living and ruffles are work!
Cotton area rugs help complete the eye flow in a room if you can find them near the color of the walls.
If your cabinets are boring or worn, I would paint those too with a bolder pastel tone than the walls.
Vertical Blinds do not blend with this look so if you have them...take them down and replace with ready-made shears on the windows or cotton panels with tabs.
A leaf stencil in one of the bathrooms on the wall would be fun and unexpected. Use a color on the color schemer that is next to your color scheme such as: blue...go lavender. If your color scheme is in the yellows, use oranges, etc.
If you have a boring room like the den or guest room, putting up 4x8 panels of lattice on the one wall and weave some ivy into it.
Change out your light fixtures. Chrome bath fixtures are generally ugly so find a metal finish in a style you like, primer with "Kilz" and paint them white. Light iron chandeliers and wall sconces work in any color. Table lamps can be wrought iron but you do not need to paint them because some black accents are nice and anchor the tables.
Wrought iron headboards are good and wrought iron drapery rods work well too.
Small containers of all sizes and shapes from around the house or yard sales can be painted in light colors. Terracotta pots can be painted white and small silk flowers like geraniums add focal points.
What is fun about this style of interior is you can paint sticks and it is going to look good. Take some branches from a tree, cover them with a white spray paint and set them in a tall container for the dining room table or the living room cocktail table.
Wall Hangings can be anything from plates, beach scenes, painted empty frames, metal objects such as a bicycle, large clocks, etc. You can do something as simple as painted from dark backgrounds and bold primary colors.
The Eclectic Collector...a No No!
As you can see by this picture, this homeowner brings everything home that they fall in love with. Rich in stories and history, this collector is casual and artistic. Don't be afraid of pattern and colors in small spaces. We are very forgiving with this personality because the stories behind the objects add value to the space itself. However, a little rustic goes a long way here. The makeshift fireplace is an eye sore and takes away from the quality and charm surrounding it. We do not just want to show you rooms that are correct and beautiful...we also want to point out common mistakes people make that many times get overlooked. We want to be able to see the way others see when looking at a space for the first time and by doing this, you will begin to train your eyes to sort out the good and the bad and do something about it.
This collector has been adding objects for a long time and there are too many layers. We would pull everything out of the room and leave the area rug where it is.
The walls are faux painted and look nice and aged so we'll leave that alone.
Since the fireplace is closed, we would place the partition in front of the fireplace.
Bring back the white chair and set it facing the fireplace on an angle with a table next to it. The artsy pillow looks great right where it is.
Every object that is in front of the fireplace would be taken out completely and not returned.
The art that is on the walls are fine.
The bookshelves look too cramped so I would not return those either.
I would set a few books on the lamp table with a candle and tea service for one.
The room would take on a cozy retreat to be enjoyed by one or two people in the evenings or on a rainy day by adding another chair from another room.
The buffet behind the white chair against the wall would be a wonderful place to store a few books and art objects inside as well as the mantel flowers and accessories on the top.
What to do with Trendy, Mod, and Following a Fad
Don't freak out! This can be a very nice room when recovered. I would highly recommend to this homeowner to repaint the walls a cream.
Recover the partition in a plaid print incorporating the turquoise and add the same print as pillows on the chair.
We would put a contrasting solid fabric as a topper on the round table and replace the accessories with a large bouquet of flowers and cream candles.
We're not sure what this room is used for, I would set a function as a sitting room off the master bedroom so leaving the swaged fabric would make sense then.
Add a large area rug to cover the massive amount of yellow green flooring like a nice creamy cable or Berber weave.
If you have a room such as this, it needs to be toned down. You can bring the style back in once you have moved.
