How To Help Your Home Sell

About to list your home for sale? You know it needs work, but you don't know where to start?
You can hire an Interior Designer.  Really we love to help people "Stage" their homes! 

Remember, this has been "Your Home",  so it is only natural that it is filled with family photos, children's artwork, and old memorabilia that you love.  Unfortunately, the potential buyer cannot see past those things when trying to envision their personal stuff in your space.  So that is where the staging comes in.

First of all you will be directed to clean up...and by that we mean take away most of the pictures, artwork and memorabilia.  Box it up and store it.  You will have to pack eventually, so why not start now.  Remove as much of the clutter as possible.  All those cute things on display on your shelves and counters...must be packed up.  Don't forget to label when you pack, so you know what is in those boxes!

The next thing to consider is the general shape of your house. The walls and the flooring set the overall tone of the home.

Does the paint look tired?  Are there cracks that are visible to the eye?  Will the colors in the home be difficult for most to work with?  If you have answered yes to any of these questions, you should find yourself an inexpensive painter, get some help in selecting the best color, and repaint!

If your carpet is simply dirty, then cleaning it might just be the solution! However, if the carpet is extremely old and worn, you will need to replace it. Select a neutral tone that is warm and inviting, and remember there are many inexpensive options to choose from.  If you have hardwood floors beneath that old carpeting you could consider removing it and leaving the wood exposed.  The wood might need to be lightly sanded and resurfaced to give it some life, but the result will be quite appealing to most!  

The only other area to think about is the correct placement of your furniture.  When Collaborate Design Studio stages a home, we often position furniture simply and cleanly.  We will sometimes ask a client to remove a piece that is too large or overpowering in the space.  But whenever we can, we simply shift things around to better utilize the space and help your home appeal to others.

How To Manage the Construction of a New Home

You've hired a reliable Builder and an outstanding Architect and are about to start the process to build that new dream home.  So now what? 

The architect will come up with a fabulous design that will meet your needs and design style and the builder will ensure that your home gets built to specifications and codes.  But what about the interior?  While the architect will design an amazing structure, he is not always considering the interior elements of your new home, such as the actual use of your space and interior details that may enhance your lifestyle.

Many hire an Interior Designer at the beginning of a project as well.  This way you can benefit from all your professionals working together for you!

Often elements, especially windows while aesthetically pleasing to the exterior architecture of the home, end up causing difficulty for interior use of space.  An Interior Designer will ensure that the architect creates interior spaces that are functional and that furniture will fit and good placement is possible.

Many finishes for this new home will have to be chosen.  Flooring, cabinets, doors, trim details, tile, lighting, plumbing, appliances, counter tops and paint colors will all have to be selected by you.  Your builder will need to know all these interior finishes in a timely manner in order to keep the job moving on schedule.  Your interior designer will help you make all of these selections and show you the complete picture, so that you will understand what the interior of your home will look like when completed.

If these elements are discussed at the onset and worked on throughout the process,  then the team of professionals you have hired will ensure your home is everything you dreamed of!

How to Keep Style Alive with Hand me Down Furniture

When talking style...we mentioned contemporary, traditional and transitional...but there are many other styles so do not feel pigeonholed into one.  You may want more of an Eclectic feel to your space.  In order to achieve this, you will need to combine antique with current, as well as a mix of contemporary and traditional styles.

Many of us get hand me downs in furniture and feel a little over our head when we try to incorporate the pieces that we grew up with and loved into our current lifestyle.  Don't worry, this is where we come in.  We do this all the time.  What better way to make your space as individual as you are simply by adding a blast from your past! 

Do not be afraid.  If we are talking about an upholstered piece, a trip to the re-upholsterer, usually does the trick.  Add in some fabulous fabric and now you have the Wow factor in that one little old piece!

If the piece you've been handed down is all wood, a trip to the finisher is all that takes... in a dynamic new finish that old table or wood chair becomes alive again! 

Everything old is new again! 

How to know what your "Style" is...

Often when one is shopping the question of style comes into the conversation.  The salesclerk in the store where you are searching for that perfect outfit, asks..."what's your style"?  And often times we have to stop and think "do we have a style" and "what is it"

For interiors there are many styles but those that quickly come to mind are Contemporary, Traditional and Transitional.

Usually when you are shown products or look at items in the store, you are attraced to certain items.  If you consider the things that appeal to you, you will realize your style.
Sometimes people seek different styles in clothing then they choose in home fashions, because they are more comfortable to show it but not wear it!

 When you meet with your designer for the first time, a visit to your home will take place.  During this visit, the designer will be talking to you and looking around to get a sense of your style. 
A good designer will develop your space based upon your style.

So let's discuss some of these "styles"

Contemporary furnishings are the cleanest. They have very little or no adornments and if there are details they are clean and simple.  Contemporary upholstery is usually low and straight.  The fabrics are more geometric and linear. 
Contemporary pieces can be placed into settings that are either sleek and cold, but they also work extremely well in a warmer environment.

Traditional is the opposite of contemporary...adorned pieces, intricate carvings, many levels of woods and finishes.   The upholstery is big and curvy, and the fabrics are detailed.
Traditional furniture when placed in a traditional environment keeps the feel extremely traditional but when the same pieces are placed within a cleaner backdrop the  environment becomes a little more subtle.

When we enjoy bits of contemporary and bits of traditional we then enter the Transitional style, which is exactly that...the transition between the two styles.  The mix of both contemporary and traditional pieces in one space can be very enlivening.  We place these components together with a mix of fabric and texture and the outcome for many is very comfortable.

Whether contemporary , traditional or transtitional, your space can be made to feel as casual or formal as you prefer. 

Stay tuned to more style conversation next time...ta ta for now