How many of you read BC Home Magazine?? It’s free and you can pick it up at your local paint stores, supermarkets, decorating stores, home reno stores etc…..

Just thought you would be interested to know that,  The House Dressing Company is featured in October’s issue!!! We are very excited and proud to have the opportunity to share our decorating story with the community! The condo that is featured is a vacation getaway for out-of-town owners and we had complete free rein to create a cozy, contemporary and comfortable living space. This condo has a breathtaking view of the water, the sky and mount baker and we wanted to completely capture this in the decor. Some of you might know already…….this condo is at The Pier in Sidney. We were so fortunate to have an amazing space to work with that had simple, clean lines, an open floor plan, over sized windows and neutral finishes. This is a designer’s dream!

I have uploaded the entire article for you to see, however the print may be a bit small to read – so you may want to refer to this link for the complete online digital edition. It’s very fun to use…Give it a try!

http://www.myvirtualpaper.com/doc/BCHome/bchome_oct09_cwm54518/2009102801/

We had such an amazing time furnishing and decorating this beautiful condo. I hope that you have enjoyed reading the article and are inspired as well as have learned some great design tips! Don’t forget, we are always here to help with your own design challenges. No project is too big or too small!

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy week and a wonderful day tomorrow celebrating Remembrance Day.

The home itself had great bones and some great key pieces of furniture and art work. All it needed was some accessories, splash of colour, and some minor furniture shifts. Initially we went to the clients home and had a really thorough look around and took lots of photos. We got a feeling for the space and proceeded to jot down some ideas and thoughts. We wanted to use as much original art and accessories as possible from the homeowner. After all, this is their home and its important to utilize these memorable possessions!

Lets discuss the entrance way first since this is the room/area where people will see right away. You never get a second chance to make a first impression! So your entry should be very pleasing and friendly! This area is fairly long and narrow, so naturally we wanted to put down a really cozy, colorful runner. Already the space looked great! We changed the mirror above the small table to achieve some cohesiveness between the woods. The picture beside the door was great except, we felt a series of two would compliment the shape of the space better. We also added a neutral cushion to the chair  and some greenery on the table to inject some life and freshness! I’m really happy with the way this turned out!

Hallway Before

Hallway After

The kitchen is probably the room where we added the least amount of change. Typically you do not want to over clutter your kitchen counter tops, so a minimalistic approach is far better! In this case we added a great iron wall hanging above the eating bar to add some visual interest to the vacant space. The photo of the tulips on the adjacent wall adds the pop of colour that is always so welcoming! On the counter tops we just added some vases with bright coloured flowers to compliment the photo on the wall. We also rearranged some of the small appliances so they would be hidden and out of the direct eye sight of people walking in.

Kitchen Before

Kitchen After

Next, lets move on to the dining room. This space transformation is my favourite! One major change is – We chose to remove the tall buffet and hutch from the long wall and move it to the smaller wall. You’re probably thinking “that doesn’t make much sense”.  In this situation the larger wall was actually feeling overpowered by the large furniture piece. By removing this big item and putting it on a less prominent wall, it actually created a much more airy, open feeling. The radiator unit also was quite visible and also needed to be addressed. We placed an over sized textured basket in front of the infrequently used unit with a whole bunch of thick greenery stalks sticking out. This definitely allows your eye to focus on more pleasing items. By added floating shelves on the large wall, the feeling of the room automatically became calming and 10 times BIGGER! We had a lot of fun accessorizing the shelves with the home owners collectibles, flowers, photos and decorative items. Wall photos were also rearranged and rehung in this space to complete the NEW look! Oh and I can’t forget the beautiful bowl and runner down the table. What a great way to add colour and interest to your dining table!

Dining Room Before

Dining Room After

Moving on to the Living Room. This was another fantastic transformation! There was some great elements to work with in this room. Large Windows, Neutral coloured furniture and a large fireplace. We injected some major colour into the space that brought it alive! First we started with the fireplace…..and brought in a colourful canvas print of Italy. We simply leaned it on the mantle and placed some white decorative candle stick holders beside to anchor the print. In order to have the colourful print feel as though it belongs, we also injected some more colour with the help of an amazing area rug. The texture, pattern and colour of this rug is definitely the focal point of this room! We chose coordinating pillows to use on the sofas and a warm, textured cream throw to complete the look. We also changed the lamps in this room to provide a more modern, airy look. As you will see in the photos there was a long, low table off to one side of the room which we wanted to re-purpose in the space. We decided to keep the table and create a focal point around it. By doing this we added 3 identical baskets underneath to house books, magazines etc…..We took a mirror from the entrance downstairs and rehung it above the table off to one side. A large textured, creamy vase now sits on top of the table with some other decorative items such as picture frames, sculptures and flowers. The mirror also creates more light and visual space in the room while reflecting the the elements from the outside window indoors! A large, over sized cream bowl piled with textured and grass balls completes this amazing look!

Living Room Before

Living Room After

The main bathroom didn’t need much attention, just a few accessories and a new white shower curtain. We hung a beach themed print, added some fresh white towels and a fresh white bathmat. The glass vase in the corner is filled with sand, rocks and curly white twigs. Use your imagination and have some fun with different elements! This bathroom is left feeling very fresh and soothing!

Before & After

The Master Bedroom also did not need much. The feeling was already quite beachy, so we decided to play on that theme! We added another large canvas print above the bed to anchor the furniture – acting like a headboard. We  took an existing, slender folding table from another area in the house and used it as another surface do display accessories. In the corner of the room we filled a glass vase with curly white twigs to add some visual interest on the other side of the room. Some greenery on the bedside table really brightened up the room! A great idea is to also place a throw at the end of your bed – adds to the completeness of the bedding ensemble.

Bedroom Before

Bedroom After

This transformation was such fun for us to do. We love being creative and most importantly having the homeowner love their NEW home! If you are thinking about staging your home for resale or just simply want a fresh new look……….give us a call! We would be happy to help.

When you decide to sell your home, since you want it to sell quickly and for the highest price possible, the best way to sell anything is to make your product stand out above all others in your market.

“Coldwell Banker Realty tracked 2,772 properties, ranging in price from $229,000 (U.S.) to $4.8 million, in eight major U.S. cities. It found that while the average home was on the market for nearly 31 days, the typical staged home sold in just under 14 days. And while the average home sold for a mere 1.6% over the seller’s asking price, the staged homes went for a hefty 6.3% more.”

If you are looking to get started try these 5 tips to begin the staging process of your home.

1. First Impressions are key.

You have a very small window of opportunity to impress your buyer.  Making your home look cared for with extra detail will make it memorable.  Consider your front door area outside and inside.  Firstly, clear any clutter outside such as dead planters or recycle bins etc and replace with a fresh new flowering pot or two.  This will instantly score you points with a manicured look.  Secondly, a good sweep or hosing down the stairs or porch (power washing if you have the means) will freshen up the surfaces immensely.  Be sure to cut the grass, trim the hedges and rake those leaves.  If your front door or the surfaces in this area need a paint touch up this is the place to spend some time as it will really be noticed here.  On the inside of the door, wisk away any everyday clutter and place either a fresh healthy plant inside the door or a simple bouquet of fresh or silk flowers on a small entry table.  If you haven’t a table, a larger sized plant can rest on the floor,  brightening a corner while welcoming your potential buyers.  If you have a blank wall a piece of art or a nice print would be perfect here.  Your first impression will now be maximized.

2. De-Cluttering is mandatory!

This not only makes your home appear larger but it allows the buyer to see the actual space.  I have been in some homes that are so filled with stuff you can’t see the walls or find the doorways! I felt rather trapped.  And get this, they were trying to sell it furnished!! I can’t impress this enough. Removing as much as you can from each and every single room is the leading factor in presenting your home for sale successfully.  This can be an overwhelming task, so much so, that some people just can’t be bothered to move houses for all the stuff they have accumulated.  What I suggest is starting room by room with a garbage bag and tossing anything that you can that is broken, trash, old magazines, or not useful.  Then pass thru with another bag for the thrift store and toss anything that you don’t use, don’t love, or that doesn’t fit with your style or your needs.  Your plan B here is to place it in a bag for either consignment or ebay.  Once this is done pass thru with a moving box and pack what you won’t use for now, leaving the bare essentials and a few decorative items.   Aaaaaah….. now the space should be looking pretty good.

3. De-personalizing a must!

This allows the buyer to better imagine themselves living in the home without seeing photos of you looking back at them implying that this is someone elses home vs potentially theirs.  This means that now you need to remove all your family photos and those items that make the home looked too lived in.   This includes personal achievement trophies & plaques, posters, personal products in bathrooms, clothing kept to a minimum in closets, and your kitchen counter favourites like vinegar & oils and spices that clutter the counter.  This may seem a little impersonal for a home everyday but imagine arriving to your hotel room to check in and finding photos of the last guests in picture frames around the room- it wouldn’t feel like your very own room for the night.

4. Re-think Furniture placement

Each room in your home should be purposed accordingly.  What I mean by this is that if you have a 2 bedroom home but use one for a craft room I would recommend setting up the 2nd room to be a bedroom as you will reflect a much greater value and a higher asking price with a 2 bedroom vs a 1 bedroom.  If you leave the 2nd room as a craft room buyers will only remember seeing 1 bedroom and most likely write you off as a contender. This is also true when you are short a room like an eating area.  Some homes only have a counter bar & a distant formal dining area-this can be a draw back for young families who want to sit at a table for dinner everyday.  You can create an area to house even the smallest table and a couple of chairs by eliminating another piece of furniture (say you had a love seat and a sofa- you could switch to a love seat and a side chair). This re-purposes the area and will better suit the needs of a family.  Also be sure to review the amount and the placement of furnishings in each room.  Over crowded rooms make them seem smaller, and misplaced furniture can interfere with traffic flow thru the space.  An example is where you have the main flow cut thru a conversation area.  If you can create a traffic flow that goes around the grouping this would feel much better especially if you were the one trying to relax in this area.  If you are unsure, always get a 2nd opinion and walk thru the space as though you were seeing it for the 1st time to see how it feels.  Finally be sure to highlight key features in each room, and make sure they are not obscured by plants or furnishings such as your fireplace- some people put an array of plants in front of the opening seasonally-fine for your decorative purposes but again the buyer could be looking for a fireplace in a home and it can be easily missed if hidden vs highlighted.

5. Clean, Clean, Clean!

Make sure your home is spic and span!  A properly staged home should be immaculate!  Get to the nitty gritty even with Q-Tips, getting dead flies out of your windowsill and scrubbing in places you might not do every cleaning like baseboards.  Making it presentable is a top priority but even more importantly this gives the buyer a better sense that the home is sound and is in top condition all around without hidden problems (of course one should never camouflage any major  problems which of course must be repaired, not masked) . Fresh air can also be overlooked so be sure that your home is pleasant smelling vs carrying odours from your last meal or your 3 cats and the litter box!  This can be a real turn off.  Air out all the rooms while allowing some windows to provide constant fresh air.  On the other hand don’t use offensive scented plug-in products or sprays- go as natural as possible.

Now if all this has you flying into a tizzy don’t panic!  Our trained expert Helen McIntyre is at your disposal and would be happy to visit your home and assist you with further ideas and suggestions for this daunting process making it a little easier and making your staging project a success.  Our fees are reasonable and well worth what you will gain in the final purchase price of your home.

If you are going to tackle this yourself just remember that anything is possible if you set your intention clearly ie “get the most for my home by making it irresistible” or “sell my home in record time by doing everything that it takes to make it desirable”.  Then make a list of everything that will make your home more appealing and get to work on the list.

My motto is “If there’s a will, there’s a way”!  Take a peek at this video segment I did for Shaw TV here in Victoria for some inspiration.

Happy staging!