Simple switch makes a difference in your home

Here is a simple decorating tip to make your room look more professionally decorated:


Make sure the switch plates blend with your paint color.


This picture is of "what not to do".





When switch plates are a contrasting color (like above) they are more noticeable. They add an extra visual element to the room - aka clutter.


Solution: Paint or cover the plates to blend in. It is a simple switch (pun intended) that will make a difference in your home.

Decorating question from my mailbox.

Here is a question I recently received:

Is the hardwood floor supposed to match your kitchen cabinets ?

My answer:

I usually don't care for hardwood in the kitchen. Kitchen floors get really dirty. Being able to use a really wet soapy mop and strong cleaners are often necessary. Hardwood floors usually can't take that. The wood warps and discolors. I prefer ceramic tile. If you do really want hardwood floors in your kitchen I would go with contrasting, not matching.

Here are some photos:

Don't you think contrasting looks better? I think it is more interesting to look at.






If you have a question, sent it in! I would love to hear from you.

Bright colors do not sell

I have been quite busy lately with Home Staging Consultations. It seems that homeowners whose houses have been on the market since this summer are starting to panic.

"Why is my house still on the market? " they ask.

One of the most common problems is bright or dark color paint.

Quite simply: Buyers don't like dark and bright paint.

Here is an example:



Now maybe the Real Estate agent did tell the homeowner to paint the room and declutter but maybe not. The house will have a hard time selling with a room like this. Yes, this is a real house on the market currently right in my neck of the woods.

Personalize Your Home

I think graphic lettering is very cool. A quick decorating idea to personalize your home is to display an extra large letter, your initials, or even a short word. How simple is that!

You can find letters at flea markets and even on e-bay. New letters can be easily ordered too.
Have FUN with it...(hey - there is a good word right there - FUN!)

The "Benefit" of Beautiful Art

The above images is actually made up of tiny self portraits. They are placed together in this collage or mosaic. The image is of the Cooper Shop on the Roycroft Campus - a national historic landmark. The art is sold as a fundraiser to help with restoration efforts.

I have a self portrait in this image and so does my oldest son. We spend hours looking at all the great tiny pictures. Did you make a self portrait? Are you in here too?

Here is the link to learn more about this art and purchase a copy:

http://www.facesofbuffalo.com/roycroft.htm

Have warm colors "chilled" ? Are cool colors "hot"?

We have been decorating with warm colors for a few years now. Depending on your area of the country, some color trends change faster than others. Where I live (western new york state), we are still decorating in a warm color palette (tans, beige, golds, sage greens, rusty reds) but I am starting to see signs that warm colors are evolving into cooler colors.

Just recently a client ask me to help them pick out a dusty cool blue paint color. I was showing another couple two different rugs for their living room - one was cool and one was warm. They specifically said "We want the cool colors because we see warm colors everywhere. We want to be different" .





One more sign of change is I just read an article in "House and Garden" about Gwyneth Paltrow's house. In this article Ms. Paltrow states" I like cool, neutral colors. I don't like warm colors for my house. I think a cool palette is more serene"

I'll keep you posted as the trend becomes more fixed.

A realtor that throws up...

OK - he/she did not really vomit but they did just throw up a listing onto the MLS without really caring what it looks like. This person is a lazy realtor. Think how much better the first impression of this house would be if the realtor did not just get up from the table and snap the photos.





And also image how nice this table would look with nothing on it but a simple beautiful centerpiece rather than listing contracts.

Remember first impressions count.