Interior Redesign and Home Staging Blog

DaVinci Designer Gallery launches a new presentation “The Psychology of Home Staging”

Home stager, Maureen Reddy, of DaVinci Designer Gallery has created a keynote presentation that delves into the psychology behind home staging. This program, geared toward Realtors, explains the success of home staging from a human behavioral standpoint.

The presentation unites the understanding of preferred environments with the principles of sales in order to account for the home staging industry’s positive outcomes. The Realtor is provided with the psychological “how and whys” of home staging, the concepts of visual presentations translating into dollars, preferred environments, and one’s identity with products.

Maureen Reddy, has a vast and varied background in the worlds of
advertising, visual merchandising, interior design, and home staging.
The 20+ years of experience in these venues afforded her a pool of
information with which to draw conclusions, formulate statistics, and
provide information on successful sales.

This unprecedented presentation allows Realtors to extracted relevant
information that they can use to educate clients, provide quick and
profitable sales, and forecast their own sales achievement.

“This 30 minute program develops the Realtors understanding of home staging psychology and how it directly relates to sales. It is imperative that the real estate sales force is aware of how environment drives human behaviors.” says Reddy

Showcasing your Business with Showhouse Marketing

From Concept to Creation

Showhouse Marketing

Growing a business takes creative marketing geared to building credibility for your business.  One Day Decorating Alumni are encouraged to spread their net far and wide to create as much buzz about their business as possible. A powerful way to move your business to the top of the pack is to have your work featured in a charity showhouse event.

This is a prestigious honor featuring the best of the best and an opportunity to receive a great deal of PR. Recently, One Day Decorating Alumni, Paula Henry, President of Simply Put Interiors, in Baltimore, MD, was invited to design the Master Bedroom for the Historic Ellicott City Decorator Show House. Paula, a member of The SDP, provides a full range of decorating services and is a frequent guest on local TV providing decorating tips and tricks.

Paula was one of many, invited to view the house, built in 1752, and submit proposals for 3 rooms. The proposals included a general concept for the space, color palettes and furniture choices.  Once selected by a committee, decorator were assigned a room and had two weeks to submit detailed design boards for final approval by committee and home owners. Paula’s plan, Suite Retreat, was a committee favorite. Paula wanted the space to embody the age and country setting of the home, including a nature inspired color palette to bring the outdoors in.  The bed, designed by Paula, was custom built around a salvaged window and reclaimed white oak from a 100 year old barn. Surrounding the bed was a decorative paint finish of a tone on tone stripe with a playful metallic leaf motif, created by decorative painter, Dee Cunningham.

Paula also joined forces with local interior decorator and window treatment expert, Kris Ozgar of Kris’ Kreations. Kris, another talented One Day Decorating Alumni, is the President of the Maryland Chapter of WCAA and member of The SDP and WFCP, frequently featured in local publications.  She was Paula’s obvious choice for custom window treatments and the headboard upholstery.

The pair met through One Day Decorating and have joined forces on many projects with the Historic Ellicott City Decorator Show House being the most recent. Kris painstakingly upholstered the headboard in a blue linen and fabricated relaxed Roman Shades with glass beads complimented by shimmery sheer panels based on Paula’s design. The panels presented their own set of challenges because the fabric (made of single strand threads) was very difficult to work with.   Of the many elements in the space, the work Kris did is receiving high reviews!  The real success is what happens after the fact.

Most everything in the room was purchased by either the homeowner or Showhouse attendees. And Paula’s phone has been ringing off the hook with eager potential clients. Paula and Kris will tell you not to be afraid to work with your peers and/or “competition.”  The results can be worthy of a Show House! For more information, contact Paula at paula@simplyputinteriors.com  or Kris at keokreations@aol.com

Accessories: A Room’s Finishing Touch

A house becomes a home when your personality is reflected in the décor. The best way to accomplish this is through accessories. Family photos, your mother’s teacups, and the ceramic box your daughter made in third grade-all of those cherished treasures deserve a special place in your home. How do you display accessories successfully? When I redesign a home, I keep several things in mind when arranging my clients’ accessories.

• Arrange accessories in odd-numbered groupings. On any surface such as a coffee table or chest of drawers, arrange accessories in groups of three, five, or even seven if the surface is large enough. One large-scale item, like a ceramic urn or pot, can also work well.
• Arrange accessories of varying heights in a pyramid or triangular shape. Use a tall item like a lamp, pillar candle or sculpture in the center. The next item should be approximately 2/3 the height of the tallest item. The last item should be about 1/3 the height of the tallest item. Boxes or books can be used to raise items to the desired height.
• Group like items together rather than scatter them throughout the room. Your collection of antique cameras, for example, will have more impact if you group them together in a bookcase. Try mixing in some old photographs or other related items to add interest and build on the theme. Collections of small items such as buttons or shells can be displayed in glass bowls or vases.
• Plants and flowers add life, color and texture to your groupings. If you have a green thumb, real plants are best, but high-quality silks work well also.
• Use platters, plates or trays to create backdrops for other accessories. This looks especially nice in china cabinets, bookcases, and that area above the kitchen cabinets.
• Use accessories to accentuate the theme or color in artwork. For example, a red vase placed in front of a painting will highlight the red found in that painting. Another example: Place an antique musical instrument alongside a painting with a musical theme.
• Large-scale rooms need large-scale accessories. Small items will just get lost in the room.
• Resist the urge to fill every inch of shelf or tabletop space. Leaving some “white space” will allow the eye to rest and also to focus on the accessories that are there.

Anna Jacoby

IRIS Certified Redesigner and Trainer

Anna Jacoby Interiors

www.AnnaJacobyInteriors.com

www.RedesignBusinessTraining.com

Phone/Fax 510-490-0379

Home Staging provides instant gratification for Boston Seller and Realtor

“As owner of DaVinci Designer Gallery, I has been successfully staging homes for over a decade, in the best of times….and, yes, the worst of times.

I want to give you, the sellers, a glimmer of hope and a bit of advice in these “worst of times”.

My staging project last week found me in Peabody at a quaint property with an aqua blue bathroom (shower, sink, and tub), cut up floor plan, steep stairway, and dysfunctional rooms.
After assessing the upgrades, formulating a plan, and scheduling the trades, we set off to work.
Several rooms were painted, a pass-through bedroom was refunctioned as a den, carpets were professionally cleaned, and our blue bathroom went bye-bye. The vanity and toilet were replaced and the tub was reglazed. Updated light fixtures were added throughout along with furnishings art, area rugs and window treatments. This project was completed in five days and just in the nick of time for the photo shoot.

Before the staging process, Realtor Jim Armstrong, of Armstrong Field Real Estate, Salem, MA  was considering putting this property on the market for $309,000. After the staging was completed Jim and the homeowners agreed that the asking price would be set at $339,000.

The home sold for full asking price at the first open house!!
That’s correct staged by Friday sold on Sunday!

For all the staging synics out there, here are the undisputable facts….

1) The Realtor provided the homeowner with a professional Home Staging report by DaVinci Designer Gallery in order to educate them on how to add value to the property.

2) The homeowners spent approximately 2% of the value of their home.

3) The homeowners enjoyed an approximate 500% return on their staging investment.

4) The homes’ visual presentation added to an immediate sale.

Sellers take note. With the vast inventory on the market you  need  to be a step above your competition. Have your home professionally staged allowing it to show its absolute best.

Realtors take note. Educate your clients on positive staging statistics. Visit staged properties and interview  local stagers to find the right one for your client.
 
Most importantly, in  these “worst” of times understand that staging sells a home quicker and for more money. Staging is an integral tool in a real estate sale.

Top Ten Decorating Tips

When asked for my best tips on decorating, I don’t hold my cards close to my chest.  Here are my top ten favorite tips, in no particular order:

1)      Trust your instincts!  If it doesn’t look right to you, change it.

2)      Never underestimate the power of really well-placed lighting.  And yes, there is such a thing as too much light.

3)      When you’re faced with a permanent design element that can’t be “fixed” without tearing out the walls, make it look like a design choice.  Green and pink tile in the bathroom?  Dive into the 50s!  Go retro to make it look like you meant it all along.

4)      Remember to hang your artwork higher in places where you stand and lower in rooms where you sit.  If you have to crane your neck to see it, it’s hung too high.

5)      A mirror can make or break a room.  Make sure it reflects something you want to see twice.

6)      Brightly colored accent pillows can wake up that beige couch and save you from design boredom.

7)      Suffering from a case of the sleek, industrial look?  Sure, it’s elegant and contemporary, but it’s also sometimes just plain cold. Be sure to add a natural element with texture to bring in some warmth and interest.  Try a sisal rug, a bamboo lamp, or a woven pillow.

8)      Be respectful – but never afraid – of color!

9)      It’s time to throw away those posters you had in college and invest in art.

10)  Bring in the green.  Strategically placed houseplants can instantly freshen a room.  Many of them can even stand up to a little neglect.  In exchange for a little water every week, plants do a world of good.

Dawn Bach Thurman

www.eyetoeyeinteriors.com

Harvest Home

I can’t really tell you why, but fall, or autumn if you will, is truly my favorite time of year. As sad as one is to see Summer fade into only a memory, the colors, scents and décor that come with the fall season seem to burst forth like no other, enveloping our homes with comforts calling families back inside once again.

The mere sight of all the colorful gourds and pumpkins this time of year send your mind reeling with all the wonderful vignettes that can be made both inside and out. When considering what to choose, start at the front door giving just a hint of what can be expected inside! By creating a welcoming wreath or swag on your door, then bringing some of those same materials and colors just inside the door on an entry table, you’ve give a cohesive look that starts a thread that can be woven throughout your décor.

When considering your fall decorating scheme, keep your colors, florals and accessories in the brown, gold, amber, green, pumpkin and burgundy families. This allows you to keep your décor fresh looking from September through November with little change, except for a few fun frightful Halloween accessories!

One of the best parts of fall is the return of Pumpkin EVERYTHING, but especially Pumpkin French Toast. This treasure is best had at the Boulders Resort Golden Door Spa in Carefree Arizona, but for those of you who can’t make it there; here is a quick and easy recipe for you to try at home. Alas, it’s not quite the same as The Boulders, but the smell of pumpkin wafting through the air on a Sunday morning is sure to bring the family together around the breakfast table.

BakingBits

Pumpkin French Toast

2 eggs

¼ cup canned pumpkin

½ cup light cream

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

1 tablespoon sugar

8 bread slices

Place all ingredients except bread slice into a blender and mix just until everything is combined. Pour mixture into a shallow pan. Dip bread slices into pumpkin mixture and place on buttered skillet until browned on both sides.

Fresh Look Interiors

The Staging & Redesign Academy

www.freshlookredesign.com

www.stagingandredesignacademy.com

847.370.8268