Red Door DesignWorks

On the Market!: Our client's Colonial Victorian

2012-02-04T07:16:00.000-05:00

We worked on a interior redesign previously in this room. Still looks great for staging!

We were excited to get called back last week to stage a previous interior redesign client's house. Originally, we worked with her on the main living spaces in her house: living and dining, with some consult in the front hall.

Our client had a huge collection of beautiful landscape paintings created by a family member, as well as a number of unique antique furnishings that she wanted to highlight.

In the living room, we made the key decision to bring in a bright, red rug and remove an oversized chair that was complicating traffic and furniture flow. These two things completed, the rest of the job fell into place well.

We spent a significant portion of time deciding where and how to hang art. Because she had so much, we created a number of groupings. These can take some time: first, you have the determine the pictures that go well together, then decide their arrangement. Previous posts on our blog have addressed artwork. Check 'em out!

Removing a bookcase from the wall between the door and the closet made a big difference.

For this client's staging, we walked through the entire house, making recommendations on what furniture should be removed to highlight room size and features. We also rearranged some bedroom furnishings and consulted on artwork during the walk-through.

Some large bookcases had to go into storage; they were too distracting to the eye in a couple of important rooms (namely upstairs hall and master bedroom--an important room to a home sale). The kitchen got a new paint job. We selected a color that kept it light, bright, and relatively neutral, but dovetailed well with existing colors in the adjacent dining, living and hall.

The original kitchen color was a washed-out yellow. We chose a shade with more depth,
that enlivened the space and better complemented the adjacent green
and purple of the main living areas.

Probably the biggest "bang" came from moving a large area rug into the attic to define a home office area, which previously had the feel of an abandoned corner. Adding the rug anchored the space, gave it color and definition. Our client and her realtor both loved the effect. In fact, our client believes "This is what's gonna sell the house!"

The area rug announces "Home Office."

The client kicked it into high gear to do all the work herself and with her partner in the five days between our consult and when the house was listed. We did recommend the assistance of interior movers, who helped her with some furniture removal and rearranging. That is often money very well spent!

To see all the pictures of the listing, visit realtor Judy Weinberg online.

Home Staging Before-and-After

2012-01-30T18:41:00.001-05:00

It is remarkable the difference optimally placed furniture can make to the presentation of a home. For sale, in particular, it is very important to have walkways accessible -- that includes entryways into rooms. We frequently run into backs of sofas when we are doing our first walk-through of homes about to go on the market. That is because the sofa is often oriented toward a television, which is completely understandable. It makes good sense when you are living in a home day-to-day! For staging, however, it's more important to have the grand entrance into the room.

See the pictures below for a good illustration of what a key change creating an easy entryway can be:

Before--Beautiful fireplace, but no way to approach it! Notice the maze of chairs and tables.

After--By swinging the sofa to an interior wall, and using the remaining furniture in better locations, we have put the focus where it belongs: the fireplace.

Before--In the original layout, the view of the striking staircase was also obscured by the floating sofa.

After--With the sofa moved, we were able to create a landing area at the base of the stairs, and a nice transitional space between rooms.

Final Project Report

2011-06-20T06:33:00.002-04:00

The foyer below didn't do justice to this beautiful family room,

which awaited around the corner. We got to work to set that right!

A couple of entries ago, we talked about our search for a round rug for a client's entry. We found a nice one and had her cut it down to a size that was practical for the space--it needed to define a small "roundish" area, yet not encroach into the adjacent hallway. Here is a before-and-after of that effort, as well as some others from the rest of the house, where we used as much of the client's own furnishings as possible to create a cohesive style and color palette throughout the downstairs.:

Entry-before.

Entry-after. Custom-cut rug, occasional table
with frames, and photo wall personalize the space.

Formal living room-before.

Formal living room-after. Addition of custom drapery,
pillows, new lighting and mirror elevate the room.

Dining room-before.

Dining room-after. Addition of custom drapery and glass
shelves in end cabinets add polish and functionality.

Family room-before. Tired, faded furniture was set at
an awkward angle. Red color scheme competed
with blues in front living room and dining room.

Family room-after. Harmonization of color scheme through use
of leather sofa and arm chairs from other rooms, arranged
in a better layout for the room. Custom drapery and pillows, new rug,
new lamp finish the look by adding touches of blue
and yellow that reflect the front rooms.

Office-before.

Office-after. Addition of more functional furniture,
as well as custom drapery and an animal-print rug
add sophistication and masculinity to a room that
needed to flow with the rest of the home.

Online shopping

2011-01-31T11:37:00.003-05:00

Shopping for deals is one of our main design missions. You don't need to spend a wad of dough to get a great look. For most primary furniture pieces (sofa, chair, table, ottoman, coffee table, etc.), there are multiple versions of the same style out in the marketplace, at a variety of prices.

One of the best ways we've found of quickly finding products online is to use Google Images. Typically, the most difficult part of the search is figuring out the best keywords for a product. Here's a good "for instance"...

We have a client who emailed us this picture and said the item cost $995:

She wanted to spend $99.95. What could we find?

We started by typing "chrome and leather bench" into Google Images. That produced a wide variety of results, from motorcycles to machine-riveted metal parts to antique chairs. In the mix were a few benches similar to this one, and they all had the word "X" in their description.

So, a revised search with "chrome x bench" had us off and running. We also searched for "chrome x ottoman," because one person's "bench" is another person's "ottoman."

In our experience, we typically encounter three types of search results:

1. retail stores

2. consolidator/importers with links to overseas plants wanting to sell in quantities of 1,000 or more

3. "trade only" or "designer only" stores

If you find a site that won't reveal the price of the item, move on. It's either a #2 or a #3.

For our client's bench, above, here's what we ended up submitting as options. Our approach, knowing we were constrained by price, was to take her initial image as a rough guideline. When money is a constraint, flexibility is a must.

1. Rustic, but very cool: http://www.overstock.com/Worldstock-Fair-Trade/Woven-Leather-and-Iron-Bench-India/4186090/product.html?rcmndsrc=2#custreviews

2. Closer to your price point but kind of heavy-handed: http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Black-Leather-X-Bench/3955171/product.html

3. Buy 2 and do a little d-i-y distressed-chrome base finish: http://www.target.com/X-Bench-Ottoman/dp/B0035DYTOC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&searchView=grid5&keywords=x%20bench&fromGsearch=true&sr=1-1&qid=1296488889&rh=&searchRank=target104545&id=X-Bench%20Ottoman&node=1038576%7C1287991011&searchSize=30&searchPage=1&searchNodeID=1038576%7C1287991011&searchBinNameList=subjectbin%2Cprice%2Ctarget_com_primary_color-bin%2Ctarget_com_size-bin%2Ctarget_com_brand-bin&frombrowse=0

4. Comes in brown or white: http://ambfurniture.com/catalog/Brown-leather-like-vinyl-ottoman-with-chrome-metal-frame-p-23081.html

5. Like this one. Repro of classic Barcelona bench: http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Eames-Era-Barcelona-Ottoman-Stool-Black-Leather-/190490609872?pt=US_Chairs&hash=item2c5a2008d0

6. Even cheaper: http://cgi.ebay.com/Mies-Van-der-rohe-Barcelona-Pavilion-Ottoman-Few-Colors-/280605138053?pt=US_Chairs&var=&hash=item870b873682#ht_1662wt_952

7. Different direction, but totally awesome: http://www.wisteria.com/Linen-Tufted-French-Bench/productinfo/W4021/

We can't wait to see what she thinks!

Semi-custom rugs

2011-01-18T13:29:00.004-05:00

We are working with a client who needs a 5'3" round rug in her foyer. We've measured and re-measured the spot multiple times, always in the hope we would finally discover that the standard 6' round would fit. But, alas, no!

This space needs a 5'3" round rug, to prevent it from encroaching into
the hallway. Once the rug is installed, we will remove the current furnishings
and replace them with a large round, granite table with a wrought-iron
base. We can place family photos, decorative accents and a flower
arrangement on the new table.

For a while, we were a little stuck as to what to do. A full-on custom designed and fabricated rug was unrealistic for the budget. We kept finding large rectangular rugs with great colors and patterns for her space--a traditional Persian-style rug looked the most appropriate. None of them came in 5'3" rounds.

Then it occurred to us: we could buy a larger rug and have it cut down. We called a local rug store and asked them how much it would cost to cut and bind a rectangular rug into a circle. The price tag of $75 was great news. All we needed to do was find a rectangular rug that would look okay when cut down.

That part was trickier than we had imagined. Many traditional rectangular rugs have a wide print border, which is a different pattern from the middle. For instance:

Ballard Designs Mason Rug

Also of note is the challenge of working with the interior pattern, which because of its orientation or design elements could look strange presented inside a circle.

We had to find a traditional, rectangular rug with an interior pattern that could hold up once it was cut out of the main rug and bound into a circle. After searching through hundreds of rugs, we found one to present to our client. We're now waiting to see if she likes it. If so, it's off to the cutting machine for that big rug. Now, what to do with the scrap pieces....

Put a little Zen in your life

2010-05-18T09:10:00.001-04:00

My bedroom was feeling “busy.” I wanted it to feel like a place of peace and tranquility, but it wasn’t quite there. After removing some items from the tops of my dressers, it felt better--but the room needed something else to quiet it.

I wanted something to remind me to slow down and be in the moment.

Then, I thought of the Buddha. The symbol of the Buddha has represented to me the idea of peace, gratitude and wisdom. I decided to embark on finding a small statue to put in my room. My travels led me to Target to find a great little statue.

For a small price, it finished the room.

Each Buddha statue has its own meaning, depending on the position of the hands. I believe my Buddha symbolizes wisdom. It also reminds me to breathe, stay in the moment and enjoy the simple pleasures of life.

Your bedroom should be a place of tranquility and relaxation. Is there something simple you can add to your bedroom (or take away) to help create this environment?

Consulting on a kitchen

2010-05-02T15:23:00.000-04:00

One of our current projects is serving as consultants on a low-budget kitchen remodel. Our client and her husband want to use as much of their existing items as possible, and plan to do all of the work themselves. She has hired us to give feedback and guidance on her design plan.

By the time she brought us in, our client had a general idea of the final look for her kitchen. She had pulled inspiration images from magazines, and she had a good understanding of her style: farmhouse. She sought our help with making specific choices on paint colors, countertop and tile finish, how to handle existing cabinetry, flooring and lighting.

The project is fun for us, as we've both approached our own kitchen face-lifts from a budget-minded perspective. Working with what we already have and updating it, or bringing in new items with an eye to uncovering amazing prices and innovative material usage--these are challenges we relish.

At this point in our consultation with our client, we have given her three paint color options for her existing cabinetry. We've given her some parameters for finding tile and lighting that will be both functional and appropriate to her style. We've talked with her about how to better use existing storage, so she can remove unnecessary furniture pieces from her space.

She plans to touch base with us again, once she has does some of her own research and decision-making. We will keep you posted!

Great time to buy or sell!

2010-04-22T16:15:00.002-04:00

Time is running out to take advantage of the first time homebuyer credit! For those who qualify, a first purchase of a home prior to April 30th, 2010, can result in a credit of up to $8000 (see http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=215791,00.html).

Additionally, if you are considering putting your home on the market, this may be the time. There are highly motivated buyers hoping to take advantage of this credit. In some markets, with inventory low and many buyers, this can result in bidding wars and offer-prices over asking.

Even in a hot market like this, it is still important to have your house market-ready. First impressions go a long way to generating buyer enthusiasm and garnering top asking price!

As we always suggest, have your home free of clutter and remove big furniture items. This creates the sense of greater square footage and gives larger walkways for all of the buyers that will be walking through your home. Create a sense of cohesiveness with your color palette so shoppers will be drawn from one room to the next. And most important, with the nice weather here, the exterior of your home should be impeccable. Have planters on your front steps, the grass mowed and bushes and trees manicured and mulched.

Fun kid storage

2010-04-15T10:48:00.003-04:00

We just completed a great job for a client who wanted to integrate family heirloom antiques into her modern, kid-friendly decor. During our work with her, we encountered this great product she'd purchased for the playroom:

Behold, Boon's Animal Bag! We love it--seating and plush toy storage all in one. This fits right in with our continual efforts to streamline the amount of furniture in rooms, keep them family-friendly and functional.

Check it out here.

Fashion, fabulous fashion!

2010-03-09T12:08:00.002-05:00

This week I got a stunning Anthropologie catalog in the mail. First, I love that store for its feminine, modern fashion--both for the body and the home. But this catalog is like a piece of art.

I marvel at the fact that it arrived perfectly free, right in my mailbox.

The fashion photoshoot was done in a lush, jungle setting. The sense of place conveyed in the photos is amazing. And the models, their outfits, their hair--everything--is artistic and enchanted.

There is a small section of the catalog devoted to jewelry. It is arranged atop intricately folded paper, made to look like plants. I really can't imagine how long it took to conceive and execute this beautiful catalog.

When I think about interiors, I often think about fashion. Both are visual representations of a creative inspiration. In the home, there are many elements you can use for expression that are the same as those in fashion--color, textiles, form, fit, pattern.

Your interior look is achieved as a result of combining these many elements into a vision that expresses your personality and personal aesthetic. The sky is the limit...have fun and express yourself!

http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/category.jsp?popId=CLOTHES&navAction=jump&id=CLOTHES-CATALOG4

Come see us at the Arlington Home Show Expo!

2010-03-04T22:17:00.000-05:00

We've been invited to participate in the Arlington Home Show Expo this Saturday, March 6. It's at Arlington Town Hall from 11 to 3, and admission is free. We're going to have a little table, and around 1:30 we're giving a presentation about Using Color in Your Home. Come out and see us!

More on colors!

2010-03-03T09:00:00.000-05:00

This week we had the opportunity to provide a color consultation on several rooms in a townhouse west of Boston. The homeowner had moved into her unit that was already painted in neutrals, such as beige and yellow. While some of her color palette was in the earth tones, many of her furnishings and art had a modern feel and a citrus-bright color story.

Before calling us in to consult, the client was considering painting her living room walls white. She had run this idea by a friend who had told her it was "too plain." After considering her space and belongings, we agreed with the client's initial impulse and provided her with a tinted white color scheme.

Some of the colors we chose for the home included: Benjamin Moore's China White, Celery Salt, November Rain and White Dove. We also recommended Super White for all of the trim work in her home.

With these suggestions, we hoped to support the modern feel of her home, while providing warmth and depth to her space.

Field Report: Interior Decorating Consult

2010-02-24T11:11:00.003-05:00

Recently we had a fun appointment with a client west of Boston. She brought us in to consult on a design plan for a library/den. In order to determine the best furnishings for the room, we spoke in depth about the room's functionality.

Our client had many great ideas for how the room could be used: reading, playing games, Web surfing, studying and relaxing. After looking around her house, we realized many of those activities were already taking place in other areas. Rather than try to design the library so that it could accomodate all these functions, we worked with her to enhance the usage of the spaces in the home that were already serving these needs.

For instance, there was already a computer at a desk in the kitchen. We interviewed all family members to see how that area might better meet each of their technology needs. One person wanted a more comfortable chair; another needed access to a printer; a third offered to add their laptop to the computing area. This great collaboration alleviated the need for a computer in the library.

Ideally, we would have the library be a cozy, intimate room for reading and relaxing. By incoporating everyone's voice into the process, it was a way to figure out how to achieve this, and how to rejuvenate the other spaces in the house for their originally envisioned function.

Field Report: Home Staging Consult

2010-01-31T19:41:00.000-05:00

Friday we had a great staging consult with a seller who plans to list her property in March. Her house is a traditional Cape that felt spacious despite measuring less than 1,000 square feet.

Our first impression was that we needed to create a little curb appeal by adding a third exterior paint color to shutters and front door. Additionally, the entrance needed more presence, which we thought could be easily achieved by the addition of tall evergreen planters flanking the front porch.

The first interior impression in this house was the large living room. We were able to make use of the sellers great art collection and accent furniture to create a sitting area that welcomed shoppers and illustrated how user-friendly the room would be for a young family.

After talking with the listing agent about how to best utilize the four bedrooms, we settled on staging three as bedrooms, and the creation of a home office in the fourth. Fortunately, the homeowner had an entire home office setup, although she is going to have to round up a bed to stage the third bedroom (which had been used as a TV den). Keeping the TV den seemed redundant in such a small house with a living room that could easily accommodate a television.

Pretty much all the interior walls were plain white. We advised the seller to paint all but the kitchen and two bathrooms a nice, warm beige--a great, neutral color that should work well with most shoppers' furniture. The kitchens and bathrooms all had black/white/gray tile and fixtures, so we selected a nice blue-grey to complement and enliven those rooms.

Can't wait to see the listing in March. Will post here when it's available!

Undecorating

2010-01-15T10:21:00.000-05:00

Post-holiday and look at the house!

If you are like us, all the wonder and excitement at decorating for the holidays drains away come early January and leaves a wake of work in its stead. The time comes to put away the decorations for another year.

In some houses, furniture gets moved back to its customary location and the standard objects like picture frames and knick-knacks regain their rightful place.

Why not mix it up a bit?!

We were talking just the other day about how both of us use this time to cast a fresh eye onto our living space. It's a fun time to do a little "spring clean" mid-winter. We also appraise if we like the way our furniture is arranged, and if we really want to keep all the little decorations in their same location.

A freshen-up inside can really boost the mood!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-06T20:56:00.001-05:00

How exhilarating to be standing at the starting line of a new decade! What will the 10s usher in to home design? We can't wait to find out!

As we look forward to lots of great new trends, colors and interior decor products, we paused to take stock of the past. Each of us has a soft spot for a "retro" color that still looks fresh and funky today. Curious about what those might be? Here's what Andrea has to say...

My new favorite color to decorate with is avocado green. I love it for its bold, bright modern flavor, yet its ability to work with an organic style. It’s the color of choice for my dining room walls, however I love using it as an accent in decorating. My favorite color pairings for avocado green? Brown and orange.

And guess what Allison's top retro color selection just happens to be? Orange!

That's right...You know that 70s style—appliances and tile in the decade’s hallmark colors of brown, yellow, orange or avocado green. Well, they’re back! At least, in our worlds. These are fun, earthy colors that definitely have a place in today’s modern home. (We love this photo of products from Amenity Home, which illustrates how the retro palette lends so much fun, modern funk to today's interior decor.)

Organization with kids. Is the impossible...possible?

2009-12-11T09:12:00.000-05:00

If your kids are in school, your family is probably blessed with a multitude of artwork and worksheets coming home daily. While many of these items are treasures to be displayed, others may not quite make the cut. Here are some solutions to help manage the plethora of paperwork.

Make an art gallery. One of the most gratifying ways for everyone in the family to admire and display works of kid art and artistry is on a gallery wall. We have frames in our playroom that are rotating art shows. If you have a child who is more of a sculptor than a print artist, consider adding some shadow boxes or wall shelves to the mix--they are perfect for displaying 3-dimensional creations.

Create a zone for each child. Give each child a bulletin board in the kitchen. On this board, they can hang any item they adore. When the bulletin board is filled, each child can place items that must come down off the board into a basket of artwork in his or her room. And when that is filled, you make one of two choices for the contents: into the recycle bin or into an heirloom box for the extra special pieces.

It must be saved! For those extra special treasures, we like this idea for creating an heirloom box for each child: have your children decorate their own large cardboard box from IKEA. In that box, we keep all of the really fabulous items that must be passed along in the future, such as first drawings, first report cards or anything that tugs at your heartstrings.

It must go! So, there are things that just don’t merit display or long-term storage. In our houses, it is usually the kids' worksheets or doodles. To manage the piles of paper, we have an "art basket" in our kitchen. All of this type of work goes into the kitchen art basket. The basket gets filled for two weeks, until recycle day. If the kids haven’t gone back to the item to look for it, then it leaves on the recycle truck. To minimize anxiety over a completely empty art basket, we always leave a few of the most recent items in the basket.

In short, we definitely believe that with a little effort and kid cooperation, your home can both support your kids’ love of creativity and be a place of adult sanity.

Why white is wonderful

2009-12-07T17:07:00.002-05:00

White is a great non-color. It is crisp, clean and so modern. It gives a room an airy and bright quality. And, yes, it goes with everything.

Yet, despite its beauty, white gets a bad rap. People argue it shows all the dirt; it is not a “forgiving color.” We are both mothers who have small children. They love to eat snacks in front of the television and put the shoes on the furniture, so we appreciate this argument against white. This is what we have to say to it: BLEACH!

In my home, I have two white upholstered chairs. Fortunately, they are also slip-covered. In the event of an untimely spill, off the covers go and into the laundry with some bleach. And guess what, they come out looking better than they did before!

New house, old furniture. Can it work?

2009-12-05T10:32:00.003-05:00

There's a common theme we encounter in both staging and interior decorating: how to use existing furniture in a new space. Usually, there's a frustrating problem with our clients' furniture: it wasn't bought for the house where it needs to live. Some design psychology: the problem is usually not the furniture. More often, it's the "move-in mindset." And it happens to everyone.

When taking furniture from an old house to a new house, the urge is to keep furniture, art and accessories in their previous groupings. By nature, we get locked into thinking about our furnishings "going together" in a certain way. Moving into a new space is an opportunity to mix things up--and, quite honestly, it's also a mandate to mix things up. Reality is that your current arrangement of furnishings likely will not continue to work in new rooms of different shape and geographic orientation.

Here are three simple steps to establishing a great look in your new place with all the same, old stuff:
1. For each room, determine it's optimal function for your family (ignore how the space was being used by the previous owners).
2. Look at each piece of your furniture, art and decorative accessory as a stand-alone item. Forget about how or where it was used in your previous space. Make no assumptions about how it should be used in your new space.
3. Clearly determined room functionality + innovative use of available furnishings=great new spaces. Combine your items to support your new ways of living in your new space.

One very important side-note: color scheme. In a previous post we talked about determining your color scheme. Starting off fresh in a new space is the perfect opportunity to assert your color scheme throughout all your rooms. Be selective about which of your art and decorative accessories you use. And never let the previous tenant's color choices determine your color scheme! Painting a room is relatively fast and inexpensive, so paint over wall colors that aren't perfect for you. Rather than "working around" existing carpets or wallpaper in the new space that don't support your color scheme, remove them. Although doing this work may mean spending some extra dollars during the move, using the previous tenant's choices of these key visual items can completely derail your decorating process and prevent your new space from feeling like the great new home you want it to be. And, remember: paint and elbow grease are much cheaper than buying new things!

Layering for the winter

2009-12-01T09:15:00.009-05:00

As you add clothing layers to keep warm for the colder weather, why not do the same for your home? While we love a minimal look, we also love the idea of “layering”: adding upon what you already have to bring a sense of warmth and coziness to your home. It is during these months of spending much more time indoors that we need our home to truly be a place of comfort.

So, where to begin? Let’s start with your windows. We tend to use lighter, more breathable materials on our windows during the warmer months. Instead of taking them down, simply add a heavier panel onto the same rod, perhaps something in wool that will give your windows some more weight (and insulation).

For your coffee table, add some magazines, a bowl and a candle. Your couch can also reflect a layered look..adorn your seating with a throw and extra pillows.

Layering can even be achieved on the floor. One of our favorite ways of upping the design ante in a room is to layer rugs. If you have wall-to-wall carpeting, don't hesitate to put an area rug down over it. The same principle applies for placing a small area rug atop a larger one. By doing this, you add new color and dimension to your room.

Project Runway and... Red Door DesignWorks??

2009-11-22T20:37:00.001-05:00

Both of us love to watch Project Runway! With last week's Season Finale showing the final three designers in their homes, sewing and designing away in anticipation of the final runway show, we were struck by some similarities between their creative processes and ours.

One thing that was fun to observe was the difference in the designers' own wardrobe and the ones they were creating for the runway. One designer's passion for evening wear and dresses was barely hinted at in her own style--often pants or jeans and edgy boots and tops. When asked about the runway collection she was designing, she described drawing inspiration from gothic architecture.

It reminded us of how we work--drawing inspiration from things that surround us...Nature. Children. Catalogs. Magazines. Trips into Boston and other cities. Homes we visit. And also, how our final products have a "look," but it's not necessarily the same one that we have in our own homes. It's a look that we arrive at through collaboration with our clients, the architecture and feel of their space, and our own inspirations--each interior a custom fit for its unique inhabitant.

Yep, we're ALREADY decorating for the holidays!

2009-11-10T19:22:00.013-05:00

With Halloween behind us, the spooky decorations have come down and the festive holiday décor must go up! We are always looking for something interesting beyond the traditional garland and wreaths. Here are a few family-friendly, re-use/recycle ideas that we love this year:

Tomato Cage Trees
We saw a version of this at Lowe's and couldn't resist it. Take the tomato cage you've used all summer long and invert it into a large, outdoor pot. Place plastic garland along the base of the cage to mimic the look of a tree skirt. Decorate with lights and weather-proof "ornaments"--gourds, bird houses, and yard trinkets come to mind. See what you have and get creative. If you're placing on a covered porch where weather is less of a concern, the sky's the limit!

Magazine Paper Chains
This is a fun activity to involve the kids and a great way to show Mother Earth some love. You know all those magazines and catalogs you were going to recycle? Let your kids tear or cut out the pages of the images they like and use them to make paper chains. Cut the pages into inch-wide strips and group them into similar color themes (or for a more eclectic look, mix up the colors). Then, get your glue stick or stapler ready and get to work. These chains can be used on your tree, stair banister, or around doorways. Have fun!

Toilet Paper Roll Wreaths
Thanks to our friend Kree for this wacky and irresistable idea! Start collecting your empty toilet paper rolls. Once you have a good collection (at least 30 rolls), have your kids paint each roll. With this, you can either go for a color theme or just go crazy with color. After all the rolls have been painted and dried, cut a wreath shape out of sturdy cardboard. Cover the front of the cardboard with spray adhesive. Take your rolls and begin to attach them to the cardboard. Once you have created a base layer, begin to lay a second layer of rolls using the adhesive. To finish off your wreath in grand style, apply a homemade bow--and don't forget to hang it on your front door!

Happy holiday decorating...

We just love to unify the color scheme!

2009-11-02T12:33:00.003-05:00

When we talk to sellers and realtors about our staging strategy, and when we work in clients' interiors, at some point the conversation always gets around to "unifying the color scheme." This is our way of saying: pick 3 or 4 main colors and use them throughout every room.

With interior redecorating and decorating, frequently our clients have a cohesive color scheme buried deep within many, many colors at use in their home. To figure out which 3 or 4 colors will become the main scheme, we do some investigating. Which piece of art do they just love? Is there a pillowcase, napkin, or even a shirt, they're drawn to? Are any of their wall colors painted in a color they chose and like?

Usually a theme starts to emerge. There are a handful of main color schemes we run across again and again: sea colors (green/blue/white/grey/tan), neutrals (beige, white, grey, black, silver), earth tones (red, brown, yellow, orange) and brights (pink, yellow, lime, purple, teal, red). Do you know which group makes you feel great? This is YOUR color scheme!

So, down to the work of "unifying" it within your home. First, edit out the items that do not reinforce your color scheme. If you are squarely in the earth tones, take the aqua and the purple quilted pillow off your sofa! The fun thing about working in a client's house (versus staging, where we often bring in the color scheme through our own accessories) is the process of discovering everything that comes out of closets and basements in support of the color scheme. And every time, we hear "I'm so glad to have this [insert name of treasured item here] out--I just love this and never knew what to do with it!"

Weaving the colors throughout your house will give you a cohesive look. If there are 3 or 4 main colors we're working with, we "up the levels" of each color in a different way in each room. For instance, if we're working with a sea palette of green, white, blue and tan, we might accessories intensively with blue in the kitchen, then work with both blue and green in the dining room, and combine all the colors in the living room. This gives each room a unique character, while keeping the color scheme consistent and easy to look at throughout the house. (See photos below for example of how to alter color levels within different rooms of the same home.)

This strategy is effective with paint colors, as well. If you are someone who is drawn to color on the walls, restrict yourself to a range of complimentary colors within your palette and thread them throughout your house. It's about commitment and faith in the fabulousness of the end result--as much as you may love red, if you want a serene interior and you are working with sea tones, resist the urge to paint your half-bath red!

Also, choose which way to go with wall colors--either use your walls to express your color scheme, and keep furnishings and accessories neutral (white, off white, brown, black) or paint walls in light, neutral tones that support the furnishings and accessories in your color scheme.

Happy "unification"!

Getting the hang of hanging art

2009-10-26T11:12:00.008-04:00

One of the things we've found that makes a huge difference to the look of a room is its artwork. Well-selected artwork can announce the color scheme of your room and reflect your personal style. Because its selection and placement is so important, we always hang or re-hang client artwork as our final step. We want to get all other room elements in place, then get the art in the best spot.

Two common missteps we've encountered are: artw hung in the wrong orientation, and art hung at the wrong height. Our rule of thumb is to fill as much of a horizontal space as possible with a piece of art, thus making it a focal point. Unless you are hanging art above furniture, the middle of the art (or grouping of art) should be at eye level of a 5'6" person.

Speaking of groupings, we love to group art. It's a fun way to get more bang from your pieces, and make a color or thematic statement. The space between each piece should be the same. When arranging a group, hang the middle piece and work out from there. Keys to a successful grouping, or any piece of art hung on a wall, is staying mindful of the colors and how they interact with your room (this includes frame color). A fun website that simplifies the process of hanging groups of art is http://www.thepicturewallcompany.com/.

For families with kid art, hanging them together, gallery style, can look great in a hallway or on an ENTIRE wall of the main living space. We've also had fun using non-traditional items as "artwork"-in one instance, tribal masks and woven food rolling mats. In another, pottery and a piece of hammered metal.

(Credit to Country Living Oct 2009 for this beautiful photo.)

Talking to realtors about staging

2009-10-21T13:08:00.003-04:00

Yesterday we visited with about 30 realtors at the Winchester office of Coldwell-Banker. When we were trying to figure out what would be useful information to provide them, one thing that came up was how affordable staging can be. We hear from realtors and homeowners, both, that their impression of staging is that it's a big to-do, involving lots of furniture rental and thousands of dollars. We've recently done some jobs where all we did was walk through the client's house and advise them on what to do to stage their home. For an hour of our time, they get advice on how to stage every room with what they already own. That service costs $100. If sellers decide to bring us in to do the staging work, with their help we could get an average-sized home staged for around $500, without any furniture rental. Our philosophy is to use what the homeowners have, and to create a look that is a little bit eclectic, a little bit modern and always simple. We want the house to look spacious, well cared-for and easy to move into. We think of it as staging in the real world, rather than the big productions you see on the TV reality shows about staging. We've yet to rip out a countertop or replace a floor!