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#designertips: How to update your beige home with grey

by Filed Under: decorating, design, tips

Grey is in and is still going strong for over 10 years now.
But trends in our area usually pick up later and even new construction is not always updated. Beige walls, warm earthy colors, travertine floors and splashes and very creamy whites on the woodwork and that many would wish they could change to embrace the grey but they don’t know how to do it without having to invest in all new furniture, decor, etc. So what do you do if it is all beige and want to go grey?

1. The easiest way is to start adding grey in small doses. Grey accents are not going to make it all grey but, they are going to update your decor.


2. Find a fabric, rug or art that combines both grey and beige and pull out your color scheme from there by repeating the colors throughout your room.

3. Metallic accents, glass, mirror are all in and they are going to help updating your color palette.
4. Are you ready to paint but you are not sure a cool grey will work well with beige? You are right – it wont! Grey will most often read blue near peachy, fleshy tones. Your option is to go with a warmer grey. If you don’t want to go as dark as the purple grey Dovetail from Sherwin Williams is you can try a softer grey like Revere Pewter from Benjamin Moore ( even though I have to say I saw this one read blue in some situations) Or even better go with Sherwin Williams’ Accessible Beige – it is not a true gray but will definitely make the beige look updated.

Another thing that will update a beige interior is adding large scale pattern in black and white like the rug below

How to avoid Selling Mistakes (even in a Hot Real Estate Market)

by Filed Under: home stager, home staging, tips

Can anyone mess up their sale in a hot real estate market? The answer is yes!
Even though the real estate market is showing signs of improvement in this spring market and the inventory is low there are a few mistakes a home seller should avoid if they want to sell fast and more profitable. If you want to have several buyers bidding for your house, follow these easy steps and sell your home fast and for more money:

1. Price it Right

Yes, the market may seem hot but and pricing your home too high may get you burned. While the inventory is low and the current market resembles a “sellers market” high pricing for condition and location may make your property become “that one” that sits on the market and makes home buyers think “there must be something wrong”.

2. Prepare and Showcase your home

When selling your home – no matter if the market is hot or not, it is important to look at it objectively, through the eyes of a critical home buyer. Identify the potential negative issues buyers may have and correcting them through prep work or staging. Identify the positive features, the selling points and show them off. Create emotional connections through the home so the potential buyers can envision themselves living there.

Don’t forget the curb appeal and that includes the backyard too especially during the spring/summer months when everyone’s attention shifts to the outdoor spaces.

Home staging is designed to increase the selling price and reduce the amount of time the house stays on the market. Having your home professionally staged in will bring out multiple offers.

3. Have Great Marketing Photos

Home buyers start their search for their new home online and having lousy pictures of your home won’t help driving more foot through the door. Your house should be at it’s best on photo day and phone photos really shouldn’t be allowed!

4. Give space to your potential home buyers

Now that you have prepared and showcased your home for a faster, more profitable sale and your marketing is in place allow your potential buyers to view your house and Give them Space to envision themselves  living in your house.

Try to be flexible and allow showings when needed. It is tough and emotional draining to have the constant visitor in your home but if the first 3 steps are in place you will start getting offers really soon. Also, work with your home stager. She/he will be able to help you keep organized and on top the things so that the hassle of showing your home at about any time will be minimized.

5. Don’t Hide Issues from the buyers

Sometimes when a seller is a hurry to sell is tempted to hide issues like the leak in the roof or the crack in the foundation. The problem is that these things come up during the inspection and at a hefty price! The potential buyer may back up their offer or ask you to cover the costs to fix the problem adding an extra 10%  to cover any other issues they may think were not disclosed.

6. Don’t go at it alone

Last but not least, find a good realtor. Ask your friends or relatives for recommendations, conduct interviews, see if you are on the same page. But keep in mind they know what and for how much is selling in your area and have the connections necessary to market your home better.

If you want to sell your home for top dollar you need to use all the marketing available to you: work with a professional home stager to wisely chose the improvements that will get you the best return on investment and showcase the property in it’s best light possible, have a great online presentation, public open houses, etc. The more people see your house and go WOW the better your chances are  for selling it.

Curb Appeal Matters

by Filed Under: staged to sell, tips

You have only one chance to make a first impression. And the first impression is usually a lasting one. If your home doesn’t look good from the outside, buyers are going to believe it is not well maintained and the inside doesn’t look good either. They will not click on your online listing to see the interior photos or they’ll just drive away.

Traditional Exterior by Tampa Photographers Mina Brinkey

1. Clear the clutter

  • Keep grass mowed and edges trimmed regularly
  • Remove and replace any dead or dying shrubs
  • Consider removing or trimming any excess large trees or shrubs, especially those blocking the windows
  • Weed yard and garden
  • Remove plant debris
  • Remove and store garden equipment, kids’ toys, etc
  • Hide trash cans out of view
  • Keep driveway clear of extra cars during showings. (park down the street)
  • Remove excess clutter from garage and neaten it up
  • Wrap up your hose or hide it altogether in a hose storage pot or wheel
  • Remove excess furnishings from front porches, decks and patios to create spaciousness
Traditional Patio by Tarrytown Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers Westover Landscape Design, Inc.

2. Clean

  • Remove mildew and cobwebs from eaves and lighting fixtures
  • Power wash any mildew off house, walkway, front door area, patio/deck, awnings, and driveway
  • Clean windows, front door glass, outdoor lights
  • Clean garage floor
  • Clean pool, hot tub, or any other water features
  • In fall, rake the leafs

3. Repair

  • Paint exterior if needed
  • Re-paint trim
  • Paint or stain the deck
  • Repair or repaint front door
  • Polish door fixtures, numbers, mailbox, light fixtures
  • Remove or replace unattractive awnings
  • Replace burned out bulbs
  • Repair or replace broken garage or shed doors
  • Align downspouts with gutters
  • Repair cracks in foundation, sidewalks
  • Repair or replace broken deck or fence slats
  • Repair or replace any other broken or worn items
Traditional Landscape by Newmarket Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers Woodburn & Company Landscape Architecture, LLC

4. Small changes that that bring the “WOW” factor

  • Paint the front door a contrasting color to the house such as red, black, etc. This is one place where it’s OK to use a bright color when selling your home.
  • Paint the garage door
  • Update mailbox, house numbers and front door lighting fixtures
  • If you have a porch consider adding a bench or chairs and a small table
  • Add or replace doormat
  • Update lighting fixtures on walkways, pool area, patios, decks
  • Update the planters
  • Add color using pots with flowers
  • Plant flowers in the front and back yards – flowers do wonders!
  • Add fresh mulch to the flower and shrub beds to provide contrast and a neat look
  • Add shutters or window flower boxes to accent windows

    • Tips on How to Choose and Hang Artwork – part 1

    by Filed Under: decor, tips

    Having beautiful artwork pieces or family pictures is something that most of us enjoy but many times we are worried about choosing the right art and where to hang it on the wall. And then there are those who have no idea their pictures are not hung properly.

    Here are some helpful tips to eliminate the second guessing on how high a picture should be hung.

    1. As a generally rule of thumb, pictures should be hung at eye level of an average person, and while is hard to get it right in every case it is a good guideline to keep in mind.

    Contemporary Dining Room by Nashville Interior Designers & Decorators Beckwith Interiors

    If there’s a grouping of pictures always look at the grouping as a whole.

    2. Relate to the size of the wall.
    Choose smaller pictures for narrow walls and larger works for big wall spaces. A rule of thumb is to have the art fill two-thirds to three-quarters of the wall. For contemporary art, size matters: bigger is better to maximize impact.

    Modern Living Room by Denver Architects & Building Designers Nest Architectural Design, Inc.

    3. The height at which art has to be hung should relate to the height of the furniture and not be hung too high. One of the most common mistakes is hanging art too high and when there is grouping to far one from another. Keeping the bottom edge of the frame 6-12 inches above the furniture piece should do it.

    Midcentury Dining Room by Dallas Media & Bloggers Sarah Greenman

    4. The width of a piece of art or group of pictures should be a at 3/5 the length of the piece of furniture it is hanging over, and should not be wider than the width of the furniture it is hanging over. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule but usually it looks like the art is overpowering the furniture and the whole room.

    Contemporary Living Room by Houston Interior Designers & Decorators Purdy Designs LLC

    If hanging two or more pictures next to each other, the ideal spacing is 3 to 4 inches between them but no more than 8 inches.

    5. To make it easier to hang a grouping of pictures side by side evenly you can use a laser level. A laser level will make things easier but it is also important to take in consideration the frames and where they have their hooks and/or wires.

    Beach Style Living Room by Naples Architects & Building Designers Kukk Architecture & Design P.A.
    Award Winning Interior Design Firm

    Reimagine Interior Design Awards