Fall Curb Appeal

 Home Staging

 

Now that the hot summer months are behind us your curb appeal will take on a whole new look to potential buyers.

 

Having your home on the market in autumn can be a great thing. For one thing, there’s less competition. It also puts you in the unique position to market your home as  the perfect place to bunker down when it’s cold outside. Even though fall buyers may be concentrating on the inside of your home, it’s not the time to neglect the outside of your home.

Here is a check list to review to make sure your homes curb appeal is still holding ground for your fall buyers.

 

• Fill in any bald spots or areas in your grass where it’s thinning
• Add mums or other fall plants to add color and interest to your landscape.
• Trim your shrubs and trees.
• Clear out all the summer clutter by storing or removing all summer lawn furniture
• Check your driveway. Does it need power washed or cracks filled in or resurfaced?
• Clean all gutters and downspouts and repair any leaks.
• Clean all windows and screens or even store the screens so the windows show better.
• Make sure all outdoor lighting is in working order and is highlighting the best features of your home.
• Take a good look at your front door. Does it need a fresh coat of paint? Hang a nice wreath with rich fall colors to invite your potential buyers in.
• Make sure your door bell is in working order and your house numbers are appealing and can be easily seen from passing traffic
• Check the street in front of your house for trash and unappealing litter
• Last but not least…take a good look at your mailbox. This is a relatively inexpensive item to update and makes a huge difference to potential buyers.

Spring Design Ideas

Seasonlizing Tips 

A New season is an indicator to give your home and your decorating style a bit of TLC. Treat your eyes to some quick changes that give your home a “space-lift” without breaking the bank.

Here are some Spring design ideas to inspire you

Force Branches

Nothing says Spring more than budding branches and tiny flowers. Take a walk in your yard and cut branches 12-36” long from your trees that are showing buds. Cut the bottom of the branch with a few upright slits to maximize their ability to take in water. Give the branches a good soak and then place in a vase and allow them to slowly unfurl their beautiful blossoms. Depending on the time of year, branches will take 1-3 weeks to completely open up but the entire process and sculptural beauty of the branches will be visually pleasing while you wait for the blooms.

Change your Area Rugs

Allow your home a chance to throw of its winter carpet for a lighter textural area rug. Whether it is sisal or a patterned textural carpet, add freshness with a new foundation for your space. Simply roll up the out of season carpet and store it, or take the opportunity to have it professionally cleaned until…sorry to tell you, but winter will be here again.

Drapery Panels

Fabric floating in the breeze is a sure sign spring has arrived. One of the first really nice days in Spring everyone will want to open up their windows and air out their homes that feel like they have been closed up for so long. One easy and eye pleasing idea is to consider changing out your heavy winter panels to lightweight fabrics like sheers, linen or soft cotton. This is a look that certainly says Spring has sprung.

Add Color in Unexpected Places

One area of our homes that gets neglected on space-lift is our bookcases and shelves, consider covering your books with color coordinated papers for a fresh look. Place in color blocks throughout the shelves. (Color blocking is grouping all the same colors together)

Picking the perfect paint colors for your home!

Picking the perfect Colors for Your Home

Color selection for your home can be overwhelming, more people are afraid of picking an interior paint color than they are about any other design choice.

My best advice for choosing color in your home is to find and inspiration. Find something that you love and let that guide you to the color palette of your spaces. Inspiration for each person can come in different ways. I will list a few ideas on how to find your inspiration.

·       Vacation destinations you love are wonderful inspiration when we are thinking color for our homes. Are you a beach bum, do you love the color of sand and the cool blue waters? Or do you love the Arizona sunsets and the warm colors of the landscape of the west?

·       Look for inspiration by taking yourself on a field trip. Visit local restaurants, commercial sites and other places where the color palette makes you happy. Make note of these hues.

·       Create a Style File, this is what I have a lot of my clients do to learn about what style and colors appeal to them. Clip photos from old magazines of not just rooms but nature or even a really great outfit. When you have collected several photos of things you love look at the similarities of the photos and colors you keep picking over and over.

·       Do you have a beautiful area rug or a piece of art or pottery in your home that you love? These pieces are great inspiration

·       Fabric stores are wonderful, I can waist an entire afternoon just looking and feeling all the different fabrics, look for the colors used in the fabric and find coordinating fabrics and make note of the colors you keep picking.

Once you have chosen your inspiration piece find a background color to use on your walls from your inspiration piece, then choice another color to use from your inspiration as an accent color, and then one more color to use a touch of in your space. Choosing three colors might seem overwhelming but remember color does not always mean paint color can be found in fabrics, artwork, or flooring. Find your inspiration and create beautiful rooms in your home.

Happy Painting!

Diane Agricola IDS ADE RESA

Top Ten Organizing Tips for 2013

Winter is the perfect time to re-organize your home and re-design your spaces. While the winter weather is keeping us inside, I want to share some great tips on sorting through our homes and organizing for the New Year. 

 

1.   Determine how you wish to use your spaces. How the spaces function is key. Do you need craft area or bar area?

2.   Sort, purge and donate piles should be made in each area you are organizing. If you have children’s items take them with you to donate unused items. This will help them learn to part with things.

3.   When doing closets take out everything, you need a completely empty closet to start. Only bring back into the closet what has been worn in the last year.

4.   Place all hangers the same direction then each time you wear something hang the hanger the other direction. In 6 months the hangers going the wrong way have not been worn and those items can be donated.

5.   The closets in your home should be bright and inviting. You should be able to see what you have in your closet, consider installing good lighting.

6.   Items that are only needed once a year, such as evening bags, and shoes should be stored on the highest shelves in the closet. Keep more frequently needed items at your fingertips.

7.   In the kitchen keep things that work together stored together, such as baking pans, electrical appliances, plastic containers (with Lids), pots and pans, and large platters and bowls.

8.   In the kitchen purchase some drawer dividers to keep utensils in order.

9.   Think about how your kitchen flows, place glasses near the sink or the refrigerator. Put snacks in convenient drawers or cabinets. For young children place pre-portioned baggies of their favorite healthy snacks were they can get to them.

10 Rotate food items in your pantry; create menus to use up items that are getting close to expiration date.

Now that you have gone through all the closets, pantry, garage, and cabinets you can feel good about what you have in your home and how you have helped others with what you have donated.

When your home only has what you need and what you love in it you will be able to see where maybe something is missing. Do you need more lamps, or new comfortable throws and pillows in your home? Now you can really get ready to Re-design your spaces in 2013.

Color of the year 2013 Emerald

Pantone’s Color of the year 2013 EMERALD

As a design professional I was thrilled to learn that Pantone's color of the year 2013 would be Emerald, a beautiful strong color that can be worked into our homes décor with bold splashes or with subtle touches.

Strength of the color Emerald is that greens tend to be calming and work really well in today’s open floor plans. Greens can range from tranquil to dramatic; the color Emerald depending on how you choose to use it, will give your home a new feeling. And when you add color to your home you are creating a mood or feeling.

 

Remembering to look at color theory can help explain how to use Emerald in home décor:

• Complementary- color scheme would be using colors opposite on the color wheel. An example would be using emerald green in one room and then using its complimentary color red in the room next to it. Try Sherwin Williams Artichoke 6179 and Antique Red 7587
• Monochromatic- color scheme using a single color and a neutral color with it, Emerald green with a soft white will make a clean crisp room you won’t want to leave. Try Sherwin Williams Dill 6438 with Westhighland White 7566
• Triadic – Color scheme is using three colors, each evenly spaced from the other on the color wheel. For example red, yellow and green, the mixing of the three colors through paint, fabric and rugs can make a very happy space. Try using Sherwin Williams Show Stopper 7588 with Bee’s Wax 7682 and Meadow Trail 7737 as your inspiration colors.

Color gives our home its identity. A million people own white or beige furniture, according to Better Homes and Gardens, but with the addition of a colorful pillow, rug, throw or decorative accessory we can add personality to our neutral homes.

I have given you some color combinations above to use as your inspiration shades, now look at your home and consider putting Emerald green in your spaces. It can be as simple as emerald green throw pillows or window treatments with some of the emerald green with in the patteren, to a bold accent wall of Emerald.

Have fun with the color of the year and don’t overlook its clean crisp appearance and how well it works with natural stone and wood floors. Be green in 2013 and experiment with your home, whether you choose to be dramatic or subtle, you will enjoy the change and the feeling change can give you in your home.

 

 

Atlanta Mart

Having just returned from the Atlanta Mart I am excited to share what is new in interior design!

First things first, eco friendly. Interiors are improving with the use of natural and recycled materials from counter tops to flooring, I saw lots of fabulous reclaimed items at Kalalou, a home accessories showroom we use quite frequently here at A Village Gift Shop.

Second, I saw lots of time worn looks, white washed woods with classic neutrals, new but with a feeling of worn and comfortable.

Third, Color. Sherwin Williams introduced the color mix for 2012 - very beautiful combinations Neutral- think piles of pebbles, weathered wood, earthy clay
Reds- brilliant flowers, glowing ember and colors of fire
Blues- clear beach water, faded denim, lakes and crisp blue sky
Greens- roof top gardens, natural forest ferns, and seaweed

Shopping my way through 3 buildings with 18 stories in each one can be overwhelming but when you look at all the textiles, rugs, home decor, lighting and furniture you just don't get tired - you get inspired!

Most showrooms sell a variety of items, and I am seeing a theme of mixing it up, new with antique modern with traditional. What ties the rooms together is the balance of the items and the combination of color and texture.

Lighting is always one of the most important elements in creating a beautiful home, and the market was not short on fabulous fixtures. Lighting as a showpiece in the room is very big.
Statement fixtures are in much like a statement piece of jewelery.

For many years, we did heavy window treatments, then we lightened up the look and kept windows simple. Well now we will dress our windows again, simply but beautifully, with lots of fabulous trim and fabrics.

We are going to see lots of metallic in paint and in wallpaper. It will also be present in our furniture finishes. Just a bit of shimmer can add so much to a room. I really enjoy seeing a bit of metallic in rooms on the ceiling with a metallic paint or in the drapery.

There is really never anything new just reinvented a combination. This is what I love about redesigning rooms for my clients. Let's use what we have first in a new and exciting way and then bring in what we need for fun touches to our homes.

Winter Blues

Light Up the Dark to Banish the Winter Blues

Here in the Midwest, darkness is king for most of the winter. Days are short, the sun does not show its face often enough, and our home can end up feeling very gloomy.
We have the answer for the dark and gloom - more light! Sounds like the obvious answer, right?, but we find that many of the homes we visit do not have enough sources of light for the size and function of their spaces.

In any room, you need to have a variety of lighting to make the space welcoming, cozy and well-lit for the room's purpose. Small rooms require at least 6 sources of light and larger rooms will require 8 or more. The type of light you add to the room will depend on the functions of the room. Is this where you read, do needlework or the daily crossword puzzle? Is this where you sit to relax at the end of the day? Or is this the space where you gather with family and guests for birthday parties or to watch the big game?

If you could use a little help banishing the dark and gloom in your house, consider reevaluating the light sources in each room.

Place lamps in every room with the appropriate wattage for that room’s activities.

Lamps should be placed in a triangular pattern through out the spaces

Chandeliers should not be too bright - dimmers make a lot of sense here - and should be hung 32” above the table top.

If the room will be used for activities like reading, knitting, or cooking, make sure you have ample light near where these tasks will be performed.

The three types of light to consider:

Ambient - the primary light source of your room: can lights, overhead lights, or ceiling fan lights

Accent - light specifically made to draw attention to

something: think about a light shining on a painting, lights in the china hutch or a niche light

Decorative - this is the diva of the light world: these are mood setting lights that just look pretty, like the cute little lamp shaped like a turtle, or a candle

Last minute holiday magic!

If you have been too busy to decorate for the holidays up until now, try a few of these quick, last-minute tricks to give each room in your home instant holiday magic!

I love a mini tree, so cute and easy to do. Stay with one color theme, traditional red and green, or red and white. Do not be afraid to try a new color combination like blue and brown for example. You do not have to have a lot in your home to look festive.

Use your beautiful wrapped gifts as decorations throughout your spaces, small packages down the center of your dining table, or on table tops adds holiday sparkle.

If you have lots of books around your home take stacks of three or four and tie ribbon on them and have some laying down on your bookcases and some standing up.

Fresh flowers always festive and a treat to all the senses, stop by your local florist and bring home a gift for yourself.

Enjoy the season, by not stressing out over your homes holiday decor, simple touches will wow your guests.

Holiday Decorating Tips

Many of you may be decorating your home in the upcoming days for the holiday season. We wanted to give you some decorating tips and share some of our favorite trends that we're seeing! This season, we are seeing brown and bronze everywhere! It's a wonderful mix with traditional red and gold, especially. We are using this in most all of our clients' homes this season. Below are some of our quick, easy to follow decorating tips that anyone can implement into their home this year!

-Use the same color ribbon throughout your home
-Cluster family ornaments on garland and run it on your banister or on top of armoires
-Use fishing line to hang ornaments from chandeliers and over islands with cup holders
-Use greeting cards as part of your decor~run ribbon in an empty frame and tape or glue cards to the ribbon
-Make fun bunches of stick greens and ornaments to decorate your banister instead of the traditional garland
-I love holiday runners and fabric! I use this to drape under village houses or to just add a nice layer effect to a rooms' decor
-Make sure to change out photos in frames throughout your home, you don't want a beach scene in the winter! Find fun, family seasonal photos. Also, add a touch of greens or a bow to frames as well~so cute!

Make plum the star color of your décor

Great article on Cincinnati.com from this weekend. Glad to be a part of it!
Read here: Make plum the star color of your décor

Inspirational Wall Quotes

Today, we posted on Facebook about a book that we are carrying in our Village Gift Shop called "Eat Your Peas For The Cure". It is an inspirational book that we are selling a lot of. Having inspiration in your life is important and one one that people are adding a bit more to their life, is by adding inspirational quotes on to the walls of their homes.

Below are a few images of ways people are using these in their homes, and not over-doing it. Some are serious, some are comical. No matter which direction you choose, if you choose to use quotes on the walls of your home, make sure it means something to you and your family. Let it inspire you on a daily basis.

A Splash of Color - PINK

Are you looking to add a little PINK to your decor, but are concerned about adding too much? Here are some inspiration images to show you how you can add just a little and have it come out looking perfect.

Decorating for Halloween

Halloween can be one of those tricky holiday's to decorate for - it can get out of control and over-the-top very quickly. Here are a few tips & ideas for you when decorating your home for Halloween and a few inspiration images to help.

1. Start by thinking outside-the-box. Look around your home and see what you have, and what you are currently using, that you could "repurpose" for a Halloween decoration. For example, what about taking a small black picture frame and instead of the family photo that is in it, replace it with a picture of a silhouette of a black cat. Dark, but not too scary.

2. Instead of carving a pumpkin this year, what about glittering a few small ones and using them as a centerpiece. You could even do this with the kids.

3. Try using a "white" pumpkin instead of the typical orange one. Paint on it with black paint or leave it as is - this will give a classy, interesting, unique look to your decorations.

4. If you are hosting a party, set up a candy bar - but with a twist. Have a jar of candy corns labeled "Pumpkin Teeth". Fill a bowl with yogurt covered pretzels and label it "Crow Bones". Label another jar with "Dried Bat Wings" and fill it with black licorice sticks. Get creative with the labels and the names.

5. If you really aren't into decorating for Halloween much, try just working on your mantel or table. Use orange and black accents to give the "idea" of the holiday without stretching spider webs across the room. Go for orange and red flowers and try using simple white candles.

The bottom line is do what you are comfortable with and what feels "right" to you. Check out some of the fun, unique ideas below that we found when searching online.