Styling to sell

I don't stage houses often (like Linda does), but occasionally a client will ask me to help them with a home they are selling and I will do what I can. Staging a home to sell is not all that different then how I approach decorating a home except that it usually requires a lot of editing (removing, de-cluttering, and re-arranging) and instead of appealing to the client's taste, I try to anticipate what the average buyer will be attracted to. The goal is to help a prospective buyer see the house at its best and also help them see themselves living there. Last week I started the first phase of a small home that is going to be put on the market soon. 

In the process of de-cluttering and pre-arranging

On our first visit we talked about the client's (and my) vision; a calm, uncluttered space with a coastal feel. We discussed what needed to be removed or replaced, and I spent a little time moving a few pieces around, measuring and taking a mental inventory of what we needed to add. Because the bookshelves were such a huge focal point in the living room, and also the most daunting task, I tackled it first. I started by removing what I knew we didn't need (about 80% of the books and 50% of the accessories so they could be packed up or donated) and did a little pre-arranging to help me assess what we would need to add.

Freshly painted ... awaiting new carpet

Then my client and I went shopping. We went to Ikea, HomeGoods, Target and a few consignment shops nearby. We brought home a truck load (literally) of small furniture, artwork, mirrors, bedding and small accessories. The client had brought some items from her own home (this is her mother's house she is selling) and had it all put in a storage closet for me to pull from as needed. We also selected new carpet and had a painter come and put a fresh coat of white paint on everything. 

The new chair from HomeGoods looks right at home with the newly styled bookshelves

After the carpet was installed, I went over and began the first phase of the staging / styling. I started with the bookshelves. Previously it was crammed filled with a lot of books, a small TV and a lot of other objects. It needed to be pared down and lightened up. I used a combination of things that were on the shelves already and added a few new items from the client's home. 

This home is in a retirement community so we wanted to have the home not only look pleasing to the prospective buyer but help them envision themselves living in the home. Our choices were made accordingly, from the carpet selection to the accessories we used to style the home. For example, even though the kitchen is small my client explained that the buyer will most likely want to have an eating area in the kitchen. 

We replaced a larger kitchen table for one that would seat a party of two without making the space too crowded. The white table from Ikea and the open weave chairs help the area feel visually clean and less cramped then it was before. 

This was a quick start and I will need to spend another day finishing the bedrooms, styling the bathrooms and hanging artwork. And then it will go on the market and hopefully our hard work will pay off and the house will sell quickly and for a good price. 

Spicy organization

Today, one of the things I am working on is an organizational project ... nothing huge ... just a couple of kitchen drawers - one for silverware and the other for spices.

I figured I would start at The Container Store and maybe check out Ikea as well. But first I thought I would do a little online search to see what products they had.

I like these drawer inserts for spices from Ikea and they would probably be the most economical.

Ikea RATIONELL VARIERA spice inserts - $3.99 each

But I also like these kind of spice racks for drawers. 

Once I started looking for spice racks, I found all kinds of inspiration.

And not all just for spices! 

Have you heard of using spice racks for books?

Ikea BEKVAM spice rack - $3.99 each

Some people are just too clever!

Happy Monday everyone!!!

Images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

Curating bookshelves and other stylish things

Today I re-styled the house with the new kitchen. I really enjoy these kinds of work days - taking what a client already has and moving them around. This time though, I added a few things because I wanted to bring in a little more "white" and a little "shiny" into the space. After the kitchen was finished and looked so great, the room next to it looked a little dull.

To remind you ... the new kitchen (you can read more about the remodel here):

The first thing I did was clear out the bookshelves ... removing everything. Next a few of the shelves needed adjusting and I began to put everything back starting with the new pieces and building around them. 

This client has a lot of mementos and collectibles from their many travels and I tried to curate these special items to show them off properly.

Removing book jackets, grouping books together by color and mixing in some new white pieces gave the shelves a less cluttered feel and helped show off their special pieces better. 

Here are the bookshelves before:

BOOKSHELVES BEFORE

And the bookshelves after:

BOOKSHELVES AFTER

Besides the bookshelves there were other cabinets that needed things moved around and some artwork that needed moving. 

Below is one view of the room "before". You can see that when they placed the artwork they centered it on the wall. Their intention was to make the family room / TV area and the kitchen dining area come together by stretching out the artwork. I felt the artwork would look better over the cabinet and the client graciously let me move it.

The artwork before:

And the artwork moved to be over the cabinet:

The area above the kitchen table is a little bare now, but a framed enlargement of a photo from one of the client's travels will take care of that. You can see how bring in a new light fixture with a white shade and some white accessories brings the feel of the kitchen over the the other side of the room.

The chandelier that hangs over the table is out for repair and the bench seats will soon be re-upholstered in a white "ostrich" faux leather. They will tie in nicely with the new barstools.

NORBAR "BECK" IN WHITE

A finally, a few new pillows will finish everything off.

FABRICS: DURALEE 20895, 20862 AND NORBAR "BALANCE"

How is your week going? Mine is flying by! 

Styling bookcases

"Creating a home that reflects your personal style, and the actual living that goes on in it, is a process that happens over time." - Kevin Sharkey* 

I love working with all kinds of clients. Some have a clear understanding of who they are, what they like and what they want their house to be. Others have no idea. Some have very few decorative objects and others have too many. As a designer, it is my job to find just the right amount of accessories for each client and whether that is by helping them acquire or editing what they already have, the ultimate goal is to give them a home that reflects their own personal style and tells a story about who they are as a family. 

This particular client has collected wonderful objects over the years. She has a great sense of style and it shows in what she has purchased. But she needed help editing and styling. Especially with her bookcases. And so I cleaned them up a bit. 

And of course in my excitement to get started I forgot to take before photos. But to give you an idea, these two shelves were wall to wall books. It was great for storage but too heavy looking for this particular room. I encouraged her to edit though some of the books that did not need to be displayed. She got rid of some and we stored some in the cabinets below.

I started by taking everything off the shelves. I went shelf-by-shelf putting back the things she loved the most first and then adding a few things of my own. The new items came from a variety of sources; a shopping trip to a few HomeGoods stores, Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn and Z Gallerie (that wonderful Ikat bowl), and I brought a few things from my own collection.

I love the result as it very much reflects my client's style and showcases the things she loves and that have meaning to her. 

Inspired to re-do your own bookcases? Here are a few helpful tips:

1. Group "like things" together. A collection looks less cluttered and more interesting when grouped together.

2. Books do not have to be lined up in a row. Vary them by placing some upright, some on their sides and even showcase special ones by standing them up on display. Use them as a backdrop for other objects and don't be afraid to take off their jackets to see what is underneath!

3. Leave some negative space around your objects. Think like a gallery or museum curator.

Come back next week and I will show you more of this beautiful house - remember the switched dining room ... There is more to see!

Have a great weekend everyone! 

*quote by Kevin Sharkey from Martha Stewart Living - September 2011 edition

Styling bookshelves

One of the things I really enjoy doing is taking what a client already owns, moving it around a bit and maybe adding a few new pieces here and there to give them a new look. When I was working with my out of town client a couple of weeks ago, one of the things that I did for them was to re-style their bookshelves. Most of what was in the bookshelves before I arranged them were things that we had purchased for their previous home about five years ago. It was a heavier look and we had used a lot of dark reds and golds. For this new home, we have lightened up the look, and brought in a cleaner, slightly more modern feel. To update the bookshelves, I took out a lot of the dark red and gold vases and urns and replaced them with some white pieces to brighten it up a bit. I also edited the books, using only certain colors and I turned the dark leather volumes around to lighten them up.

While I was working my client brought in a box filled with an old collection of bulldogs. I love collections and I particularly like bringing in objects that are meaningful rather than just 'things' I have picked up for decoration. 

You can see there are still a few 'holes' and the platter on the top righthand shelf is just a 'placeholder' until they find the perfect thing to put there, but it is a good start.