Choosing Tile

Choosing tile can be a daunting task, especially with all the choices.  It can be overwhelming wondering what kind and type of tile to use in which location, e.g., ceramic, porcelain, natural stone.  You also need to get the correct trim pieces–bullnose, inside or outside corners, borders, chair rail, quarter-round, or left/right hand molding. Using decorative pieces such as metallic or glass into the field tile turns a bland wall (or floor)  into something interesting. By all means use the services of the designer salespersons at the tile showroom.  

Here are some examples:

 You can use tile as a fireplace surround, using the decorative pieces on the wall and the matching field tile on the floor.

Fireplace Surround

Shower Tile with Glass Block

Tile in a shower is a natural choice.  What makes this tile application unique is the use of a decorative border plus it is enclosed with glass block to let the light in through the adjacent window. 

Stove Backsplash

A good way to protect the wall from spatters is to use tile. It easily wipes up and keeps the surrounding area clean, plus is quite nice to look at when cooking.

Utility sink accents

Using 1×1 colored tiles as an accent upgrades this dog-washing station from bland to stylish.  The 1×1 tiles on the floor are grouted with a darker color than on the walls so as to not show dirt. 

Master Bath tile

This bathroom mixes and matches tile in a beautiful way to make it look like there is an area rug on the floor that carries into the shower. The wall is protected by vertical rows of tile. The floor field tile looks like marble.  In-floor heating keeps the tile toasty on cold winter nights.

If you find choosing tile is overwhelming, consider using Premiere Home Stagers in helping you get the look you desire.

 

Living Room “Before” Home Staging

These people have lived in this house for many years. They have delved into their genealogy and proudly display antique photos of their relatives.  It is a comfortable place for the whole family to gather around the fire.  

However, when we turned around and looked at the back wall,  it was a complete surprise to see a bear skin hanging on the wall.  Did one of the relatives shoot this bear, is it authentic or a replica? In any case, it’s generally not something most potential buyers would like to see when contemplating whether to purchase this house.

Let me ask you, dear reader, what you might do in this living room?  I’ll post the “after” photos once the homeowners are finished with their “do-to” list and see if we are on the same page.

How one lives is your business; however, how one sells is our business.  Make your first impression a good one!

 

Premiere Home Stagers Staging Tips

Living Room "Before"

Some realtors offer their clients a home staging consultation before listing their home as part of their marketing package.  They realize that buyers make an impression of a listed house within 30 seconds of entering.  They also realize that staged homes sell faster and for more money than non-staged homes.

When Premiere Home Stagers entered this house through the front door, we couldn’t get past the large recliner because it was in the doorway.  Tip #1:  Enter your front door like a guest. Place your furniture so that it does not block the entrance nor a walkway.  We kept tripping over items. Tip #2: Declutter and clean.  The small photos on the wall were hung too high and were too small for the wall.  Tip #3:  Have a focal point and a purpose for every room.

This home could be the cutest bungalow ever with some elbow grease, some slipcovers, and a new wall paint color.  If you are serious about selling your home, a home staging consultation is one of  the best investments your realtor can make for you.

 

Home Staging Example

LR Before

If you ever need an example of what home staging can do to sell your house, check out this home. It is a lovely home with lots of space for teen-agers or a long-term stay of a relative. This homeowner had already purchased another home and needed to know what pieces should stay and what pieces should go to the next home.

This is actually harder to do than to stage it ourselves because we need to visualize in our head where pieces from all over the home should be placed and then write that down in our report for the homeowner to do.  Luckily, the homeowner was able to follow our directions to perfection–and it shows in this amazing transformation.

LR After

Notice that the fireplace now is the focal point. We’ve eliminated all the small pieces of artwork in favor of a few favorite pieces–that makes each piece more special. We took the armoire out of the bedroom to house the TV and take advantage of the high ceiling. Before, the sofa blocked the pathway to the kitchen, but now there is plenty of room to maneuver.

Check out the before and after photos of the bedroom.  If you’re not convinced that staging helps sell your home faster and for more money, statistics back up our claim. See http://www.stagedhomes.com/mediacenter/stagingstatistics.php

Bedroom Before

 

 

 

Bedroom After

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beautiful Symmetry

Recently I visited the home of a friend who had moved to Madison about a year ago.  I was amazed at what they had accomplished since settling in.  This living room was a typical rectangular room.  My friend recognized the one point of interest–the bay window–and capitalized on it. 

With the help of her father she designed and built the shelving that now surrounds the window, making the entire wall an interesting focal point.  It gets even better!  The wood for the shelves is repurposed from the Habitat Restore, making the project truly “green”.  The walls are a light gray, the shelving and trim a soft white, with accents of medium blue and green.  The overall effect is serene and soothing.

Note that she filled some of the shelf space by hanging small pictures on the wall behind–creating additional interest in the arrangement.  The width of the shelving is proportional to the size of the window and the symmetry is repeated in the placement of the chairs.

I love it!   A truly inspired, creative and beautifully executed idea!

 

Appealing to All

Can you guess what type of person lives here?

Did you say a single male who likes to hunt and exercise?  Great!  This house is perfect for the owner.  However, once he decided to put his house on the market, his house no longer belongs to him….it belongs to the next buyer.  And since we don’t yet know who that is, we need to market to everyone.

Some suggestions…..take down the animal heads and skulls and pack them away to be hung in your next place.  Soften up the hard surfaces with plants, vases, or pillows.  Place a cozy easy chair near the fireplace. Pack away the exercise equipment and make that room into a family room.  Set up a dining area in the room right off the kitchen. Prospective buyers need to know they can accommodate dinner guests–especially now that the holidays are approaching.

The changes needed might not be as comfortable for the current owner, but will make a great first impression for the next owner. And since the goal is to sell your house quickly and for the most amount, it makes perfect sense to appeal to all.

 

How to Start

This client just moved into their new larger house. She called Premiere Home Stagers for a one-hour consult (only $95!) on what to do to make the two front rooms, the family room and the kitchen feel cohesive, comfortable, and cozy. Where do you start when you have a blank slate?

Our advice:

1.  Keep the things that you love. They will always work.

2.  Make sure each room has a specific purpose and a focal point. We decided that the right front room (above) would become a place to play the piano and read by the window, the left front room (below) would become an office instead of a formal dining room. The family room would be where the TV watching occurs.

3.  What to purchase?  In this client’s case, she needed a dining table with 6 chairs for the kitchen dinette; a sofa, a coffee table, an easy chair with an ottoman, and an end table for the family room; a loveseat and an end table for the piano room; and a credenza for the office.

4. Select furniture pieces that fit the scale of the room.  Place painter’s tape on the floor or cut out paper shapes and put them where you think they should go in the room. Don’t put everything against the wall. Perhaps angle some pieces.

5.  Draw out the shape & dimensions of the rooms, bring along digital photos, and jot down the furniture sizes that you think would work and head to the store.  Because you want the most help, go to the store when it’s not as busy (not week-end days).  She should be inspired by the store’s visual merchandising and most likely can purchase a grouping of furniture.  Or, don’t be afraid to ask the salesperson to move furniture pieces next to each other.

  6.  Premiere Home Stagers offers shopping service for $45/hr. Once you’ve narrowed down your selections, we would be happy to help you at the store, help with draperies, accessories, artwork, or whatever you need.

7.  The next selection is carpet. There are many choices: high & low pile, tone-on-tone designs, frieze, berber, etc.  Get a good performing carpet in a neutral color so that you won’t have to replace it for a long time.

8.  The last selection is wall paint color.  You’ll want your paint color to complement your furniture and carpet selections. For example, don’t pick a cool color if your furniture/carpet is in the warm tones and vice versa. Perhaps you’d like one wall to be a bold color. If you want your rooms to flow together, you can paint them all the same color, or choose colors that are in the same color family. The paint store makes it easy to choose colors by supplying  sample pamphlets of colors that complement each other.

9.  Once everything is in place, choose the jewelry—your accessories. They can be bright and bold or soft and subtle, giving texture and visual interest.   Stand just inside your front door and look at what a visitor would see. Is your house warm and inviting?  Do you want to see more? If so, you’ve accomplished what you envisioned.  If not, give us a call!

 

Wall Art

Wall art doesn’t necessarily mean hanging pictures on a wall anymore.  With the new vinyl letters that stick without glue (like colorforms) or in this case, painting this tree free-hand, any wall can become a focal point.  If you don’t like it, you just peel away the letters or paint over the wall. 

You can purchase pre-made sayings at local craft stores or you can even cut your own if you already have  a Cricut machine for scrapbooking or card making.

When you enter my front door it says, “Together…a great place to be.”  Libby has a saying by her fireplace that says, “Come and Sit Awhile.”  Both are meant to encourage fellowship and friendship.

 

Entertainment Center

Sometimes it is hard to visualize how one might fill a large built-in entertainment center. People are hanging their flat-screen TVs above the fireplace or on an opposite wall.  In this living room, those are possibilities as well because of the openness of the room. However, because these shelves are adjustable, you could just as easily set the flat-screen TV on one of the shelves and also add your stereo components, the cable box, the DVD player, plus speakers all in the same space.

Entertainment Center as a Focal Point

If you place the TV at the right eye-level, TV watching is enjoyable for everyone, even if a person is sitting or laying on a floor pillow.  The fireplace and the entertainment center create two distinct focal points–which is desirable in a large, open room. Notice that the chair is placed so that one can enter into a conversation or alternatively, it’s a comfy spot to read by the fire.  Adding books to any room makes the space feel cozy and comfortable.

 

Family Room Focal Point

Every room should have a purpose and a focal point.  In the before photo, the furniture is lined up on one side of the room to face the TV. However, the fireplace is the main focal point of the room, so it’s necessary to recognize this. Premiere Home Stagers staged the furniture so that it is balanced and plays homage to the fireplace. After all in Wisconsin, the fireplace is used regularly–almost as much as the TV.

Family Room "Before"

Family Room "After"