Presidential Taupe

If you have searched for a break for the seemingly unrelenting bad news about the economy, you may have read about the recent design update of the Oval Office. Apparently, even the President needs the occasional remodel.

The designer for the project was California based Michael Smith and has elicited, in the words of the New York Times, "a collective yawn" from the blogosphere. Me? I love earthy neutrals but understand they can veer into boring territory without a shot of color, texture and shading.

The room is decidedly heavy on neutral tones - the New York Times even titled their article The Audacity of Taupe! Since we are often in search of the perfect neutral paint colors in this blog, there may be inspiration here for the average homeowner for a less public space. The interjection of the blue comes from the contemporary lamps from Christopher Spitzmiller and the accent pillows. The modern mica coffee table from Roman Thomas offers another contemporary touch.

The new Oval Office rug made by Scott Group showcases the Presidential Seal off center in a field of beige and includes these quotes on the edge:

• “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” — President Franklin D. Roosevelt
• “No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings.” — President John F. Kennedy
• “The welfare of each of us is dependent fundamentally on the welfare of all of us.” — President Theodore Roosevelt
• “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” — attributed to Martin Luther King Jr. but actually from abolitionist Theodore Parker (1810-1860)
• “Government of the people, by the people and for the people.” — President Abraham Lincoln (also a paraphrase of an earlier Parker quote)

Inspirational, calming and comfortable. If these qualities in the Oval Office design are conducive to the President doing his best work, then the mission has been accomplished. What do you think?

Happy Labor Day!

Choose a job that you love and you will never have to work a day in your life. - Confucius

On this Labor Day weekend, thank you to our clients for allowing our work to be our joy. Have a safe and happy holiday!

Staging a Period Room

A Realtor colleague recently asked for my help in staging a home that was filled with Victorian furniture. In this particular real estate market, period homes are almost nonexistent. Most homes in the area have been built in the last 25 years and the vast majority of the homes are less that 10 years old. 

Home sellers who have lovingly accumulated a collection of furniture for years can be emotionally attached to their decor. Distinguishing the difference between how a homeowner lives and what it takes to sell is critical. Homes with heavy period decor can appear dated, be distracting to buyers and can make it difficult for purchasers to project their own style. All of these factors - especially in a difficult buyers market - can exponentially increase the selling challenge.

There are two key components required in preparing a home with heavy period detail for sale.

1. Understand that the changes required such as moving items to storage are not an indictment of the homeowners' taste or style. We all have things in our homes that we love that are simply "stuff" to someone else. The focus in home staging is making your home appealing to the largest number of buyers. That fact can strike lovers of period detail and making a home really vanilla and lacking in personality. In reality, it means bringing a fresh and up to date look that is widely appealing.
2. Be prepared to make big changes. Storing a great deal of period furniture and renting more contemporary furnishings may be necessary. Paring down (or completely removing) period accessories will probably be a necessity.

Staying positive, doing your homework and keeping your focus on price and condition is critical for home sellers in this challenging housing market.

My Place - Breakfast Area Lighting

Sometimes making design decisions for my own home is easy. I have a pretty innate sense of what I love and what looks good (at least to me!). There are those times though that I struggle with all of the options in front of me - just like my clients do. My recent struggle was selecting the lighting fixture over my breakfast area table. 

We've been in our home almost 10 years, the time when feels to me that things need a pretty serious freshening up.  We've removed a lot of wallpaper, repainted and added hand scraped hardwood floors. My next project was updating some light fixtures - including my breakfast area.

I'm a little obsessed with drum shades and especially love the ones with a rustic vibe. My home is a little on the eclectic side and I like to mix things up a bit. In this case, I visualized a more contemporary form (the drum shade) in a more rustic finish (rattan). 

After viewing 100's of options, I settled on the drum pendant below, a Carolyn Kinder design from Uttermost.  The fixture is knotted rattan with a hand rubbed ivory finish and brown dry brushing. It is also very reasonable priced - which I love!

How did I do? I'm loving it - especially when it's lit! Notice that I strategically pointed my camera away from my bare breakfast area windows....I'll torture my readers with that project soon enough!

Staying Positive in a Tough Housing Market

If you are a home seller, it's tough to stay positive in the face of so much awful housing news these days. When navigating any set of difficult circumstances, its important to remember what you can control and what you can't. You can't do anything about macro economic trends that have been years in the making, but you can absolutely do something about the two most important factors in a home sale: price and condition.

• Price. Be realistic, listen to your Realtor and if you have to move relatively quickly, be willing to price your home slighting below the market. Pricing your home higher than the market hoping for that one elusive buyer that just has to have your home is a recipe for a lengthy time on the market and future price reductions both of which add to a negative perception of what might otherwise be a terrific property. Long market times and price reductions cost you money, plain and simple.
• Condition. Buyer these days have incredibly high expectations - not only in the sense that they often perceive the opportunity to get a "deal" in this market, but they also expect homes to be move-in ready and in pristine condition. Delaying maintenance, updates and having a poorly staged home invites at best low offers and at worst, no offers. This blog is filled with tips on staging your home for sale. The condition of your home will have a direct impact on the ultimate sales price.

These uncertain economic times seem made for the serenity prayer (paraphrased) reminding us to have the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage (and the energy!) to change the things that we can and the wisdom to know the difference.

Accessorizing Shelves and Bookcases

Shelves are one of the best decorating opportunities that you have in your home. Unlike paint or furniture, you can change things up easily, be creative and corral your collections. 

Some quick tips on making the most of your shelves or bookcases:

• Showcase your treasured items. After you've edited your collections, display your favorites.
• Group like items together. This is especially true of smaller items. Scattering small items tends to look like clutter.
• Avoid symmetry. With few exceptions, symmetry can be boring.
• Vary heights. See symmetry above. Your eye should travel up and down as it scans your shelving.
• Vary textures. Ceramics, plants, book bindings, cowhide, baskets, gilded accents and pressed tin all add interest through their textures in the example above.
• Add shine and sparkle. Glass (even an apothecary jar filled with M&M's as above!), mirrored items, or anything with a reflective quality adds interest.
• Create layers. Elevating accessories on books, stands, whatever gives them an interesting platform.
• Group your books. My homeowner above had great collections of cookbooks and gardening books. We grouped them by both size and subject for an interesting display and easy access.

One last tip (I can already hear the groans from the blogosphere!), start from scratch. Pulling everything out of your shelves and sorting before you begin will give you a clean pallet to start with and you'll have a great display in no time!

Lake House Envy

I just spent a lovely summer weekend with friends at Possum Kingdom Lake in North Texas. The lake and surrounding area was named Possum Kingdom because it was a home for possum, raccoon and other fur bearing critters in the early 1900's. Don't let the name fool you - it's gorgeous!

No matter where I go, my house envy rears its head and this weekend the focus of my envy was the lake houses we saw while boating. The homes encompass a broad range of styles and sizes, all sharing great lake views. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Lucky us! This was our home away from home for the weekend. We were privy to the absolute best views of the lake!

The Texas Star and flag figures prominently in the design of number of the homes on the lake.

Happy Monday. We can all dream can't we?!