More Blue....

I may be a little obsessed with blue! I'm going to blame it on the blue sky that tells us spring isn't very far away - at least we hope! I posted recently about blue and white porcelain and posted last fall about classic blue and white design schemes.

It's no wonder then that I keep returning to the March issue of House Beautiful which is focused on spring color - specifically blue! I will stop obsessing but not before I share a few more of the great rooms featured in the issue with a focus on BLUE :)

It strikes me just how appropriate blue can be in any room. There is a lot of blue to love in the living room below and a great balance and layering of shades in the upholstery, wall color, accessories and draperies.
Blue is used to dramatic effect on the bookshelves in the family room/library below.

Blue is a natural choice in kitchens and baths, adding freshness and crispness. Both tile selections below are glass - the kitchen back splash extending to the ceiling in the kitchen and the ribbon of tile circling the bath.
What could be a more natural selection poolside than blue pillows and cushions?!

Get inspired by blue - summer is just around the corner!

Dated to Dramatic

I've recently been working on a project with homeowners who currently live in a home built in the 1980's. It is a great space but most of the surfaces haven't been updated. The home is (was!) filled with heavy wood paneling and trim finished in a honey oak stain, popcorn finished ceilings and dated fixtures.
My client anticipates selling their home within the next 2-3 years and wanted to start making some updates that they could enjoy and that would also prepare their home for sale. The entryway showcases some of the truly dramatic changes.

Popcorn removed from the ceiling and it's now textured. The honey oak banister has been gel stained a rich espresso brown and the remainder of the wood trim has been painted a soft white. We've warmed the wall color considerably while keeping it neutral and updated the light fixture to a more appropriate scale and a style in keeping with the homeowners slightly contemporary furnishings vibe.
Such a difference! 20 years have been stripped from the house! What do you think?

Staging Dilemma...Pool Table in the Living Room!

OK, you're a homeowner who has a gorgeous pool table (yes, there is such a thing - see below), and you've chosen to use your formal living room to showcase this dramatic piece of furniture (and the head of a formerly living caribou). Now you are selling your home in a very competitive market filled with discerning buyers with no imagination. What do you do??

Do I even need to say that the caribou needs to go to storage?! This is not a debate about hunting, it is preparing your home so that it appeals to the widest range of buyers and a large number of buyers are put off by taxidermy - however tasteful.

Back to the pool table. As part of the staging process, the homeowner sold this pool table it as it wouldn't fit in the new home. The lesson here is not to wait. You're moving anyway, so get a head start on removing the items that aren't making the move with you.

We switched the overhead light to a ceiling fan in keeping with the style of the living area, removed the caribou :) and staged the built in bookcases and fireplace area. The room has great views of a lake and loads of other architectural detail so we decided to leave the rest of the room unfurnished and not rent furniture but instead to let a potential buyer project their own vision.

The moral of the story, don't be hesitate to remove a large piece of furniture that dictates the use of a room - especially if it's not what a typical buyer might do. And lastly, taxidermy may be your thing, but the safe route is to eliminate any caribous or other items that once lived and breathed from your decor before you put your home on the market.

Happy Friday and have a great weekend!

More Classic Blue and White Porcelain

I make no secret of my love for blue and white porcelain - see this post. I have used blue and white pieces liberally in my home for years and have never, ever tired of them. They mix well with a wide variety of styles and can almost be a neutral in most decorating schemes.

I was so happy to see that the March edition of House Beautiful featured a gorgeous home by designer Scott Sanders with lots of blue and white. Some images from the magazine layout....

I especially love the pairing of blue and chocolate brown. Timeless, classic, gorgeous.

For the Book Lover - How to Stage a Bookcase

I'm reader; I love books. I'm a lover of the library too so I don't have the tendency to accumulate lots and lots of books like a lot of book lovers. I do love looking at bookcases though - you call tell a lot about someone by looking at their bookshelves. I'm guessing this person might be a programmer....??

A lot of bookshelves look like this one below, we just put the last book we've read in the first open spot.
Book shelves and bookcases are a great way not only to showcase your love of books, but they are a great way to display other items that you love as well.


Staging bookcases can be especially important when a home is for sale since bookcases and built-ins are often a focal point. The basic rules of thumb for decluttering, covered in this post, apply to bookcases too.

• Pare down the contents - especially books - at least by half if not more, select the books that will remain carefully - coffee table books, those with attractive covers or spines - and eliminate soft cover books entirely
  
• Remove most (or all) family photographs
• Arrange remaining books throughout the bookcase in groups, some arranged vertically, some laying down on the horizontal
• Add accessories; arranging to achieve balance
• Leave open space, the appearance of storage is very attractive to buyers

Spend a little time and make the most of one of your homes best features.

Blog Break - Heading Home to Virginia

I'm taking a short break from the blog to travel back to my hometown in Virgina. Have a great rest of the week!

Staging and the Area Rug Dilemma

One more thought on preparing your home for sale...area rugs placed on top of carpeting. The photos below were all prior to staging a home for recent clients. (The process is not complete but I will post some "afters" soon.)

They have an absolutely gorgeous, traditionally styled home with expansive rooms and double height ceilings in their formal living and dining areas. The formal areas currently have plush carpet bordered by wood walkways - very typical here in Texas. They always wanted to extend the hardwoods into the main living areas to better showcase their oriental rugs. Until the could tackle that project, they placed their cherished oriental rugs directly on the existing carpet.

As much color and style as the rugs added, we decided to remove them and send the rugs to storage while the home is on the market. We made this decision because removing the rugs...

• cleared and opened the walkways within those rooms - buyers don't need to watch their step as they navigate your home.
• removed a beautiful but ultimately strong personal style statement which may prevent some buyers from visualizing their own decor in the rooms.
• draws the buyers' focus to the volume and expansiveness of the rooms instead of to the floor covering.

Key points in preparing your home for sale often simply boil down to la less is more approach - removing strong style statements and showcasing the most desirable aspects of your home.