I have been absent from the board for some time... working on a big project close to my heart. Instead of just "preaching" about healthy and environmentally friendly houses, we decided to build one.
Join us on our journey as we set out to prove that building a house that is healthy for both both people and the planet, all while honoring the historic architectural traditions of New England, is possible!
White walls are usually avoided in staging a property for sale. White can feel cold, and doesn't help differentiate one room from another in listing photos. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, even in staging.
IF a property has great NATURAL LIGHT, nice ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES and perhaps some imperfections that need to be downplayed (such as uneven walls, ceilings, trim), the color white can actually be the best way to stage.
BUT if you are going to break one rule, best to know the NEW RULES of the game.
THE RULES OF WHITE
Use a light color palette in furnishings and accessories.
Include a variety of textures to add interest and depth.
Furnishings should have a sculptural quality in relief with gallery-white walls.
Make sure the purpose of each room is clearly and uniquely identified.
Window treatments are critical, as they soften walls and filter light.
For more Before and After photos on this job, please visit www.BostonHomeStaging.com, and click on Photos + Tips, then New/Vacant/Resale. White walls story is on third page.
Lisa
Boston Home StagingTM and the Boston Home Staging TM logo are trademarks of Austin Siena, LLC. Copyright 2007, Austin Siena, LLC. All rights reserved. Republication, duplication or dissemination of this content is expressly prohibited without written permission. For more information, please contact 978.897.4780.
After sitting on the market for several months, this homeowner was ready for a fresh start with the help of home staging.
The property was filled with beautiful furnishings and antiques, in traditional Queen Anne and Colonial styles very popular here in New England. The challenge was to attract more buyers of all ages with a more generalized style that would appeal to almost anyone's tastes.
The living room, pictured below, was the most critical transformation, as it is the first room viewed upon entering the grand foyer. It was the only room in the entire home where the expense of renting furniture was truly required. (Sofas sourced from Interim Furnishings of Framingham.)
The traditional, but specific style and darker colors of this living room are transformed with a monochromatic and airy palette. The pair of sofas now lead the eye to the distinctive fireplace, and their size scales the space to reveal its true square footage. Soft, cozy and inviting. Now, even non-New Englanders looking to relocate, and buyers of all ages, can easily imagine themselves in this wonderful home. And better yet, now this newly-defined home is competitive with brand new construction in the area.
BEFORE
AFTER
Lisa
www.BostonHomeStaging.com
Boston Home StagingTM and the Boston Home Staging TM logo are trademarks of Austin Siena, LLC. Copyright 2007, Austin Siena, LLC. All rights reserved. Republication, duplication or dissemination of this content is expressly prohibited without written permission. For more information, please contact 978.897.4780.
High ceilings, massive two-story windows, and a large stone fireplace. Buyers LOVE these features. When staging a home for sale, be sure you are playing up these assets for ALL they are truly worth.
By carrying the wall color all the way up the angled walls, hanging a large grid of maritime maps that echoes the huge white window frames (I got lucky here... the homeowner had an old chart book and we bought inexpensive frames to create a look that sells for thousands at the Boston Design Center), and rearranging the furniture to highlight the fireplace, all a buyer can say is "Wow."
(Even a vertical vs. horizontal photograph can help accentuate the height and drama of the space.)
BEFORE
AFTER
Boston Home StagingTM and the Boston Home Staging TM logo are trademarks of Austin Siena, LLC. Copyright 2007, Austin Siena, LLC. All rights reserved. Republication, duplication or dissemination of this content is expressly prohibited without written permission. For more information, please contact 978.897.4780.
Removal of window treatments often lets in far more light and can really pay off, as in this case, when there is a beautiful view just outside. Plus, the windows now look twice as wide. If there is a warm and beautiful paint color on the walls, and the window frames are attractive, better to save window treatments for problem windows. Plus, it saves money, time and effort in staging your home for sale.
BEFORE
AFTER
Boston Home StagingTM and the Boston Home Staging TM logo are trademarks of Austin Siena, LLC. Copyright 2007, Austin Siena, LLC. All rights reserved. Republication, duplication or dissemination of this content is expressly prohibited without written permission. For more information, please contact 978.897.4780.
Wanted to share a great article entitled AGENT SECRETS that ran in yesterday's Boston Globe Magazine. Written by Beth Teitell, the article's subhead reminds us that "Selling or buying is a big step, and a little homework can get you the best help."
It was also wonderful to get a mention for Boston Home Staging in the article, with a focus on the critical importance of listing photos -- one of the many big reasons to stage the house for sale. Great listing photos attract more buyers!
Simply speaking, wall-to-wall carpeting is a disaster. It never stays clean, traps all kinds of allergens and dirt (which spew into the air to be inhaled if not vacuumed with a HEPA filter), it promotes mold growth (especially in basements), it off-gasses all sorts of bad chemicals, and when it is finally done wreaking its havoc in your house, it piles up in landfills NOT decomposing. Carpet behaving badly.
Then there is FLOR. If your space absolutely demands carpet, you must check these out... carpet tiles that are available in all sorts of great colors and textures, are non-toxic, formaldehyde-free, and anti-microbial. Even better, if a tile gets stained, you can wash it off in the sink. If you must replace a tile, just buy a new one, instead of ripping out an entire room for one bad stain. Best of all, the company will pick up your used tiles FOR FREE and recycle them into new tiles. (p.s. no commission on this product for me.) :)
There is a wide range of cost per square foot, but does include some economical options. Beside, if we pay a little more upfront, we avoid paying dearly AND environmentally later on.
For more information, see the FLOR marketing email below. Or log onto www.flor.com directly. It has tons of choices, even outdoor carpet, plus design tools to create your own very cool area rugs and wall-to-wall masterpieces.
Lisa
116 N. York Road | Suite 3 | Elmhurst, IL 60126
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Just had a follow up with my insurance agent today... A good reminder of the paramount importance of having insurance in our line of business. As important is to make sure that any painters, repair people and other specialties that you may refer have insurance.
Reasonably priced insurance policies can often be obtained via trade associations, since they can negotiate favorable rates on behalf of their many members. Imagine the power of negotiating a home-staging specific insurance program with the collective power of all the home stagers on the Active Rain Forum!
Looking for surefire inspiration for your next staging project that will please just about every buyer?
Rent the movie "Something's Gotta Give". Read all about it in today's Washington Post article.
They've Gotta Have It
A Glam Kitchen From Hollywood Is a Smash Hit Off the Screen
By Terri SapienzaWashington Post Staff Writer Thursday, February 22, 2007; Page H01
The 2003 comedy "Something's Gotta Give" starred Oscar-winning legends Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson. But for lots of moviegoers, the most memorable role was played by the house, especially its big, light-filled kitchen.
The airy, shingled Hamptons beach house is walled with windows and built-in bookcases. The rooms are open, the furniture slipcovered and the walls and fabrics awash in creamy blues, whites and tans. The kitchen gleams with white glass-front cabinets, vintage hardware, a commercial-style range and dark soapstone counters.
Buy This Photo Liz Livingston of McLean and son Kilgo, 17, in their kitchen, which she modeled after Diane Keaton's kitchen in the movie "Something's Gotta Give." (By Melina Mara -- The Washington Post)
Video
They've Gotta Have It Oscar legends Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson were in the 2003 movie, "Something's Gotta Give," but the real star is the house and its big, white kitchen with white, glass-front cabinets and vintage hardware. Homeowners have been known to play the movie DVD for their designer, hoping to replicate the movie set at home.
With a backdrop like that, who cares if Keaton and Nicholson find midlife love?
Even when a movie's stars seem dim and the plot is plodding, those of us who can't get enough of interiors can wallow in the set designs. When poor Cameron Diaz began to feel sorry for herself (yet again) in the otherwise forgettable Christmas release "The Holiday," at least we could look past her to the delicious English cottage beyond. (Both films were directed by Nancy Meyers, with production design by Jon Hutman.)
But the "Something's Gotta Give" house sparked interest of an entirely new intensity.
Designers started getting requests to re-create the house's interior or to plan an entire remodel around it. Clients carried in the video to show designers and contractors what they wanted. The president of Williams-Sonoma Home, David DeMattei, created a custom-upholstered headboard collection after seeing the bedrooms. A New England decorator blogged about how to achieve the look and got more hits on that entry than she'd ever had. A rug manufacturer in the Midwest produced a version of the living room's carpet and has sold 65 in the past two years. One overzealous fan rented a helicopter and flew over Long Island until he located the actual house -- then offered to buy it, Meyers told the Los Angeles Times. The house, whose owners were not identified, was not for sale.
"There are catchphrases that we often hear about what people want: comfortable, warm, welcoming, open and light-filled," said LuAnn Brandsen, editor of Renovation Style magazine. This movie set, she said, has all of that: "It's informal and casual, not too over the top, but very nicely done." Two years after the film came out, the magazine featured a story-and-photo layout of a remodel in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., based on the "Gotta Give" kitchen.
The appeal of the space, designers say, is its old-fashioned styling, modern conveniences and classic look.
Two years ago, Harriet Finder of Stuart Kitchens in Bethesda helped design a front-window display for her firm that was modeled after the movie kitchen. It's still up and continues to draw clients. "We have people coming in, stopping in that kitchen and saying, 'This is what I want,' " Finder said.
Susan and Myron Myers were building their Rockville house in 2004 when Susan saw the movie. She bought a copy of the film as soon as it was out. "I would play the DVD, stop it and look at it," she said. "My husband noticed the [kitchen] cabinet doors and the inset hinges right away." Before the next meeting with their designer, Susan tucked her laptop under her arm, movie loaded.
Liz Livingston of McLean also wanted to replicate the design. "I saw the movie, and that was it," she said. "I had found my kitchen. . . . It wasn't fancy and it wasn't too casual. It was the kind of kitchen that made you want to hang out there all the time."
But it's more than the kitchen that enthralls fans. They covet the whole house.
They've Gotta Have It
"It's got to be the most popular interior ever," said Linda Merrill, a designer based in Duxbury, Mass. An entry she posted on her blog earlier this year about the movie's interior garners as many as 30 hits a day. People from Australia, Canada and Africa check her blog in search of rugs, artwork, lamps, furniture, fabric.
When Merrill found that Aspen Carpet Designs carries a blue-and-white-striped rug inspired by the movie, she mentioned the Chicago-area retailer on her site. Jerry Krull, the company owner, said one of his customers had "actually tracked down the set designer of the movie to find out where the original rug had been made." When the price of the original proved too steep, she asked Krull to design something similar. He has sold 65 of the cotton dhurrie look-alikes in the past two years without advertising or a storefront. Customers find his Web site ( http://www.aspencarpetdesigns.com/) by searching for information about the movie. "Almost every single sale is based on the movie in some way," Krull said. "I told my wife, 'Selling these rugs has the possibility of paying for our kids' college.' "
Buy This Photo Liz Livingston of McLean and son Kilgo, 17, in their kitchen, which she modeled after Diane Keaton's kitchen in the movie "Something's Gotta Give." (By Melina Mara -- The Washington Post)
Video
They've Gotta Have It Oscar legends Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson were in the 2003 movie, "Something's Gotta Give," but the real star is the house and its big, white kitchen with white, glass-front cabinets and vintage hardware. Homeowners have been known to play the movie DVD for their designer, hoping to replicate the movie set at home.
Some designers are somewhat mystified by all the fuss.
"When you really study 'Something's Gotta Give,' you realize that the interiors verge on almost being impersonal," D.C. designer Skip Sroka wrote in an e-mail. D.C. designer Lisa Adams is a fan of the kitchen but agrees: "In and of itself, [the design] doesn't make a statement. It's a background."
That might be exactly what makes the interior so attractive. "It isn't so personal that you couldn't imagine yourself in it," said Brandsen of Renovation Style. "People look at it and say: 'I can see myself in there. I want to be there.' "
It might surprise (and disappoint) fans to learn that the exterior of the Southampton home was the only part of the set that was real. The interior and back yard were built on a Hollywood soundstage, and set designers created much of the furniture. The islands were built on casters so they could be wheeled out of the way as needed. The countertops were plywood painted to look like soapstone. And when the filming wrapped, the entire set was dismantled. Props were auctioned on eBay for charity.
So the ideal is gone, but the kitchens it inspired have taken on a real life of their own.
Livingston's new kitchen in McLean bears many similarities to the one in the movie: white cabinets, farmhouse sink, center island, stainless-steel appliances and oil-rubbed bronze pulls. But she decided on a cooktop in the island rather than a sink, polished granite countertops instead of soapstone, and a black butler's pantry with marble countertops.
The Myerses in Rockville also veered from the original: The cabinets are off-white, the island is made of dark wood, the counters are honed dark-green marble. It's not a reproduction, but a look they consider all their own. "I'm happy with what I have," Susan Myers said. "The kitchen in the movie fits that house. My kitchen fits my house."
CALL FOR IDEAS TO CREATE THE GREEN STAGING CHECKLIST.
I would like to use this incredibly powerful forum to begin amassing a checklist for GREEN Staging. What are all the ways that the staging process can stay or become GREEN? The goal is to both protect the environment AND protect the indoor air quality of the home, helping the planet and ensuring the health of future occupants. I would love to hear from you.
Here is a STARTER GREEN STAGING CHECKLIST, in no particular order:
Give every homeowner a gift copy of the book My House Is Killing Me by Jeffrey May BEFORE they start work on their home. Please see details in my earlier blog Responsible Staging - Safe Indoor Air Quality.
Completely seal all heating and AC vents BEFORE ANY work is done in the home that could stir up particulates or fumes -- lead dust, sanding of floors, sealing of floors, even painting. I was shocked to learn FROM EXPERTS that, no matter who you hire, you can never entirely clean out the HVAC system once particulates and other matter has been sucked in and circulated.
Avoid all air fresheners and plug in scents. Not only are they questionable for indoor air quality, many people are allergic to them. Thanks to Judith Clausen for that reminder!
Use non-toxic lawn chemicals.
Before dealing with ANY MOLD PROBLEMS, consult an expert. Many times, people make the problem FAR WORSE, by tearing into moldy dry wall and releasing harmful mold spores into the air (and again, circulating them through the house via the force hot air heating and cooling system.)
Urge anyone replacing heating systems to AVOID FORCED HOT AIR. It is the enemy of any individual suffering from allergies and asthma, and it is my firm belief that its popularity explosion since the energy crisis in the 70's is a primary contributor to the dramatic rise in asthma rates among children.
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
Liz Livingston of McLean and son Kilgo, 17, in their kitchen, which she modeled after Diane Keaton's kitchen in the movie "Something's Gotta Give." (By Melina Mara -- The Washington Post) 
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