In honor of earth day today, I thought I would share some thoughts and resources on GOING GREEN......no, I'm not talking about getting queezy =)!
One of the hot topics of conversation in the design world these days is eco-friendly design. If you turn on HGTV they are talking about it, most descorating and home magazines will feature an article on it as well. Since I am known to occasionally flip through a few of these magazines and I catch HGTV every now and then, I have begun acquiring some interest in this topic.
Most of us know and try to do our part by recycling, conserving energy by having energy star appliances and chaging to compact fluorescent bulbs, and maybe even useing reuseabe bags at the store. As becoming eco-friendly grows beyond the daily recycling of your plastic, paper and aluminum, many of your clients are bound to be inquiring about eco-friendly products.
Many people are becoming aware of ways to help take care of our beautiful earth through many avenues, including design. Here is a compilation of some of the resources that I have discovered:
Websites
www.lowimpactliving.com
www.hgtv/changetheworld
Furniture and Accessories
www.ciscohome.net
www.leeindustries.com
www.bernhardt.com
www.meridameridian.com
www.downbound.com
www.amenityhome.com
www.looporganic.com
www.naturalspaces.com
www.artesiacollections.com
www.organicstyle.com
www.atwestend.com
www.vivaterra.com
www.peaceindustry.com
www.buygreen.com
Paint and Wallpaper
www.bioshieldpaint.com
www.ellenkennon.com
Many home improvement stores are now carrying
low VOC or VOC-free paints, just ask
www.peterfasano.com
www.annafrench.com
Fabric, Hardware, Cabinetry
www.chellatextiles.com
www.spectradecor.com
www.neilkellycabinets.com
www.waterfallbath.com
www.breatheeasycabinetry.com
Tile, Flooring, Countertops
www.habitusnyc.com
www.crossvilleinc.com
www.vetrazzo.com
www.cambriausa.com
www.icestone.biz
www.richlite.com
www.stardustglasstile.com
www.teragren.com
www.plyboo.com
www.eleekinc.com
www.lgsecrets.com/eden
I know I have been amazed at the amount of resources out there to fully decorate and design yours or your clients home with. I'm sure there are many more out there too. If you have a favorite, please share it. Now go register at HGTV for their Green Home Giveaway...who knows maybe you'll win? Or maybe I will =)!!!!
Lea-Ann's Home Beautiful Staging and Design LLC services the San Antonio area of Texas providing Occupied and Vacant Real Estate Staging Services, Redesign Services, and Color Consultations. Check out www.HomeBeautifulDesign.com!
My company is now officially registered here in Texas as an LLC. I had to have a slight change to the name so formerly Home Beautiful Staging and Design is now officially Lea-Ann's Home Beautiful Staging and Design LLC. Here is the new logo:
Lea-Ann Virnig, owner and designer for Lea-Ann's Home Beautiful Staging and DesignLLC, can help you transform your home into a product that will sell! Check out www.HomeBeautifulDesign.com to see what Lea-Ann can do for you!
Lea-Ann's Home Beautiful Staging and Design LLC services the San Antonio area of Texas providing Occupied and Vacant Real Estate Staging Services, Redesign Services, and Color Consultations.
The principles of design are the unchanging rules that when followed and applied create amazing beautiful spaces. Whether you are looking for modern, casual, traditional, formal or a style all your own, the same principals are used, Just the elements will change. Even when staging your home to create rooms that draw buyers and emotionally impact them, using design principles is critical. Here are the basics on the principles of design, give them a try in your home.
The Principles of Design:
Balance: The even distribution of the visual weight within a room.
Proportion: Creating a feeling of unity or harmony when all the visual attributes (i.e. color, shape, texture, etc.) relate well to each other.
Scale: The size of a pattern or object relative to other patterns, objects or design elements and their surroundings.
Emphasis: The part of the design that jumps out and attracts attention (i.e. the focal point of the room)
Harmony: When all the parts work together for a visually pleasing result giving the feeling of completeness to the space.
If putting these principles into action seems too overwhelming for you or you've tried but things just don't seem right. Give me, Lea-Ann, a call! I would love to come help you stage or redesign your home!
I can be reached at Home Beautiful Staging and Design, 210-315-HOME.
Accessorizing is the crown jewel of any room. When all the correct scale furnishings are put into the layout that will create the best flow for the room things begin looking good. But, once you add the finishing touches…..artwork and accessories…..the room goes from good to WOW!
A few key guidelines:
Less is better than more…a few well chosen pieces can do wonders.
Use large scale art and accessories instead of lots of small items.
Classic accessories stand the test of time. Themed rooms can seem silly and outdated quickly.
Collections should be grouped together, not spread throughout a room.
Layering can be very effective.
Varying heights brings beauty and excitement to a space
Hang art work at eye level for the average person (the average person is about 5’7”)
When hanging artwork above an anchoring piece of furniture, the artwork should be hung 6-10” above it.
Create balance through symmetrical displays or “visual weight” groupings
Home Beautiful Staging and Design provides Home Staging, Redesign, and Color Consultations for San Antonio and it's surrounding areas. Give us a call today at 210-315-HOME.
I just wanted to say a big thank you to those who posted a while back about the magnetic wide angle lens. I have debated back and forth about buying a new camera with a wide angle lens and this magnetic lens. I was worried about the quality of it and would the magnetic really stick and not fall off.
Since my camera is not that old, I couldn't justify the cost of the new camera but since I am now going to be putting together RealEstate Shows for my clients, I knew I had to do something. So I bit the bullet and ordered it. It came this week and I used it on the vacant shots in my last post. What a great investment that $45 (price plus tax and shipping) was! It has a little magnetic ring you put on the cameras and it's a simple as that. You place the lens on top of the ring and presto your camera is transformed! Yeah!
Here is a link for those who haven't gotten it before: http://www.magneticlenses.com/
Does anyone else have this product? I am wondering about the longevity of the magnet ring, although it did come with a second one and I'm sure you could get replacements if needed also.
Yesterday I had a vacant staging that went very well but I was pooped at the end of the day. As many of you have mentioned. The night before (actually two nights for me) I had little sleep as I lay in bed mentally staging the house, going through my accessories making sure that I have everything I need.
The morning of the staging I had a few hick-ups with the rental furniture delivery. I had set things up so they would call and notify me an hour before the delivery, as I was forty minutes away from the house. I went at 8:00 in the morning and got my rental truck for all my accessories and while loading my accessories I get a call from my client that the delivery truck drivers called him and said they would be there at 9:15 am. He has to leave for an appointment as I was going to receive the furniture for him. I tell him that I will handle it and to go on to his appointment. It's now 8:45 am and I call my salesman at CORT and explain the situation. They tell me they will call the delivery truck and call me back in 10 minutes. I continue to frantically load my accessories while I wait for their call. They call me back at 9:00 and tell me they rerouted the truck and it will be there at about 9:45 but will wait for me if they know I am on my way. I thank him for his help jump in the truck and go! I am driving as quickly and carefully as I can - of course get stuck in construction traffic - and pray that they will wait for me as the time encroaches on 10:00am. I arrive at the house to see the big delivery truck waiting in front of the house. YEAH!
They begin bringing the furniture in and I notice two pieces missing. I quickly call my contact at CORT, again he says he will look into it and call me right back. I get a call a little later and he tells me they hired a seperate delivery service to bring out the pieces I need since their trucks are swamped and that the pieces would be there today. YEAH again! Build a good relationship with your contacts as they come in handy in those crisis moments - which are bound to happen.
Most of the rest of the day went smoothly except for a fight with a wall anchor that I needed to hang a large clock on. Which then fell and toppled one of my ceramic vases onto the tile floor - GASP! Thank goodness, it didn't break, amazingly!!!! From the time I picked up my rental truck to the time I got home was a little over twelve hours.
However, when the homeowner walks in at the end of the staging and walks around in amazement, it is so worth it! His comments of, "this is amazing", "our house has never looked this good", and my favorite, "it's so much better than I even anticipated." Of which I said, "I will take that as a compliment" =) Make the stress begin to melt away. But then as he is writing that all important check we begin a discussion about some wine that he had brought in with him. He tells me to take a bottle with me as a tip for all the hard work I'd done - that I deserved it. How nice is that!!
So after the delivery truck is dropped off and I return home.......my husband drew me a great big bubble bath to soak my tired body and I had a great glass of Merlot while soaking! That is the way to end a great day of staging! =)
Here are a few quick pictures I took, I will be going back next week for a couple other details and to take the official pictures.
(FYI: The coloring on this pic is a little off - the spread is a creamy white and it looks pinkish here.)
Back in December I, Lea-Ann Virnig, was meme'd by Kristina Mosloski of KFM Staging and Design. At the time I was preparing for the holidays and packing my own house as we were preparing a cross country move to San Antonio, TX. Needless to say, my blogging here on AR was left by the wayside for awhile. We are now somewhat settled here in San Antonio, TX (we have decided to build a house - which I am very excited about - but it means we are in a rental home for the next six months...sigh. We are making the most of it though!). I wrapped up business in snowy Minnesota in January and am now preparing to reestablish my business, Home Beautiful Staging and Design, here in sunny warm San Antonio, TX. Here are five things about me:
1. I am the wife of a dashing Lieutenant in the US Air Force and we have four beautiful children. We got engaged two months after we began dating, married nine months later, and will celebrate 10 years of marriage this year! I look forward to many more decades together.
2. I have been blessed to live in California, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and now Texas (hopefully for a long while....that's the plan anyway). We have a beautiful country and it is amazing the similarities and distinct differences of people living in different regions of the country. Someday, maybe I will see the east coast....its on my list of things to do!
3. Prior to children (and staging), I was a youth minister running a ministry for a church of 5,000 families that included over 300 active youth in the ministry.
4. I have always loved interior design and have slowly acquired my knowledge and skills through courses and self study, especially hands on with my own homes and those of many friends and family. I continue to add to my decorating studies as it is quite an addiction of mine! I love creating beautiful spaces!
5. I have only been out of the country (other than Tiawana Mexico...I don't think that really counts) once, to South Korea when we adopted our daughter. It was an amazing trip, although a very long plane ride, and hope to go back again someday with our daughter when she is older.
Here is a picture of my family:
That's a little about me! I would like to hear more about some of you (sorry if you've been meme'd before):
I am a member of the Decorators Alliance of North America (DANA) and am inviting you, fellow Stagers and Decorating Professionals, to join too. I know there are some other stagers here in AR that are members also. This can be a great addition to the other professional trade organizations that you might be a part of.
I have really appreciated the ongoing classes & education they offer in interior decorating, marketing, and running a small business, as well as other networking opportunities. They also list you in their directory and link to your website. This brings leads as well as helps your site engine rankings. I know I have received leads that have come from my DANA listing.
They also have linked up with other companies to offer special discounts to their members. If you sign up before the end of the year, you will also receive:
- free fabric book samples (which will be great when you get into helping to redesign people's homes after you staged the one they sold)
- 4 free continuing education teleseminars in January and February, 2008
Here is a little more about DANA:
DANA was established to provide professional level affiliation and certification for the interior decorating industry. The goal of the alliance is to offer members opportunities to enhance their expert status through continuing education, certification programs, networking, mastermind groups, and interactive forums.
The organization has a significant and broad-based benefit program: enhanced credibility, purchasing power with supply partners, research on the latest trends and topics, marketing support, decorating and business resources and tools, development courses, monthly continuing education teleseminars and even live workshops.
Membership for 2007 also includes: coupons and discounts, free website help, free wireless credit card terminals, decorator directory listing, use of DANA appellation, members-only forum, free monthly newsletter, decorator spotlight opportunities, annual decorating award opportunities, and 25% off annual DANA conferences and tabletop shows. What could be better!
The other great thing is that DANA is in a growth stage and they have opportunities for you to get involved in key positions if you desire, this will help you to establish your expert status.
Even though temperatures are dropping and there may be snow forcasted (yikes)...If your home is for sale, an important part of staging your home is .......Wintertime Curb Appeal!!
Wintertime Curb Appeal tips:
1. Clean up your planters, but don't trim plants too far back as they can add texture and interest to your landscape even in winter. Just trim so it is neat. Dried heads of hydrangia plants look great with a white snow backdrop.
2. If you are in an area that has milder winter weather, be sure to clean up leaves and lay down some fresh mulch to keep things looking tidy. You can also plant cold-hardy plants such as pansies, violas, and ornamental kale...which will last all through the winter.
3. If the ground hasn't frozen yet, you can add some evergreens to your planters to add more color and interest through the drab dreary days of winter. You can also do groupings of evergreen plants in planters or boxes on your front step. With the variety of green, blue-gray, and blue toned conifers you can add some great color, shape and texture.
4. In climates (like Minnesota) where temperatures dip well below freezing. Adding cut branches and boughs mixed with berries, pinecones, and even fruit (see picture above) to your planters and window boxes will really draw the eyes of your buyers to your beautiful home. You can even add little round white lights to add an extra touch in the evening!
5. Add a seasonal ornamental wreath to your door and a colorful clean door mat to welcome visitors...especially buyers.
6. Don't overdo holiday decorations...forgo the blow up santas and reindeers. Simple white lights and fresh green garlands can dress up your home beautifully. Sweet and simple!
7. Outdoor lighting is crucial during this time of year...as your house will most likely be shown after dark (since it's dark at 4:30/5:00 pm). Make sure steps are illuminated as well as any other walkways. Put in high wattage bulbs to really make your house shine.
8. Again in those snowier areas of the country....keep your driveways and walkways clear of snow and ice...you don't want a potential buyer not to stop because they are worried about making it to the door!
Create your own Winter Wonderland.......Don't let those buyers drive by!
Lea-Ann Virnig, owner and designer for Home Beautiful Staging and Design, can help you transform your home into a product that will sell! Check out www.HomeBeautifulDesign.com to see what Home Beautiful Staging and Design can do for you!
Home Beautiful Staging and Design services the Minneapolis and St. Paul metro area in Minnesota providing Occupied and Vacant Real Estate Staging Services, Redesign Services, and Color Consultations.
It is not uncommon for homes in Burnsville, MN to sit for months on end with no offers in today's sluggish market. However, this home, staged by Home Beautiful Staging and Design, received three offers and sold in 48 days!
Lea-Ann Virnig, owner and designer for Home Beautiful Staging and Design, can help you transform your home into a product that will sell! Check out www.HomeBeautifulDesign.com to see what Home Beautiful Staging and Design can do for you!
Home Beautiful Staging and Design services the Twin Cities metro area providing Occupied and Vacant Real Estate Staging Services, Redesign Services, and Color Consultations.
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.
;)
;)
