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Weekly Design Tip #5

By
Real Estate Sales Representative with Royal LePage State Realty

THE THREE BASIC GUIDELINES TO A SUCCESSFUL INTERIOR

When you see a beautiful interior that you really admire, observe the following;

1. Is is functional?

2. Does it express a mood?

3. Does it give you a sense of harmony?

When you are decorating or designing, these are the most important guidelines to follow.

Functional:

The function of the living room   ie---typically arranged for conversation.

                                           --there should be tables or a surface for each individual to set down a drink or

                                              plate.

                                        

Mood:

The room should express a mood that reflects your style, taste and needs.

                                                      example:  Modern? Sophisticated? Calming?

Harmony:

All the various aspects of the room must come together in harmony. It should be harmonious in color, quality, scale, and mood.

Basically, all the elements should work well together.

 

Julia Fedak, Platinum Home Staging Design

"Design for Living, Design for Selling"

c. 289.260.9404

b. 905.561.1916

 

                                           --

Eric Bouler
Gardner Realtors, Licensed in La. - New Orleans, LA
Listening to your Needs
Julia,Looks great to me. I should hire you to stage my home. Have you ever been to New Orleans? We just flat out have too much stuff. I do not mind paying? Great photos by the way.
Jul 11, 2007 03:09 PM
Betty Haney
Haney Consulting - Calgary, AB
Julia, I was thinking what a great room it is - and then I read further and find out it is your living room.  Wow!  I'm afraid mine is very boring compared to yours.  Great advice as usual.  Looking forward to the fall pictures.  Betty
Jul 11, 2007 03:22 PM
Julia Fedak
Royal LePage State Realty - Ancaster, ON

Eric:  Never been to New Orleans---but if that's an invitation...I would love to come!

I hear that the people are great, and it's a lot of fun. Anytime you need help, drop me a line.

Julia

Jul 11, 2007 03:22 PM
Julia Fedak
Royal LePage State Realty - Ancaster, ON

Betty; Thanks for the compliment! Next will be a pic of the familty room.......just went thru a transformation.

julia

 

Jul 11, 2007 03:25 PM
William Collins
ERA Queen City Realty - Scotch Plains, NJ
Property and Asset Management

Julia,

Thanks for the post. Conceptually I understand what you are saying, practically I am incapable of creating something as nice and inviting as your living room. I'd prefer to leave to those who can apply the concepts successfully.

 

Jul 11, 2007 04:26 PM
Julia Fedak
Royal LePage State Realty - Ancaster, ON

William: I know what you're saying!..We all have our strengths and weaknesses!  It's like me trying to take care of my accounting....my eyes just glaze over!

Thanks for stopping by!

Julia

Jul 12, 2007 12:06 AM
Charlene Storozuk
Dezigner Digz - Burlington, ON
Home Stager - Burlington Ontario
Julia, you did a great job on your living room.  It looks like the perfect place to unwind after a hectic day.  I absolutely love the wall colour!  Looking forward to the condo photos! 
Jul 12, 2007 01:37 AM
Ann Guy
NA - Allentown, PA
I have a whoe new respect for stagers because of Active Rain.  There is so much to consider.  (I love that room, by the way!)
Jul 12, 2007 06:47 AM
Julia Fedak
Royal LePage State Realty - Ancaster, ON

Charlene; the wall colour is "Nordic Gray" from Benjamin Moore... thanks for your comment.

Ann; thank you as well, for the compliment. When staging, there are many challenges to face with a limited inventory. In some ways, it is more challenging than 'design for living' projects---you have to be VERY creative!

Julia

Jul 13, 2007 09:32 AM
Lola Audu
Lola Audu~Audu Real Estate~Grand Rapids, MI Real Estate - Grand Rapids, MI
Audu Real Estate~Grand Rapids, MI ~Welcome Home!

Your thoughts were very simply and elegantly stated Julie...just like what a great staging experience should create! :)

Jul 13, 2007 01:33 PM
Celeste "SALLY" Cheeseman
Liberty Homes - Mililani, HI
(RA) AHWD CRS ePRO OAHU HAWAII REAL ESTATE
I think I'll learn a lot from your posts...as I'm sure the consumer is just eating all this up!....When I've HAD to spiffy up a client's home it was throwing a bunch of plants around....thanks!
Jul 13, 2007 01:49 PM
Julia Fedak
Royal LePage State Realty - Ancaster, ON

Lola and Sally..thanks..I'm going to try and post these simple techniques in sequence. Hope you enjoy them!

Julia

Jul 13, 2007 02:07 PM
Cindy Lin
Staged4more School of Home Staging - South San Francisco, CA
Host, The Home Staging Show podcast

Great blog! So short and sweet and direct to the point. I love it!

Cheers,

Cindy 

Jul 13, 2007 09:22 PM
Julia Fedak
Royal LePage State Realty - Ancaster, ON

Thanks, Cindy...glad you enjoyed it!

julia

Jul 14, 2007 08:20 AM
Wendy Casey
A-List Home Staging & Decor - Surrey, BC

Hi Julia,

I enjoyed your tips.

 In staging, we sometimes forget to put people in the rooms. That's why I enjoyed your 'functional' section. What is the room's function, where would we be looking, what would we be doing in this room- entertaining, reading, etc. A potential buyer is looking at it this way, and so should we, as stagers. Also, 'mood' can translate roughly to the target market you are aiming at. For example, your living room looks elegant, inviting, comfortable, but not overly formal, or 'stuffy.' A buyer with kids could see themselves in this room.

Keep them coming!

Wendy Casey, CSP

Surrey, BC.

 

 

Jul 14, 2007 09:07 AM
Julia Fedak
Royal LePage State Realty - Ancaster, ON

Thanks Wendy!

Every week I will be giving some type of design/decorating advice....but you gave me an idea. Perhaps I should incorporate staging advice (according to recent experiences). We are always learning!

Julia

Jul 14, 2007 12:00 PM
Rhonda Hay Rawlins
Glastonbury Home Staging - Glastonbury, CT
Beautiful work, Julia! Very informative, great points. Always enjoy your posts. Thanks.
Jul 14, 2007 12:26 PM
Julia Fedak
Royal LePage State Realty - Ancaster, ON

Thanks, Rhonda! You already know that I really enjoy yours as well.

Don't you love AR! (group hug):)

julia

Jul 15, 2007 12:48 AM
Maureen Maureen
Orangeburg, NY
Julia - what a beautiful room.  I LOVE the artwork and the sconces.  More pictures please!
Jul 15, 2007 03:00 PM
Julia Fedak
Platinum Home Designs - Oakville, ON
IRIS, CSP

Thank you, Maureen-----I just wish I had more time to SIT IN IT AND ENJOY IT!!! :) (well, sort of).

I'm thinking about setting up a little desk in it with a computer---LORD KNOWS, I would be in it ALOT if I did that!:)

Julia

 

Jul 16, 2007 02:41 PM