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Making a Memorable Home
Making a Memorable Home
Fresh out of college she had little desire to decorate or apply much effort to her home. She figured, “if it’s not functional, it’s not needed.” That all changed when her best friend, a former beauty queen, moved in with her. “Everything was moved! Books were realigned to look nice, plants popped up everywhere, and anything that didn’t look pretty found a discrete new home.” Although the first shock of everything shifting around her was a bit startling, she started to notice a big difference. “All of a sudden the people entering her home would look around and almost immediately compliment her on her ‘Pinterest’ home. She would overhear conversations about how great visiting her house was and when people did visit, they wanted to stay.”
This was the story of one of our agents and her journey in learning the power and positive impact that decorating can have on a home. We’ve all been at the start of this journey at one point or another. Fearful of making mistakes, we settle for what we have or even convince ourselves we like it better without the fancy decorations (even though we drool at Pottery Barn). Decorating can play a key role in turning that house you bought into a real home. It can transform plain space into a memorable oasis for all who enter.
In everyday life this is important but when selling a home, it is invaluable.
To ease your fears we’ve gathered some key interior design tips we hope will help you with your first steps to a new interior design.
5 Rules for Interior Design
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Start with a Neutral Palette
Bright colors and bold accents go in and out of style rapidly. Neutrals are lasting and timeless. Start your room off with a neutral palette that will be consistent and lasting. Pops of color are easily achieved in replicable items such as books, floral arraignments, and accessories.
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The 10-30-60 Rule
An easy way to decide when and where color should be added is using the 10-30-60 color rule for dominant, secondary, and accent colors. As the name suggests; your dominant color (a neutral) should cover about 60% of the room. Your secondary color, a little bolder, should be used repetitively without overpowering. Your boldest color, the accent, should be included sparingly and with intentionality.
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Think Vertically
Artwork, wall décor, and tall plants help to bring the eye up off the ground or coffee table. Also, storing items vertically on shelves or other creative options keeps them off the ground or on low areas, preventing the home from feeling cluttered.
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The Rule of Threes
Styling surfaces can feel intimidating. Too few items can leave the space feeling sparse and awkward, but too many items can cause clutter. When in doubt, follow the rule of three. Odd number groupings are more appealing to the eye than even ones. Placing three cohesive items in a space can help to create this dynamic.
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Don’t Over-Theme
Everyone loves a good beach themed room but when everything is covered in is shells, sand, umbrellas, and flip flops it can start to look ridiculous. Keeps obvious references to a theme at a minimum with accent pieces and try to enhance the feel of the room over the theme.
Looking for some inspiration or a creative piece to get you started? Visit Seaside & Sylvan! They are a small furnishing boutique located at the historic Greenbank Farm. Their creative décor and helpful associates are sure to spark your style into action.
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Parks in Oak Harbor
Before & After – The Importance of Staging
Before & After - The Importance of Staging
It is normal for you to love your home and all of your belongings. However, when it comes time to move, and you are ready to sell, you want your home to be as appealing as possible to as many buyers as possible. To accomplish this you must prepare your home in a way that buyers can envision themselves living there.
The purpose of staging is to make the home speak to everyone else, in a captivating manor. The last thing you want is your personal belongings distracting your buyers from the features of your home that will make it sell.
For example when buyers see:
Piles of papers everywhere it tells them there is not enough storage. Solution: straighten up, get rid of the unnecessary, and create a cleaner more inviting space.
Filled kitchen counters make them think there are not enough cabinets. Solution: Clear off your countertops.
Packed closets lead them to believe the closet is too small. Solution: Do a bit of spring cleaning before photo day get rid of the unnecessary, fold clothes, straighten shoes, and organize your clothes by color on your hangers.
Rooms with a lot of furniture makes them feel cramped and left feeling like there is not enough room. Solution: move furniture into a way that is fitting for each room, perhaps rearranging furniture into other rooms or reducing the amount of furniture altogether.
When your home is clean, clutter-free, and/or staged you are telling potential buyers that you take good care of your home, while simultaneously providing them a clean slate to imagine themselves living there.
81% of Realtors said staging helps buyers visualize the property as a future home, while 46% said it makes prospective buyers more willing to walk through a home they saw online.
Ready to get started?
So, you can either be the "house with the beautiful granite counters and fantastic views" or the "house with the National Geographic collection where the dinning table is supposed to be."
