2011 has been hailed as “The Year Colour Made a Comeback”

From bright citrusy oranges and yellows to peacock blues and greens colour is dragging us out of the depths of Winter with a refreshing and uplifting palette of brights.Colour is a complex topic and getting it wrong can have dire consequences.Nothing affects mood and behavior like colour can.Greens are calming,reds can raise blood pressure and yellow causes eye fatigue! Something to think about before your next decorating project.When using colour the addition of white will provide decorating balance and visually open a space.If you are a newcomer to the colour wheel these tips will help to incorporate colour into your decor.

1.Paint one accent wall with your chosen hue.This will create a focal point in the room,without making a major commitment that you may live to regret.

2.Pile on the pillows.Always a great addition to pull a scheme together and can be easily changed to alter a room’s mood.

3.Bring the outdoors in and add some Mother Nature.Plants and flowers always bring a room to life adding visual warmth and personality.

4.Add some colour underfoot. A colourful rug,strategically placed in front of a chair or under your bed,will add colour and texture.Choose a contrast colour,inspired by the fabric you are using elsewhere or look for something with an interesting pattern that ties into your theme.

5.Freshen up a chair cushion.If you have a small chair,such as a desk stool or side chair,bring it back to life by recovering it.Fresh colour on just a small area like this will help invigorate a tired colour scheme.

6.Get Arty.A colourful piece of artwork may just be what a room needs to inject some drama and fun into a room.It’s also a great place to start when decorating to pull a colour scheme together.

No time to be sentimental,be ruthless. 

As the population ages,more and more baby boomers are opting for the convenience and modern amenities of condo living.The explosion of condos under construction across Halifax and Dartmouth satisfies the need for this growing trend.One of the obstacles of downsizing is letting go of all that clutter collected over the years.Many homeowners are sentimentally attached to their “stuff” and this often gets in the way of the de cluttereing and downsizing process.

When deciding what to keep and what to let go there are some simple questions you need to ask yourself.

• What would you take with you in the event of a fire? This is a great way to determine what you really value.Storing treasured items in an easy to reach container you can grab at a moments notice will ensure you will not lose your most important items.
• Decide what in your home has purpose and what doesn’t.Ask yourself why you are holding on to an item that has no specific use and decide if the space it is taking up is worth it.
• Things that you are hoping to use or wear “someday” will free up much needed storage in your new home.Chances are “someday” will come and you won’t need or like the item anymore.
• Last thing to consider is does the item make you happy.We all have those small items that have special meaning so choose only the things that make you smile.

Recycle,reuse,sell & donate is your mission.

Start thinning out your belongings at least three months before your move.Take some time each day to go through closets and filing cabinets etc.Paper seems to be the area that often needs the most attention.Have a shredder and lots of blue bags on hand to steamline the process.Tackle it one drawer or box at a time,filing in the appropriate spot as you go.Get a feel for the size of the rooms in your new space.If your present bedroom is roughly the size of your new living room or den measure your furnishings to plan what you can comfortably fit in your spot without overcluttering.This can sometimes be a reality check when you realize not all of your existing pieces will fit in your new home.

Areas with items that have no sentimental value such as the kitchen should be heavily edited.Most people don’t need ten mixing bowls and won’t get sentimental over parting with that spatula that has seen better days or the mountain of plastic containers that fall out of the cupboard every time you open it.If you are downsizing from a house to a condo the garage is an area where you can pretty much purge everything.Snow shovels,lawn mowers,gardening tools etc can all go,you won’t need them.

Try to avoid throwing anything in the garbage by being environmentally responsible and find a home for everything.Womans shelters always welcome donations.Lightly used items of bedding,household appliances,china, clothing,books and cd’s can all be put to use by various organizations.Try to be ruthless and a good rule of thumb is anything that has not been used in a year will not be missed.The internet or consignment shops are also good locations to drop off your items and make some money to put towards your new home.

By adopting a one of everything rule rather than keeping several sets of china or multiple baking trays etc you will streamline and simplify your newlife.Say goodbye snowshovel and enjoy!

Home Stagers –  Multi taskers and good listeners

 Home Staging is so much more than decorating and decluttering. A Home Stager understands the psychology of what makes a buyer “fall in love” with a home and how hard it is sometimes for a seller to “let go” because of the emotional connections to their home and everything in it.

This emotional connection makes it hard for a seller to look at their home objectively and see the flaws that are red flags to buyers.By merchandising a home’s best features and downplaying it’s flaws a Home Stager ensures a home tells the story a buyer wants to hear.A love story.

As with any major life change,preparing to sell a home is a very stressful time and emotions run high.Your Home Stager will address your concerns and guide you through the process of preparing your property for sale.By deciding which changes and improvements will give the most return on your investment you have a solid plan of action to start the selling process.A detailed list should include a wide range or recommendations to maximize a property’s potential.

• Recommendations for colour changes
• Curb appeal
• Furniture placement and removal of excess items
• Staging rooms for the purpose they were designed
• Clearing the clutter & where to store it
• Recommendations for trusted trades for repairs,painting,cleaning etc
• Action plan to get the home ready in time for listing
• Realtor recommendations
• Coping with Real Estate showings
• Furniture & accessory rental if needed
• Real Estate Photographers
• Moving into your new home

Hiring a Home Stager to be your project manager for your home sale is fast becoming the most cost effective way to market a home to sell quickly and for top dollar.By Staging you stand out from the competition and reap the rewards.

Like it or not,Home Staging is here to stay.

It’s a sad fact but this is a very visual world.In order to grab the attention of today’s consumer a product has to attract them at “Hello”.Bombarded with thousands of images every day,we become complacent to anything new if it fails to appeal instantly to our lifestyle aspirations.Successful companies selling everything from beer to luxury autos spend millions of dollars to woo a consumer with lifestyle commercials and print ads that appeal to their emotions.

The Real Estate industry is no exception and a Home Stager has now become a “Lifestyle Merchandiser”.Today’s buyer is much more savvy and not willing to settle for a property that does not fit their vision of an “Ideal Home”.Due to the widespread education by the new breed of Home Improvement and Staging shows buyers are now demanding a move in ready space with all the features now perceived as “must haves”.

Homeowners have an emotional attachment to their home and everything in it.This makes the ability to see their home with a “buyer’s eyes” a futile one.A Realtor may be hesitant to suggest changes to a homeowner as to not offend when they have worked hard to gain a homeowner’s trust to list their home.A Home Stager acts as a third party in the homeowner’s interests to guide them in the process of Marketing their property for sale.

As soon as the homeowner decides to list their home it is a product that must be marketed to appeal to a buyer’s emotions.Depersonalizing the home allows a buyer to visualize themselves living there without the distractions and negative reactions to a space with personal decor choices and too many of the homeowners possessions on display.

By shining the spotlight on the importance of furniture placement,colour choices and clutter removal ,a “Lifestyle Merchandiser” will ensure a property appeals to the emotions of a buyer in the right way to pique their interest into viewing the property.Once they are in the door,if your “Lifestyle Merchandiser” has done their job properly they will find it hard to resist!