I Found Your Favorite Paint Color!

2014 is buzzing along like crazy! I can barely keep up with the pace at which we have quotes and floor plan designs flying out the door. And, just like that.......stopped in my tracks...........I discover the best design tool I have found since Pinterest! Talk about making our lives easier and taking our creative brains to a new pace. I'm so excited to share this! We are obsessed with this tool and started using it from day one. Check it out... it's called Chip It, from Sherwin Williams.

Here's how it works: Go to www.LetsChipit.com and drag the Chip It button up to your browser.

Here's your new color chip board!! 

Save it, share it and paint it!!!

You can create boards with all of your ideas. I absolutely love this!

Here are some of my favorite rooms and their new chip boards I created.

You can Chip It any photo.

This one is probably my favorite. 

Okay, so let's get chipping! Next time you see your favorite color at the farmer's market, 

it just might inspire an entire room in your house!
Follow our Chip Boards!

Thank you Sherwin Williams!

Boston High Life

It's always fun to share the memorable spaces we see while staging and consulting. Here are some "before' photos of us consulting on a new listing by Campion & Co. in Boston. 

High above Boylston St. at the Mandarin Oriental:

The views are amazing

The floors are fabulous!

 Great entry.

More incredible views of Boston

Great bathtub.

Here is the finished product and new listing from Campion & Co. 

Listed at 13.5M.

Before & After: Home Staging in CT

We recently staged a home in Connecticut that I must share. In 10 years of staging, this house is definitely in my top 5 favorite houses that I've seen. It was built in 1919 and has more character in the front door than most houses have in their whole footprint. So, when we got the opportunity to visit the home back in Jan., make renovation recommendations and then stage the home for sale, I was so excited. This is a bank owned home and currently on the market. I would buy this house in a New York minute if it were in my neck of the woods. Here's the story...

Before: The house is no doubt fabulous from the outside however, especially in the winter, it's important to create some color contrast and open the shades for a welcoming effect.

AFTER; The house was painted and the front door painted deep red.

Before: The entry was dark but the dark brown contrast on the trim was great, so we kept that and had the walls painted a gray color instead of brown. 

After: 

Can we discuss this original dutch door!! 

What a major feature to highlight in the real estate photos!

(I can't even deal!)

Before: This yellow wall color is dated and the furniture is not good.

After: Simple staging and neutral wall color,

Before: Dated bedroom. And also, notice the wall color stops at the top of the window line. 

When you have a ceiling pitch like this, paint it all the way up to the ceiling.

After: The gray color, painted to the top of the pitch, makes the ceiling look higher and the room look bigger. 

Before: The kitchen caused some debate between myself and the (bank hired)contractor. 

I thought the "before" was workable. As a professional stager, my recommendation is based on a "spend the least amount of money to get the greatest return" mentality .  It's all in the merchandising.

My recommendation: Save those white quartz counters. Keep the brass knobs because brass is back.  Switch out the stove and oven.

Change the lighting to something like this with some aged brass elements:

I thought the bookcase and the slate floors were fine..

Could be staged like this with a round zinc or gate leg table, accessorized with cloches and orchid:

via Pinterest

However, I was over ruled and they decided to do an entire reno.

AFTER

I would be curious to know if the house would have sold without renovating the kitchen but, we'll never really know. Maybe when the house sells, the new homeowner will share what they loved about the house and we can get some insight on the features they love most.

So anyway, the master bathroom needed to be reconfigured for a double sink.
BEFORE

AFTER:

The original faucets were saved!! YES!

The other bathroom AFTER:

The walls were painted gray and the original lighting was saved.

This house is so fabulous.

More photos

The house is listed for sale by New England Realty Associates in CT

Here is the old listing

Design Diaries

The quiet months of winter are CLEARLY behind us and now begins the insanity of springtime in this segment of my business. Taking the time to peruse Pinterest for inspiring photos to post about, or blogging about favorite products is so far removed from the time management radar, I'm actually too exhausted to even worry about it. The fact is, my week is so hilarious and the clients I meet are so accommodating, grateful and hopeful, I have decided to just blog about the week in review.

Staging a home does not always produce a magazine quality photo opp. Our day to day business involves working with real people, kids, dogs, old furniture, too much of this or that and VERY busy lives. Many times, the hard work, sweat, and exhausting investment of the homeowner goes unnoticed to the buyer. However, we know the truth. And when the house sells right away, it is a the best feeling on earth.
Wonder what it's like to be in our shoes? Here ya go...


Sunday Mar 10th 2013
Windham, NH
Checked in on client renovation. Selected flooring option for entry hall & chose a Candice Olson wallpaper for powder room. It's gonna be awesome.

 Monday: Mar 11, 2013
South Windsor Connecticut
Backstory: Staged a senior living condo that has been on the market vacant for a few months with no offers. Now that it's staged, we'll have to see what happens.

Tuesday: Mar 12, 2013
Chelmsford, MA
Homeowner consultation. This busy couple has a young baby and 2 cats in a townhouse they have outgrown. Time to get a storage unit, pack up all the extraneous stuff and show perspective buyers how much room they'll have when they buy the place!

Westford, MA, list price $500-600k
New construction visit. Staging consult, measure, floor plan, select paint colors.

COMING Soon! (Monday actually)

Andover, MA list price $4 Million
Homeowner Staging Consultation. Jen and I have exciting plans for this home.This is a unique property that requires well appointed furnishings. When staging, it's so important to use furnishings the potential buyer can identify with. What will we do?? Guess you'll have to wait and see!

Oh and at 11pm I got around to designing the 4 cakes that will be served at our event this Saturday. 

Yes- I'm totally designed out.

Wednesday: Mar 13, 2013
Concord, MA list price $1.4 Million
Vacant house staging consultation. Floor plan, measure. (COMING SOON-Staging next week!)

Newton, MA list price $900-1M
Homeowner Staging Consultation (Staging next week)
Okay this was my favorite of the week! I absolutely love these ambitious home sellers. They have a spanish style home, Asian furnishings, all nicely situated in Newton Mass!! ?? Not your average mix. ;)
Oh and did I mention it's Spanish 1970's?
From the minute I stepped in the door, they were ready to go. We moved tables, took down art, re-arranged furniture and selected paint colors. My favorite part was when I suggested tearing off the decorative trim along the top of the kitchen cabinets, OH it was on! (or off rather)
No time wasted here! I seriously love this guy. Can't wait to see the results. Stay tuned...

Tomorrow, I'm off to the studio, a Framingham, MA appointment and rehearsal for my 400 guest party on Sat. Just another crazy week in life of a working mom & wife. xoxo