Last night I attended a debut Houzz.com event, along with a standing-room only group of Nashville design professionals at Kenny & Company in the ultra-hip Gulch area of downtown.
Nashville Houzz Event at Kenny & Company
Can You Really Meet Everyone’s Needs?
January 23, 2013 by 22 Comments
If you are a design junky, you probably have spent a little time on Houzz.com, the leading online website for residential remodeling and design. This week they announced their "Best of Houzz 2013" awards, and I was happy to hear I was one of the designers who received an award, determined by the more than 11 million monthly users that make up the Houzz community.
What really makes me happy is that the award is for "Customer Satisfaction," which is something that is very important to me. I want each of my clients to be happy with the work I've done in their home and to believe that their time with me is valuable beyond the fee they paid.
So why did it bum me out so badly to find a negative review posted about me on Thumbtack today? This man said that I didn't return his emails or requests for a consultation and that he "had a very low opinion of me." First of all, I do not recognize the guy's name and really don't think I blew him off, but I let it make me feel bad anyway.
Creating Homework Areas That Make Back-To-School Rock
September 5, 2012 by 2 Comments
It’s hard to believe school is back in session. Now is the time to set aside a special place for the kiddos to get their homework done in peace. Here are some ideas for making homework less of a chore, more of a joy.
by Lisa Wilson via Houzz.com
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The breakfast table or dining table is a great place to designate as your official homework area. You can prepare dinner and keep your eyes on your little workers at the same time. Click here to see the rest of the article I wrote for Houzz.com. Looks like it will be the last one I do for awhile – something had to give in my busy schedule, so I told my editor at Houzz I needed to take a break and focus on this blog and my design clients. So please stop over and “like” or comment on my article!
Photography Tips that Can Sell Your Home
August 22, 2012 by 1 Comment
As a Nashville Home Stager, I know that one of the most powerful tools you have when marketing your home for sale is amazing listing photography. No matter how fabulous your home is, it won’t sell if the listing photos don’t do their job. Your photos should be strategic and should highlight the positives so that potential buyers run to their phone schedule a showing. Here are my tips for getting the most out of these incredibly important home photos.
1. Include only photos of your most attractive rooms in your online listing. Include the description and dimensions of the other rooms in the home, but you aren’t doing yourself any favors by including bad photos or poorly-staged rooms. Lure potential buyers in with lovely spaces but don’t show them anything that might keep them from scheduling a showing, like your less-than-lovely recreation room or an outdated bathroom.
Click into Houzz.com to read the rest of The Decorologist’s tips featured on This Week on Houzz!
Is Staging an Historic House Different than Staging a Contemporary One?
August 15, 2012 by 2 Comments
Staging a home to sell is a somewhat different animal when you are dealing with a historic or period home. While you want to make it appeal to the widest audience possible, you have to realize that most of the people interested in buying that type of home are attracted to historically decorated interiors. Most historic homes sell to a specific kind of buyer who is looking for character and architectural details that will make them fall head over heels.
1. Choose classic wall colors. If you need to paint the walls, choose a color from a period-inspired palette. Use fresher, cleaner historic options, such as Benjamin Moore’s Palladian Blue, Adams Gold or Georgian Green. I love the way the homeowner painted the undersides of the sink and bathtub in this vintage bathroom! This kind of color placement draws attention to the unique selling points of the home. For the rest of my tips, please check out the last in my Home Staging series on Houzz.com by clicking here. Make sure you “like” it if you visit – thanks!
Nashville Stager Explains How You May Need to Spend Money to Make Money
August 8, 2012 by 5 Comments
No one wants to spend money on the home they are getting ready to sell, but it can be crucial if you want to sell the house quickly and for the price you want. Beyond basic decluttering and cleaning, there are areas where you may need to spend a little cash in order to get your property sold. Here’s a few things you may need to spend $$ on:
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Painting the walls in updated neutrals and on-trend colors will set your home apart and help home buyers remember each room. Open areas should all be painted the same color — maybe a light griege or muted-down color. You’ll want to skip the dark or intense colors in these areas. Master and guest bedrooms are best painted in muted but distinct colors. Muted versions of blues, greens and yellows are good bets.
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Read the rest of my latest article on Houzz.com to find out the other things you probably need to spend a little money on if you want to get your home sold quickly and for more money. Again, I did not choose the title of the article (am I a control-freak, or what?) Just for the record, I’m not a fan of the word “savvy.”
In case you don’t follow me on Facebook, here are links to my articles in the Style section of The Tennessean from the last two Saturdays:
7 Secrets to Saving Money When Staging Your Home
July 31, 2012 by 8 Comments
My years of experience in staging homes in Nashville has taught me a few things about where to spend money and where to save money when marketing a property to sell. Many people spend their money in all the wrong places, when consulting with a good Home Stager first could actually save them money.
1. Don’t paint the trim.
Even if you need to paint the walls in a few rooms, there’s usually no need to paint the trim when staging your home. Having your trim painted requires more time, effort and money (if you hire it out) than painting your walls. You’ll get more bang for your buck if you paint the walls and skip the trim.
Please check out the rest of The Decorologist’s tips for saving money when staging your home in this week’s article in Houzz.com.
So Really, What’s the Difference Between Decorating & Staging?
July 25, 2012 by Leave a Comment
As a Nashville Home Stager, I know that selling your home means selling a lifestyle – but not necessarily your own. In home staging, you’re striving for a look that is fresh and welcoming yet not really taste specific. If you don’t understand the difference between decorating your home and staging it to sell, you might not sell your house as quickly as you like.
I give you the specifics in my latest article on Houzz.com. Go check it out and “like” it, share it on Facebook, or leave a comment if you have a moment!
So Much Decorating, So Little Time!
July 10, 2012 by 17 Comments
How are you guys doing this week? I’ve been go-go-going like crazy lately, so I thought I’d catch you up on some fun stuff in decorology land! I sometimes forget that the tidbits I share on my Facebook page never get to my readers on the blog. Maybe you need to be following me on Facebook here! Over the weekend, my “Front Porch Makeover” was featured in a 1 1/2 page spread in The Tennessean.
The Decorologist’s Front Porch Makeover!
Good thing my kids were in the East Tennessee mountains running from bears and bungee jumping (who has grandparents that cool???) so that I could focus on making over a front porch in record time and 105 degree weather (yes, after 2 hours of styling a porch in the boiling heat I posed for a photo that ended up in the Style section of The Tennessean).
My firstborn and my neice about to take the plunge
In spite of my being a hot mess (literally), the fabulous Shopping Diva, Cathi Aycock, made my week by telling me she had a total girl-crush on me. That’s a compliment I’ll take!
The Tennessean’s Shopping Diva, Cathi Aycock
Last Tuesday evening, I spent the evening with about 30 of my newest friends to share 2 hours chocked-full of color advice at my first “How to Choose Just the Right Paint Color” class at Kirkland’s Floor to Ceiling here in the Greater Nashville area.
The Decorologist’s Color Class - photo by Matt Barker
I had sooo much fun and am pretty sure my students did, too! I hope to do another class like this sometime in the fall.
Benjamin Moore Color Class presented at Kirkland’s Floor to Ceiling – photo by Matt Barker
As you may know, I’ve been writing for the premier design and remodeling website, Houzz.com, for the last couple of months. Check out my latest article on how to create an awesome hallway with pattern here.
In addition to all these exciting things, I have continued to meet with both new and ongoing clients working up new color palettes for their homes, better furniture and art arrangements, and shopping for just the right items to finish out their design plans. Of course, I hope to share some of those results with you here soon. I’m totally exhausted just thinking about the last couple of weeks. Maybe I need a vacation???
How to Make Your Home Feel Like YOU
July 6, 2012 by 11 Comments
Too many people want their home to look like someone else’s. Shouldn’t your home reflect who you are and what you love? Well, of course it should! If you’re not sure how to express yourself through your decor, here are some ideas to give you the confidence you need to do just that.
Houzz.com just published the last in my series of 8 articles about how to make your space “feel” a certain way – they dubbed it “Mood Makers.” Here’s my latest post with lots of decorating ideas for making a house your unique home:
Please let them know if you like my articles – I’m working on an idea for a new series for them now. Have a great weekend!
