The Decorologist | Paint Color Consultant | Home Staging
Home Staging and Paint Color Expert Kristie Barnett, draws on her background in psychology and education to provide design and color advice to residential projects.
There are few things that can give away the age of your home, or the date of your decorating, like how you paint out that trey ceiling. I recently did a Staging Consultation for a Nashville Realtor who was about to list a home to sell. This was the first thing you saw upon entry into the home:
Dining Room Before
Over the last week, something amazing happened. Because of this amazing thing, I went to a hot yoga class (not once, but twice) after not working out in over a year. I also got my hair cut, which I also haven’t done in over a year.
As many of you who follow The Decorologist on Facebook or Twitter may know, it was a big week for me! I was thrilled to be notified that I had received the 2013 Real Estate Staging Association (RESA) award for Best Staging of North America! I waited until my award arrived in the mail to write this post:
When the design board website, Olioboard, asked me to participate in a bloghop with nine other home staging experts, I said heck yeah! As a Nashville-based home stager, I’m ALL ABOUT befores-and-afters (in case you haven’t noticed). I pulled an actual “before” photo of a vacant room that I staged a few years ago. At the time I actually staged it, I had to rent a houseful of furnishings. I was limited to what was available from this particular rental company, but I’m not limited as to how I can stage it virtually on Olioboard! It’s such a great tool to use with clients when trying to visualize a design plan. So here’s a shot of the “before” of this neutral living room.
Vacant Property Before
I know lots of ways to make a real estate listing look like a million bucks, without spending a ton. After staging over a hundred homes in the Nashville area, I’ve learned lots of tricks and budget-friendly ways to make a dated space feel fresh and fabulous. Here’s a look at my latest staging project:
Staged Dining Room
There’s a science to effective home staging, and there’s an art as well. Specific furniture placement, on-trend color, and judicial use of accessories is important [Read more...]
Do you ever walk into a room and feel as though things are off-balance? I do – all the time. It’s a curse. As an Interior Decorator and Home Stager, it’s my mission to balance out every room I am asked to design or stage. Last week, I speed-staged a formal home in Brentwood, TN. This was the living room arrangement in its “before” state:
Living Room Before Staging
Can you guess what was bugging me? The rug was off-center from the fireplace and bookcases, the sofa was off the rug, the coffee table wasn’t centered on the rug, and the chairs were too far away from the sofa and fireplace. With a few adjustments, the room felt a lot better to me:
After Speed Staging by The Decorologist
Here is a view of the “before” from above – sometimes viewing from above gives you a different perspective as to whether or not the furniture arrangement works. Notice that you can’t even see the two chairs in this photo because they are so far separated from the rest of the seating.
Aerial View of Living Room Before Staging
Now doesn’t this just feel more “right?” The listing photography looks much better because of it – and we all know how important that is! If you don’t know, you should read this.
Staged Living Room by The Decorologist
Try it yourself in your own living room and see what a difference a little balance can make!
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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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