What's New in the Bedroom

Experts claim that we all spend over 24 years of our lives in bed.  Women spend 136 days "getting ready" to go...to work, out on a date, to school, etc. (Only 136 days?)  But despite all of the time we spend in our bedroom spaces, these are the rooms that many of us put at the bottom of our decorating lists.

Amanda Wasylik, of the Home Decorating Company,  is a blog partner who is very knowledgeable about the latest trends in designer bed linens and bedroom decor.  From time-to-time, she will share some of the fabulous bedding products her company offers, as well as her insight into how you can change your ho-hum bedroom into a spectacular space for slumber and relaxation.

Trends in the fall season are leaving doors open fordesigners and do-it-yourself-ers alike. This season is all about combiningluxury with looks that reflect your own personal style. Everyone needs agetaway from the chaos of day-to-day life, and what better way to take a breakfrom it all than to drift away in your own bedroom.

Although many people are leaning toward morecontemporary designs within their bedroom to update their décor, there are manyfashionable designs to complement a more traditional design as well. Whetheryou are looking for traditional or contemporary, Croscill bedding has a designto fit every décor. Some other great designers include Waverly, Nautica, Courtof Versailles, and Laura Ashley to name a few.

Comforter sets are becoming more popular this season as ameans to a less expensive, designer bedroom. Buying a set, as opposed to eachpiece separately, provides for a more wallet-friendly purchase withoutcompromising your designer tastes. A great comforter set to peek at would bethe Fiji Bedding Collection by Croscill. This bedding set provides a luxuriousfocal point for a variety of personal tastes.

-- Amanda Wasylik, The Home Decorating Company

Does Home Staging Sell a Home?

Does Home Staging Sell a Home?

Kate Case is a talented suburban NYC home stager and redesigner with whom I have had the pleasure of working.  She has a proven track record of helping clients prepare their homes for successful, top dollar sales, and will share some of her tips for home selling success here from time-to-time.

In this do it yourself Home Depot time, some homeowners believe they can sell their homes on their own.  How hard can it be, all you need to do is mop the floor and put out some fresh flowers - right?

Actually, the odds of a potential home buyer just showing up at a "Open House" are less than they used to be.  Most buyers are searching the Internet first before they are taking the time to drive by your home and take a look. In fact, statistics show over 85% of potential home buyers are using the Internet to look for a new home.  This is why it is so important that your home has beautiful online photos to attract these potential home buyers.

Where does the staging fit in?  A professional home stager will come to your home and re-arrange your furniture, declutter your main rooms, create focal points and accent colors, and create an atmosphere to attract a larger buyer audience.  Once your main rooms are re-arranged, your stager will take digital photos to be placed online to attract these buyers you are after.

Which of these rooms do you think would attract more buyers?

Room Before Staging.

There is not much color and all the wires are distracting.

Same room after 20 minutes of Staging.

• We used a table from another area of the client's home.
• We brought in some much needed color.
• The area was also de-cluttered and cleaned.

This room now has a simple ready nook for potential buyers to connect to.

Staging Works!

Staging helps home sellers bring out the best in their most expensive asset - their homes.  By simply re-arranging furniture and bringing in some color a room can be transformed.  Also, fresh flowers and plants are always a nice touch.  Bringing the outside in, especially in your entry way is also very important.  This is why I always suggest that a home seller have a beautiful plant in their entry way.

Which of these rooms do you think a potential home buyer would connect to?
--Kate Case
www.kateshomestaging.com

Basement Project Featured in Washington Post Home Section

Each week, The Washington Post asks a Washington, D.C. area interior designer to accept the challenge of redesigning a homeowner's problem space.  In exchange for exposing their troubled rooms, these homeowners are given a detailed redesign plan for their specified budget.  This week that lucky designer was me.

For the October 8th edition of this feature, I was assigned the misunderstood, forgotten basement rec room of a Fairfax, Virginia couple.  Their recreation area is very long and relatively narrow, and offered a less than inviting space for them to enjoy as they desired.  As the homeowners stated, "One-third of the room is taken up by the couch, end tables and recliner, and the other two-thirds has a huge treadmill."  They added, "...and we don't want the basement to look like a basement"!  This couple expressed a desire to redesign the room into a welcoming space for friends and family since they frequently have out-of-town guests, and they love to entertain.

Their basement wish list included:

1. An eating area for at least 6 people
2. A dartboard
3. Hide the treadmill behind a screen, etc.
4. Keep as much of the existing furniture as possible
5. More lighting
6. Use of warm colors with ginger and red being cited as particular favorites
7. Maintain a large, spacious look
8. Keep the design style contemporary to transitional

Before:


I provided this couple with a complete plan which included:

1. Creation of a dining/game area for family and friends
2. Creation of an inviting seating area to view TV and converse
3. Additional lighting in the form of two floor lamps and a 3-light pendant over the dining/game table
4. A 6 foot pool table
5. A dart board with a 36 inch protective backboard in color coordinating with wall paint
6. Artwork that reflects their background and interests
7. Warm, comforting wall and ceiling colors

Rationale:

• Keep the room  open.  The farther we can see into the space, the larger it will appear.  Use of corner bench seating and armless chairs/stools around the game/dining table and the low profile of the pool table all help to minimize visual obstructions.
• Set the sofa on an angle.  The longest straight line in any room is its diagonal so placing furniture diagonally leads the eye along the angle instead of the straight wall.  It confuses the eye a bit  so that the exact length of the room is not easily determined.  This approach helps to de-emphasize the room's length while visually widening the room.
• No clutter!  Decluttering always adds to any room's sense of spaciousness and lends an overall calmness to the space.
• Use paint to widen the room by using similar paint colors on walls and ceilings and painting the shorter window wall a darker shade.  To maintain this effect, the window's Roman shade is nearly the same darker color as the surrounding wall.
• Give the clients the space they want.  One of the  most  important factors in determining any room's design plan is the consideration of the clients' intended use and purpose for the room.  This couple described casual dining, games and movies as their desired activities in the space -- not working out.  Therefore, I recommended that the treadmill be relocated to an entirely different room and I replaced it with a corner dining/game table, pool table, and portable bar behind the sofa.

After, designed by Carla Davis:

Washington Post House Calls

  

                          

Black Power!

Paneled Den, Antoine Proulx (Contact us for purchasing information, info@carladavisdesigns.com)

Black is a color that instantly evokes intensely prejudiced emotions.  Either you like it, or there is no way that you will ever accept it.  What other color in the spectrum denotes submissiveness to authority (clerics' and judges' black robes), as well as strength and protection as it signifies in Feng Shui?   What other color is associated with despair and even death while it is considered to have the power to instantly bestow any room an instant  fresh, elegant aura?  Despite its many contradictions, black continues to be a perennial classic in interior design.

Circa Lighting Windsor Black Iron Chandelier
   Butler Specialty Co. Connoisseurs Curio Cabinet

Black is a neutral color, and like the other neutrals -- beige, champagne, ash, stone, etc. -- black offers longevity to your decor.  Make no mistake, black is not a trend.  It's here to stay and so is its dramatic partnership with white.  Black and white has always been a fixture in design, and it has experienced a resurgence in popularity over the last few years.

 

My favorite high-style-for-less fabric company, Kast Fabrics (Top L to R):  Deco Zebra, Linette Ebony, Lamesa Ivory, Dawson Black/White, , Bayview Black/White, Baycliff Black

Tips for adding the glamorous drama of black to your space:

• Black absorbs light and will make a room appear to be smaller than it is.  This is fine if you are going for a cozy elegant vibe in a dining room, living, room or library, but I would not recommend it for a bedroom or kitchen.  It's far too austere for those areas.
• It's difficult of the do-it-yourself painter to achieve a good wall finish using black or other dark colored paints.  This is a color that I feel is best left to be applied by professional painters, and generally with 2 or more coats!
• If the idea of black walls is not your thing, try black picture frames, black pottery, black crystal, a black accent chair, or black lighting fixtures to infuse some black drama into your space.

For me, there is nothing more striking than black dining or living room walls above a  glossy white chair rail and wainscoting/shadow boxing.

Home Improvements That Increase Your Home's Value

Ask most anyone whether or not they think that the economy is still in a recession, and I'll bet you will get the same answer:  YES!  Fortunately, most experts agree that things will slightly improve in 2010.   If you are one of the lucky homeowners out there, perhaps you are still in a good position to consider a home improvement or two in hopes that additional upgrades will pay off whenever the economy actually turns around. But you may be unsure which improvements will give you the most post-recession bang for your buck.

HGTV photo

Newly installed granite, stove and corner fireplace.  Will these improvements help the homeowner make a killing at resale?

According to real estate and mortgage expert, Darlene Toomer, Fairfax, Virginia, home renovations are still holding their value better than home prices in today's market.  Whether you are planning on moving or staying put, Darlene offers some tips that can make your life more pleasant should you decide to sell including:

• Newly completed renovations also make buyers lives easier.  Purchasers want to open the door and have everything complete.  It reduces the stress of purchasing and moving
• Making home improvements can also reduce sellers' stress by heading off some of the price negotiating.  Leave no room for haggling!

Darlene also offers 3 surefire fixes to increase your home's overall enjoyment and value:

1. Enhance the color.  Paint is cheap!  Everything doesn't need to be white but use soft colors in your main scheme;
2. Buff up curb appeal.  Add something special to the entrance such as big flower pots or an antique bench; and,
3. Upgrade window treatments keeping in mind that light and privacy are paramount.

A Bright But Not So Cheery Kitchen May Make a Potential Buyer Pause...and then Run!

A Benjamin Moore Color Palette to Live With... 
and to Sell With:  (L to R) Windham Cream HC-6, Swept Away 701, and Strathmore Manor 244

Repelling Window     Selling Window


            Top Cost vs. Value Home Improvements (Mid Range)

PROJECT	JOB COST	RESALE VALUE	COST RECOUPED
Bathroom	$10,504	$10,642	101.3%
Kitchen	$14.917	$14645	98.2%
Vinyl Siding	$7,243	$6,877	94.9%
Finished Basement	$51,072	$46,017	90.1%

Stop the Madness! Fiscally Responsible Christmas Gift Ideas

Let's face it, the persistent economic downturn is still pinching many of us, and it's requiring us to do some serious paring down of the number or holiday gifts we will purchase this year.  I've tried to come up with a few ideas that won't cause you to go broke, loose friends, or harm the environment.  Get these money saving projects started now and save yourself time and money, and possibly a few gray hairs this holiday season.

1. Help them get the picture.  Get all of the pictures you have stored in your phone, camera, social networking, sites, etc. and upload them to a photo sharing site such as Flckr, Kodak, or PhotoBucket.  Once uploaded, separate them into folders for different family members and friends and e-mail their personalized photo set with your desired holiday greeting.  Cost:  Free.
2. Decorate and personalize a stocking.  You can purchase a plain stocking and then personalize it by stitching the person's name on it.  To further embellish and personalize, you can also glue or sew on beads and or tassels.  Cost: around $10 at your local craft store, i.e., Ben Franklin, A.C.Moore, etc.
3. Give them the green thumb.  You may have some old clay or ceramic pots that you no longer use.  If so, wash them out, fill with soil, plant a few bulbs, and cover with moss.  Water them a couple of times each week and they'll look great for gift giving at Christmastime.  Cost: around $5 at your local garden center depending of choice of bulbs.
4. Give them a movie:  your first starring role.  Record your own Christmas message, or make your own video diary to give to friends and family.  Cost:  $10 for a 5-pack of DVD-R at local retailers such as Ritz Camera.  Of course, you must already own, or have access to a DVD camcorder in order to make this a bargain gift.
5. Give them the gift of understanding who they are.  Research your family history and family tree and/or family history document to give to everyone in the family.  Cost:  Free.
6. Create a masterpiece.  Frame a child's artwork to create a heartwarming gift for family and friends.  Cost:  $10 or less depending on frame selected at local retailers such as A.C. Moore, Michaels, etc.
7. Shh...it's a secret.  Bring this favorite work holiday favorite home.  If you've got a big family and/or or you're part of a large group of friends, send out an e-mail to everyone suggesting that you each just pick one person to buy for with a price limit everyone can live with.  Cost:  $15 or less.
8. Family Secrets.  The kind you can share with everyone in the form of a favorite family recipes cookbook.  Cost:  $15 or less depending on presentation method.  Creating a digital cookbook would make this project cost nearly  free.
9. Gift certificates.  Make a certificate entitling the recipient to the gift of your time:  a home-cooked supper, an evening of babysitting, painting their living room, etc.  Cost:  Free.
10. Put the family on their mug.  Have a family photo printed on mugs to give to family members:  Cost:  $15 or less.  Walgreen currently does this for around $12, and I'm sure that they and others will have sales promotions between now and Christmas.

If you have some cool ideas to help us all maintain our financial sanity this holiday season, please share them with us.

Poll Question:
Do you plan to put the brakes on spending for gifts this Christmas?