Invoking Happiness with Color

Color plays an important role in design whether we are trying to stimulate a joyful and happy place or creating a room for quiet reflection. When I think of what makes me happy and an associated color - orange makes me smile. In fact, as a teenager I insisted my bedroom be painted orange, it was uplifting compared to the dreary Seattle weather. As an home stager and designer, I fully understand the use of color and surround myself with pops of orange in my office, which makes for a stimulating and creative space.

Love this Orange Rockwell Arm Chair

Orange created by combining red (energy) and yellow (happiness) represents sunshine, warm weather and places like the tropics. Studies show that orange can stimulate the brain, increase the oxygen supply and is invigorating. Imagine the scent and taste of a slice of orange, how it felt peeling back the rind, releasing sprays of orange fragrance in the air and feeling bursts of juice explode as you bit into each segment, note how refreshing this was and happy you felt. One simple slice of an orange produces endorphin's stimulating your “happy” place. 

It is a powerful color representing happiness, strength and endurance. In Feng Shui and Interior Design applications important elements are often highlighted using the color orange, while commercially it is often used to help stimulate business success.

Quoting Oscar Levant, he said, “happiness isn’t something you experience, it is something you remember.” Isn’t it time to remember something that made you happy? Recall how you felt during the summer with the warmth of the sun on your face, did you feel happy? Let’s recreate this feeling in our home. I could suggest painting a wall or four in a warm orange palette, however doing so could invoke too much of a good thing. Instead paint a niche, accent wall, add a great accessory that pops of warm orange, or introduce a piece of furniture in a dark corner. You won't regret it.

Socially orange becomes a conversation starter, and has uplifting energy while creating a sense of warmth. Afraid of commitment then start small with a simple bowl of oranges or tangerines, as a centerpiece. It’s a perfect way to introduce happiness and prosperity, especially as we celebrate Lunar New Year on February 8^th. Interested in learning more contact me? I can be reached at www.homestagingsantafe.com.

Home Staging Inspiration from Architectural Details

Selling a home “as-is,” in most cases, is not the most effective way to reach a buyer’s attention and invoke their appreciation for the characteristic and fine detail of a home. Finding a buyer (only 20%) who can look past the seller’s décor style and furnishing arrangement, plus areas of neglect to appreciate the gem of an “as-is” home is risky.

This unique home built in 1900, was formerly the residence of Santa Fe Governor John E. Miles (1939-1941). In addition to its historic past, this South Capital home is appreciated for its unique architectural design. It is one of two homes found in Santa Fe built with the classic Gambrel roof characteristic of the Dutch Colonial style. The exterior walls and fireplace built with stone, rumored to originate from Upper Canyon Road.

The age and history of this home was the inspiration to determine the style of furnishings and décor used to stage this property. Rather than staging it with traditional Santa Fe style furnishings, a timeless contemporary design with clean lines produced an elegance that is inviting, comfortable. The style also helps to highlight the floor plan and showcase features such as the stone fireplace and crystal chandelier. The completed design blends cohesively and harmoniously with its surroundings, while emphasizing the architectural characteristics, which become important elements in staging a home.

Had the seller retain the existing style of furnishings and decor, buyers may have been unable to appreciate the details this rare home has to offer. When selling a home, it is best to highlight key selling points and features, rather than overburden it with a design that competes with the space. 

Considering selling your home, and wondering if the design style or furnishing arrangements showcase the home at its best? We can help with a virtual consultation and walk-through  of each room. You will receive tips and suggestions to get the most out bang when selling your home. www.homestagingsantafe.com

Homes Sell Quickly as Buyers Visualize Property through Home Staging

Living room at 319 Villeros, Santa Fe

Providing home staging guidance to owners who live in their home while trying to sell it is a different approach than filling a vacant home and staging it with furniture, accessories and decor. 

The goal is to create an environment within a home that is for sale so buyers can connect with it, while using the seller’s things. Working within the seller’s budget, we spent about a day to help them stage the house and gardens in order for this home to get quick results. In just a short time, the owners received styling and design guidance using their belongings. We moved most of their furniture around, rearranged the placement of beds, cleaned up the art studio, created an inviting seating area in the living room, artwork was rehung, and unnecessary items were removed which contributed to the cluttered appearance we initially came upon. While going through this process we even helped them get organized to begin the packing process of letting go which can help get the house sold. The gardens also received a much-needed face-lift due to neglected maintenance and overgrown weeds to highlight the Koi pond, two private patios and fruit trees. 

According to the sellers, not only were the results fantastic, but also buyers were thrilled with how the home looked, and it sold within six weeks of staging. Home staging is an effective tool in selling a home with "81% of buyers saying that home staging makes it easier to visualize the property as a future home", according to the National Association of Realtor's 2015 Profile of Home Staging. 

There is a difference in how a home looks between "living" in a home and "selling" the home. If you are uncertain how this can make a difference with your situation or you need some guidance, contact us at www.homestagingsantafe.com, we can help even through a virtual home staging consultation.

Dining Room and Entry

Kitchen and Breakfast Nook

Art Studio

Gardens and Private Patio

Century Old Home Staged with Contemporary Twist

A former Santa Fe Governor residence, more than a century old,  receives an interior facelift with contemporary furnishings through home staging and design in Santa Fe, NM.

The majority of homes in Santa Fe are Adobe or Territorial style, however this one is truly unique with original stone walls, basement, deep seated windows, and guest rooms upstairs boasts an unusual design in Dutch Colonial architecture.

It would have been easy to prepare this home as a typical home staging project by using furnishings that reflected an older period. However, we chose to step it up and move away from the ordinary or expected by bringing this home into the present and upgrade it to project the lifestyle of an upscale buyer. Using a palette of grays, cream and champagne, plus incorporating glass, silver and reflective surfaces this home showcases an elegance which is warm, comfortable and affordable, one that is sure to attract a home buyer with discerning tastes.

Each room is uniquely styled to take advantage of showcasing the architectural features, critically important when selling a home. We chose to have the upstairs guest rooms remain true to the original design, however focusing on the needs of a present day buyer and staged it to showcase the unlimited possibilities. The master bedroom, bath and adjoining studio/office space received a much needed facelift before putting it on the market.

As a home stager, offering full-service project management, we helped the seller by preparing the home for sale by removing the excessive furnishings, plus enormous eclectic decor, painted the interiors and exterior, identified and updated neglected areas and then prepared the home using our home staging techniques. Our crew worked diligently to maintain the characteristics of this historic home.

615 Webber Street is within blocks of the Roundhouse and Santa Fe plaza and is approximately 2000 sq ft and includes a 500 sq ft detached casita, which is equally as warm and comfortable, plus can be used as a rental. To see more of this home on MLS201503782 with Francie Miles at Barker Realty.  To receive more information on home staging in Santa Fe contact us on our site at www.homestagingsantafe.com.

Living Room with stone fireplace

Entry looking into Living Room with wrought iron hand rail

Original wallpapered bathroom with claw foot bathtub

Master Bedroom with hard wood flooring

Back view of 615 Webber Street from casita

Side view of 615 Webber Street

 

Embracing contemporary design in staged home at Parade of Homes tour

This Friday, the annual Parade of Homes begins and runs for two weekends in Santa Fe. This event showcases some of the best homes in the area. If you have an opportunity to tour the homes you'll not only see terrific architectural design work but staged homes plus new offerings in interior design techniques.

I was fortunate to work with the Homewise team at their Tessara home, entry #6, and took the opportunity to highlight the interior and it's finishes by blending interior design elements and principles to create a style that is complimentary, comfortable, with just a touch of contemporary design that everyone can appreciate.

The key to good home staging techniques is providing just the right amount of ambiance to allow a buyer to envision the possibilities of embracing the space as their own while working with the finishes of the home. Hope to see you on the tour. To see more home staging techniques visit www.homestagingsantafe.com.

Home Staging for Discerning Lifestyle

With just over 6,000 sq ft of beautiful interiors and expansive outdoor space this very "lived-in" house was transformed into a home you'd expect to see in a "high-end" lifestyle magazine. Working with the homeowners we spent many days preparing this home to bring it to the expectations of a discerning home buyer and showcase it like a million dollar house. With so many unique and inspiring architectural features built into the home, it was important to remove the clutter, excess furniture, repurpose and downscale the 'day-to-day' affects of family living.

Without our home staging help, a buyer would miss the opportunity to appreciate the details and the seller may not have been unable to list the home at $1.1 million. Once we moved a lot of furniture, decor and clutter from each room, and reorganized the furnishings to enhance the spaces, it magically turned into a home that looks and feels worthy of the price tag.

A key element of our home staging techniques is to pay attention to the demographics of the buyer and ensure the home's appearance is staged to reflect the discerning tastes and lifestyle of the audience. Buyer's will appreciate the cleanliness, spaciousness and many details of a home when it is presented with them in mind. It's easier to sell a home that shows well, even if the price tag is much lower. How a home looks and feels when buyers approach it will determine how long they'll spend in the home touring it to see if it "fits" just right for them and their family.The longer they stay the greater the possibility they'll "feel at home" and make an offer.

To view additional images of this home at 11 Rancho Cholla, visit www.homestagingsantafe.com

Updating an Outdated Home with Home Staging

Holding on to outdated styles is never a good thing when selling a home! An outdated home reminiscent of bygone era’s can drastically reduce the value. Without making the necessary updates to fixtures, finishes, appliances or furniture the home may stay on the market longer than those with updated and desirable features.

In this home its pink wall-to-wall carpeting, outdated and monotone furnishings, antiquated fixtures and appliances, and lack of style had no appeal nor garnered interest from potential buyers. 

In an attempt to sell the home for three years, this homeowner, unaware that his home and its contents were keeping buyers away, enlisted the help of a home staging professional. Trained to identify the key selling features buyers look for in a home and staging it for maximum appeal for a targeted demographic is one of many bonuses in hiring a home stager. Looking at the home from a ‘buyers perspective’ the seller was ready to make the necessary upgrades to sell his home competitively in today’s real estate market.

Suggestions included replacing the carpeting with hard wood flooring, fresh coat of paint, new furnishings, appliances and fixtures, plus the designing a stacked fireplace in the living room as the focal point in the room. The results were astonishing. The seller admitted the home was unrecognizable with the updates and remarked the transformation went from a “sow’s ear into a silk purse”. Eager to put his home on the market he has more confidence that it will sell quickly.

When preparing your home to sell, consider enlisting the assistance of a professional home stager. They can show you where your home may hold you back from getting top dollar and selling your home quickly.