Yes, she covered fabric. But is it realistic for most people to have a budget to custom uphoslter 90% of their items? I don’t think so. She mixed fabrics well, but especially with bold fabrics, this can go very wrong for the average person without clear and specific guidelines about how to mix, scale, usage. etc.

She did talk about all this very quickly, but i’d be interested to see how much the average person was able to take out of it and apply. The balancing of bold and neutral, the right place to use colour, and pattern. Are people going to try to replicated this room exactly (right down to the plate wall and striped drapes) or were people able to take the basic lessons from this room well enough to apply to any decor scheme?

What did you think? What did you get out of the show and how confident would you be now to execute a similar design plan or any plan for that matter, based on the short lessons provided?

 Although I love the current bold wallpapers that have been the trend for the past few years, I hesitate to use them myself.  Wallpapering and room is a semi-permanent decision. It’s easier to replace than a tile floor, but a much higher commitment that a few toss cushions. And although I used to be an accent-wall queen, I want to go down on permanent record as not liking this anymore either.

Enter grasscloth. Gorgeous texture, wonderful colours, and there’s even some more subtle patterned options as well. I much prefer walls to be one of the building blocks of a well planned room than the actual focal point. Let the walls be textural layer and let a fantastic bed, chair, fireplace or window be the show-stopper.

Style at Home, June 2010 issue, page 44 has some great ideas and sources for grasscloth. If you are willing to consider a wall treatment, but hesitate with the trendy patterns, give grasscloth a try!

3 things you have to consider:

1. Unless you are a wallpapering fanatic, you really should get a professional to hang it for you
2. You have to be ok with the fact that you see the seems. It’s part of the texture and character
3. It looks best when the wall colour underneath is the same colour, so any small gaps at the seams won’t show a different colour

I would endeavor to shift our thoughts about black from scary and dark, to classic, elegant, neutral and dramatic. You may have heard that every room needs a touch of black. This is true, and for those who refuse to use black as a colour within your design scheme, you must at least have a black (or dark brown)  mirror, table, chair, or picture frames to anchor your room.

However, lets push your thoughts about black a little further. Nothing is more classic than a black and white checkerboard tile floor, or a black wrought iron stair railing, or even black doors (not trim) can give an elegant look that can be used in both modern and traditional schemes. You will even see in some of these pictures the use of black on kitchen cabinetry. In smaller, more traditional kitchens, or larger contemporary ones, black can be the point of interest you seek.

The next level, if you dare, is to fully embrace black as your colour of choice, and put it on your walls. The trick is to see black as a neutral; the darkest neutral there is. It goes with anything, and with other neutrals. When you mix black with a lot of lighter neutrals, and even a touch of colour if you choose, you will find the design balance between dark and light that will give you all elegance & drama, and no dark gloominess.

Click the picture link below to see some room where black has been used successfully, from an accent to the star of the show.

Beyond that, the quickest way to make a space feel too small is to impede the natural flow of traffic in your house. The way your house was designed is going to encourage a specific traffic pattern and if you try to alter it, people will feel the space is awkward and too small.

The two largest obstacles to good traffic flow are:

1. Too much “stuff”
2. Too much furniture or furniture that’s too big

 Having too many possessions (sports gear, clothes, kids toys, baby gear, office/electrical “stuff, etc) has many distracting effects for buyers, but it is just a natural occurrence for anyone who’s lived in a home for any length of time. How to combat it? Think vertical, concealed storage. Free up as much floor space as possible by getting your stuff up onto the wall. IKEA has many creative solutions for this. While you’re doing this, do an honest purge to see if you can get rid of any it, as it will only make packing and moving that much easier once your house sells.

Too much furniture or items that are too big can also bother buyers. If you have to walk around a piece of furniture to enter another space, if you have furniture so close to a door or walkway that you could brush up against it, if your pieces are so large that they don’t support the function of the room, you need to pare down. Ensure all logical pathways are clear and spacious. Try moving furniture around or be willing to remove completely if need be.

More open floor space = more perceived square footage = more value

Quick Tip: Don’t go overboard! Never remove most or all of the furniture because the room will look smaller and lifeless. Empty rooms can confuse buyers as they will wonder if their own furniture will fit.

If you want to know more about how I do this, feel free to check out my website www.yoursalesadvtange.com or contact me at service@yoursalesdvantage.com.

Written by:

Stephanie O’Leary, Accredited Staging Professional

Owner, Your Sales Advantage

Why try orange? It is the one colour that is never cold. Comprised of yellow and red, it is energetic, and will give your room, not to mention you, a very flattering glow. If you are itching for a room that isn’t cookie cutter, then orange is a great option since the majority of people shy away from it. And let’s face it, how can you not smile when you see such a happy colour? It’s the cheapest therapy.

So how do we use it properly? It will largely depend on what shade of orange you want to work with. The stronger the colour, in general, the less it should be used. With a bright orange, limit yourself to small pops of colour; pillows, vases, one accent chair, or maybe one accent wall. Ensure you see a little of colour throughout the room so that there is balance and continuity. On the other hand, if you choose a very muted, toned shade of orange, your eye can handle a lot more of it. It could be the colour of all your walls, a large area rug or your sofa fabric.

Always pair a strong colour like orange with a lot of neutral colours (cream, grey, taupe, navy blue, black) to balance its intensity and keep its place as the star of the show. Mixing orange with too many other competing colours will look confusing and irritate the eye.

Colour pairings that work:

1. Cream White Walls, Dark Woods, Linen & Grey fabrics, Pure Orange & Lime Green Accents
2. Light Brown or Taupe Walls, Rustic Oak woods, Rusty Orange sofa fabric and area rug
3. and many more, click on the picture below to see many picture on how to use orange

I lean traditional in my style, but I think even if you are an ultra modern urbanite, there can still be room for tradition in your life. Not speaking of traditional style, per se, but tradition in the sense of routines and customs that bring a family (whatever is your family make-up) together.

My new design preference is to forego the eat-in kitchen for a few counter stools; good for breakfast or a quick snack. Then, we can keep a dedicated dining room that is warm and inviting and which gets used for all family meals, not just thanksgiving. Most people have a distaste for the stuffy formality that used to represent the dining room but I say, you’ve paid a lot of money per square foot for that room, so find a style that makes it work for you, every day.

What is a must-have for any dining room:

1. COMFY CHAIRS: Upholstery does many wonderful things. It makes the room more interesting because you don’t have a set of furniture. This mix of furniture can create a more inviting, less stuffy feeling. It encourages people to linger a little longer at the table because they are not sore from sitting in an uncomfortable chair. Pick an interesting fabric and protect it with stain guard; enjoy your spaghetti dinner!
2. COLOUR: Though this room should have some relationship to the other rooms in your home, try to be a little bolder in the dining room. Stronger colour invokes energy and encourages conversation. Whether it be on the walls, in the art, or on the dishes, try to break out of beige and have some fun with colour.
3. FABULOUS LIGHTING: Great lighting makes you look better. When you look better, you feel better and you are more open to conversation. Whether that relates to a big dinner party or your own children, it is a great concept. Choose a chandelier that you absolutely love and makes you smile whenever you look at it. Don’t settle for good enough, beautiful chandeliers are available at every price point. And remember, bigger is better! People often buy chandelier that are too small and hang them too high.

Below are some examples of dining rooms sure to encourage great dining experiences.

When it comes to your home, you need think of your furniture as props, and “dress” each room to show:

a) The purpose of that room

b) How to best take advantage of every square inch of the space

Buyers first look at your home on the internet, and look at your homes pictures. This is where you first need to catch them. Empty or undefined rooms have no attraction for a buyer. You run the risk of them simply clicking to the next house and never giving your property a second thought.

Next, when the buyer is at your home, they give you a generous 30 seconds before they make an impression about your home. If they can’t figure out how to best use each room in that short amount of time, you’ve lost them again. You don’t have enough time with a buyer to confuse them or allow them to think your home doesn’t flow well.

This is why furniture placement is so critical. If a buyer can instantly see the purpose of each room, and you’ve laid out your furniture in a way that maximizes the use of each space, they can spend their time appreciating your home and its detail rather than thinking “What is this room? What would I do with it? Would my furniture fit?” 

Quick Tip: Don’t get stuck in a mindset about your current furniture. They way it’s currently arranged is never the only way it can be. Move furniture around to different rooms to fit each space; the worst thing you can do is put furniture that is too large in too small of a room.

If you want to know more about how I do this, feel free to check out my website www.yoursalesadvtange.com or contact me at service@yoursalesdvantage.com.

On one of my recent trips I came home with these treasures. The first is a picture of an old frame I snapped up. I took the frame and a black and white photo to De Serres and rummaged through their matte selection, looking for something in a pale gray. They suggested layering the mattes by adding one in a deep purple, which I think works beautifully with the photo. The second is an old flower picture I found which I love for its rich, warm colours and weathered frame. I displayed the two pictures together because although they hardly match, their weight balances each other, and their frames both have that same aged patina, which I think works well. In an otherwise plain corner of my living room, they add an element of character and depth and a focal point in the space.

I also found this wooden mirror whose frame is covered with a similar weathered, golden patina that complements the two pictures. It was its perfectly round shape that initially drew me to it. But I love mirrors in general for their versatility (they can be used in almost any room from bedroom to front entry to living room) and their talent for reflecting light and creating the illusion of space.

De Serres has a great selection of scrap booking paper that I’m sure has many uses, but I have yet to find one for this beautiful damask pattern I bought several months ago (besides scrap booking of course, which I don’t do). My intent was to somehow adhere it to the back panel of my china cabinet, giving it a little glamour and light to better showcase the china within. However, I’m bothered by the seams between the sheets and don’t know how to hide them. I still love the paper, though, and am determined to find a use for it somewhere, somehow, someday…