Preparing your home for sale

Text by: Glen Peloso

I can’t walk by an open house. The “For Sale” sign beckons like a carnival barker, calling out to me: “Step right up, ladies and gentlemen!”

Unfortunately, when I get inside the house, all too often it reminds me of a circus.

In my professional career, I’ve occasionally taken on the role of “fluffer” – a cute word I hate having applied to me.

When I’ve been called in to fluff, it is generally by real estate agents who want me to prepare a house to go on the market. The deadlines are usually very strict, so I have no time to build rapport and get to know my clients. I have to be blunt and tell it like it is.

People’s noses get out of joint. They think I’m judging their lifestyle. I’m not. I’m window dressing, quite literally, trying to attract customers to help them imagine their life in your house.

Nor should anyone believe that a fluffed house in any way relates to real life. No sane person would ever want to live in a storefront window, or a house devoid of any human trace. Once a home is fluffed and on the market, homeowners have to make the psychological break and stop thinking of the house as theirs. It belongs to someone else.

If you’re looking to sell, follow the rules of fluffing.

First: clean, clean, clean! For some reason, people overlook windows – a big mistake. Make sure you clean all of the windows in the house or hire someone to do it. Shiny windows give the whole house an air of freshness. It’s well worth the investment.

Clean the carpets. If the house needs painting, do it. Again, it makes the house seem that much cleaner and cared for. Paint is worth $20 in the can but $200 dollars on the wall!

The next chore is to tackle the clutter. Get rid of it. It makes people feel uncomfortable, and it can make rooms feel small and closed in.

Start at the front door and work your way through the house. Make sure the entrance is as nice as possible. Get a welcome mat, paint the exterior of the door if it needs it and get rid of the shoes, boots and coats that clutter up the entrance.

Put away all of the family pictures. Buyers don’t want to feel like they’re in your old house. They want to feel like they’re in their new house. If you have artificial flowers, replace them with fresh ones. Get rid of the piles of books and seriously cull the knickknacks. Simple, clean surfaces are the best way to go.

If your furniture is worn, store it and rent something that looks good. People shouldn’t judge a house by the decorating tastes of the owners, but believe me, they do.

Light a fire in the fireplace to set the mood and draw attention to it when buyers are coming through. Replace any burned-out light bulbs – potential buyers may wonder if there’s a problem with the electrical system.

In the kitchen, clean the counters. Prospective buyers don’t want to see your stack of mail and flyers, papers and pens. Put them in a drawer or in a box in the basement. Same thing for your utensils. The kettle, toaster, waffle iron, juicer, food processor, countertop grill and coffee maker have to be reduced to two items – the toaster and coffee maker, perhaps. If there’s too much stuff, people will think there’s not enough counter space.

In the dining room, put flowers on the table with a couple of simple candleholders. Again, clear out the clutter. If you set the table, don’t set eight places at a table that comfortably seats four.

In the bedrooms, make the beds! If you need new linens or bed covers, get them. They don’t have to be the finest of linens, but they should look clean and fresh. Clothes should be in the closet and drawers. And for goodness sake, if your animals have their own beds, make sure these go in the basement, along with their litter or food bowls. The animals should not be in the house during the showing.

The bathroom is a crucial area. Put everything away – no lipstick, toothpaste or brushes. A clean glass for water, some fresh soap and towels is all you need. Room freshener is also a good idea, just don’t use it too heavily or too close to showing time.

Think of a fluffer as the manager of a store. If you want to get top dollar for your wares, think Holt Renfrew, not bargain bin.

Celeb TV Designer Glen Peloso Glen’s name is known internationally, appearing on over 300 contracts in both commercial and residential design. His success lead to the start of his own firm, Glen Peloso Interiors. www.glenpelosointeriors.com

The Art of Arranging Art

Text by Pat Gerbrandt

Artwork for your walls is vital to creating a living space that expresses your tastes and invites you to be comfortable. Displaying that art is in itself a means of expression. Each room’s mood and theme can be accentuated by originals or prints, textile pieces or photography. Your kitchen, office or den, bedrooms and bathrooms should not be overlooked.

Just as the pieces you choose fit your tastes and your décor, they also need to fit in their own space.

The larger the piece of furniture over which the piece is hung, or the larger the expanse of wall, the larger should be the artwork. That does not eliminate using smaller pieces, appropriately grouped, matted and framed, from working in larger spaces. Scale is a key component. Wrong scale is as uncomfortable as an ill-fitting garment.

Tiny pieces will be lost on a large expanse of wall unless they are appropriately displayed. Rather than framing each print individually, you can group similar photos, such as a collection of wedding pictures, in a larger frame with custom-cut mat. Arrange the photos asymmetrically or in a balanced pattern, trying a variety of arrangements to get the best possible configuration.

Photos, water colours, prints and artwork work well together when a common thread connects them.

Where natural lighting is not adequate, explore other options to ensure that you can enjoy your art. A small investment in directional lighting or soft pot lights will reward you and is particularly effective if the display is in a niche, created between wall studs.
If you are displaying art in a hall or along a stairway, place lighter coloured images and frames toward the top.

Jacquie Richardson of The Framing & Art Centre suggests patterns for an art display over a couch, mantle or credenza.

To determine where to hang art, professionals generally use this simple formula because “eye level” is somewhat subjective. Start 60 inches from the floor, add half the height of the framed picture, then subtract the height of the triangle formed by the wire when the picture will hang. The resulting point is the ideal spot for the picture hanger.
When suitable wall space is not available, or for a novel effect, Jacquie suggests, “consider ‘unusual’ areas for display. Lean framed art on a table, shelf or fireplace mantel for a dramatic effect.”

The right mats and frames, in colours and proportions that are well suited to the art, display your choices. Mats also protect the surface of the art and keep it from lying directly on the glass. Look to the colours in your art for clues to mat colours. Multiple mats add to the beauty of the finished piece.

Proportion of mat and frame is another important consideration. A wide frame requires more matting than a narrow frame and a solid background requires a wider frame for balance.

Take tips from the professionals such as Jacquie of The Framing and Art Centre, and allow your creativity to find expression as you explore the best ways of decorating with your art choices.

Today’s designers looking worldwide for new styling touches

Design today is being influenced by styles from all over the world with influences in particular from Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Anything that adds interest is welcome, says design industry sources. If designers can pull off adding foreign influences while maintaining a cohesive interior, it’s a lot more interesting and adds to the story.

There are a number of countries in particular from which Canadian designers are borrowing ideas and looks.

Italy is important for its Murano glass (in many forms and colours) and its furniture. The Italian Provincial look, with its triangular lines, began to become popular in the 1980s and remains so today. Italian Provincial is characterized by natural and nostalgic motifs. The typical look would include pine or oak wood, floral prints, round cushions, plaid fabric covers and woven plaids, textured fabrics, outdoor-themed accessories and braided rugs.

Italian Provincial furniture is based on royal or court furniture. The goal is to reproduce the royal designs, but because the results are more primitive looking, the style is also referred to as peasant furniture. The designs incorporate Middle Eastern, Gothic and Greek styles reflecting Italy’s position as a Mediterranean crossroads.

The Tuscan look is characterized by earth colours, wooden surfaces, a plastered ceiling, walls painted soft white or gray and accented with colour or natural wood or stone, rough-sawn simple wood furniture, a long wooden kitchen table and open shelves for storage and to highlight ceramic and pottery pieces.

The French Provincial or Country style, with its rustic, old-world look and riot of flowers is another popular style. A French Provincial design would include wood ceiling and wall beams, stained or painted plaster walls, carved wood details, a natural stone floor and stone fireplace furnished with rustic metal furniture and light fixtures.

Sweden is best known for its simple lines and a preponderance of blues and yellows. Blue is the most popular colour in the Swedish lexicon. A Swedish interior features pale, light and airy furnishings and pale walls and floors to better reflect the light inside that offsets the many months of darkness outside. Blonde woods are common and a long bench typifies every Swedish home.

Icelandic style emphasizes very clean lines, bright colours and simplicity a la Scandinavia.

Farther afield are lingering influences from British India. The style, reflecting India’s British-ruled past, is characterized by heavy, wooden walls and thick, strong tables and chairs with handcrafted Indian woodcarvings and statues as accessories. Elephant statues and carvings were particularly popular. No British-India theme is complete without a chest, ivories, draperies and throw rugs.

Chinese-themed interiors have highly stylized furnishings with hand painted designs on lacquer finishes. Red – which represents good luck to the Chinese – is the dominant colour. The style is further characterized by dark wood tones and high gloss finishes. You might also want to add ornamental statues of animals or mythological creatures.

The Japanese look would feature natural fiber floor coverings and bamboo and stone colours to create an atmosphere of serenity, with shoji screens, futons and low tables paired with cushions for seating. Japanese rooms have a lot of natural light supplemented by low-wattage bulbs in rice paper lamps.

The Polynesian tropical appearance features bamboo furniture, grass cloth matting covering the walls, tropical prints on the shades and south sea colours such as coral, turquoise, green and sand.

From North America, Mexican terra cotta tiles for floors and roofs are popular. Other elements of a Mexican look are distressed-looking furniture, bright and colourful lamps, and striped Mexican blankets for window shades.

For designers today, the world is their oyster. So much material is available and accessible. The best products can be easily sourced and shipped from anywhere in the world.

Text by Myron Love

Face Lift for Windows

Text by H. Friesen

With spring around the corner, perhaps you are thinking of giving your windows a face lift. There are ideal solutions for each window in a home, whether it be for a formal dining room or a casual recreational center.

When it comes to window coverings there are a lot of options. The window covering specialist welcomes customers at her office or meets you at your home or office. With samples and advice for each window, she can decorate the complete home or individual rooms. Free estimates are available and includes installation of blinds with the purchase of their produce. Its customers range from commercial buildings to residential home makeovers or new buildings..

Some of the new products on the market are:

Cellular/Honeycomb shades present a distinctive honeycomb pattern, are energy efficient and serve to insulate the home. They are available in single, double, or triple cell design and also in a wide variety of room darkening and light filtering fabrics.

Pleated shades propose a stylish presentation with crisp pleats in a wide variety of colors.

Roller shades offer a popular choice in their simplicity and many attractive fabrics. Light filtering and darkening fabrics are available. Roller shades are ideal for kitchens and dining rooms as they are easy to clean.
Sheer verticals with two sheer fabric facings over pvc vanes offer a refined and elegant window treatment.

Complement Your Design Using Accessories

Text by Nancy Johnston

Have you seen the show on television where someone is trying to sell their house but can’t generate any interest at all until a professional interior designer and his team show up? They remove the clutter and bric-a-brac, move around the artwork, accessorize, and do a little painting and a little furniture rearranging and then almost immediately after, the place sells. And why wouldn’t it be easier to sell after seeing the dramatic transformations that the right accessories in the right places can accomplish? Don’t we all want our homes to look and feel as visually appealing and comfortable as possible for our own personal enjoyment? Then why wait until you are selling your home to make it a real showstopper?

What really sets your home apart from everyone else’s is the atmosphere you create inside. And that’s where accessorizing comes into play. Accessories are what turn a house into a home. They bring unity to your design, theme, mood or color scheme. Whether you are looking to refresh existing furnishings or do a complete room or home makeover, accessorizing is your answer.

Hiring a professional interior designer is your best course of action if you want a whole home makeover. Their expertise in staging and access to quality accessories is unparalleled. When hiring a designer makes sure you choose someone who understands your tastes and personal style since you are the one who will have to live with and (hopefully) enjoy the results.

If you want to do it yourself there are several important points to keep in mind. Pick a focal point for each room, whether it is an existing room feature such as a fireplace or a large bay window, or something in the room such as artwork or a piece of furniture. Take everything away that distracts from your focal point. Then slowly add accessories that complement or lead your eye towards it. Remember the first rule of accessorizing: all accessories must coordinate with the theme, style or mood and color scheme of the room. You wouldn’t mix traditional gold frames with western clay pots and so on. Once you decide on your theme stick with it and use accessories to enhance it. Your color scheme should be carried throughout the house and continue right into your accessories in places such as the matting and framing of artwork, lighting bases, floral arrangements, candles and bedding.

Some easy ways to accessorize are with custom flower arrangements, large impressive pieces that repeat your theme such as plates, vases, sculptures, pots or boxes. Lighting, used either discreetly or dramatically depending on the effect you are trying to achieve, is very important when it comes to adding atmosphere. Frames and books can also be used to accessorize and can be less expensive than some of your other options. Keep in mind more is not necessarily better so don’t let the accessories overpower your focal point.

Accessories are the best way to make dramatic changes without changing much at all!