Be Yourself. Be Fabulous. Have Great Design.

The purists would say: television behind doors, they are to be watched but not seen. Not by dinner party guests, anyway. We all watch TV, probably too much TV. But it is becoming the stand out visual queue of each room in the era of casual design. As we get away from the paneled libraries with books up to 15? high lining each wall and find them more for decoration, the question remains….What about the TV? American Telvision viewing statistics are a fundamentally interesting part of this debate: Percentage of households that possess at least one television: 99 Number of TV sets in the average U.S. household: 2.24 Percentage of U.S. homes with three or more TV sets: 66 Number of hours per day that TV is on in an average U.S. home: 6 hours, 47 minutes Percentage of Americans that regularly watch television while eating dinner: 66 Number of hours of TV watched annually by Americans: 250 billion Percentage of Americans who pay for cable TV: 56 Number of videos rented daily in the U.S.: 6 million Number of public library items checked out daily: 3 million Percentage of Americans who say they watch too much TV: 49 With this much Television Viewing, who has time to put the TV behind doors. We celebrate it as a culture and as the American way of life want bigger, better, and HD! So this brings us to hanging 60? giants on the wall of the media rooms, yes, the den is now the Media Room in most households. A good designer can still find interesting ways to make this fit in with life in the dinner party set. One of the tricks I use is called VisionArt www.visionart.com This is a great way to incorporate artwork, original or printed giclee media into the TV scene. The artwork is down when TV is off, and rolls clean away when TV is on. The beautiful frames surround the flat screen and can be either installed in the wall or on the wall. Another option is a wall cabinet with bi-fold doors to hide the TV when it is not in use. In the kitchen I use flat screens that are on mechanisms to retract back into the upper cabinet base. In the bathrooms, two way mirrors cover flat screens behind the mirror leaving you an area to shave and watch the morning show simultaniously. When these televisions are off, you don’t even know they are there. So the question is a personal one, to hide or not to hide. Talk to your designer to discuss options to celebrate or alliviate the television revolution.

Walk through each room of the house noticing any piles of papers, magazines, untidy areas, and areas of furniture or accessories that your eye immediately goes to. The goal in Staging is to have the home read so clearly that it can sell itself. Remember you want to see the “bones” of the house, not the sellers “stuff” Make notes of any area that feels tight because of extra furniture that seems superfluous. Make a focus on items to delete before you look to add. If furniture feels like it is in a non-traditional place and the eye goes to it to figure out why it is there, suggest it be placed in a traditional way. Example, a desk in the dining room. Move to bedroom to use as a side-table. Recognize that some clients will be anxious about you creating a report in their home while they are present. It takes less time and you make clearer suggestions if you have the space to yourself to see it with the eyes of a potential buyer. Remind the seller that you are doing this exercise to recommend things that could help the home sell faster/for more money. Very important! If your eye travels to a very unsightly piece of furniture, it is better to remove the furniture and leave space than have it there. Slipcovers can obscure furniture that appears worn. Adding new, clean faux wood blinds in white or honey tones makes a huge difference for a small investment in a less expensive home. Buyers will read “wood shutters” when they are actually a fraction of the price. Cover up any obvious visual problems. Fix holes in the walls. Easy fix with putty and touch up paint. Less is more in the kitchen and bath. A clean kitchen and bathroom can go a long way in a buyer’s market. Understand that the seller still needs to live in the space. Create a plan for daily items to be put away when the home is being shown. Vanilla scented candles make a good impression on most people. Get good quality candles for your clients. Beeswax is also a scent that works with most of the population. Add shades to shabby chandeliers if it makes a visual impact. These can be purchased inexpensively on line or locally at Lamps Plus. Encourage your client to purchase a wool rug to cover a worn wood floor. Lighting is key. If the home is shown in the evening, turn on all the lamps. Ambient lighting makes rooms feel warm and inviting. Provide boxes for your clients to put the clutter in. Boxes can be put in pod storage or in an inconspicuous area. Having a few boxes around can make the buyer feel that the house is being let go of and is ready for them to make a home. Have professionals clean the carpets and rugs. I have a wonderful carpet cleaner and maid service if you need one. Remind your clients that they need to put a little into the house to get a lot out. Invest in good silk flowers and trees that you can loan your clients and move from home to home. Many times the seller will want to purchase them from you at an additional cost. Invest in neutral colored floor pillows. They feel homey in a bedroom or a family room on the floor and can cover up some issues with flooring. These do not have to be expensive and you can move them from home to home. Encourage the clients to get new bedding and a big fluffy duvet. This will encourage the buyers to see themselves in the bedroom and feel luxurious to the eye. Paint the rooms. Nothing says home like a fresh coat of paint. Make sure that you select a neutral color that works with the seller’s furniture and will work with many buyer’s furniture. Please call me for assistance if you need it. Flowers on the exterior. Make sure the yard is mowed and cleaned up. Rule of thumb, it should look better than when the seller lived there. Rule of thumb, the property and the interior should look better than when the seller lived there. If you say these words, it can help to ease the shock at moving, storing, things. Let your clients know this is STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE to sell the house for MORE MONEY. They will respond in kind.