Selecting a paint color can be one of the most difficult aspects of any project, and with good reason. Your paint color can make or break your decorating scheme. We know picking a paint color can be frustrating and very intimidating. So we rounded up a bunch of gorgeous paint colors to provide you with a little inspiration. We found all of these pictures on Pinterest so, if you are feeling inspired, you may find more there as well.
There are many differences between the way a designer tackles a decorating project and the way a homeowner does. I think one of the biggest of these differences is that designers tend to err on the side of the eclectic. We mix patterns, woods, styles, metals, colors and yet, in the end, the rooms they style are gorgeous. Homeowners tend to buy things that match - matching end tables to their coffee table, keeping every element of their rooms in the same style. Certainly this can be beautiful as well but we think the real secret to gorgeous spaces is blending styles, colors, patterns so that the end result is a true representation of your style. Here are some gorgeous, eclectic spaces....
I have a love/hate relationship with cathedral ceilings. I love them because, in theory, they make a room look huge and spacious. I hate them because most of the time homeowners paint these rooms incorrectly and undo all the good that having this gorgeous, high ceiling does for the space. In most cases, we believe a room with a cathedral ceiling needs to have the ceiling painted a color other than white (unless the room is white then by all means white is perfect). These rooms usually look best painted in soft, muted colors with the ceiling the same color. Of course, this is a gross generalization but will create successful interiors with most homeowners if they follow this rule.
Here are some photos we spotted to illustrate our point....
We often work with homewoners who need to paint as they prepare their homes for sale. As you can imagine, we usually opt for neutrals that are universally appealing. Of course we have a variety of other colors in our bag of tricks but we have two that are pretty much our "go to" colors for staging. What are they? Benjamin Moore's Linen White and Manchester Tan. Here are pictures of two rooms painted in these colors. We think you will see why we rely on them so heavily.
We wrote this article a few years ago for Realtor Magazine but think the information is still really relevant so we wanted to share it again here. You can read the original article here: http://styledstagedsold.blogs.realtor.org/2010/06/17/rent-furniture-to-give-new-life-to-your-vacant-listings/
Selling a vacant home poses all sorts of challenges for real estate professionals. It feels uninspiring, doesn’t photograph well, the rooms appear smaller than they are, there is typically a lack of light, and you often are competing with furnished homes in your price point.
Staging a vacant home with furniture solves all of these problems and more.
So what do you need to know about renting furniture?
There is typically a minimum rental term. Industry standard is three months. Shorter terms often require a surcharge.
Payment requirements vary. Some companies require the entire rental to be paid upfront, others charge monthly with a security deposit required upfront.
Not all furniture rentals include accessories.
Pricing is often based on the cost per item so your quote and final pricing may vary. This is normal if inventory has changed.
Ask what happens at the end of the initial rental term. Some companies automatically renew the rental and some will call to ask if you want to renew.
There are several, national “budget” rental companies – before you rent from them, take a look at the product you will be getting. Putting cheap furniture into a home to fill it up doesn’t fool anyone.
The best course of action may be to contact your trusted local stager. She will likely have experience with furniture rentals. She can get you a quote, select the furniture, coordinate delivery, meet the truck, and ensure the furniture is set up properly and trash is removed. She will also likely have accessories if your rental company does not, including the small details like light bulbs and pillows that don’t usually come with a rental, even one that includes accessories. And, most importantly, she will professionally style the home.
We know that Emerald is the hot color of 2013 but lately we have noticed that pink seems to be on our radar more than usual as well. Not just one shade of pink either, it seems like pink - in general is just hot. Here are some examples of beautiful rooms we have spotted incorporating pink. What do you think?
Recently we found out that the color of the year is Emerald Green. Now normally we like to think we are pretty on-trend, often times we are using the up and coming colors before they are really the "it" thing. Emerald Green caught us by surprise but after a little research we are totally on board. Wondering how on earth you can incorporate this color into your decorating? Well it is bold, so you have two choices. First you can take the go big or go home approach and use it in a dramatic way like painting your walls with it or purchasing a green sofa. The other, low-commitment solution is to use it sparingly as simply a splash of color. I think our favorite way might be through draperies. What a gorgeous, rich color to layer in this way.
Here are some photos of beautiful rooms using the color of the year!!
With only five days left of 2012 and a feeling the best days of the year had already come and gone, I took a trip to Barnes and Noble to pick up the latest issue of Boston Home Magazine. Much to my surprise, Chrissis & Company Interiors had been named Best of Boston Home for Home Staging. After I picked myself up off the floor and stopped crying, I grabbed several copies and headed out to share the news with my team, friends, and family. We work incredibly hard every day to not only provide our clients with beautifully staged homes but to offer an exceptional level of customer service. We are all so honored to be recognized for those efforts.
Here is a look at the magazine and our mention.
In the past week we saw one of our clients use staging to their advantage in a way we have never seen done before. It was really very exciting. Our clients own a gorgeous condo with a lot of special features. Unfortunately, it also had some disadvantages like a dated kitchen and wallpaper. Our client's home just wasn't generating the kind of response they had hoped for. Well, with one exception. They had one buyer who swore she loved the house but wanted to make an offer with all sorts of crazy contingencies. This seller was having none of that. So the Realtor brought us in. We gave the homeowners some simple advice like moving the sofa forward six inches, swapping out the bedding in the two bedrooms, and some other small tweaks. We also mentioned taking down the wallpaper and painting.
So here is where it gets interesting.......the buyer came back again with her usual games only this time the sellers said "hey look, we are serious about selling. We hired a home stager, we are implementing her advice, taking new photos, and getting serious about selling our condo." That is all it took, the buyer knew that with the changes being made the condo would be a lot more appealing and she might miss out. She made a serious offer and the home went under agreement - less than 24 hours after I met with them.
What a smart strategy these clients had. They implemented the easy items on the to-do list which were enough to take new photos for MLS but never had to get to the tough stuff like removing the wallpaper because they used our appointment to their advantage.
I love it!!!
We often get asked questions about how staging works, how much it costs, and how long it takes. We thought we would take a moment to share some of those with you along with their answers. How Much Is This Going to Cost? We always feel bad saying this but we just don't know. Here is why..... First, the cost of staging really has nothing to do with the size of your home. It boils down to what needs to be done specifically. Are you just in need of decluttering, which is free? Or do you need to paint and replace items? Without seeing your home, we really cannot give you an intelligent answer. Frankly, nobody can. What we can tell you is that you control your budget. How much you spend on staging is entirely up to you. We can help you decide how to best allocate those dollars for maximum returns though.
What Exactly is the Process? For your typical homeowner, who is planning on keeping their things in their home and/or living in their home while the house is listed, the process is usually as follows. We first start off with a home evaluation. During this appointment, which usually lasts about an hour, we evaluate the home for opportunities for improvement. We go room to room and look for ways to make the home more appealing to buyers. These suggestions can be anything from decluttering to repurposing rooms to painting and other small repairs. In every case, clients can be assured that the suggestions we make are done so with a lot of respect for the fact that we know sellers do not want to spend a lot of money on a home they are moving out of. All of our suggestions have a return on your investment, period.
Why Should I Hire You? I Have a Friend Who is Pretty Creative. We hear this all the time. Kudos to your friend for being creative and wanting to help you. That is certainly very thoughtful. We have to wonder though how much your friend knows about real estate and what drives the buyers that might be looking at your home. Does he or she understand the importance of photography and how to style rooms so they photograph well? Given that your photos drive your showings this is one of the most important parts of our job. What about the return on your investments? Does your friend understand what upgrades yield the highest ROI? And lastly, can you really afford to trust the marketing of your biggest asset, and likely your largest source of debt, to "a creative friend". Frankly, we wouldn't even let a creative friend cut our hair. Harsh, but true.
If It Is So Helpful, Why Didn't My Agent Suggest Staging? This is definitely a tough one. At this point, unless your agent has been living under a rock, he or she definitely knows that staging helps sell listings. The disconnect comes in when your agent is afraid to hurt your feelings and tell you that you should consider staging. Frankly, everyone should stage, period. An agent who does not mention it is likely not sure how to approach the conversation with confidence and therefore will just never bring it up.
I Know I Cannot Keep My Home Looking Like a Model Home All the Time. Is It Worth It? Nobody expects you to live in a museum, even when you are selling. You can only do what you are able, and willing to do. This is your home and you call the shots. We can make suggestions, help you prioritize them, and then help you implement. At the end of the day you decide what changes you want to make. We can also provide you with solutions for the day of a showing. Perhaps there are tweaks you make just on the days you know buyers will be coming through.
Do You Have Painters, Carpenters, Etc that Can Help Me With Your Suggestions? Absolutely. We have a lot of people we have partnered with over the years that we are happy to put you in touch with. We have relationships with everyone from moving companies to masons to painters, organizers - the list goes on and on. I Want To Do The Work Myself. How Can You Help Me Do That? Our home evaluation is the perfect solution for the DIYer. We meet with you, in your home, look for opportunities for improvement and then send you a report following our meeting. We make ourselves available to you during the implementation process via phone, email, and text as much as you want free of charge.
When Should I Call You? Whenever. We have clients who call with as little as a week or two before they plan on listing. Others call a year in advance to get a head start. It really depends on you and at what pace you want to work making changes in your home.
Do you still have questions? We are happy to chat with you and answer any questions you have about the process. Give us a call or send us an email.