Just got word that another of my series of interior design work for HGTV's "My First Place will be airing  - HMFP-1209, is scheduled to premiere Tuesday, January 12th at 8:00 pm ET (7:00 pm central).


 
Filmed in Wrigleyville, this fabulous flat's 2nd bedroom had some decorating challenges!  Take an akward 9'x15' space with one big Honkin' window from Manly Minimal to Lady Executive Chic!  Too... Work within a budget shopping from furniture to flowers and style it in 1/2 a day.  Oh yeah, in the parking poor city of Chicago on Saturday!!!  Man I used all those sassy Home Staging skills. It was a BLAST - Tune in to see the results.
 

Hosting is defined as the art of graciously welcoming guests into your home. As the winter holiday season arrives, don’t just deck your halls with fabulously festive seasonal décor – remember, too, gestures of hospitality that demonstrate your thoughtfulness are top priority. From easy flowing furniture arrangements to the smallest personal details, it’s amazingly easy to make each of your holiday guests feel welcome and comfortable. The best thing about the holidays is spending time with family and friends to enjoy celebrations and share traditions - and having as much fun as your guests is the surest sign you’re a great hostess!



Five Senses for the Holidays

Sight: Gather miniature twinkle lights and place them under a glass cake cover on a footed cake stand to create a glowing display. Choose mix and match jewel-tone chargers, and stemware paired with your white china for a kaleidoscopic hued table arrangement. Add strands of colored beads tied up as napkin rings.

Touch: Place a small trunk or decorative box by the front door filled with warm, cuddly slippers for your visitors. Add layers on chairs and sofas with chunky, thick, luxurious throws. Provide plenty of white and red boas and an array of Santa hats for guests to adorn themselves.

Taste: Create conversation and make your holiday party memorable by featuring Napa inspired appetizers along with a wine and cheese tasting. For the kids - a table setup for "make-your-own" mini pizzas. Have plenty of fun toppings, pita bread and water crackers, and bottled pizza spread on hand.

Sound: For that magical jingle-jangle, hang wreaths or ribbons adorned with tons of bells on all your doors. Nothing says "Welcome" more than the crackle of a fire, favorite holiday tunes on the stereo, great conversation, and the laughter of children.

Smell: In addition to the aromas created in the kitchen, incorporate candles and oils featuring seasonal scents such as cinnamon, cranberry, gingerbread, frankincense and peppermint throughout the house. Consider tossing dried herbs or cedar chips on the fire in the fireplace for added scent-sations.



Finishing Touches

Swap out typical chandelier shades and chain covers for brilliant hued or shiny ones, or get crafty with added trims or other adornments. Drape evergreen, floral, fruit or ornamental garlands through the arms of chandeliers and wall sconces.

Encourage the creative side of your kiddos and have them craft one-of-kind ornaments for party guests. Use their creations for double duty -- first as place cards for dinner seating, then as unique take-home gifts with special memories.

Utilize your Good Bones serving pieces. Oversized martini or daiquiri glasses not only work well at the bar area to hold olives or lemon twists, but also on the buffet filled with dips, dressings, or spreads.

See what Julea does for an empty space, for new homeowners on My First Place.

Re-Air Times December 8th and December 22nd. 7:00 pm CST! http://www.hgtv.com/my-first-place/picky-and-plugging-away/index.html

The 2nd home in a series of 4 - From furniture selection to finishing touches, see how Julea takes a space from plain and empty to elegant & entertainment ready!

1st recommended by her Realtor when she 1st arrived in the Chicago land area from Louisville in 2007, my new client wanted to put her stamp on her new home. We used what she already owned, and made her new home hers with a new wall color paint palette and interior redesign.
Three years later, relocated again - I'm at it again with her new home in Indiana.

If you're read to make a change, or have just moved into a new home, Room Makeovers are great way to revitalizing a home. Also know as interior arrangement, or redesign, this decorating technique celebrates the homeowner's existing things. By using the client's own pieces, it validates past purchases, embraces family treasures and readies a space for new decorating ideas or purchases.

1. Color Consultation - Often times a new homeowner wants to start decorating their new home from the get-go. Gone with the old homeowners, in with color choices in-tune to her belongings and personal style.



2. Interior Redesign- We take what you have and make it all work within your new home. In a few hours, your blank space becomes your space. Your room becomes balanced, functional and unified. Best of all, you get instant gratification, validate your existing pieces, and readies the space for family and friends. If added items are desired, I'll create a "wish list" of things that will enhance the room further.



3. Shopping & Traditional Design Services- If you'd like to refresh and add to your collections, I can make suggestion or shop for those new pieces. I too offer more traditional design service such as window treatments and one-of-kind accents such as custom floral arrangements to add those finishing touches to your space.

End Result: A home you can call you own, without the stress of thinking you have to buy ALL NEW. A space you can entertain and live-in within a few weeks of moving in.

"The thing I love about you Julea is that I would of thought to put everything back just the way you had it in my old home, instead your found a whole different way of arranging and displaying my things to fit into my new home - creating something fresh and new." - Angela

Table Setting of the Month: Welcome the new season with a smart new center piece. I found this adorable cat topiary at my local grocery store (Jewel,) and paired it with a fall swag unearthed from my many “Fall Decorating “ boxes. Twisted and circled into a wreath for the topiary to sit in. Drape your table with pumpkin hued fabric and adorn the top with an ethnic rug usually found on my wall for the fall season. My lovely Italian artichoke colored plates with olive motif make for a nice setting, along with this year’s Birthday gift serving pieces from my Dad and his wife (http://www.qvc.com/)

Cranberry Chicken
Ingredients:
4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
¾ cup Catalina Salad Dressing
1 14oz. can of Whole Cranberry Sauce
½ Envelope of Onion Soup Mix
Instructions: Heat oven to 350. In a large baking dish, combine all ingredients, except chicken and mix well. Add chicken, bake for 1 hour.

Sided with: Halved Acorn Squash baked for 1hour 15 minutes. Sprinkled with rosemary, sea salt and pepper, wrapped in foil.
Uncle Ben’s Long Grain & Wild Rice – Herb Roasted Chicken flavor.

Mother Nature is beginning to put on her grandest show for the year, and we’re heading to the attic or basement for all those boxes marked “Fall Decorations.” As many of you would agree, fall is a great season to change out or update your seasonal and home décor, but just like our wardrobe, sometimes we need to weed out or refresh our stash. Here a few ideas and tips to help you update your home for the season and infused the latest trends into your home décor.

1. USE IT: Most of us over the years have acuminated things, whether bought, inherited, or found, we have stuff. If you take a hard look at your stuff; I guarantee there is treasure galore within your inventory. Can you repaint, upholster, and update it? In another room, would it look better or have better use? Your old stuff is your legacy, it defines who you are, and if it doesn’t, I’ll let you know. As an educated professional, my talent is to be able to identify what can be used or not when it comes to making your spaces beautiful. Although, most would not cast me to appear on “Antiques Road show,” I’m pretty good at knowing what’s worthy, and really good at using it if it fits into the grand plan.
   Whether it’s a couch, painting or lamp, I’ll let you know if it will work, or if it’s an undiscovered treasure that we can use “as is,” or is worthy of a reinvention. I did a staging recently and came upon a signed Leroy Neiman print that the homeowner had picked up at a garage sale. They were going to toss it because the matting was ragged and damaged and the print was falling out of its frame. After a quick look over and a suggested run to a framing store for a re-mat & tune-up - They’ll have a pretty snazzy “real” piece of showcase art!


2. SPEND IT: O.K., even though I’m supposed to be the budget decorator, you just have to sometimes SPEND IT! Love that vintage French one-of-a-kind-kind; will be perfect for my awkwardly sized foyer- Entry Table? – Go get it. It will become the showcase to your home. You’ll love looking at it every day and it will define the style of your place. There has to be expensive in the mix – and there will be a times that spending the big bucks is a worthwhile or part of the grand plan. That stuff may be pricey, but you can fill in the blanks with less expensive or fabulous finds.
   The other piece of SPEND IT has to do with the quality of things. Sometimes you can’t get it for less; sometimes the workmanship upstages the price point. Your inherited Grandma’s dining room set can be broken or made by the SPEND IT choice you make. Pair her set with off-the-rack Target window treatments and rods and her set is reduced to a “tired pass-down.” Pair her set with custom one-of-kind window treatments and the set is upgrade to “antique heirloom.”


3. LOOK FOR LESS: Getting the LOOK FOR LESS is a two- fold feat. The 1st feat is to see if you can find the expensive, SPEND IT item for less (you still have to pay $$$ for it though.) And the 2nd feat is to be to make choices at discount store, and have the eye for inexpensive items that LOOK expensive. Shopping expensive is easy; anyone can walk into the Mart and find fabulous stuff, expensively priced. Finding its identical twin or a knock-off for a fraction of the price takes talent and an eye. Getting that look for less, filling in those blanks makes for that perfect “mix.”

• Say you’ve got a few lovely Sterling silver pieces. Pair those with a few more in silver-plate, and the plate becomes instantly “Sterling” by association… The end result is a beautiful mix…

• They're super fresh, easy to make, and perfect for a wonderful lunch or light dinner on a perfectly beautiful early summer day. Of course make for interesting dishes for a shower too.

Table Setting Idea: For this month's table setting idea - I mixed vintage styles - Wonderful quilted fabric yardage I had picked up for another project - Which gives us a kick-off to June with its cabbage rose motif and soft summer colors. I paired the fabric with my Retro "soup and sandwich" luncheon set - Which is PINK!

I threw in a bit of current with stemless platinum banded wine glasses. The wine I selected was "Fat Bastard" Rosé - Which is you know the label, the packaging is as deviously delicious as the liquid inside!

The Floral arrangement is perfect for any Centerpiece for a buffet or entry way for entertaining. I used a knock out, lush hanging coned container garden I picked up my my local grocery store. All the rage this season, I removed the wire hangers, and placed it in a gazing ball stand. What a instant statement for a summer soiree!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

It’s now chic to be frugal. It’s cool to conserve and you’re a total faux paus to even consider throwing it all out and starting over.

April 22 is Earth day and I think it’s just awesome that we’re collectively re-educating ourselves on how to be a bit more GREEN. But when it comes to making your home interiors beautiful, how do you following the emerald trail, and make Mother Nature proud?

Simple, you use what you already have!

• A Room Re-Arrange – Give your spaces a fresh new look with a new room arrangement. As the season changes, so should your interiors. A change in your room’s foot print is a great way to revitalize your space. Take it a step further and switch out some of your furniture and accessories too. Swap out your dark wood side tables for those glass and metal ones from another room, or give your room a seasonal focal point by re-arranging the furniture to face your picture window rather than the fireplace.
• Re-Move or Rotate – Sometimes by just removing or rotating your belongings, your room will have a fresh new look. I call it “archiving.” Too many family photos, a collection that has been you curio forever, or flower arrangements that have seen better days – Remove, or rotate them. Perhaps that collection can be swapped with another, or the family photos can be scatted around the home in smaller numbers, or the floral arrangement can be rejuvenated.
• Rejuvenate Exisiting Things – Reinvent that tired floral arrangement by giving it a second life. Gather all your florals and stored stem and give them “re-do” by swapping stems, containers and greenery. That old dresser can be repurposed into an entry piece or dining buffet by reviving it with a fresh coat of paint, knobs and a great tassel attached to one of the drawers. A stale lamp can be given a new light with a new sassy shade, a new harp, or a nifty specialty finial. A favorite print can be re-matted and framed in a style or color.
• Reupholster or Slipcover – That much loved old couch, side chair or settee which most likely has great bones and could use a shot of Botox with a stylish new fabric, and plump new cushions. Older pieces were sure built well, so if you’ve inherited a great arm chair or couch – It’s in your best interest to have it reupholstered or slip covered. Although a bit costly, it is a far cheaper design method than investing in an expensive high-end sofa which could run you thousands. The upside is you can do custom detailing such as nail heads or more than one slipcover - Which will give you a couture look.

Resources:
http://www.fastframe.com/
http://www.lampfinials.com/
http://www.paulsupholstery.com/
http://www.berforenafterslipcovers.com/

We all watch those reality home staging improvement shows on HGTV...
In what seems like a day... A home that has been haplessly sitting on the Market, goes from drab and hopeless, to totally fabulous. The makeover is incredible! From a whole new kitchen (including appliances and really cute back-splash glass tiles) to a household full of new furnishings - All for a mire $2000.00! WOW, Staging sure seems remarkable.

Well, just like a sub-prime mortgage.... What seems too good to be true, well, is. The truth is - the TV show has a behind-the-scene staff of around 20, and they got that cute glass tile for free - Check the credits.... If you actually totaled the actual real-time labor and material cost you'd be at least five times that price, if not more...

But have no fear, ALL staging doesn't have to cost you a pretty penny - In fact, if smartly done, staging can make a huge impact -without the hefty price tag. The trick is having a smart Realtor and a good Stager. The smart Realtor knows that staging is going to take the home to the next level, and is the ultimate marketing tool. The good Stager is packed with creativity, and can advise the homeowner on cost effective updates that don't break the break, and will give you a bang for your buck to boot.

-Take my two latest staging as examples.
ONE - Done a few weeks ago - This poor empty town home that had sat on the market for over 250 days. Now with a new Realtor, the Realtor brought in her Stager - Smart Realtor. The out-of-state owners were willing to have the unit merchandised within a small budget. I worked with the existing color scheme, removed, touched up, and staged the unit with a frugal budget. The products were purchased JUST for the unit, and will stay with the unit when sold (A sassy marketing tool...) Beside just merchandise, a small bistro set and air bed were used to enhance the space.

The home was staged on Monday, the home went on the Market that weekend, and they had an OFFER on Tuesday - So within 48 hours of going on the market, the home had a buyer... WOW, Staging is truly remarkable, take a look - http://www.realestateshows.com/show.php?id=371391&resize=1

TWO - My second staging was just done this past Saturday. The near empty home had been on the market since September, with no interest, and now too has a new Realtor - who brought a stager in - Smart Realtor.

From my suggestions the seller agreed to painting a few key rooms of the home, making it "Move-in Ready." The paint crew worked Thursday and Friday. I came in at 8am. on Saturday morning to stage the home. With some merchandising and using what was left in the unit - The home was staged -

With a bit of advertising the Realtor had an open house on Sunday, all with gushing reviews, and another showing on Monday, and an offer on Tuesday. Wow, staging is truly remarkable, take a look: http://www.realestateshows.com/show.php?mls=basic&id=374821

So, with a bit a frugality, smart updates, and a great selling & marketing team - You too can successfully stage your home on a budget.