Archive for September 2010

"Glamour Don'ts" of Home Staging/Redesign

Just like our favorite magazine, we home stagers/redesigns have our own list of pet peeves when it comes to our craft. Here are a few....


Dynasty 3.jpg•1.) Faux Greenery/Silks in Odd Areas. Always place trees or greenery in areas that they could actually GROW! Their sole purpose is to give the illusion they are real, therefore need photosynthesis to grow. Oh... and placing ivy as a window valance or China cabinet topper went out when Dynasty went off the air.

•2.) Floating Art. When hanging art over a sofa or a case good, associate the height to the item to retain good visual contact. The display will not look right if it seems to float too high above the object - it needs to be grounded. 18" from the back of the sofa is a good rule of thumb. And slightly above the smallest arrangement for the case good.

•3.) The Rug Scale to Conversation Area Faux Pas. A rug can create and define a conversational grouping. Make sure that the scale of the rug is in-tune to the scale of the furniture/objects associated to it. A sofa should either be sitting on or no more than 8"away from a rug. Just about the same size as the cocktail table is not a scale formula for rug size.

•4.) Accessorizing with Evens. When accessorizing or creating vignettes, the golden rule is "Always in Odd Numbers."

•5.) Forgetting the Focal Point. Every space has a fabulous purpose or emphasis. Focusing on the purpose and/or emphasis of the room will allow you to set the mood and arrange the furnishings and accessories properly.

•6.) Forgetting the Stature of the Home or Room. Wicker doesn't belong in formal living rooms, nor does a Big Lots ficus tree in a Tony Tudor. Make sure the things placed in a room or home go with the stature of the space.


•7.) Flood Window Treatments. Traditionally drapery panels are set 1/2 in. off the floor. 1" is pushing it and 3" off the floor is creating a Capri.


•8.) Being Light Challenged. Every room should have at least three light sources for the function of space. Ceiling lights do not count. The perfect formula is to have them placed in a triangle pattern around the room; which will create movement and flow to the space.

•9.) Table Short. Anywhere someone sits in a functional space should have a table in reach of a seated person. The exception is a transitional space such as a foyer or hall.

•10.) A Mirrored Mess. Mirrors over fireplaces, sofas, or lonely on a wall oh my... Mirrors should always reflect something beautiful - Not a ceiling fan, walk rail or wall. You can be excused if it is a decorative mirror that shows as art rather than function.

•11.) Oddly Angled Furniture. Don't think your being creative if you put it on an angle. Angles instantly slice through visionary planes, can make people psychologically feel uncomfortable, can eat up floor space and can render the piece or room functionless.


So here we are, only 6 months into this business...and 'house' was voted Best New Store in Ace Weekly's 2010 Best of Lexington by their readers!

It is an incredible honor! Thank you to all of those out there who have supported us when we opened the door and those of you that have continued to support us!

It's hard to believe that the year is coming to an end....Well...I mean there's still Fall coming up, but Christmas will be here before we know it...and then Stuart, Dwayne, and I will be at market again trying to figure out what new we're going to do next year!

I know it's a little early...but thank you for the incredible year!

Also, I realize that I have slacked majorly on blogging.....I promise to do more with that! However, if you would like to see lots of current events and etc...always check our facebook and twitter pages!

J

Finally Moved IN!

7:00 am. Before
Sometimes it takes a fresh set of eyes, some creative juices and a bit of expertise to make things come together. My client on Saturday, moved in over a year ago - A sofa here, a tread mill there, a few thing hung, but she struggled with placement and making the home her own. Lovely pieces, family heirlooms (such as the Armoire right,) great accessories, treasured photos, just not in the right spots.





10am. After!
Although her room is long, the space is narrow.  We established three living areas in one space.














  1. We swapped the large sofa for a love seat, allowing for a dining area to emerge and banished the treadmill as well.. The buffet was repositioned to it's rightful home from the entry area, creating not only a sense of a dining room - but a perfect platform for collections and a serving area.
  2. The TV spot was recreated by a simple tweak in furniture positioning.
Since that room is long and narrow, keeping big pieces on the long plane makes for visual volume in the room. Too, take advantage of extra space such as the bay window to steal a bit of floor space, by sliding that over sized chair into the space.





Space Define and in Scale to Room


3. Create a Functional Foyer - Not only the entry which the family comes home to on a daily basis, but also the foyer for visiting guests.  The back of the love seat creates a "wall" so that the area feels like a room.  The bench, borrowed from the dining set is a great spot to drop back packs, brief cases, or a spot to take off shoes.  The homeowner's family treasured armoire will be repurposed into shoe storage - Celebrating the piece once again, like her Mom did so many years ago.
The Heirloom Armoire will house the family's shoes


Applause.... "I can't say enough about Julea's work. She came in the door and got straight to work and turned my beautiful house into a stunning home using only what I already had. I have a beautiful home with an awkward set up. She walked in and automatically knew what to do (I had worked on trying to figure it out for a year and was still stumped). She also worked with me to plan the next room I wanted to work on. I have started the process of finding the pieces for the rest of our home (much bigger than our last). I have a clear plan now. Everyone who walks in our home is shocked by the transformation."





Ambition, Greed and the other side

Fore more tips on how to improve your life <{[[( Click Here! )]]}>

That you cannot have your cake and eat it at the same time is a famous cliche, probably as famous as the one about the grass on the other side! There are illustrations all around us. Right from when we set out at the unveiling of a new day to the rush at its close. We, meaning a majority of mankind, find ourselves pulled by the gravity of the numerous things that we interact with. This is more so the ones we do not possess.

Thinking that this is a negative aspect is being oblivious of the nature of mankind! For mankind is generally a progress seeker. This being the chief reason why we no longer live in natural caves. We are clearly out of the woods…and even far away from there! The search for a better, more comfortable life makes mankind move from one level to the other, more so in the advancing direction.

This noble notion is, however, usually misused if not misinterpreted to be; the other side is the better side. Greed is always a very pushy attitude that leads many in to making the wrong move in the hope of getting it easier or cozier in their life.

No one ever said, for example, that life is better when one changes jobs. The pay could be far and away higher, but the conditions could be downgrading and dehumanizing. More money does not always mean more happiness, for as the late Notorious BIG would have it, ‘more money, more problems. Back home, there is a famous saying, that most ladies would rather ‘cry on a Mercedes than laugh on a bicycle!’ this is in regard to relationships they would rather be in.

Fore more tips on how to improve your life <{[[( Click Here! )]]}>

There is always the talk of people (read ladies) to move on to more promising relationships, especially based on financial feasibility of the other guy. Jobs are changed from time to time, if only to make it more worthwhile. Have you ever paid for a new suit only to realize there were ‘better others’? Is it not a factor of non contentment rather than hasty selection that drives the notion that your neighbour’s wife is ‘hotter’ than yours?

What we need to differentiate here is greed and ambition. While ambition looks to the other side for inspirations and lessons, greed pushes us to get that which is on the side and draws all our attention to copy it, regardless. While ambition seeks to exceed the achievements of the other side, greed works to take over the possessions of the other side. And while ambition seeks a progressive advancement into the betterment of life, greed looks to crash land into the better life.
That said, the thing to remember is that while advancement is about change, the psychological rearrangement precedes physical change in ambitious persons, while the opposite is characteristic of greed.

You will get a better happier life in your current job place, country, marriage and what have you! Just look inside you and see exactly what pessimistic and redundant tendencies that have made you a bad apple in the eye of your spouse, boss, prospective customer et cetera. And even if the problem is on their side…it is up to you to bring out the 80% good before you finally table their 20% ill!

Fore more tips on how to improve your life <{[[( Click Here! )]]}>

powered by http://www.kode254.weebly.com