Oh How I Hate to Close My Porch

Well it's that time of year again, Fall.  The time of year when New England is covered with a blanket of colors. Really my favorite time of year except that we need to close the porch for the winter.  The porch is the place where we spend most of our time during the Spring and Summer.

When we first decorated the porch I was into country and birdhouses.  I had very heavy roman shade blinds that a friend made and beige walls.  Now it has gone through a transformation to what it looks like today.  I wanted a tropical feel but without bright flowers and pink plastic flamingos.

We added white faux wood blinds, just as good looking at the expensive brands.
I wanted to be able to open them to see the backyard and shut them when needed. To save some money on the larger windows I used two blinds side by side on the same window, but they look like one large one.

 I love our ceiling, it's tongue and groove pine with a clear poly finish. It really makes the room feel warm and tropical. We pained the walls a bright sunny yellow, added some cushions that are red with green palm leaves on them; tropical remember. A large palm wall art was added and a copper vine accent above two of the windows. Seating is very important, we added a small round wood topped table with iron legs. Great for summer dinners!


So as the cold weather approaches and while my porch hibernates for the winter, we will remember the good times on the porch and look forward to when spring will come again...

If your porch needs color coordination, window treatments, a wood ceiling, furniture placement or accessories contact me at lisa@arrangedtosell.com for some ideas. 

Speaking, An Ingredient To Help Your Business

We all remember the days back in elementary school when we had to do oral reports in class.  It was the thing I dreaded the most in the world.  I would worry and stress about it for days, practice in front of the mirror for hours.  When the day came I would pray that time would run out and it would be put off for another day.  When I got called on I'd turn red and get redder the longer I stood up there.  Oh, I would also get the case of the giggles, so embarrassing!


When I decided to do Home Staging and Redesign I really didn't consider having to talk in front of groups of people.  I've always loved interior design and consider myself good at the design aspect of redesign or staging. As I've been building my business I've discovered that TALKING is a big part of the Home Staging business. Talking to Realtors, presenting a power point to a room full of Realtors, doing a presentation for a client and now I've joined a networking group where I have to talk for one minute each week. 


I'm happy to report that I've talked three times in the BNI networking group and I don't think I turned red and didn't have a problem with the giggles.  I've discovered in order to achieve your goals sometimes you need to step out of your box and JUST DO IT. 


So how important is public speaking?  A good speaker can get elected President.  A good speaker can mobilize an army.  A good speaker can capture the imagination of a school child and change their future.  A good speaker earns instant credibility and followers and earns business and trust.


So, this blog isn't about color or furniture placement in a room, but it's about something equally important, talking.  Talking and learning to communicate effectively in business is imperative to the success of any business.  So step out of your box with me, continue to grow and face your fears.

Improve Your Living Space One Room at a Time

When is it o.k. to….

Have you ever gone in someones house and wanted to start moving furniture around?  I know we have all been in that house at one time or another.  If you are someone who just does not know how to arrange a certain room in your home, this blog is for you.    How to improve your living space, make it more family and guest friendly.

As we all know flow is everything in a room.  Do you flow in the room easily or do you run right into a couch or chair? That sometimes can be painful.  When standing in a room that does not flow one begins to feel a bit dizzy and disoriented.   Sometimes it is just a matter of rearranging a few things to make the world feel balanced again.

Goes without saying you should consider who lives in this space.  Adults, kids and pets, everyone should feel welcomed and comfortable in the home.

Let us start at the entrance of the room.  A family room usually has one or two focal points, a fireplace and or large flat panel T.V.  The seating should face your focal point and not be too far away from each other in order to have conversations with your guests.  If the room is larger, it is o.k. to make little conversation areas.  I feel that works if the size of the room can handle it. 

    

How many couches are too many?  What about too many chairs? 

First thing, remove everything that is removable.  You need to look at the space without distractions. (This includes all the items on the walls.)  I find it helpful to use graph paper to draw your space out.  This helps to visualize the space without having to move the furniture around and around.  Decide what is coming back in the space, what is staying out and if possible what is something new that can be added.

I think it is a bonus if your focal points can be next to each other.  This makes arranging the furniture a bit easier, especially if the T.V.  can go above the fireplace.  I really love the invention of the flat screen.  Also consider the size of furniture in the space.  Is everything at one end of the room, making it feel a bit tilted to one side?  Balance is another important ingredient in the layout of the room. 

I personally feel you should allow enough seating for the number of people living in the house.  If you have company you can always bring in extra seating from other rooms.  (Unless, your room can handle the extra chairs.)

Another nice touch if possible is to create a reading corner in the space.  What a wonderful spot to curl up and read a book with someone special.

So there you have it!  Your space has balance, flow and welcomes family and friends with open arms.

Give a Tired Bathroom a Facelift

Do you have a bathroom that you want to update?  If your answer is yes, an economical way of giving your bathroom an update is to frame the existing mirror.   Mirror Mate offers a wide variety of frames to choose from.  Exact measurements are the key to your success.  So double check those numbers and the rest is fairly easy.  Once your frames are delivered, installation is your next step.  Follow the directions that are given, it's just that easy.    Here's how easy it was for a recent staging that we did where we put together a small frame and a very large 8 foot one.

The frames came precut and mitered on all four sides.  We added a little wood glue (came in the kit) and then attached some butterfly clips that pulled the frames tightly together.

After gluing them, we set them aside for 1 hour to dry as the instructions say.  Once dry, we did a test fit of the frames on the mirror.  If your frames are screwed to the wall with glass or plastic holders, you can replace them with smaller/thinner holders that also come with the kit.  In our case, the frames were measured to sit right on the counter back splash, so lining them up was a snap.  If this is not your case, the kit comes with some handy corner blocks to help line up the frames perfectly.  After our test fit, we peeled off the sticky back strips and then pressed the mirrors in place.  What a difference!

Along with frames around the mirror another update to the bathroom would be to add a new faucet and lights.  It's amazing what a difference a small investment can make to a room without breaking the bank.  Finish off the room with a nice neutral paint, new shower curtain (white preferred) and some new fluffy towels. 

If your selling your house just think of the equity you are adding to your home.  Home buyers love updated bathrooms, makes their mental to-do list shorter.  Which in today's market puts your property on the top of their list.

How to clean grout

Have you looked at your floor tile grout lately?


Well I have, and it was shocking how dirty the grout in my tile kitchen floor was. My mission was to get it clean. Now, I just had to figure out what was the best way. After some research I found Sun Oxygen Cleaner was my answer.

Supplies I needed were Sun Oxygen Cleaner, rubber gloves, bowl for mixing, spoon, knife, scrub brush and rolled up towel.


It was not an easy job by any means. The area I was cleaning was a large kitchen, small hall and half bathroom/laundry room. I worked in sections of the floor following the directions on the container. Scrubbing the grout and ultimately scrubbing the floor gave me amazing results! The floor looks brand new. My recommendations after you get it clean, steam the floor and seal the grout with a good grout sealer.

Happy cleaning…

Bring a Little Spring in to Your Home

Bring a little spring in to your home!

 Let’s begin by picking a room to let the light in.  Start by cleaning top to bottom which includes any closets in the room.  An organized closet will start your day off on the right foot, so to speak.  Some tips for closets are reducing the amount of items by season and organizing by color.  Always use the same type of hangers and arrange by like garments.

Once the cleaning is done take some time to breath in the fresh air.  Look around the room and see what shape the paint is in.  "Is it too dark or dirty?"  Paint is a great way to give a dull room an update.  Don’t forget the ceiling and trim.  Especially when you are about to list your home, a freshly painted room is an asset. 

Next is the arrangement of your furniture.  For a bedroom, the best placement of the bed is on a far wall from your entrance.  You want to be able to see the bed when entering the room.    The bed is usually your focal point and you want to spotlight this when staging or redesign.   This may also be a good wall to use an accent color on, which will assist in spotlighting your focal point.   At this time, you can also go shopping in other areas of your home.  Mix it up by bringing other accessories in that my work in the room.  Switching out lamps and curtains can be an inexpensive way to update a room.  

If your budget allows, updating your bedding to a simple hotel style is timeless.  It will give the room a clean, fresh feel.  Add color with throw pillows and throws.  By keeping the bedding neutral this gives you an inexpensive option to change up the bedding with pillows.

Keep the room light and bright with neutrals and accent with pops of color.  Welcome spring in the room and move to the next space.  Before you know it your spring cleaning will be done, your house will be updated within your budget and ready to be listed.


See more ideas at http://www.arrangedtosell.com/

Lisa

Announcing Arranged to Sell

Today I'm excited to announce the start of my own business, Arranged to Sell.  It is a Home Staging and Redesign business.  I have always loved interior decorating and know how to use that to appeal to people looking to buy or if someone just wants to change up a space in their home. 

We all love HGTV's shows and wish they could come to our homes.  Home Staging and Redesign is a way that we can get the same look and feel without the high price tag.  Home Stagers use what the homeowner has and adds accessories to bring the space to a new updated inviting space.

I'm working in the Southern NH area.  Home sellers needing staging advice, Realtors looking for help getting a home ready to be sold, or homeowners looking to redesign a room feel free to contact me at lisa@arrangedtosell.com.

Enjoy my website!  www.arrangedtosell.com