Over the winter I decided if I didn’t plan a getaway, it would not happen. My boyfriend wanted the beach, and I wanted to explore Brimfield Antique Show. We combined the best of both worlds. He found a beach hotel in Cape Cod. I found a lake cottage near Brimfield, Massachusetts. Read more
It is not too late to create an outdoor living space or refresh it, while taking advantage of the after-July Fourth sales.
Christine O’Neill, a home furnishings consultant at Raymour and Flanigan (343-6800) in Middletown, shares the following suggestions:
First, evaluate your space. Will it be elevated, ground level or both? You should have a basic plan in mind. Remember the outdoor area is an extension of your indoor space. Read more
Last weekend I attended The Country Living Fair in Rhinebeck. The three-day fair is filled with antiques, vintage, flea market, handmade and repurposed items. The pages of Country Living magazine and childhood memories come to life. Read more
As a little girl driving around with my family in the Bronx, I would dream about living in a home with a porch. As fate would have it, my home has a wrap-around front porch. It feels more like a living room when it is all set up for the season.
Summer is just around the corner, and it’s time to create our outdoor living spaces. Here are some ideas to create a pretty porch whether your preference is modern, streamlined or classic comfort.
The best time to put your home on the market is when both you AND your house are ready. Whether you are selling ASAP or have a much longer timeline, don’t rush the process if your house is not ready. Sellers can sabotage the sale of their home if they are too anxious or too attached. Homes sell all year round, but the key is to prep before making it pretty.
Redesign is an instant makeover
By simply reworking rooms with what you already own, you can have a “new” room by rearranging furniture and accessories. Shop the home, move stuff around. During a recent staging consultation, I redesigned a living room in less than 15 minutes.
“I believe that the objects that bring us pleasure and comfort, that make us feel everything’s all right in the world, have their origins in the styles and sensibilities we were exposed to growing up.” — Nate Berkus
Home is where we surround ourselves with things that we love, including our favorite colors. Your home should tell the story of who you are. The best interiors are never instant, but develop over time.
Whether it is for a redesign, which is using what you already own, or for staging purposes when time to sell, I work with clients who have items they love hiding in closets and basements. Incorporate what you love into your decorating, and display it authentically. These are the things that have special meaning to you. Or if you have too much stuff, scale back so you can see what you love.
A big misconception is that staging is expensive. Depending on the condition of the home and its contents, staging can be quite affordable with a huge return on investment.
Do not remodel your home to sell. Do it for you to enjoy while living in it. There are cost-effective things to do to refresh your home. Replacing countertops with granite in a dated kitchen or bath is not one of them. Saving my clients from overspending by not over-prepping sells their home.
Kathleen Day, chief organization officer at LifeSmith University, loves working with business owners.
“They give their heart, soul and the majority of their time to their companies. Sometimes the environment and the schedule get the short end of the stick. My intention with an office makeover is to create an immediate difference in those two areas, in a way that the clients can embrace, and most importantly, maintain,” says Day.
For the first time, world-renowned authority on color, Pantone, introduces two shades — Rose Quartz and Serenity — as the Pantone 2016 Color of the Year. Rose Quartz is a gentle tone that conveys compassion and a sense of composure. Serenity is weightless and airy, like the expanse of the blue sky above us, bringing feelings of relaxation even in turbulent times.