Surround yourself with your favorite things

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.

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ReStore: The store that builds homes

The Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newburgh ReStore will be celebrating its 1-year anniversary at their new location on South Plank Road in October. The ReStore sells both new and used furniture, appliances, building supplies and household items that have been donated. Prices are generally 50 percent or more off of retail values. Proceeds go toward building affordable homes in Newburgh.

Mark Roland, ReStore manager says, “We are excited about the reception the community has given us, with strong sales since the opening day. In appreciation, we will be running numerous sales and specials from Wednesday, Oct. 14 through Saturday, Oct. 17. There will be giveaways, raffles, snacks and other surprises. Please come join us!” Read more

Things you should be doing to sell home

Keep these overlooked items in mind when selling your home.

Curb appeal

“Curb appeal is super important!,” says Janis Borgueta of Key Properties. “It starts with the buyers falling in love with the home before they even walk into the front door. If you can’t get them inside, then no sale happens. How does a home welcome a buyer? Clean up the yard is the first step. Paint if you have to, or power wash vinyl siding. Get rid of the weeds, and trim the trees and the bushes. Simple things like a clean welcome mat and a doorbell that works can say … ‘I’m home.’”

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Tips for staging a model home

Most of my staging projects are occupied stagings, which means I am working with the seller’s existing furniture and accessories. There may be a few items from my inventory that enter the stage to refresh the space.

Vacant staging is on the rise in this area. This requires bringing in furniture and accessories to stage an empty house on the market. In most situations, only key rooms are staged, which could be the living/family room, dining room, kitchen and master bedroom. Whether occupied or vacant, staging along with professional listing photos are the best ways to market a house for sale. Read more

Peel & Stick Wood Panels Provide An Instant Reclaimed Look

The showstopper for me at this year’s Architectural Digest Home Design Show in New York was Stikwood, ultrathin wood planks that have an adhesive backing that sticks to just about any surface, creating the look of what would ordinarily be a costly piece of décor.

“I love the smell of wood, the feel of wood. I love everything about wood,” owner and founder Jerry McCall says. “But I’ve always been a bit upset about how wasteful it can be.” The master woodworker came up with a product that would give consumers the look of rustic, reclaimed wall paneling, using as little of the natural resource as possible. Read more