As fall arrives, so does the urge to decorate the home.  Whether it be with simple fall decorations for the upcoming holidays or for your in laws arriving for Thanksgiving…  the rush is on!

Do it yourself-ers can decorate with pumpkins, corn stalks, indian corn and many more decorative items to make their home welcoming for the fall festivities.   For more ideas or help with decoration, feel free to call All About Interiors or visit www.allaboutinterios.org

DONT FORGET TO VISIT THE FALL HOME SHOW AT THE CT EXPO CENTER IN HARTFORD CT, NOVEMBER 6-8TH.  COME VISIT ME IN BOOTH 903

There are many different rules of the trade.  You may want to design your home with them in mind. 

~Don’t line all your furniture agains the wall.  It is more airy and communal and enlarges the look of the space to have a sofa, chair or ottoman off the wall. 
~Make sure your funiture is well balanced in size and scale.
~Make sure your furniture faces all or most of the focal points of a room.  Your focal points include your windows, tv, fireplace, artwork or sculpture.
~Position your seating so that you don’t have to turn your head to talk to the person sitting in the room or to watch tv.

~Don’t ignore windows- don’t use sheets or blankets or nothing at all.  It is not inviting and they look bare.  Windows are a main focal point and one of the first things your eyes are drawn to upon entering a room.  It is the first impression you are making.  Dressing your windows can add color, elegance, style and pattern to the space.  Think of window treatments as the jewelry of the room… done correctly they can add dazzle.

~Do use color, it is a great punctuation or exclamation and it warms up a room and gives it personality.  Color can be introduced as an accent or on an accessory and it can also be a neutral for those who are color shy.

~Don’t collect clutter.  Every space should not be covered with knick nacks.  Less is more.  Store away collectables and rotate them instead of displaying them all at once.  Use decorative storage bins to hide unsightly magazines, newspapers, toys etc..

~Don’t have too many cables or wires hanging around, use twisty ties or hide them behind cable runners.

~Don’t use too many pillows on a bed or sofa, scale down to only a few decorative pillows.

Last but certainly not least!!!

~Don’t use fake flowers or plants.  They are dust collectors and don’t improve the look of a room.  If you want, you can go with dried organic floral, fresh flowers or none at all.

I hope these rules of the trade have helped you… for more decorating advice or to contact All About Interiors, go to www.allaboutinteriors.org

Color, the key to successful decorating, produces a physical and an emotional presence.  Color can visually stretch a space, raise or lower ceiling heights and alter emotional levels.  As a decorating tool, color is reasonably priced.  By understanding color principles, you’ll develop an eye for adenturous color combinations.

Red: Increases temperature, heart rate, blood pressure.  Sensitizes taste buds.  Good to use in a dining room area.
Pink: Promotes a feeling of safety and being cared-for; strong pink short-circuits fear and violent behavior.
Orange: Induces a sense of friendliness and supports warm communication and outward focus.
Yellow:  Bright shades stimulate aggression.  Soft shades can induce a sense of calm stability.
Green:  Enhances a sense of serenity, especially when combined with soft blue.  Relieves home sickness.
Blue:  Decreases temperature, heart rate, blood pressure.  Large amounts seem to slow time.  Aids focus and concentration by turning focus inward, but not as much as purple.  When combined with brown, enhances a feeling of trust.
Purple:  Supports inward focus more than blue.  Supports the feeling of a disconnection from reality.
Brown:  Promotes a sense of stability.  Combined with blue, enhances a feeling of trust.
(source: The business of olor by Zara Stender)

Color forcast:
The direction that color is most likely to move in te next several years is towards more defined color.
Red- split between strong blue-based reds and yellow-based hues.  These include a strong, saturated hot pink, an energetic orange-influenced red, a new, fresh lighter burgundy as well as a hot, snappy berry red with a touch of orange.
Orange-Continues with the browened-down oranges of the last couple years, but new introductions include a bright tangerine hue and a new version of coral.
Yellow- two bright, sunny, happy yellows join an established antique gold.
Green- continues to be one of the most widely used colors in every product category.  Yellow-based greens continue to be visible, although there’s also a shift to green that’s being influenced by blue.  Green remains organic, taking its influence from nature.
Blue- A constant.  The robin’s egg blues seem to be on a slow decline, as softer tints of blue are showing up on the palette and bold bright blues are embraced by many categories.  New versions of navy are the formal side of blue.
Purple-moving toward a red-based raspberry-like hue, and moving away from the blue-based purples of the last couple years.
Neutrals-becoming color-infused to make them more sellable.
Brown- continues to move into a lighter direction.  The dark earth-toned browns are still in use, but the trend is to go lighter with soft sand and tan colors.

Long term forcast is to go heavy on neutrals, particularly the soft, light browns, soft spa-like blues and botanical greens and yellow-based reds.  It’s definately a grayed-down earthy color forcast.

For more information on design and decorating go to www.allaboutinteriors.org

In A Down Real Estate Market, Is Staging Your Home Worth It?
       

            
If you’ve ever wondered whether it is worth the time, money,effort and inconvenience to stage your home to try to sell it, consider what the it is worth to you the longer the home stays on the market.  Most homes that are on the market for more than 90 days are reduced dramatically to attract buyers.  That may mean thousands of dollars less for your profit.  Compare that amount with the cost of staging your home and you are now talking apples and oranges in cost comparison.

Do you ever wonder why your home hasn’t sold yet?  When you walk from room to room do you feel puzzled why buyers just don’t see the same beauty that you have lived with for 10, 20, 30+ years?  What you see and what buyers may see could be two very different views.  Some sellers are initially skeptical to hire an interior decorator to stage their home for many reasons, however after hiring one, most have found that it paid off either with positive comments from buyers or better yet, the sale of their home. 

One client had her house on the market for 82 days before calling me.  Once it was staged, it sold in 1 week.  After the house was decluttered and excess furniture was moved to a storage container, I had the walls freshly painted, dated wallpaper removed, re-arranged some of the client’s existing furniture, brought in some rental furniture to enhance specific areas and in the master bedroom suite, I added beautiful window treatments to highlight the space to it’s best potential.

In this housing market, you really have to make the effort to go all out to sell your home.  You must make your home unique than the others that are also on the market.  You should make your home as move in ready as possible and allow the buyers to see the potential with their own posessions in the space. 

“Staging means showing off the square footage and architectural aspects of the house, such as bay windows, fireplaces or crown molding, while making aesthetics as pleasing as possible”.  Staging is the opposite of decorating.  It is taking the personality out of the home to appeal to as many people as possible, no matter what their style.  “We are all so emotionally tied to our homes, the first thing you need to do as a seller is re-adjust your thinking to the mindset that it’s now not a home but a house that is a product and you need to consider how you are going to market that product.”  This also means you must get a really tough skin for constructive criticism.

“According to the Association of Staging Professionals, homes that are not staged spend an average of 175 days on the market, while staged homes sell in 35 days.”  Staging a home does not guarentee a quicker sale every time because there are other factors that come into play, such as, if a seller is unrealistic about price, staging doesn’t matter.  It is just one tool you will need in todays tough real estate market that will set you apart from your neighbor who also has his house on the market.

For more information on Real Estate Staging call 860-810-5080. All About Interiors, LLC
WWW.ALLABOUTINTERIORS.ORG

According to the “Cost vs. Value Report, 2008-2009 published by Remodeling and Realator magazines, new siding, decks, windows and kitchen renovation topped the list of home improvements with the biggest payback.  In general, homowners will recoup about 70-80 percent of the cost of replacing siding, decks, windows and kitchen renovations.

Interested in knowing what the Hartford area will recoup for remodels?
A mid-range upgrade to the kitchen, ranging around $22,482 will recoup $18,443 or 82 percent during the closing of a sale of their home.  In addition, the homeowner gets to enjoy a new and updated kitchen while they are living there.

An upscale bathroom remodel will run about $56,626 and the value at the sale of the home will be $37,959 or 67 percent.

A mid-range basement remodel costs approximately $69505 but is only worth an additional $41,662 or 59.9 percent at the sale of the home.

The smallest payback, according to the report, is a mid-range home office remodel, costing an average of $29,949 in New England but worth only $12,949 at sale or 44.6 percent.  However, if you put in a home office, you might make up the difference in time, money and aggravation saved by working from the home.

For more information go to www.remodeling.hw.net/2008/costsvalue/national.aspx.  For regional value data, click on New England.

For more information on remodeling and design, visit www.allaboutinteriors.org

All About Interiors ~ Interior Decorating In CT On a Budget

There are many things you can do to decorate your CT interior without spending a lot of money. 
~ update your color on your walls: Paint is a very inexpensive and easy way to change the whole look of a room.
~Use What You Have: Room redesign is a simple and affordable way to change the look of a room.  Go from room to room and pull items that will look good, fit and are functional to create a whole new look to your space.
~Cluster Collectibles: Group similar items together ie: plates, glass bottles, collection of hummels etc..
~Curtain Call: Spruce up your windows with fabrics that draw your eye and introduce color to the space
~Change a display: Move items around for a new look
~ Update old Shades: Put new shades on old lamps
~Re-upholster worn furniture: instead of buying new furniture, re-upholster or slip cover old furniture
~Throw Rug: Add a colorful throw rug to the room
~Architectural Interest: Add crown molding or wainscotting to add some architectural interest to a room. 
~Replace outdated door knobs with striking handles.  Keep finishes throughout your home consistant.
~Upgrade your shades: Ditc the metal mini blinds for roller shades and attach some fun fabric, ribbons or tassles to them.
~Glue patterned wallpaper to the interior of a bookcase or inside your kitchen cabinets for a subtle surpise
~Add Splash To Your Bath: Replace faucets, towel bars, robe hooks and toilet paper holders with updated finishes.
~Brighten boring backsplash with snazzy mosaic or glass tiles.

YOU CAN CALL AN INTERIOR DESIGNER AT ALL ABOUT INTERIORS FOR AN AFFORDABLE CONSULTATION AND MORE INTERIOR DECORATING AND DESIGN IDEAS SPECIFIC TO YOUR SPACE. 
     visit www.allaboutinteriors.org for more informationg

Starting a decorating project can be overwhelming.  You should start by collecting and riping out pictures in magazines of rooms, furniture, accessories, lighting and wall art that you like or is your style.  Use these pictures as your starting point.  You can recreate a room you see in a magaizne by finding similar pieces in your local stores, internet or through your local decorator.

Next, shop furniture stores for ideas and pricing knowledge.  It is not every day that you purchase furniture, therefore, you want to know what is out there, costs associated with your project and materials that are suitable for your lifestyle.

Consider your future and present lifestyle.  If you have children or pets, durable, stain resistant fabrics may be just what you need.  In-laws may need to move in down the road, so consider that when shopping for furniture or remodeling.

Make a wish list of everything you want and eliminate or replace items that don’t fit your budget or are low on your priority list. 

Put together a budget.  Decide how much you have to spend on the project.  Do your homework, gather information on what material or items and labor costs will be involved and decide how you would want to divide your budget.  Most people don’t decorate often, therefore, they are unaware of the costs of labor, materials and furniture pieces. 

Look around your home, in different rooms for items you can use in the space you are redecorating.  Sometimes your own home can have hidden treasures that would look great in a new space.