Best Styling Home Staging Accessories

Selling a house requires you to bring out its very best. Here’s a short list of my favorite home staging accessories. Why? ‘Cause they’re easy like Sunday morning. Easy to find, easy to style, BUT make a big impact on presenting your best space. Betcha you have these already, but if yours are tired, dated or you are moving to a new place that could use a few of them - I’ve got you cover in my last post.

Take a gander at the infographic and make sure to read the details. If you want to learn more about accessorizing, join me this Friday, the 17th via ZOOM hosted by MAINSTREET ASSOCATION OF REALTORS for my Accessorizing for Home Staging Workshop. Starts at 10am. If you are still in need of assistance , or want to get a pro’s home styling eye, call me - I’m happy to help you with your poor accessorizing aptitude. I can be reach by phone and text @ 708-543-8597.

15 Home Staging Props to Up-Style an Occupied Home

Last week’s home staging evaluation needed a shopping list.  Although this luxury home had it all, and may I say, was quite lovely - every home, no matter how fabulous, needs some level of home staging.

Most homes need to be weeded, packed, and organized. A well showcased home gives the potential buyer an explained lifestyle.  Make it easy for them to picture themselves living beautifully in the home; show off the details, and explain how wonderful it would be to own it. 

With that, there are three rooms in a home going on the market sellers need to focus on: The Living Room, The Kitchen and the Primary Bedroom. The NAR (National Association of REALTORS) in their annual Profile of Home Staging report stated that staging the living room was found to be very important for buyers (46%), followed by staging the master bedroom (43%), and staging the kitchen (35%). After all, we spend most of our time in these spaces.

• Kitchens need to follow form and function -showcase how the space will delight and how at ease it functions.

• Living rooms are for living, so comfortable, attractive aesthetics, family and entertaining friendly, and a great traffic pattern to get to and from.

• And then there is the primary bedroom, a power place for rest and respite after a full day.  

Showcasing these spaces and attracting buyers with home styling may include changing out or adding to the space to create that ideal environment. At all of my Home Staging Evaluations I offer a shopping list of staging props needed to up-style the home for market.

Here are 15 things I suggest in a home staging evaluation. Many of the items on this list can be used to style any home - whether selling or dwelling.

[Click on photo for direct links and details on Amazon. Please note that I have an AMAZON Store front receive a small commission. ]

1. Inviting, neutral, bedding. This simple, elegant duvet set is perfect for any bedroom. Too, you can slip any existing bedding into this envelope style bedding option making it super east to stage with it.

2. A chunky, textural throw. Add a lifestyle layer to any seating or bed. (Don’t you want to cuddle under it?) This Hygge style, big knit throw in a light tone creates a comfort cue to a staged space.

3. A washable area rug. Choose your size and area - a washable area rug is functional and beautiful.

4. White lacquer serving tray. A styling prop for any surface. It’s light color and modern style will enhance anything styled within it.

5. Silver, oblong serving bowl. Its perfect size, elegant shape and metallic finish is one of my favorite staging props. Empty or filled, a statement on any surface.

6. A pair of clear glass based tall 30” lamps for anywhere needed. You don’t want short scaled lamps to other things in a room. These fit any style in any space and are the right height for most furniture arrangements.

7. Round Mirror. Mirrors bring light and style into a space. A round mirror add interest and plays off all the square angles of most rooms.

8. Simple, neutral art/photo frame for anywhere needed. Perfect to replace family photo areas, or missing spots where needed.

9. Storage Baskets. Stylish, textural baskets to tidy any space.

10. White waffle weave shower curtain. Every stagers favorite shower curtain. (Rings included)

11. White, high-style, linen towels. A great set of fluffy, white towels can elevate any bath. For baths who’s finishes may not be to the tastes of today’s buyers - white towels can neutralize odd colors and patterns.

12. Covered glass storage jars. A perfect prop in any space. Showcase a lifestyle or corral a collection.

13. Up-style your pump soap to the next level. It’s the little luxury details that people notice.

14. White craft paper to “school” wrap your books to style a bookcase ot create a beautiful vignette.

15. Coffee Table Books to make your table look fancy.

Need expert and insightful advice for your home environment? Whether moving out, in, or at any chapter of your home experience, I can assist you with your decorating dilemmas. call/text 708.543.8597 email julea@julea.com

EDUCATIONAL OFFERINGS: Join Julea at mainstreet organization of realtors for home staging education EVENTS

• Intro to COLOR workshop 2/27 @ 10-11:30am.

• Certified Staging Consultant 3/7 @ 9:00-1:00pm

Please note AMAZON ASSOCIATE DISCLAIMER [ *As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small fee from qualifying purchases.]

New Year New Room Re-style - Shake up your space with these post holiday styling ideas

STOP!  Before you start shoving your furniture back into its old spots after you’ve packed away your holiday décor, consider this instead – Why not give your space a new perspective by re-styling things? After all isn’t the New Year all about making changes?  And don’t give me the excuse that if you move stuff around what will you do about those carpet divots. Please…

A fresh perspective is a good thing, especially in your home environment.

[1st things first. Start the new year with clearing your home of the past year. Scientists have observed that sage can clear up to 94 percent of airborne bacteria in a space and disinfect the air. The Latin word for sage salvia stems form the word heal. Light an essential oil Sage candle and start the new year with a fresh, cleared space.]

Here are some things you can do to up-style and reinvent your rooms and home spaces.  

Move What You Have Around:  Start with what you already have.  Take a stroll through your home and inventory the furniture you have from attic to garage.  Could that consignment shop find desk up in the spare room work as a sofa table or would that rug in the dining room look really nice in the living room? After you do some mental inventory, address the room you want to reinvent. Consider flip flopping the sofas, changing the room's focal point to a different wall or changing the entire feel of the space by swapping pieces from other rooms to make it more formal or casual.  If these suggestions are a bit overwhelming to you, our One Day Makeover services can breath a fresh new perspective into your spaces and uncover things you’ve haven’t used in years.

Our One Day Room Makeover services recreate a space in a matter of hours - (Photo: Julea Joseph)

Accessory Re-Styling:  Rotate it, archive them or repurpose it!  From tabletops to bookcases to wall art, your accessories can always use a new look. The same family photos in the same frame in the same space aren't even seen anymore.  Your very favorite piece of art hanging in the dining room isn't being celebrated there - move it to a spot so you can view it all the time.  That boring bookcase or China hutch could make your room POP if you rotated and swapped the pieces.  Give a lamp a new look with a new shade, harp, finial, or re-style it - by raising it up with a stack of books or painting the base.

Flip your shades. Change out your lamp shades, and/or lamp finials. (PHOTO: One Kings Lane)

Furniture Reinvention: Can you reupholster, slipcover, paint it?  If your furniture is good, if you love the lines or it has sentimental value, keep it, and improve it.  

We are pros at offering advice on how to reinvent your treasured furniture (PHOTO: Julea Joseph)

Paint Color Up Grade:  Once you get your room rearranged, you may want to take the next step and change the paint color as well.  If you have had the same color on your walls for years, a new hue can upgrade your furniture, accessories and art.  2023 offers a plethora of amazing trending paint color to choose from. Try just painting an accent wall, or, try a wall of wallpaper.

2023 Paint Colors of the Year (PHOTO: Source/Julea Joseph)

A Few New Purchases: Any room could use a few new things.  It could be as simple as a lovely potted plant on your cocktail table, a new fun rug in a bold hue or pattern to take your formal living room from boring to spectacular. A new accent collection in a trending color, or a new piece of furniture to refresh the old.  Feel free to shop for a few new items, but only after your room has been re-styled. Consider the new items as the frosting, not the cake.

Refresh a room with a new piece or two - rug. (PHOTO: Amazon)

No time for shopping - Here’s a few examples for you on AMAZON - From a Sage candle to furniture pieces. Julea’s January finds on AMAZON

Don't have the time or talent to do this yourself?  Good news, we can help.  We're interior arrangement experts, have fabulous ideas on how to give your old stuff a new life and don't even get me started on what we can find with our shopping skills!  Give me a jingle, send an email my way and let's talk.  We offer both on-location and e-makeover sessions.  Let's get your home refreshed, restyled and reinvented.  Biz phone: 708-543-8597 M 708-448-7500 B Email: Julea@Julea.com.

WANT TO LEARN MORE? Visit my website for my upcoming workshops, education and training. JULEA’S SPEAKING & EDUCATIONAL OFFERINGS

Oh... and those divots - Add crushed ice to the dent, let melt and then use an old hairbrush to re-fluff your carpet. Refluff again after drying.  Divots gone! - JULEA

Building Block Home Decorating Accessories You Need!

Whether you live small or large, this accessory collection can seamless change from decorating to entertaining in an instant. Use my "Good Bone" accessories as your base template for styling your home. Each can be used in multiple ways, be changed out quickly space to space, for a season or the holidays. These accessories too can make you a bit more organized, and when entertaining - some, can be staples and service any of your hosting areas from bar to buffet. Win, win.

(** Heads-up, if you’d like to shop my collections, the links are in the item and the picture - I’m part of the Amazon Influencer program and receive a small commission of sold items.)** Link to entire collection - LINK

JULEA’S LIST OF BUILDING BLOCK HOME ACCESSORIES

TALL CANDLESTICKS: A set of tall candlesticks elevate your styling whether topped with candles or any scale friendly object you want to display. Their height is the key ingredient to great accessorizing - Always perfect for a mantle, but also should be considered on a coffee table, kitchen island, or even in a bookcase. For entertaining, add a plate (use poster tack putty) and your buffet or bar will be elevated to new heights.

DOUGH BOWL - The perfect decorating vessel. Rustic, organic, Farmhouse style, with just the right ‘opposites attract’ interior design element that any room needs. Fill it with whatever you please, from holiday greens for the season to faux succulents as a centerpiece. Line it with cloth napkins and for entertaining - it’s the best baguette holder for your dinner party.

LARGE BLANKET BASKET - A large blanket basket can service besides blankets, entry shoes, seasonal wear, kids/dog toys, a statement in-door plant, towels, laundry. Too, it brings texture to a space, and its lovely form offers a pretty visual for a storage piece.

LONG WICKER TRAY - A nice long wicker tray adds casualness and texture to a surface. Great topped on a granite island, your dining room table or to house personal items on a bathroom counter or nightstand. A tray too offers a template to decorate in. For entertaining, pop in a long platter or bowls with your favorite sides, or use for serve items such as napkins, silverware, plates, or more.

WIRED CLOCHE - Bring the outside in with a wire cloche. Casual, unbreakable, and easy to use and store. Anything under a dome becomes more important and adds an element of surprise to your accessorizing.

CAKE STAND - A cake stand can hold more than cakes - as a decorating element, it can be the needed centerpiece element to an arrangement. Alone, or with an added plate, the stand can make something simple stand out and up. Add to the cake stand with the above cloche and you have real WOW factor decorating accessory!

NATURAL ABOLONE SHELL - I know it sounds a bit weird that a shell would make my ‘must have’ list. But I stand by my shell. This pretty, small, vessel can be a lovely natural addition to a side table or a vignette on your coffee table. Perfect in a Powder Room with a bar of soap, wrapped candies, on your kitchen windowsill to hold your rings, or a spoon rest when entertaining or as a salt cellar. It too can sit alone on a bookcase or in a cubby. I found mine while walking on a beach in Half Moon Bay, CA, so besides being functional, it holds a special memory.

WINE/CHAMPAGNE BUCKET - Iconic shape, better than a bowl, Can house ice to a tabletop Christmas Tree. What’s not to love about an oversize wine bucket? On your dining room table as a centerpiece, in your foyer with floral arrangement, on your coffee table with magazines and books. You know what to do with it for entertaining…

SILVER TRAY - Anything silver adds panache, especially a tray. In baths to entry tables - this fancy tray makes anything on it, special and upscale.

FAUX BOOKS - Faux books are a favorite for any home stylist. An added element horizontally, or vertical, they add dimension to any display.

FOOTED HURRICANE VASE - A workhorse accessory. A footed hurricane vase can be your standard decorating element in one spot. It can change each month with fresh flowers, change seasonally or with a holiday. It can be flipped over and used as a candle stand, or as a lift for a buffet with an added plate, bowl or platter. In a bathroom with bath salts, washcloths or kid’s toys, in the kitchen as a terrarium or water garden, and in the laundry with laundry care products.

RECHARGEABLE ELECTRIC CANDLES - Oh happy day! No more batteries. Candles add that ambiance and the 5 sense element needed in a space. These offer a timer, and a remote for ease of use, and then when spent, you just recharge them. We all know where to use them, and if you need direction, see above list. One added idea, since they come in a trio, consider ribboning them together as 1 cluster.

I hope you were inspired to weed through your current accessories, perhaps shop for some new ones, and use these great building block accessories in creative ways. Please share if you use one of these accessories in an different way, we’d love to know!

Stay tuned for a new collection - HOME STYLING or STAGING TOOL KIT FAVORITES. Staples and tools that I have in my tool bag when I head to interior style and home stage a home. - JULEA.

6 Best Holiday Accessories if Selling or Dwelling

Welcome to the quintessential kick off of the holiday decorating season. It starts with fall decor and wraps up after the New Year. Homeowners love to deck the halls with everything from pumpkins to mistletoes. Did you know that last year people spent 8.4 billion dollars on Halloween? An all-time record! We love our holidays!

As both a home staging and interior decorating professional, I have a dual struggle having to consult my selling clients to abbreviate their holiday decorating, yet help my dwelling clients become the perfect seasonal celebrator. Over the years I have curated a list of what I call “Good Bone” seasonal decorating accessories. These are multi-tasking accessories that can serve as both decor and entertaining pieces. They can transition from season to entertaining with just a few styling maneuvers, can easily be procured, and most importantly, be changed out with each holiday or season easily.

“Good Bone” accessories are essential for the homeowner who is selling, since the seasonal or holiday display is simplified, creating a light measure of holiday lifestyle. On the other hand, if dwelling, these accessory standards are perfect for the novice holiday decorator, the space saving downsizer, and for those who wholly celebrate the season – a rich added layer of reverie.

Julea’s “Good Bone” accessory list:

#1. Cake Stands.  Any material – glass, ceramic or silver; round or square. A cake stand gives height, lift, and a perfect flat space to create a seasonal vignette.

Photo: Source

#2. Cylinder and footed hurricane vases. Either can be filled in multiple ways from decor to food.  They can be flipped over to act like a cloche. The vases can also create a lift, topped with a platter or plate for either decorating or entertaining.

Photo: Source

#3 Silver Punch Bowls and Trays. Silver adds instant elegance and sparkle.  A bunch bowl is a vessel and can house anything.  A silver tray, with its lifted edges can serve up any contained display.  If the silver pieces are beyond polishing, can be chalk painted or sprayed – repurposed into a second life.

Photo: Source

#4 Tiered Tea Stands. These multilevel plated stands, usually in three levels come in every style and material – from China to tin.  Usually a centerpiece accessory for larger surface, such as an island, buffet or table.

Photo: Source

#5 Cloches. Originally used to keep seedlings warm in gardens, they now have moved indoors. From glass to chicken wire, cloches add an interesting element to any decor because anything under it, becomes more treasured and a curiosity. An old fashion glass cake stand cover can double as a cloche.

Photo: Source

#6  Wood Dough Bowls.  Textural, long and deep – can stand alone on a dining room table, kitchen island, family room cocktail table or fireplace hearth. These bowls be filled with just about anything and make a stunning centerpiece.

Photo: Source

Stress Free Holiday Home Decorating Ideas

Well it’s that time of year again, we head to our attics, basements or garages and haul out oodles of bins and boxes filled to the brim with holiday décor and trimming.  We unpack and reveal years, if not decades of the stuff - Super excited to begin the annual ritual of decking the halls.  As an interior stylist, it’s my job to give my clients new ideas on how to use their old stuff, shop wisely, and celebrate their home in style.  Here are some tips and techniques to shake up your view of how to make your home festive for the Holidays. This is the year be a stress free decorator!

1.)    Inventory what you have before your start any decorating. To get a fresh perspective of your goods, you need to take a step back and look at what you have. 

a.      Can it be re-purposed, reinvented, spray painted or need to go?

b.      Sort your product into category, rather than room.

2.)    Shop your home for “Good Bone" accessory basics that you already have.  I love these standard décor pieces because they can be used in so many ways, can be reused in ever season and most of us already have them.

a.      Tall Hurricane, cylinder or apothecary vases. These can hold a host of holiday décor and too can be used to set a buffet or service food.

b.      Cake Stands.  A great anchors or bases for a wonderful display – Perfect to elevate florals, décor, showcase candles or create height.

Cake stands can become a lift to elevate a display.  Making it a table focal point.  (Photo: Source.)

c.      Silver.  From silver trays, coffee pots to champagne buckets – Silver makes everything more festive and rich.

Aunt June's old silver can be r-purposed into a fabulous seasonal door wreath (Photo: Source)

3.)    Showcase family heirlooms.  Although I’m sure we all have treasured holiday items, don’t overlook what’s already in our cabinets and closets. From Grandma’s China, to your own old ice skates to family photos of loved ones passed – Celebrating our family and what we love is the heart of celebrating this season.  Think of ways to infuse these things into your decorating.  They’ll create conversation and be a gentle reminder of special memories.

Celebrate your family history by displaying heirloom treasures. (Photo: Source)

4.)    Create a theme for your décor. It could be as simple as a color, or inspired by a place. Whatever it is, this is the building block of your decorating.  This theme will be carried from décor to entertaining.

a.      Resist the urge to different theme each room in your home - instead keep a common thread throughout the home.

b.      Spread the decorating to every room of your home.

c.      Set your holiday table in style using the same common theme.

5.)    Move your Furniture.  Holidays bring hoards of people into your home and are meant for great visiting, eating and celebrating.  Remove, shift, move your furnishings so they are conducive to conversations, not TV watching, be aware of traffic patterns so people move freely through your home.

6.)    Entertain in style.  From setting the foyer as the bar or dessert and coffee area, to setting a show stopping buffet, make use of what you already have, making sure your whole home is enjoyed and most of all being a stress free will make your holidays happy.

Spread your hosting around your home. (Photo: Source)

Cheers! - Julea.