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.

How Staging & Styling Gives Homes Substance

This is why staging works. This very 'Brady' split level got a major makeover.  But the work wasn't done till the staging was installed.  If this home hadn't been staged, it would have showcased like any other rehab for sale.  Instead of just another empty home, the home now has substance.

The home had sat on the market for 2 months empty with no interest with another Realtor. 

Now styled and staged, (and price raised by 5%) the home has gained personality and married the  kept 1969 details with all the newly added updates for the targeted buyer .

The home hit the market last week, had immediate interest,  a super successful Sunday Open House with lots of staging praise, lots of serious lookers and hopefully a contract shortly.

(Post note: The home had a contract in 11 days!) 

Why Empty Homes Don't Sell

Every morning on my Chicago area social media feed, I see acres and acres of empty rooms posted by Realtors. So many empty dining rooms, breakfast rooms, kitchens, living and bedrooms.  Do I stop and click on the photo, intrigued to have a look at the room, the house, the property? No, I just scroll on by...  Do I read the eloquently written description?  Do I appreciate the professional photography?  No, I just scroll on by...  Why?  It's that they all look the same; devoid of any senses,  any flavor, any style. 

WHY?

#1. An empty home leaves an empty canvas to paint negative thoughts on – Prospective buyers will find imperfections and not interested or wanted features. An empty home amplifies negative thoughts. 

#2. Empty homes lack a vision of its layout (What is this room?)  A Staged homes explain how the home flows and how each space can be used.

#3.  An empty home is void of imagination and feeling.  People buy homes on emotion.  An empty property is just a HOUSE, a staged property becomes a HOME.  Home Staging creates the emotion that your prospective buyers envisioned.

#4. The National Association of REALTORS 2015 Profile on Home Staging found that 81% of buyers find it is easier to visualize a property as a future home when it's Staged. 

“A staged home may seem like it has furniture that’s fixed in place; but what is going on in the buyer’s mind is a very kinetic process. With a home that is staged, they see a family - celebrating home.”

— Julea Joseph

Spring Displays using a Wired Tiered Basket

I encouraged my client Kim to purchase a tiered basket for her Kitchen island to use both as a seasonal display piece, as well as a fruit holder. It's what I call a "Good Bone" accessory.  A piece that can be used in multiple ways and can change from utility to display easily.  Each season, Kim will asks for ideas.   Here are a few ideas for your display Kim.

Photo: Source

Violas & veggies! Perfect for your Easter Sunday celebration!

Photo: Source

Source wood Easter eggs, add letter stickers, a few colorful Easter related finds - all placed in a nest of grass green basket shreds.

Photo: Source

Peter Rabbit would be very happy to hop up to this basket!

Photo: Source

Faux greenery and flowers create this base with just a few ceramic rabbits and a bow to complete.

This wicker tiered basket is filled with Easter Basket basics.

Photo: Source

Simple small clay flower pots wrapped in Easter dress gingham, spring blooms and eggs.

Photo: Source

Plaid napkins line these baskets, with kitchen and silk floral finds for a perfect little setting.

Does House Staging Work - YES it Does! -NAR 2015 Profile of Home Staging Report

The spring housing market has just started and there is good news when is comes to Realtors knowing that HOME STAGING services are an important factor in showcasing a home. 

The National Association of REALTORS, NAR recently released a report about Home Staging. The report, 2015 Profile of Home Staging surveys both seller and buyer's agents about the effectiveness of the Home Staging process. The 1st of its kind, the report shows that Realtors  see the value of the art and marketing of Home Staging.  96% of Buyer's agents said that Home Staging has an effect of how a buyer views the home.

The NAR's Infographic below is a summary some of the key statistics gathered from the survey. 

Whether your are a home seller or REALTOR, home staging is an essential factor when selling the most expensive investment a homeowner has ever made. 

For Chicago area Realtors interested in receiving more education on Home Staging,  Mainstreet Organization of Realtors offers a Home Staging course for Realtors. The Certified Staging Consultant (CSC) Course - is not only an IAR C.E., but also a MORe Certification. The course is very popular and is now offered at all 4 of MORE's Chicagoland offices. The course too can be hosted off-site by an office or brokerage.  For more information, visit my site's Home Staging Education page or call 708.448.7500.

Also, few more past posts on Home Staging. 

The Often Forgotten Pre-Photo Shoot Styling

10 Home Staging Tips to Make Your Listing Look Like a Model Home

Simple Lessons in Home Staging -Living Room Tips

2015 Fresh Colors in Home Design - That 70's Shade, ORANGE!

I posted on my Facebook page the other day Elle DECOR's take on PANATONE's Spring 2015 Colors. One of the colors in the mix is an orange, Tangerine, 15-1247.  

A friend responded with -" Having lived thru the 70's and seeing my mother in law's orange shag in the 'rec room' I never want to see anything remotely tangerine again." 

70's Orange Shag Carpet Contempt

One would guess seeing acres of orange carpet, especially while visiting your mother-in-law would result in contempt for the color.  But I would encourage my friend and everyone to find a renewed joy in this fantastic hue;  it seems to be trending in home design everywhere. According to Chicago Tribune Real Estate columnist Mary Umberger, who just returned from the 2015 Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in Las Vegas "...orange is hot again, judging from the numerous kitchen displays that showed either accents of bright orange or whole slabs of the stuff."  Counter top company, Formica Corporation enlisted iconic designer Jonathan Adler to create a new line for them, which just won a BEST of KBIS.  His orange does not look like the Brady's kitchen.

Jonathan Alder for Formica Corporation

Orange in Living Room Photo (Source)

Orange is a bold color for most,  so maybe taken in smaller doses. Beside dipping into it in your kitchen, why not try some orange in the rest of home's spaces with accents?  Throw pillows, lamps or vases are easy choices since they are small and can add just a hint.  Move on up to an area rug with a bit of the hue to create an anchor to a new palette, or take a bolder step into a statement making accent chair.

Anyway you slice it, that old 70's orange seems to be back! Maybe it will replace Black?

1. Ikat Rug - Shades of Light

2. Hot Dog Happy Pillows - Naked Decor at Wayfair.com

3. Alpaca Throw  - Crate & Barrel

4. Mr. Smith Chair - Haute House at Horchow

5. Linhas Dinnerware - Anthropologie