Grand Entry

Whether you live in a smaller space or a larger family home, I'm sure you know the importance of the entry.  It's where we enter and leave our home everyday, we leave our mail, our school bags, shoes... you name it!  It's grand central station....but what can you do if your entry space is limited?

These pieces may inspire you to create a more practical (and stylish) entry

1 Transparent console table
Styling a small space can be difficult because it can easily appear cluttered as soon as you start to fill it with furniture and accessories. A modern transparent console table is not only narrow, but is seemingly non-existent and you get surface space without the bulk!  I love the mirror paired with the transparent console, allowing light to reflect in the space so it looks larger. Underneath the console table is a great spot for a seat (like a stool) and/or a box or basket for things you don't want to display like mitts, scarves, running shoes etc....This entry is girly-glam bu this could easily work paired with some organic elements like wood, sisal and leather (see second image)


 Photography by Yale Wagner

 

 2 Stools
I love the look of a bench or chair to give ample comfort when putting on shoes, but most apartment/condo entryways simply can’t house a larger piece of furniture. A stool or smaller upholstered bench is a smarter solution and can also tuck under a small desk or table to save extra space. Look for a stool or ottoman with storage options.



 Photography Angus Fergusson
  
3 Mirrors
Whether you’re dealing with a narrow or dark entryway, mirrors work double duty to help reflect light into that space, as well as create the illusion that it’s bigger than it really is. And a last check before running out the door is always good to have.  I also love the industrial chair by the front door this is perfect for sitting down to put on or take off your boots.  See image 2, I love the full length mirror at the entry, a great way to have another full look at yourself before you leave, now there's no excuse for mismatched socks and shoes!


 Photography by Brandon Barre




 4 Hooks and lighting
If you’re working with an especially tight entryway, hooks are a life saver. Who needs a table surface when you can hang up your coats, scarves, keys and sunglasses? As for lighting, if you don’t have a ceiling fixture, try installing sconces.  This also works because the storage pieces and the wall blend into one another and they are finished in a light tone so the entry feels larger



 Photography by Donna Griffith

 5. Easy Storage
Baskets, boxes, bowls and more are great ways to keep things in order and you do not have so spend a fortune either.  A slim console table is perfect in a small entry and use the open space below for storage (or seating), don't forget a bowl on top of the table surface for keys, mail etc...


 6.  Floating shelves
If your entry space is very tight you may want to opt out of furniture all together and install a floating shelf - perfect for keys and mail.  An umbrella stand would fit nicely underneath and you could add a coat rack for easy access to coats and jackets.  you could even add a hook or two under the floating shelf, perfect for a dog leash. Don't forget a few accessories to make it pretty too!






Also if you are considering selling your home, a welcoming entry will not only make buyers feel good and leave them with a great impression but it will also give them a great idea how to live beautifully and functionally in the space.

Suite Dreams

We stage a lot of homes and one of the big questions we get from clients is how to make the perfect bed.  when you present your home for sale, you really want to present it in it's best light and let the buyer believe that this is their dream home.  Kitchens and bathrooms are hot spots that buyers like to see updated but the bedroom, especially the ensuite is another area that you can really sett he scene of the perfect dream home.

Calming colours are really your best option.  Most buyers will want a soothing and tranquil room to relax at night. 

 

Clear out the clutter.  That means surface space and the closet.  I know we all have too much stuff but clutter is a stress point so organize that closet as best you can.  check out closet organizing systems of solutions for easy ideas.

 

Less is always more but do not 'neuter' the space.  If you have a larger room show that off with a proper size bed and a storage piece like a dresser is fine and a chair - as long as there is still room to move.
 


Make your bed.  No one wants to see an unmade bed it just looks messy.  so always make that bed, this video for tips of making the perfect bed.  Think hotel chic!

 


Let the light in!  So pull the drapes back and make sure your light bulbs are in working order.



Add some touches that will make an impression on the buyer.  Some romantic candles by the soaker tub, so rolled or folded towels in the ensuite bath or a beautiful floral arrangement in the master bedroom can really help buyers visualize how they want to live in the space.

Spring Change Up

Spring is finally here!  And it's time to refresh your space and you can do just that without blowing the bank.

For an easy bouquet try a few clippings of leafy branches in a clear vase.

 

For a quick update for your sofa, try adding some new pillows, mix colour and pattern.  And for a total refresh try a slipcover especially if your current sofa is dark try a light slipcover

Looking for a new coffee table, swap out a traditional coffee table for an upholstered bench or ottoman.  the fabric is a great pop of colour or an injection of print in the space.  for a flat surface just add a tray for serving drinks and snacks


Change up your wall decor with a simple gallery; mix up one large piece, two medium and two small - you can mix up your frames: black, white or metallic just have a theme with your artwork

Refresh those dining chairs with some new upholstery with some colour and print.  and if it is the type of seat that can pop off this is an easy DIY project

Change up your main light fixtures like in the eat-in kitchen or dining room.  There are tons of great options - farm house, industrial, chandelier or modern

 

Refresh your bed, a make over in minutes - turn down the coverlet, add a contrasting colour with a throw and add a few small pillows or a bolster in a colour or print

Rearranging your furniture is an easy and cost effective way to refresh your space.  Move furniture around or even try it in different rooms

Refresh your 'old' pieces by adding some new ones.  Your older items will look new again or at least they will stand out more due to the contrast

 

Have a statement piece in each room - it could be art, a furniture item, a rug really anything!  That piece can really set the tone of your space and make a huge impact

Freshen up those windows with some new pre-made curtain panels.  Easy to install, affordable and wow what a difference. 

Update that fireplace with paint!  Yes paint!  If you have a dated brick fireplace and need a quick and easy makeover, try painting it.  Lighter is better - it looks clean and chic!

The Royal Apartment

With everyone's favourite royals - Will, Kate and baby George out and about in New Zealand, there is a ton of talk about their style.

Ever wonder what home decor the super stylish royal family has in their residence.

Check out this slideshow for a few ideas.

We’ve discovered the young family lives in a twenty-room four-floor section of the palace the length of a city block, and the couple share a bedroom (apparently an unconventional move for married members of the royal family), but have separate bathrooms. There’s a playroom and nursery for Prince George, three bedrooms, three kitchens and five reception rooms. Style-wise, the Duchess of Cambridge was heavily involved in the decorating, favouring neutrals and earth tones, according to reports. In her clothing picks, Kate favours mixing high and low and their home is a reflection of this ethos. A mix of pricey items loaned from the Royal Treasury, like a $50,000 Persian rug, and department store picks like faux-fur throw blankets and $50 platters from Zara Home. Curious to see their royal style

Emerald, meet Orchid

Emerald, meet Orchid

by Kirstin Endemann Apr 8, 2014 in Homes

Pantone’s 2014 colour of the year, radiant orchid, a sort of fuchsia-cum-purple-via-powder-pink, has elicited mixed reactions from decorators who embraced the emerald of 2013

(Above, left) Designer Jason Bellaire picked “Ribbons” by Michael Black, a mixed-media painting from Koyman Galleries ($1,000). (Right) Designer Kristi Blok picked Birds leaf trail wallpaper from Seabrook Wallcoverings.

 

Hovering somewhere between pastel and rich, the hue may be a bit too feminine to be widely accepted in interiors, despite its proliferation in men’s fashion.

Whatever your initial reactions, Pantone’s colour of the year will soon invade your consciousness and in six months, you will be considering recovering the sofa in it. The good news, for those who bought into the ubiquitous emerald, is that radiant orchid is its perfect complement and, better still, it can freshen up the classic formality of last year’s colour without veering into the über-girly. And it’s just in time for spring.

sallywheatinteriors.com, photo by Laurie Perez

Kristi Blok of Kiki Interiors and Jason Bellaire of StyleHaus agree that radiant orchid is best as a gentle accent in a room with neutral staples. “Though it is great for the walls of a girl’s room because it will grow with her, it is a challenging colour in large amounts,” says Blok. “But it also brings a bit of softness.”

She suggests making judicious choices about Pantone’s colours: “Veer a little to the rose or violet, hunter or sage,” Blok says. “It will still read as a fresh combination.”

Both recommend finding a unifying piece featuring emerald and radiant orchid, be it a rug, linens or wallpaper.

Or go with colour-blocking. An emerald green sofa and radiant orchid pillows, or a bold, standalone radiant orchid armchair paired with a dark green throw would work for the adventurous decorator. But Bellaire recommends adding yellow accents, “to create a little delight in the room.”

Still stuck as to how to inject a little of the colour into your space? Buy an orchid. “Radiant orchid and emerald contrast so much, but they are complementary,” Bellaire says. “The proof is nature ­—  structure and beauty in one.”

Connect with Kirstin Endemann |Google+|@keendemann|kendemann@ottawacitizen.com

- See more at: http://www.ottawacitizenstyle.com/category/homes/emerald-meet-orchid/#sthash.7dspHb1i.dpuf

Pantone’s 2014 colour of the year, radiant orchid, a sort of fuchsia-cum-purple-via-powder-pink, has elicited mixed reactions from decorators who embraced the emerald of 2013 - See more at: http://www.ottawacitizenstyle.com/category/homes/emerald-meet-orchid/#sthash.7dspHb1i.dpuf

 

 

 

 

 

Emerald, meet Orchid

by Kirstin Endemann Apr 8, 2014 in Homes

Pantone’s 2014 colour of the year, radiant orchid, a sort of fuchsia-cum-purple-via-powder-pink, has elicited mixed reactions from decorators who embraced the emerald of 2013

(Above, left) Designer Jason Bellaire picked “Ribbons” by Michael Black, a mixed-media painting from Koyman Galleries ($1,000). (Right) Designer Kristi Blok picked Birds leaf trail wallpaper from Seabrook Wallcoverings.

Hovering somewhere between pastel and rich, the hue may be a bit too feminine to be widely accepted in interiors, despite its proliferation in men’s fashion.
Whatever your initial reactions, Pantone’s colour of the year will soon invade your consciousness and in six months, you will be considering recovering the sofa in it. The good news, for those who bought into the ubiquitous emerald, is that radiant orchid is its perfect complement and, better still, it can freshen up the classic formality of last year’s colour without veering into the über-girly. And it’s just in time for spring.

sallywheatinteriors.com, photo by Laurie Perez

Kristi Blok of Kiki Interiors and Jason Bellaire of StyleHaus agree that radiant orchid is best as a gentle accent in a room with neutral staples. “Though it is great for the walls of a girl’s room because it will grow with her, it is a challenging colour in large amounts,” says Blok. “But it also brings a bit of softness.”
She suggests making judicious choices about Pantone’s colours: “Veer a little to the rose or violet, hunter or sage,” Blok says. “It will still read as a fresh combination.”
Both recommend finding a unifying piece featuring emerald and radiant orchid, be it a rug, linens or wallpaper.
Or go with colour-blocking. An emerald green sofa and radiant orchid pillows, or a bold, standalone radiant orchid armchair paired with a dark green throw would work for the adventurous decorator. But Bellaire recommends adding yellow accents, “to create a little delight in the room.”
Still stuck as to how to inject a little of the colour into your space? Buy an orchid. “Radiant orchid and emerald contrast so much, but they are complementary,” Bellaire says. “The proof is nature ­—  structure and beauty in one.”

Connect with Kirstin Endemann |Google+|@keendemann|kendemann@ottawacitizen.com

- See more at: http://www.ottawacitizenstyle.com/category/homes/emerald-meet-orchid/#sthash.7dspHb1i.dpuf

It's Laundry Day!!

The laundry room is one of the busiest and most important areas of the home but it is often over looked.  It is easy to turn your disorganized laundry area into a clean and organized room in your home.





Take a look at the issues in your laundry room - do you need storage to hang clothes, keep dirty clothes, keep supplies?

Start by clearing it out , you might be surprised at the random things you will find stored in there.

1. In most laundry rooms storage is a concern and one of the first steps that will help organize the laundry space is shelving above the washer and drier.  So go to IKEA or another store with great storage solution ideas and get some easy to hang shelves.  these shelves are perfect for laundry soaps, stain removers and more.  You really cannot have too much shelving especially if your laundry area acts as a storage area for other items too like bulk foods (think juice boxes, pop, toilet paper etc...) If you have a larger laundry room, try mixing both open and closed storage - open storage is perfect for items you need access to (soaps, sprays) and you can even keep them in cute baskets to it's pretty to look at and closed storage is great for bulk items.

2. If you are tired of losing socks behind the machines, think about installing a wall to wall counter top over the machines (works with front loaders).  Not only will you lose less but now you have a flat counter for folding or keeping laundry cleaning supplies at your finger tips and laundry baskets. 

 

3. A lot of laundry spaces tend to be dark and dingy so let the light in with some good light fixtures with bright bulbs and paint the walls in a fresh colour.

4. Look at installing a Swing Arm Hanger Holder (www.organize.com) to hang shirts after they have been pressed

5.  Laundry sorters are perfect to keep brights, whites and mid tones separate.  Get the kids involved in sorting the laundry too.  You can find great sorters at Wal-mart and other department stores.  You can even use large wicker baskets instead of an actual sorter
 







Having an organized laundry centre in your home will make you life easier and if you are selling (sooner or later) this is a great feature for a family and it is not an expensive upgrade

Best Paint Colour to Sell Your Home

We all know when you move into your new home you want to make your own statement with your favourite colours but when it comes time to sell you need to think broad appeal.  Many sellers just opt for a basic white so that the new buyers can visualize any colour of their choice but that doesn't help to present the home in it's best light.  so look for a colour/tone that will really suit the existing finishes in your home (tile, carpet, hardwood, cabinets etc...)  You will also get your money's worth with a fresh coat of paint

Top 10 Paint Colors That Will Sell Your Home
The right hues make your home more salable

If you want to sell your home, it may be time to update your paint colors. Vibrant or nontraditional color schemes can turn off would-be buyers. And if you haven't painted in some time, doing so will modernize your home. The following paint colors have a broad appeal. 

Exterior Colors

White
White gives a clean, lived-in look and offers the opportunity to accent trim with a corresponding color that matches or complements the roof color. White also offers a wide variety of shades from which to choose.

Beige
Beige sets a conservative tone and tends to contrast well if your home is set against a wooded area. It is also a good color to choose if you have brickwork or stonework and if your roof is composed of wood shingle or slate. Beige also blends well with rich accent colors, such as forest green.

Tan and brown
If other homes in your neighborhood are also tan or brown, this is a good choice. Tan and brown also tends to look good when you have stone or brickwork, and this color can complement a wood shingle or slate roof.

Gray
If you opt for gray, use a light form of this color, which will make your home look larger. Gray is especially attractive if you also have a roof that is a complementary shade of the same color. White and black trim blends well with gray, giving a distinctive and elegant look to a house.

Blue
The muted tone of blue works well for homes of certain architectural styles such as cottage and Victorian. Choose the hue carefully, as too bold of a blue can give an overly dramatic look to your home.

Now that you know which improvements tend to be a bust when it comes to your home's resale value, you can avoid these unadvised renovations and get the best possible price for your home. 

 

 

 

Interior Colors

Light blue
Blues in lighter shades lend an air of quiet reflection, so this color is best used in rooms where relaxation takes place, such as bedrooms, studies, libraries and bathrooms. Avoid darker shades of blue, as they can create an imposing effect.

Yellow
Yellow gives a fresh, vibrant, happy feeling to a room. Opt for light shades of this color, which look especially good when accented with white trim. Yellow is particularly effective in the kitchen..

Green
Light shades of green can bring a cheery feeling to a room. This color often acts as an attractive accent to wood furniture. Since it is a playful color, it is especially suited for children's bedrooms and playrooms and family and great rooms.

Coffee
This earth tone works well when the architecture of the interior of the home calls for darker colors. Coffee blends well with hardwood flooring, beamed ceilings and rattan furnishings. It can also be accented with darker colors, including greens and reds.

Cream
Cream colors give the interior of a home the clean, crisp look of white without the glare. Cream comes in a wide spectrum of hues, from yellow- to brown-tinged. This color works well in living and dining rooms, as well as bedrooms. 

Stay away from:

 

- Accent walls

- Bold or dark colour, lighter is always better

- More than 3 colours inside of the home (preferably 3 colours that work together let's say coffee, cream and a soft sand)

- Sponging, aging or any faux finish

- two toned walls separated by chair rail (very dated)

- Coloured trim, doors and base boards (stick with a white or off white)

 

 

Follow these color suggestions, and your home is likely to attract plenty of buyers.