Category Archives: Home Staging Principles

Color Splash

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Color Trends Sherwin WilliamsI get excited when the color trends are released.  Almost instantly, I start putting together color palettes for room design projects that I don’t even have! Although I lean towards Benjamin Moore for my projects, I turn to Sherman Williams for paint color trends and forecasts.

Here are the 4 SW color trend 2014 categories and a synopsis of their descriptions:

2014 Color TrendsReasoned:

Browse through any design magazine or log onto Houzz and you will instantly see this Color Trend which is continuing through 2014: Gray is the new Black. A few years back, it was Brown but Gray has planted roots and continues for yet another year to be a foundation, a color staple in room designs.  Gray will continue to be associated with math. Think maps, compasses, astrology.    In other words, Restoration Hardware will still be a consumer’s go-to for design inspirations.  Fortunately,  I have been using a lot of gray in 2013 so my design inspirations will still be “in” next year!   Some of my favorite grays are by Benjamin Moore, such as Edgecomb Gray and Revere Pewter.

2014 Color TrendsDiaphanous:

Sherman Williams refers to this category as light, delicate and translucent. This is your “safe” palette, perfect for home staging and for clients who just cannot quite commit to a saturated hue.  I must admit, I am intrigued by a few of the SW colors in this collection, such as Fleur de Sol and Steamed Milk.  You might be seeing them in future Amazing Space NYC staging projects.

2014 Color TrendsIntrinsic:

This collection is a melting pot of cultural experiences and crafts.  You can hear the calypso drums and reggae rhythms, tribal drums and bustling street markets.  The collection invokes an ocean breeze,  the Serengeti,  rolling hills and vast deserts.  The colors are saturated and vivid with a palette that is deeply rooted in tradition.  There are some gorgeous colors in this collection (the blues really captured me).  Home stagers, this is not the collection for you.  Designers, knock yourself out!  This collection can add intense beauty to the walls.  Picture an entire room of furnishings in white/off-white fabrics against a backdrop of one of these colors, coupled with pillows and accents that complement the culture and the hue on the walls.

2014 Color TrendsCuriosity:

The SW description says it best: “…where mad science meets fantasy, and sweet dreams overlap with feverish nightmares.”  There is a solemness to these brown-based colors, and while they are deeply saturated hues that will command attention,  a feeling of despair washes over me when I look at them.  I am sure this palette will find a home, but it probably won’t be in one that I design.  It freaks me out!

No matter what the trend or forecast indicates, I believe we should use color to match our mood, our passion, our vision.  But it is always fun to see what the color weathermen predict the trends will be.  Hopefully, the color forecasters are better than the weather ones!

 

Red is NOT Dead!

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Red in Home Staging NYC
Red – it is alluring and seductive, evoking feelings of hunger and passion. But is it appropriate for Home Staging? Those formal dining rooms and accent walls painted in candy apple, crimson or cranberry certainly are vivacious and alluring, but when Staging a property for sale, do those dramatic walls add value or cause buyers to run in the opposite direction?

When combined with the right furnishings and accent colors, red is extremely elegant. From a designer’s vantage point, I love red – especially when it is high gloss and lacquered.  And there is no reason why those same techniques cannot be incorporated into a staging plan, in the form of picture, art or mirror frames, trays, or small appliances (think retro toaster or ice cream soda maker).  Red in accent pillows and artwork are also great ways to seduce a buyer into a room.

Subtle hints of red in the furniture and accessories makes it pop – pop – pop!  We want the buyers to be moved emotionally, to be spurred to action.  Action to make an offer.  Red is a great color to inspire such action.

Red in Home Staging NYCModel Designs For Home Staging NYC

For more information about booking Amazing Space NYC for your own home staging, please call Debbie at 917-428-3965.

NYC Home Staging Guru Scans Trends At The NY NOW Show

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NY NOW ShowThe NYNOW Trade Show in Manhattan (formerly known as the New York International Gift Fair) just ended.  Luckily I was able to sneak away from home staging NYC (it’s been so busy) for a few hours to see what new and exciting home accessory trends would be available to designers this fall.  The show requires 2 separate venues – the Javitz Center and Pier 92 – in order to accommodate all of its vendors.  I wore the wrong shoes, for sure, and forgot to bring a tote bag for all of the literature I picked up along the way.  But since I was mainly interested in home decor and accents, I was able to focus my time at the Javitz Center and take in quite a bit before I had to make like Cinderella at midnight.

For those who have an unbridled passion for home accessories and trends, here are the highlights of the 2013 NYNOW show:

VINTAGE

Vintage Furniture still a trend 2014So vintage, industrial and weathered has been the rage for the past 2 years, and guess what? It still is! Vendors such as Made Goods, Go Home, Roost and DK Living prominently displayed a variety of items that fell into these categories. Rugs, decorative objects, furnishings, ottomans and benches, mirrors – if this style is your passion, the choices are endless.  A perfect compliment to an industrial and vintage decor is leather so these vendors also exhibited their cowhide upholstered ottomans, benches and chairs.

HIDES

And if hides are not enough to quench your animal thirst, you can still indulge in a mounted head or antlers or skulls or fossils, all presented in a variety of finishes.  Paper mâché. Resin. Lacquer.  Newspaper wrapped. Even bejeweled.

Fall Trends 2013 and Winter 2014COLOR

For those who are looking for some color this year, you will not be disappointed. But be prepared for substantial pieces with thick bodies and shapes.  Chippendale Chairs, dressers, chests, and wall mirrors were energized by vivid colors and lacquered finishes.  Beware: these pieces are not meant for the meek and shy.  They scream to be the center of attention in a room.  A perfect accent or focal point! And how can I report on colorful home decor accessories without mentioning the infamous Jonathan Adler? Anchoring one of the aisles, his bold shapes, forms and colors always grab my attention.

 BLING

I am not certain if my next observation is a widespread trend or a nod to the the fact that the show draws a BIG crowd from the ‘burbs  but there were several vendors showcasing their “Bling”, especially on accent pillows.  Rhinestones and sequins galore! Not my taste, but thought it was worth mentioning.

MADE IN THE USA

On many vendor booths, “Made in the USA” was as important to the branding as the company’s name and logo. I am a very proud “aunt” of a  Corporal in the United States Marine Corp;  these vendors always receive a thumbs up and an “oorah” from me.

Let’s wrap it up Oprah-style . . . My Favorite Things.  Without a doubt it was Whitbead Wilkinson, created by 2 women in London who used their marketing and product experience to create a line of home accessories. Securing a license from Pantone Universe and from Eames Office, Whitbread Wilkinson launched lines of eye catching kitchenware that captures the identity of these 2 brands in items as simple as a coffee cup or a coaster!

Whitbread Wilkinson Pantone Mugs

Whitbread Wilkinson Tea Set

That’s my sum and substance of the show. Coming soon: my Color Commentary for staging and design.

Cold War: Neutral Home Staging NYC Gone Too Far!

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When home staging NYC, most home owners know to neutralize the look of each space. You can go too far. You can create a hard, empty space that no-one wants to own.

Such was the case with this loft space. Modern, clean and barren, this space was so cold, even Eskimos were running in the opposite direction!  By adding warmer hues with art and accent pillows, then toning down the frigid feeling of the floor tiled floor, this Owner Occupied took on an entirely different vibe – and got several offers before accepting one at 99% of list!

Home Staging NYC's most cold, barren spaces

For more information, please call Amazing Space NYC at 917-428-3965 and ask for Debbie.

Home Staging New York: Summer Success Story!

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New York Home Staging

Like many New Yorkers, my team and I try to make the most of the summer months by juggling time with our families and our clients. While ASNYC has performed a staging a week for the past 4 weeks, we have taken time off from our blogging and communication efforts to focus some much-needed time with family and friends.

Summer SUCCESS!

However,  we should share this success-story with you:

2 stagings we completed in July got offers the first day on the market, one of which now has 14 offers at or above the asking price.

14 offers in 4 days!!!

September is right around the corner. Call Amazing Space NYC today to have your vacant or occupied property staged by Manhattan’s foremost Home Staging Company

917-428-3965

Let’s Go To The VideoTape!

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Home Staging NYCHome Staging NYC

Amazing Space NYC has a video!  It always seemed such a big deal to do a video in the past, but nowadays there are so many options. This is a highlights reel from just a few of our spaces. Where you see no before photo, that’s because it was a model unit and the before was merely an empty space or under construction.

For more information and to schedule your home staging or interior design consultation,
please call 917-428-3965

Home Staging New York Lofts

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Home Staging New York Lofts

When Home Staging New York Lofts, it is even more important to demonstrate how life works in the space because they are usually open plan. “rooms” or at least designated areas for each of the 5 primary human functions have to be clearly identified. Equally at issue is this notion of “over-neutralizing” that we see amateurs presenting all the time.

A good Home Stager knows not to over-neutralize when a property has a spirit and vibe that needs to take center stage. This was the case with a 3 bedroom Tribeca loft for which Amazing Space NYC was contracted to stage.

Featured in books, the interior design of this loft space was a creative interpretation and installation of inexpensive materials such as plywood, 2 x 4s, plexiglass wall dividers, and masking tape wall paper. The “bones” of the loft offered a distinct personality but it was overpowered and masked by the collection of oriental rugs, the antique furnishings and the parade of dressers and armoires that lined the walls. Over the years, the loft became an enormous closet for the family’s eclectic and somewhat eccentric possessions. How would potential buyers see the Interior Designer’s creation?
Home Staging New York Lofts

Amazing Space NYC provided one of its full-service stagings and started by hiring a moving company that packed and shipped to storage 90 per cent of the rugs and a large assortment of armoires, chests, dressers, chairs, sofas and art. To showcase the remaining pieces, the exposed brick wall and the materials that were used to create the loft design, Debbie and the real estate brokers chose an oversized, slip-covered seating arrangement and added morroccan pillows in soft summer colors. The seating arrangement was anchored by a simple sisal rug and a large piece of the owner’s art. Buyers were easily able to see the expansive living space while enjoying the materials that were used to create this one-of-a-kind loft design. The result: 9 weeks on the market and SOLD at 94 per cent of ask!

Home Staging New York Lofts

New York Home Staging – Letting Go Of Your Home So We Can Sell It For You!

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New York home staging letting go“It’s been good enough for me all these years!”

Ever heard that?

Often a Seller is hesitant and resists every step we take to help sell the property. I see that: It’s hard letting go of a home you have created. At Amazing Space NYC, we not only come in with a design and renovation plan, we also add a psychological plan to help the Seller release the property so we can neutralize and update it. We frequently need to eliminate the past and bring it to the future . . . and it works, every time!

While it may not seem obvious, this is often a part of the home staging process. Although the home owner HAS to go, or maybe just WANTS to go, there is still this matter of letting go that is often a strong emotional process. There are cherished memories, there are events that took place in that space. The owner often needs help associating talismans or touch points to items they can take with them. This is just one of many tactics that can be useful in releasing this life chapter so that they can confidently step into a new one.

home staging new yorkIt is this part of a stager’s job that is so valuable to brokers. Once a homeowner has detached from their “home” and start to see the property as a product, negotiations become a lot less fraught and emotionally charged. The offers stop being personal, and become merely transactional. Everyone’s job becomes easier.

For more information, and a consultation, please call Amazing Space NYC at 917-428-3965