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Most people choose full-service staging because of the remarkable transformation and because it is so quick and easy. But most staging companies also offer consulting services for much less. For example, my staging consult is a 90 minute walk-through of the house, room by room. I offer suggestions how to best present your home, inside & out. Everything from curb appeal to improving interior flow. I’ll tell you which items should be packed up early,  which ones to keep and how to display them. I also provide a staging handbook with expert tips for great results, and an open house checklist for showings. My fee is $200. If you are a do-it-yourself kind of person and have the time, this can be all you need and it will save you money. Basically, you are paying for a plan, and doing the labor yourself. Just a thought.

Just in case you are hosting an Easter gathering at your house this year and looking for inspiration…

I am so happy to see the buds & blossoms on the trees and the first signs of Spring. It is uplifting to know winter is almost behind us. I say almost because here in Colorado anything can happen in the next 30 days…snow one day and 70 degrees the next. No matter, I am getting my house ready for Spring. If you don’t know where to start, here are a few simple things to try…

First, remove winter clutter.  I know it’s comforting to have cozy throws, a pile of wood by the fireplace, and stacks of books to read on cold wintry days. But Spring is all about open and airy. Put them away for now, along with thick scarves, hats, wool sweaters & gloves. You won’t need them for a while.

Next, clean your windows. Nothing makes a house feel drab like dirty windows. Your rooms will instantly feel brighter & fresher. While you’re at it, open them up and let in the fresh air.

If you have been toying with the idea of painting…paint a single accent wall in a cheerful color you like. This works well if you already have a neutral palette on the walls.

Add a few touches of bright color or white to lighten up your living space. Decorative pillows, lampshades, fresh spring flowers, or maybe a fresh new plant. If you don’t have kids or pets, you might consider a light-colored slip cover for your sofa.

And last..replace heavy window treatments with sheers panels. So pretty when they blow in the breeze!

Listing at the right time can mean more money in your pocket. But it’s not the time of year you should focus on. True, Spring is traditionally the hottest season for real estate. Spring & Summer colorful landscaping makes a home show better than in the dead of winter with dormant vegetation and a foot of snow on the ground. Plus, people like to find homes before the school year begins. However, Spring & Summer are also when there is the greatest inventory of homes for sale, and competition is high. The more important thing to remember is…the best time of year to sell is when your home is READY!

You should have your home professionally staged before you even contact your real estate agent. Working with a staging designer improves your home so you sell it for top dollar with as little expense as possible. Improvements are suggested (dependent on budget & timeline) that are sound investments, adding to the value of your home, and increasing buyer appeal. Combine that with showcasing your home with optimal placement of furniture, art & accessories, it’s the biggest bang for your buck.

Simply put, to sell your house fast, you need to look better than the competition. Staging gives you that advantage by turning your house into a model home! If you are in the Boulder/Denver area, A Change of Space Home Staging can make it happen for you.

Lighting is a subtle, but essential design element. It can make a huge difference in the feel of a room: it comes alive with energy! Light affects our mood and mental health…there are many therapeutic benefits of light.

I have found most homes need better lighting, but people don’t know where to start. Before you come up with a lighting plan, you need to consider how the room will be used. Most rooms serve more than one function and this should influence your choice of lighting and placement. For example, with a multi-use family room, you will need to identify the activity areas and make sure you have adequate illumination for each.

There are 4 basic types of lighting.

1. Ambient Lighting. Illuminates the entire room from a central source, such as a fixture in the middle of the ceiling.
2. Task Lighting. Used in small areas where bright light is needed to perform a task. A good example is a floor lamp next to a reading chair.
3. Accent Lighting. Draws the eye toward an art object or architectural feature.  Directed recessed cans are a good example of this. It adds drama as it highlights something of interest.
4. Decorative Lighting. It can be a work of art in itself and can come in many forms…a glass chandelier, pendants or decorative lamp. It is a focal point of the room, adding visual interest.

Although not all rooms need all types of lighting, layering different lighting adds interest.

My business, A Change of Space, specializes in both Staging and Redesign and I am frequently asked what the difference is. I can see how it can be confusing. Both involve making a house more beautiful. The difference is who it’s for.

With Interior Design/Redesign, a unique and customized home is created focused on the client’s vision. It is an environment full of personal touches, a reflection of the people who live there. It can have many layers, and every design decision must be approved by the client, since the ultimate goal is the enhanced quality of life of the occupants.

Staging is the professional merchandising/packaging of your home for a targeted buyer’s market. It influences prospective buyers by showing a certain lifestyle, creating a memorable impression, and evoking a positive emotional response. It showcases a home’s best architectural features and focuses on improving a property’s value. A staged home is the silent sales person that has a buyer thinking, ”Wow, I’d love to live here!”. Usually a staged home only has enough furnishings and accessories to create vignettes that show people how to live in a home, and the design choices are made by the staging expert. Staging does not create the home of your dreams…it is the house of a buyer’s dream!

“Be a good editor and only buy things you really love” -Thomas Pheasant

“Interiors speak. Rooms emphasize whether one simply exists or lives, and there is a great difference between the two.”- Van Day Treux

“There are as many styles of beauty as there are visions of happiness.”-Stendhal

Black is timeless and elegant, and most women have tons of it in their closets. Nothing is more chic than the little black dress. I worked for Chanel Inc. for a decade, and I think at one point two-thirds of my closet was black!

But when it comes to incorporating black into the home, people tend to shy away from it. But it doesn’t have to be scary! Especially with soft, neutral rooms, (which I am a big fan of!) black helps bring focus. The trick is to use it SPARINGLY, I like to have a touch of black in every room…it adds a little modern. I also love its ability to update and pull together disparate pieces of furniture and accessories. When you paint different wood tones black, they magically all seem to go together. I’ve spray painted furniture, frames, chandeliers, candle sticks, and lots more with amazing results. Let me know how it works for you!

Have you ever noticed how light and airy staged homes feel? It’s not by accident! There is an art to making rooms feel bigger than they actually are. If you would like to achieve this at home, here are a few tips.

-Use NEUTRAL COLORS through out the living room and to connecting spaces for visual consistency.

-Emphasize the VERTICAL SPACE. Floor to ceiling window treatments, tall floor lamps, tall artwork, tall bookshelves, are all great ways to draw the eye upward.

-Choose VISUALLY LIGHTWEIGHT FURNITURE, as a space appears larger when you can see under & through pieces. Glass coffee tables, furniture with legs (as opposed to solid, box style) wall mounted storage units, are all good examples.

-Use SMALLER SCALE PIECES. Low backs, and thinner armrests on sofas & chairs, rather than overstuffed. Avoid bulk…go for an overall smaller footprint.

-DUAL PURPOSE furnishings, such as a pair of ottomans that double as a coffee table and provide extra storage as well. Poufs, too.

-FEWER ITEMS to simplify the space. Keep the walls, floors and other surfaces as uncluttered as possible. Think larger art and accessories, but fewer of them.

-Add MIRRORS to add the illusion of depth.

-Provide GOOD LIGHTING, as well illuminated spaces appear bigger.

Over the years I have seen how an over abundance of “things” constitute a major problem in most American homes. When you prepare a home for sale that is owner occupied, I help the sellers remove about a third of their belongings to have the home show well. Seems like a lot, right?

Some items are boxed up early and put in storage ’til the move, some items can be sold at a “pre-listing” yard sale, some things get donated, and some recycled.

It is a purging process that some people have a difficult time with, but they almost always love the end result.

Even if you are not selling your house, having less stuff is a good thing. Stuff brings stress. The more you have, the more you have to manage and that means less time for the things you really want to be doing. Clutter makes a big impact on your emotional well being. Feng Shui, the ancient art of placement, believes that clutter represents stagnant energy, and it reminds us of the things we haven’t dealt with, weighing on our minds. Everything we do not use and takes up space, constitutes clutter. By removing clutter, you can de stress the environment you live in.

Come home to a peaceful & calm retreat.  It’s the beginning of a new year…maybe it’s the year you get rid of that extra stuff you aren’t using. Remember, one person’s garbage is another person’s treasure…it can go to good use.