Tag Archives: Home Staging and Redesign Tips Minneapolis St Paul MN

April Showers Bring Staging Flowers!

It’s almost May here in Minnesota, and that means we are crossing our fingers and toes hoping that spring, and the beauty it brings, will be arriving soon! There is nothing better than the blooms of a magnolia tree, the bright colors of tulips and daffodils emerging once again, or the sweet smell of lilacs in the breeze. Close your eyes: imagine the scent, the joy, the warmth a fresh bouquet of flowers brings!

When staging a home, or during a staging consult, we suggest using plants and flowers to bring additional color and life to a home. It is a simple, lower cost way to add color, texture and freshness to a home.  Consider these basic methods for sourcing and displaying greenery in your home.

Trader Joe’s is A Home Revival staff favorite for sourcing fresh flowers and house plants. They have a variety of sizes and styles of plants and flowers, and tend to have a reasonable price point! A few ideas for Trader Joe’s greens:

  • Grab some baby blue eucalyptus and baby’s breath, toss them in a simple, neutral vase, and you have yourself a centerpiece that will last for weeks! Center it on the dining table, an entryway credenza, or on the dresser of the primary bedroom.
  • Take home a few succulents to stage bathrooms. Set small succulents in the corner of the vanity along with a candle or soap pump for a fresh, spa-like effect!

Treat Yourself to Fresh Flowers - The Purple Hydrangea

The Purple Hydrangea

  • Toss a mixed bouquet of bright, fresh flowers in your cart and use as a focal point in the kitchen or dining room during your home photo session! A fresh bouquet is also a nice touch for showings, but should be replaced when blooms begin to wilt. Bonus? They smell great without the overpowering effects of fresheners and spray (which we do not recommend using for showings).
  • Use a variety of house plants on coffee tables, nightstands, sunrooms, etc. to add interest and livability to the home. Plants tend to reduce stress and increase creativity, just what a potential homebuyer needs to envision their new life in your property!

Maybe you’re not into live plants, I get it! For vacant staging, we use artificial plants and stems for the sake of maintenance and longevity. A few favorite spots for faux plants:

Ikea – low price point, good variety of plants and stems, and cute pots and baskets to boot!

FEJKA Artificial potted plant, indoor/outdoor/lavender lilac, 4 ¾ "

World Market – great for artificial trees and larger house plants.

Target – wide variety of styles and price points available.

Medium Ribbon Fern Leaf in Pot - Threshold™ designed with Studio McGee, image 2 of 10 slides

Nearly Natural – an online retailer that has mastered the art of the faux plant. At a higher price point, this is a great option for investing in faux greenery you can incorporate into the design of your new home.

spring captions when in doubt add flowers

Good Housekeeping

When deciding whether or not to incorporate greenery in your staging design, just remember, plants are lean, mean, selling machines! They are one of the simplest, low cost ways to freshen and brighten a space. Not up for the effort of purchasing and placing plants? No problem! You can always reach out to us to do the heavy lifting with an occupied or vacant stage of your home.

 

Guest Blogger: Katya Larsen, Stager, A Home Revival

 

Ready, Set….SELL!

Spring is here and that means the housing market is warming up and getting ready for busy season! If you are thinking of putting your home on the market this season, consider these top tips for readying your home:

Clean, clean, clean! I’ll say it again, clean! We cannot emphasize enough the importance of a pristine home when putting your house up for sale. That means windows, bathroom drawers, appliances, porch webs and debris, and every other nook and cranny you can think of. We even encourage sellers to dust their basement appliances like water heaters and softeners, as well as furnaces.

Depersonalize and neutralize your space. Pre-pack all family photos, anything with your name on it, calendars, and other items that are very meaningful to you. Imagine you are creating a blank slate for a buyer to tour your home and be able to imagine their life there. I often tell clients, “no signs of life in your house! People know you are living here but they don’t want to know you’re living here.” That means taking laundry hampers and garbage cans with you when you leave or out to the garage, tucking away toilet brushes and plungers, removing any dish towels, rags, soap and accessories — even the cute, just-for-decoration, dish towels!

Repair is essential to preparing your home for market. The goal is for buyers to feel like your home is truly move-in-ready and that they can’t find a single project they must do. Improvements that make a difference, but sometimes get overlooked, can include:

  • professionally cleaned carpets
  • freshly painted front door (no chips or signs of ware)
  • closet doors that open easily and quietly, and shut correctly
  • walls and closet interiors free of scuff marks
  • demineralized faucets and shower heads
  • conditioned wood, especially in areas of high use or next to water sources such as railings and bathroom and kitchen cabinets
  • working lightbulbs with matching hues in all fixtures
  • patched and painted walls as needed

Refresh your home before taking photos or offering open houses. Add crisp, new white bath towels and hand towels to bathrooms. Pick up a few house plants from Trader Joe’s (or fake one’s from Ikea!) to add some life to your space. Toss lemons and limes in a wooden or ceramic serving bowl and set it on your dinner table, they’ll last for weeks! Pick out a fresh, colorful bouquet for picture day and display it on your kitchen island. Perhaps you want new bedding for your next home, buy it early and make your primary bedroom look extravagant for showings. Updating or adding hardware throughout the home can make oak cabinets look new again, and replace yellow-gold fixtures with black or oil rubbed metals. Small, less expensive changes such as updating light fixtures or replacing outlet covers, can make all the difference in the end!

It’s reasonable that preparing to sell your home feels overwhelming. You’ve built a whole life in your home and it can be a lot of work, both physically and emotionally, to prepare to let it go. I find it can be helpful to imagine you are setting up your home to bless the next family to live there. What can you do to make your home the best it can be for them? Or imagine you are a buyer for your home. What would you want to see or not see? What would feel like projects if you were just moving into the property? Put yourself in the buyers’ shoes and you’ll know just what you need to do. Of course, if all else fails, just clean, clean, clean!

 

Guest Blogger: Katya Larsen, Stager, A Home Revival

Small Refreshes to Enhance a Home

As we draw closer to the holiday season, you may be turning your attention toward hosting gatherings or decorating for the holidays.  Here are some small refresh ideas to change up your space and enhance your home for the season!

A Fresh Coat of Paint

Never underestimate a fresh coat of paint.  Even if it’s the same color as what you had previously, it will renew a space instantly.  If you’re looking for an updated paint color, think about the mood or feeling you want your space to exude and then go that direction with color.  If you’re needing the space to feel lighter and brighter, then a white or light greige is the way to go.  If you’re looking for a cozy, moody space, then it’s okay to go dark and rich in color.

One of our favorite light paint colors right now is Sherwin Williams Drift of Mist.  It has warm undertones, yet still falls in the light grey category.

Home Bunch

One of our favorite dark paint colors right now is Sherwin Williams Iron Ore.  It’s a soft black that won’t feel stark.  It has a depth to it with undertones of blue grey.

Sherwin Williams Blog

Updated Light Fixtures

This is our favorite update after painting.  If sellers have the time and budget within their target listing price, we recommend changing a few key light fixtures.  Similarly, if you’re moving into a new home, updating some light fixtures to fit your personality and style can go a long way into making the house feel like yours.  Again, this does not have to be expensive.  Start looking at a Home Depot or Amazon.  If you want more unique options and are willing to spend more, check out Serena & Lily or Pottery Barn.  Some local stores that can assist you in choosing lighting are Southern Lights and Muska Lighting.

Pottery Barn

New Hardware

Cabinet hardware can really set a time stamp on your home style-wise, just like lighting can.  Changing hardware is super easy to do and doesn’t have to be expensive.  Big box hardware stores like Home Depot and Lowe’s carry numerous styles and finishes these days.  Then you can get really fancy with hardware from places like Rejuvenation or Restoration Hardware.  If you’re looking for the quickest yet easiest change, look for something the same size/shape as your previous hardware so you don’t have to fill any holes or make new ones.

Norfolk Kitchen and Bath

Move Your Furniture & Decor Around

Last but not least, try rearranging your furniture within a room or moving pieces to a different area of your house.  You’ll be surprised at how fresh your spaces feel – almost like you got new furniture.  One of our favorite tricks is to move living room pieces to a lower level family room and then you can focus on a few new items for the main level living room which is typically more used and important than the lower level area.  Throw pillows are a perfect example of this.  Move primary bedroom pillows to a kid or guest room and only refresh with new in the primary bedroom for a new feel everywhere.

Rooms With Style Staging

Happy Refreshing!