Waiting out the Storm

Since we're about to be hunkered down at home for the next two days, I'm glad I received my new House Beautiful Magazine....I'm ready for Sandy!  

We are all boarded up and prepared to leave once it becomes mandatory!

It will be a good few days to get caught up on some reading!  Stay Safe!!

Home Offices

Yesterday I blogged about design suggestions for a home office - Today we continue on the important facts of home office 

Stay organized

Having a heap of files and papers on your desk and counters doesn't make you look busy and important – it makes you look like a slob. So keep visible areas neat and tidy. In fact, it doesn't hurt to show off your organizational skills by using transparent cabinets and cubbies, display shelves, and even cord control accessories. Your client will pick up on the fact that you have your stuff together!!

Be different, but not too different

The last thing you want is your home office to resemble a drab mishmash junk.  So avoid burnt orange or lackluster blue carpet and go easy on harsh whites. Neutral colors are fine if they don’t look tired; blues, greens, and grays work well, too. If your business is more creative, then a few well-placed eye-catching hues might also be appropriate.

Be serious – and fun

It’s important to strike a balance between professionalism and relaxation in a home office. Obviously, you don’t want it to look garish or showy. But erring too far on the staid side is also unwise; after all, if you wanted to work in a real office, you wouldn't be working at home. So mix elements of seriousness and fun into your décor, and tilt the scale toward the appropriate end of the industry spectrum (for example, a graphic design studio might be bolder than an accountant’s office).

Enable privacy

In other words, make sure your home office has a door. If you’re setting up in a living room, you can install exterior sliding doors on tracks outside the room without having to rip our door frames and walls. It’s important that you be able to keep out unwanted intrusions from the rest of your home and/or the neighborhood.

Your Home Office

Now that summer is “officially over” it is time to concentrate on you (the small business owner) before the holidays are upon us.

Those who work from home, like me, spend countless hours working in their home office. Why oh why, therefore, are so many home offices dull, lifeless places that you wouldn't want to spend 10 minutes, let alone 10 hours a day. Your office should be an extension of you, a place of your own, where you create, where you feel inspired….

I would start out with color; if your office is adjacent to other rooms in the house it is very important that you have complimentary colors to the other rooms…. For an example… the grays are really hot right now ( I believe there are 50 shades)….If you're “living room was in the red family and your kitchen was in the green family and both were off of your office area…you would have a solid good choice with the color grey…you can always revert to a color wheel if you are having issues…but you must make sure the colors are the same saturation. If you are still not sure, you can always call Harmonizing Homes.

If you have the available space in your home office, I would recommend a couch…which would be proportionate to the office size. Pieces of your favorite art…painting, sculpture etc.  Layer’s your look by using rugs, throws, a chandelier, mirrors….music is a great addition to an office for some background noise.  I have included some great inspirations.. ( on right )I hope you enjoy!

STAGING ON A DIME

I started Harmonizing Homes ,LLC in October of 2009. Home staging in the last three years has been very challenging due various economic conditions. Interior Designs Redesign and Home Staging is a passion of mine….and I will not let go of my passion this time around. One of my most recent challenges was to stage a home with no budget (no money)… aka for family….. The home belongs to my brother –in-laws mother; who has moved out to live with her son in north Jersey. The 55+ communities are suffering from plugging prices! Estates/families would rather dump the homes cheaply, than applying a bit of sweat equity to make a difference. I hope you enjoy this photo journey of what a bit of planning and work can do. This project took place throughout this past summer. The goal was to be completed place on the market by the end of September… The first step: de-clutter, find out what mom really wanted and what she could live without.

The second step: drawing plans of where she was going to move to and what furniture and belongings she could take.

The third step: box all remaining items for future garage sale. Once the house was cleared you can now see what needed to be done. • Take down the wall paper in porch and kitchen • Take down the vertical blinds • Wash Windows • Clean and Shine Bathrooms • Hire a painter The Forth Step: Tackle the outside of the home! • Power wash the siding, patio, walk ways • Repaint entrance door • Trim bushes and mulch • Bring in some fresh mums and a pumpkins The Fifth Step: Let the staging begin….. • Removed oversized table in kitchen

• Changed up light bulbs and added clear globs in kitchen • Added an some up dated props • Set the dining room table

• Move the server to other wall and set as bar • Repaint faux stone wall one color • Added a small couch with a white sail cloth cotton slip cover; add some pillows • Filled decanters that were going in the garage sale with food colored water. • Set the bar

• Added a funky new mirror • A small table was placed in the corner with a few objects • White linens used on bedding and in bathroom

• Glass decanters found a thrift shop filled with cotton balls and mouth wash as a decorative addition to bathroom

• The porch was now a lounging reading room

The final step: Property was listed – The homeowner had an offer and contract within 5 days within her asking price…. Now wasn't that worth the little bit of effort…..Everyone wins….the community’s comparable rate is where it should be or it had increases – The homeowner receives a fair value for the home, the real-estate agent is motivated to sell the home….. I am happy because everyone can see that staging a home really does work!!