Five easy steps to prep your home for resale!!

Five easy steps to prep your home for resale. Are you looking to sell your home? Then these 5 easy step will help you get started.

1. Clean it. Make sure your home is clean. Not just the surfaces, but all the hidden places. Buyers do 

    check out all the areas in your home, so don't assume they won't see it.

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 2. Deodorize it. Now that your home is clean, does it smell clean? Pets and cooking odors can 

     linger, so make sure it can passes the "sniff test".

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3. Fix it. Do you have cracked ceilings? Cracked tiles? Leaking faucets? Make sure you address all 

    issues.  If not, buyers will interpret this as a home that's been neglected!!  This in turn will low-

   ball their offer!! They may even walk away thinking too much work needs to be done. Don't let 

   this happen to you.

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 4. Maximize it. Square footage sells. Is your home too cramped with furniture? A good rule of 

     thumb, eliminate about 50% of non-essentials from your home. Don't forget to check you

     closets. Buyers will look for storage space.  My rule-of-thumb, nothing on the floor!!

5. Decorate it. Ok now that you've done the first 4 steps, it's time to decorate it. Buyers fall in love

    with a home that has a warm and welcoming feel to it. This is not about decorating to your taste! 

    Remember to keep it simple. Check out magazines and home stores to get inspirations. If you find 

    it difficult, hire a home stager. It's well-worth the cost!!

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Back-in-the-day, selling a home used to be easy. Call the realtor, research the competition and put a "For Sale" sign on your lawn. Not anymore. Buyers have become savvy. HGTV has educated buyers. They want a move-in-ready home. If you don't prep your home before you put it on the market, I guarantee you are just helping your competitors sell theirs!! Just think of it like detailing your car!! Consider hiring a home stager. A professional will give you an unbiased opinion of what needs to be addressed!!

At Abella Home Staging & Redesign, we believe any home can be beautifully transformed. We believe in delivering a custom-made look, but without the custom-made price tag!! Call us and let's get started today!!

  

There are many uses for wallpaper beside putting it on walls.  Let's expand our design palette to find others use for wallpaper. What do you do with leftover rolls of wallpaper? As a redesigner, I am always on the lookout for ideas. These are some great and inexpensive ways to use wallpaper!! Keep in mind, you can also buy discontinued wallpaper from any big box retailer.

• Creative cabinets. Use it for lining a bookcase or hutch. It gives it a unique look and piazza, without spending a lot.

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• Frame it. You can create your own art by using squares of wallpaper. You can use many different wallpaper. So easy to do!!

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• Transform furniture!  This piece of furniture was completely transformed! 

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• Create custom wainscot. What a unique look!!You can use the wallpaper as a starting point for your wall color paint. This will give you a custom look.

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• Covered lampshade. Turn a boring white shade into something spectacular.  Great for kids room.

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How about lining drawers? Wallpapering your cardboard storage boxes? Dressing up you clothes closet? The possibilities can be endless. Just a little imagination and creativity and who knows how far you can go!!

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At Abella Home Staging & Redesign, we believe any home can be beautifully transformed. We believe in delivering a custom-made look, but without the custom-made price tag!! Call us and let's get started today!!

N-Hance Wood Renewal!!

N-Hance is a revolutionary wood renewall product that is relatively new to the industry. What is it exactly? Well according to their advertising "it renews your wood cabinets and floor without dust, inconvenience and noxious fumes associated with traditional refinishing methods. In many cases, the process can be completed in just one day!" 

As a home stager and redesigner, I am always looking for options to pass along to my clients that are cost effective and not time consuming. This could very well be it. One of my clients recently had it done. The reason they chose it, is the very reason that was stated in the advertising, no mess and can be done in one day. I have  a strong feeling this will appeal to many people!!

OK, so what is it exactly? According to their advertising "Removes the dirt and grime build-up that can make wood look flat and lifeless over time. The renewal process thoroughly cleans the surface, removes old coatings, repairs damaged areas with less mess and applies an elegant finish"

It also gives you the options of three solution:

1. Basis renewal. No change of color. Has minimal wear on the wood surface. Basically your old cabinets will look new again.

   2.  Color shift. It will slightly warm the tone of the wood, leaving the beauty for the wood grain 

       in-tack.  Great for sun-faded areas. This will take 2-3 days to complete.

Before

After

 

   3. Color change. This is a more dramatic effect. Usually the cabinets will go from light to dark, such 

      as oak to cherry. You can shop at Home Depot Design Center  and simply select any sample 

      cabinet color and they will match it. This will totally change the look of your kitchen and will typically 

      take 3-5 days to complete.

Before

After

 

As you can see from these photos, very impressive. My client's kitchen is roughly 12x12 kitchen with no Island or Peninsula. I believe he is being charged around $3,000. Which in my opinion, is not bad. Cheaper then professional painting, which they were quoted a price of $4,000 and they would have to live through the smells. Refacing is probably 3x that amount!! This is a great option to offer your clients!! What do you think?

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At Abella Home Staging & Redesign, we believe any home can be beautifully transformed. We believe in delivering a custom-made look, but without the custom-made price tag!! Call us and let's get started today!!

 

Hiring A Color Specialist!

Hiring a color specialist? If you were remodeling your home, or building a new one, you would hire professionals to get the job done. But would you hire a color specialist? No? Why not? As a color specialist, and stager,  I'm amazed at how many people do not hire a color specialist!! These professionals can create color schemes. They can save you money! Let's face it, making mistakes can cost you plenty!! Color consultants know future trends. Convinced? Great! So where do you find one and what do you look for in a color consultant?

1.    Check out reputable sources. Not all consultants have formal training, but they should have completed a 

       certification. Check out you local paint stores, or search the website. Then check out their credentials. The 
       Decorating and Staging Academy offers certified color classes. A designation I hold.

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2.   Have a color preference in mind before the meeting. This will help the color consultant have some idea of 

         what you like. Do you like warm colors or cool? What colors don't you like? The color consultant can help
         you  put it all together and create combinations that you never though of!

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3.   Set up a consultation. They will most likely come to your home and get some ideas. They will take notes of 

      your  floor plan and ask about your desires! The best time for a color consultation is during the day when natural 

      light will have an impact on color.

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4.  Time and money. Make sure you budget time and money for the consultation. Most color specialist charge 
     between $85 to 200 per hour. Well worth the cost when you consider what it would cost to "fix"a problem!

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5.   Be open to suggestions. After all you did hire an expert!! Listen to what they have to say. And don't be
      afraid to step outside your comfort zone. You may be pleasantly surprised!! They may come up with a color  
      palette you never even thought of!! 

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At Abella Home Staging & Redesign, we believe any home can be beautifully transformed. We believe in delivering a custom-made look, but without the custom-made price tag!! Call us and let's get started today!!

Why is it so difficult to choose a paint color?

Why is it so difficult to choose a paint color? As a decorator, I see a lot of clients' homes. More often than not, I hear, "I thought this was the perfect color until I saw it on the wall". So many times the homeowner has chosen a color that does not co-ordinate with their decor. Why is that? Many homeowners will choose a color that they have seen in a magazine. The problem with that, you don't have the same accessories as the magazine picture!! Sometimes they will see a paint color they like at a friend's home. Once again, unless you have a carbon copy of your friend's home, it won't work!!

So what do you do? Here are some guidelines to help you.

• Every color has an undertone. Meaning all beige's started as a color, whether it's yellow, red, green, or orange. So pay attention! There are also cool tones and warm tones. Every color has a warm tone and a cool tone. Getting the tone correct is half the battle!! These colors below are all consider beige in color, BUT have different base colors. You won't notice it, until you've painted it on the walls!! 

• Determine what undertones are in your room. Like your carpet, flooring, counter tops, tiles, and so on. This will have a huge impact on the color choices you make. Here is a great example of how warm colors co-ordinate nicely with one another.

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• Keep all your neutrals the same undertones. By doing this you are assured of having a successful color palette. All the colors below are in the blue-green family. They will work well together.

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• Don't forget lighting. All colors will look different in different lightening situations, like morning sun, afternoon shade, evening lighting, LED, incandescent, and fluorescent. So make sure you test the colors in these situations.

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• Use large paint samples. Many companies like Sherwin Williams offer 8x11 samples that can be ordered online. This is great because you can now truly see the color.

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• NEVER paint the color sample on the wall. The existing color will influence the color swatch and you will not get a true read!!

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These guidelines will help you when choosing your color palette. You can also decide to hire a color specialist. This small investment will assure you that the color you are choosing is the correct one, there-by eliminating any costly mistake. So well-worth the price!!

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At Abella Home Staging & Redesign, we believe any home can be beautifully transformed. We believe in delivering a custom-made look, but without the custom-made price tag!! Call us and let's get started today!!

           

                      

Emotions and meanings of color!!

Did you know that color has meaning and emotions? No? Well they do!! Many companies will spent thousands of dollars on a color specialist to get the right color for their products, office or building. That's how important color is! I though it would be fun to give you some insight behind each color.

• Red. Strong color that can pump the adrenaline and increase your appetite. It's associated with passion, desire and love.  That's why traditional red was commonly used in dining rooms. But not all reds are the same. Brick red is classic, warm and has an earthier feel. Cherry red, think energy and romance! Whichever color red you choose, red commands attention. Did you know that the reason surgeons wear blue scrubs is to give their eyes rest while working on the inside of the human body?!! 

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• Orange. Enthusiasm, creativity, and warmth! It's highly effective in logos that promote food products. That is why it's most often used in fast food advertising!! I think orange is a fun color to decorate with.

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• Yellow. Sunny, bright, and welcoming. Yellow will lighten your mood and lifts the spirits. Although yellow is a happy color, intense yellow can be difficult on the eyes. It's that very reason that you should avoid using intense yellow in a young child's room. Soft yellow however, are easy to live with and can co-ordinate with every color.

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• Green. Think nature. Can also be restful, balancing, tranquil and invigorating. Most medical facilities will use green to comfort patients. In the entertaining world, many people will wait in a "green room" prior to a performance. Dark green has a more conservative, traditional feel, while light green have a more natural and soothing earth tone feel to them. Green will work well with almost every color.

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• Blue. Calm, meditative, and clear thinking (surgeon's scrubs). Blue also invokes clarity, honesty, and loyalty. Blue is the color most often used in bedrooms and living rooms.

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• Purple. Luxury, wealth, romance, royalty and sophistication. Purple is often associated with being magical and mysterious. Kings often used the color purple in their attire. Purple was heavily used during the Victorian age due to its quiet elegance and formal look. Lighter purples convey femininity, splendor and even romance! Light purples are great in children's bedroom!!

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• White. Think purity and freshness. It's also associate with innocence and virginity. Gives a clean slate for any color. Very popular in today's color scheme!!

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• Black. Elegance, power and strength. Great use in accent walls and furniture!! How spectacular is this room?!!

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• Brown. Comfort (earth), stability, and security! Most often used in furniture, but can be used on walls. Just make sure everything else in the room is light. Otherwise it will have a cave-like feel to it!!

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As owner of Abella Home Staging & Redesign, I am a certified color specialist. I have seen first hand what the wrong color can do to a room! If you choose the wrong color, then everything else that follows will not work. It's really that simply!! If you're not sure which color to choose, consider hiring a certified color specialist. I guarantee the price you pay for the consultation is worth more the the price you pay if you make a mistake!! 

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At Abella Home Staging & Redesign, we believe any home can be beautifully transformed. We believe in delivering a custom-made look, but without the custom-made price tag!! Call us and let's get started today!!

Creating a beautiful room with paint!

Creating a beautiful room involves many different elements: color, creativity, placement, furniture and accessorizing. One of the most important and intimidating is the process of color. Many of my clients will fall back to neutral beiges (when done right, beiges can be very cozy), which may result in the room feeling half done. Working with a certified color specialist can help take the guess work out of the process, resulting in a beautiful room!

Here are just a few tips to consider when choosing color:

1. Keeping the walls and floor color in similar tone will make the room appear larger.

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2. Lighting makes a huge impact in a room. Will you be using incandescent, LED or  

    florescent? Each light gives off its own effect.

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3.Did you know that every color has a warm and cool version? If you choose the wrong 

   version, it could have a devastating effect in your room. Color can literally make or break  

   a room!!

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4. Using color at least 3 times and in 3 different zones will create interest and movement 

    in a room.

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5. Ceilings are a great area for adding additional color to a room. Just make sure you keep  

    the rest of the room light.

These are just some of the things to consider when painting/decorating a room. As a certified color specialist,  I have seen rooms that would have otherwise been beautiful, fail due to the fact they chose the wrong color. Don’t make that mistake!! Hiring a color specialist is pennies on the dollar, when you consider what the labor and paint costed you!!

#AbellaHomeStaging

At Abella Home Staging & Redesign, we believe any home can be beautifully transformed. We believe in delivering a custom-made look, but without the custom-made price tag!! Call us and let's get started today!!