Make Your Home Look Like a Million Bucks
1. Make “Less is More” Your Mantra
A cluttered look comes from too much furniture. People tend to line their walls with furniture–one piece after another. Take a hard look at what you have and ask yourself what you can live without. You really only need two pieces of furniture per wall: A bed and a nightstand, say, or a dresser and a chair.
Another rule of thumb: If you don’t use it regularly, lose it. While you’re doing this sometimes painful pruning, remind yourself that every square foot you free up is prime real estate.
2. Make a Splash with Color
Painting is the cheapest, easiest way to give your home a new look. Even if you were weaned on off-white walls, take a chance and test out a quart of paint in a warm, neutral hue (you can always paint over it if you don’t like the effect).
If you’re too timid to whip out the paintbrushes, add punch with richly colored accessories, pillows, and throws. Bonus: When seasons change or you’re ready for something new, these couldn’t be simpler to switch out.
3. Let the Sun Shine In
Window-treatment tips: If windows are narrow, extend curtain rods a foot or so on each side to suggest width. If your ceilings are low, hang rods right at the ceiling line and consider window treatments with vertical stripes to create the illusion of height.
June 12th, 2007 at 5:15 am
Thanks for posting these useful tips, Julie.
I also want to share some home staging secrets with you. Okey, here it is - The Rule of Three. Three items look pleasing to the eye. Put three things on a coffee table. Group three pictures on a wall. You don’t have to strip the house bare, but limit groups of small objects to one, three or five, the odd number always works.
June 12th, 2007 at 6:22 am
Thank you for sharing your Rule of three with us, Melissa. I just want to pint out that many people are under the misconception that staging is a pricey option for rich homeowners. Not true: Staging is about the creativity, not the money. What some people don’t realize when they sell their house “as is” or don’t stage is that it can actually cost them money..
June 14th, 2007 at 9:54 am
Sure! The more furniture there is in a room - the smaller it seems to be.. the better it is lit - the bigger and more comfy it looks. And as for the walls - to my mind, painting is also the easiest and cheepest way to decorate them. Thanx 4 the tips!