Home Staging Pennsylvania- Hart & Associates Servicing the Main Line, Philadelphia, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties.

Are you looking for money saving design ideas to use in your decorating or home staging projects? If so, check out my latest tips for easy, budget friendly ways you can give your home a new look this year.

DECORATING SENSE FOR A NEW DECADE: 

10 TRENDS & MONEY-SAVING DESIGN TIPS TO GET THE DESIGNER LOOK FOR LESS

CHARLOTTE, NC (January 2010)- Staying up on trends can be expensive, but with some affordable finds and budget décor tips you can get the latest looks for your home for less.  Expert home stager and designer Kate Hartgives us her top ten trends for 2010 - and tips to affordably update your home for a whole new decade.  

  "Many of the trends in 2010 reflect the mood of today's consumers," says Hart.  "Homeowners are looking to brighten their space and their mind set, stretch their decorating dollars and make the most of the home they have." 

Here's what Kate highlights as trends and tips to take us through the new year in style:

•1.       REFURBISHED FURNISHINGS - Reclaim and restore what is old and make new again.  Tip:  Reduce, reuse and recycle are décor terms today so reupholster that  old chair, add a MirrorMate® frame to your bare mirror instead of replacing it and repaint a flea market-find dresser as opposed to buying new. 

•2.       CALMING, UPLIFTING COLORS - Create a cheery retreat with cool colors & lighter wood tones. Tip:  Use turquoise, the Pantone color of 2010, as a bold accent when paired with neutrals like black and white or use it with gray or mint green for a more subtle effect.  Replace or refinish dark woods with lighter shades of honey or a driftwood-inspired finish for a brighter, more up-to-date look.

•3.       MIRRORS & METALS - Brighten, lighten and add pop to a room with the shimmer and shine of mirrors and metals .  Tip:  Group three or more Pizzazz MirrorSquares (less than $20 each!) in Charlotte Silver Leaf behind a couch or along a wall, add a mirrored chest to a room or silver candlesticks to a mantle.  Shiny silver, brushed nickel, antique or oil-rubbed bronze remain popular metal finishes. 

•4.       MULTI-PURPOSE SPACES -Turn unused spaces into something new and useful.  Tip:  The space at the top of the stairs, the living room you never sit in, or guest room used twice a year, can do double duty as a home office, den or playroom by adding an armoire-style desk, pull out sofa bed or toy storage. 

•5.       BOLD, GRAPHIC PATTERNS - Replace timid designs with large scale patterns in one or two colors.  Tip: To perk up your living room consider recovering a chair in a new, fun print or simply add some toss  pillows to a neutral sofa in exotic patterns like bamboo or natural motifs such as asters or birds.

•6.       MIX & MATCH PIECES - Mix it up by breaking up matching sets of furniture, adding in new and unexpected pieces.  Tip:   Instead of buying a new dining room set, add new chairs to the table you already have or consider hosting a furniture swap with your friends to exchange unwanted piece.  You'll get a whole new look -for free!

•7.       NATURAL ELEMENTS -Bring the outside in and "green" your home with eco-friendly materials like bamboo and cork. Tip:  A sisal or jute area rug is an affordable way to embrace this look without adding new flooring to your room.  Add some recycled glass candle sticks or organic cotton pillows to complete the space.

•8.       LESS SHABBY, MORE CHIC - Forget the flowers and ruffles, things are looking more tailored in 2010. Tip:  Think fitted bed skirts, drapes that don't drag and throws that are neatly placed- not draped.

•9.       HOTEL DÉCOR - Bring the look and feel of the hotel home to enjoy during "staycations" and all year long.  Tip:  The bathroom and bedroom are the perfect place to start, adding furnishings with clean lines, plush white towels and a spa-like color palate. 

•10.   DIY DECORATING - Tackle those do-it-yourself projects and save money in the process. Tip:  Pick up the paint brush to refresh your wall color, break out the sewing machine to de-puddle those droopy drapes and resist the urge to spurge on new items like a mirror for your powder room.  Reframe the one you have instead with a MirrorMateframe in eco-friendly Pacifica Silver Sheen or Acadia Dove White.

"Trend number 10 is the most inspiring of all because by doing-it-yourself, almost all of these trends and tips can be achieved with little to no expense," concludes Hart.  "So many of today's trends allow you to use what you (or your friends) have, simply re-arranging or adding to it with affordable accents."

About Kate Hart

Kate Hart is a pioneer in the home staging field, having helped hundreds of families and realtors prepare homes for sale through her Philadelphia-area company, Hart & Associates Staging & Design.  Her design work and expert advice has been featured in numerous books, magazines and broadcast outlets ranging from Fine Living and CNN to Everyday with Rachael Ray and HGTV.com.  Hart was recently recognized by the Real Estate Staging Association as "Staging Professional of the Year," the industry's most prestigious award.  Kate serves as national spokesperson for the MirrorMate brand and is known for her on-trend, budget-friendly design advice.  For more on Kate Hart visit www.hartstaging.com.

In addition to providing home staging services for our clients in the Philadelphia region we also design spaces for our clients in their new homes. A recent client however was not selling her home, rather she was moving in with her fiancee and needed some help making his home into their home. I had known this client for years and was really touched when she contacted me to work on this special project. Sure, she could have moved her things in and then figured out what went where, but this busy professional knew that #1 she did not have the time, #2 she wanted to be able to entertain for the holidays and #3 she did not want to be the one to tell her fiancee what items needed to go! Sometimes we have to act as the "home therapist" and make decisions for clients!

With only 2 weeks to complete the project we approached this methodically. First we visited her home to view her furniture, next we visited his home to see the existing decor and his things, and then we interviewed them to find out what they were looking for. He wanted comfort, she wanted glam. Our solution? Create two rooms that they can use for entertaining. One room was the large living room that was centrally located, the other room was on the third floor and had access to the roof deck. This space also needed to serve as her dressing room when they were not entertaining since space was tight in this city home.

To create the luxurious living/dining room in our short time frame, we kept the existing wall color and dining room furniture. We balanced the space by adding a blue sofa to the white wall. We removed cluttered bookcases and added her piano to the dining area so they could play when entertaining. We added a new seating area to the living room and some lively pops of lime green to contrast with the dark blue walls.

The vacant third floor had a total transformation. Along one wall we constructed a closet to store her clothes and added mirrored doors to add more light to the space. Maximizing every inch of space we added a bar under the stairs to the roof deck. This space will also house a flat screen tv so they can enjoy using this room as a cozy den. Working with the existing color pallate we then purchased new seating for this space and incorporated some of her antiques and accent furniture from her home. To give it a glam look we added fabrics with sparkle and sheen and a gorgeous gilded floor lamp.

The results were stunning! Now this couple had a home that reflected both their styles and 2 new spaces to entertain. Even the dog loves it!

Every now and then I have a staging challenge that I just cannot figure out. Most homes are easy to plan- first I determine the best purpose for the space, next I come up with the design scheme and then I sort out what furniture and accessories work best for the image we are trying to convey. Sometimes however I come upon a space that puzzles me. If I cannot figure it out, how can the buyer?

Such was the case with one of my most recent staging projects in Chester County Pennsylvania:

• First there was an entry hall that had been added between the home and the garage. It was both the front and the back entrance to the home so it was the first thing buyers noticed when they came in. It had a tile floor and brick walls making it instantly feel cold.

• Next was the living room. It was open on one side to the entrance hall, the other side to the kitchen and the other side to the sun room. The fourth wall had the fireplace and built-in bookcases. Upon first glance the only obvious place to put the sofa was on the wall near the entry hall but this would make the seating area absurdly far from the fireplace.

• The kitchen was lovely but since it was open to the dining area buyers needed to see how this space would work for them.

• Finally there was the sun room. It was a gorgeous bright space overlooking lovely farmland. It had been added onto the house and it was the largest room in the home. By calling it a "sun room" buyers instantly felt like they could not enjoy it all the time and were relegated to the smaller living room or the basement.

My solution was to give more definition to the spaces in this open floor plan:

• The foyer became a mudroom and a command center for busy families.

• The living room featured a gathering place adjacent to the gourmet kitchen and  a separate home office niche.

• The kitchen and dining room were made into one cohesive space by using the same color palate as the adjoining spaces.

• The sunroom was transformed into a spacious family room that was an extension of the other living areas.

Since this home was bright and sunny I felt the typical staging neutrals (beige, brown and grey) just would not do. My vision was to infuse the home with color so that the buyer would remember how cheerful this space felt. The result? A charming and whimsical country retreat!