Yellow Is Not Always So Mellow

This is an attractive house for sale.

It is a lovely traditional house.  Hardwood floors are a big selling feature.  Hardwoods are like blue jeans; they tend to go with everything.  However, the hardwood floors in this home have that oh-so-dated orangish stain.  The seller's paint color choice is yellow-yellow. 

Yellow Paint + Orange Floors =  Dated for Selling

Here is Ms. Yellow in the foyer and dining room.

 Here she is in the living room.

Then yellow is staring in the kitchen with the orange stained cabinets.

Lots of folks in the Y2K years painted their open floor plan interiors yellow.  Can't say that I'm a fan. I think yellow should be restricted to smaller spaces.  Yellow is a fickle bee-atch.  She comes in at least a bizillon shades and changes her vibrancy on a whim.

I lean towards using yellow as accents to amp up a space.

Of course, it would probably be to expensive and a headache to refinish the hardwood floors.  The easier remedy would be to change the paint color on the walls and paint the kitchen cabinets. Grey would tone down the old fashion orange. Grey is a great neutral for selling and very on trend.  In the words of Charlie Sheen (uck),

"W-I-N-N-I-N-G"

TheCreativeExchange.com

Looklikejustyouandme.com

What do you say about grey?  Yes or No?

Sunday Musings: It Will All Work Out

Sheknows.com

"It will all work out" is of our family motto.  It might sound like one of those trite phrases you say like,"how are you?" when you meet someone.  But it's not.

In our family, "It will all work out" is truth.  We have faith that even when bad stuff happens, it always comes full circle for our best benefit, even if we don't see it at the time.


Look back on your life.  Do you have 'all worked out' stories to share?

A job you lost that led to a better opportunity?
Infertility that led to adopting the child that was meant to be with you?
A nasty divorce that freed you to meet someone special?

Knowing that "it will all work out" soothes me.  How about you?

It Was a Good Week!

The highlight of my week has been Summer School with Maria Killam.  Maria is the internationally reknowned True Color Expert. (More Summer School details to follow.)  Ever had one of those "didn't realize how much I didn't know" experiences?  H-E-L-L-O.

Getting our broken HVAC fixed was a welcomed event.  Check out this Redneck-fix we rigged. This is the small window unit lifted from my design studio.  We were grateful for the relief it provided until we were up and running.

Cardboard and painters tape. We didn't want to damage Pella window sills.

I decided not to buy the CL hutch topper I lusted.  It was behemoth and no match for my desk. The owner's MIL wants it. At least it is going to a good home.

Hated to take a pass on this beauty.

I love Thanksgiving dinner. I started a tradition a few years ago of cooking a mini-Thanksgiving meal in July. Doesn't my roasted turkey breast look delish? Included were a few fav sides: green bean casserole, sausage stuffing and homemade gravy--look at those gorgeous drippings in the roasting pan. YUMMY!

My handyman, Dave, has been working on our deck since (get this) MAY.  In his defense it has rained relentlessly this spring and summer.  Here's a bit of the progress after some construction and power washing. Rails and pickets painted SW 3019 Smoke Tree.  The deck floor will be SW PFC Walnut Brown.

Check out the new balustrades and finials. Love those little copper 'roofs'!

In Progress

Before--Way UggO!

I'm excited to see her completed!  Cowboy is already making noise about us having a deck party.  It is difficult to not have use of our deck in the summer.

I'm off to a consultation in Apex, NC armed with my color deck and cheat tabs.

 Y'all have a great weekend!

The Most Over Rated Ammenity

Lonnie

One of my favorite questions to ask people who are lucky enough to have a gorgeous spa tub is how often they enjoy soaking in it.  Here are the answers I typically get:

"Gosh, I can't remember the last last time I took a bath in it."

Cache

"We don't use it. The kids like to play in it."

"I water the plants in it".

"It is so loud that it is not relaxing."

BH&G

"Are you kidding?  Do you know how much water it takes to fill it up?"

Southern Living

"Who has time for a bath?"

Martha Stewart

"It's a pain to clean.  We don't use it."

Michael J. Smith

"Actually, we want to take it out.  I'd rather have a big walk-in shower."

Bing

Judging by my unofficial poll, spa tubs are not a "must have" for selling your house.

What about you?  Do you have a spa tub?  Do you use it?

Sunday Musings: Row Your Boat

Who would have thought there is so much wisdom in this little ditty:

Row, row, row your boat,

gently down the stream,

merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
life is but a dream
 

Row, row, row your boat:  Manage your own life.
                                             Stop trying to row other people's boats.

Gently:  Don't force things.
               Go gently.

Down the stream:  Rowing up stream is really inefficient.
                                Go downstream with the natural progression of things.

Merrily, merrily, merrily:  Practice joy!

Life is but a dream:  Like a dream, life passes quickly.

Enjoy your life. 

Hot Fun in the Summer Time?

    My Fantasy Backyard                                  Maia Wasserman

The good news:  We have an HVAC Maintenance Plan

The bad news:  We have to use it because our AC went on the fritz last night.

The good news:  The technician should be here late this afternoon.

The bad news:  I had to turn the AC off so it can defrost before the tech gets here.

The good news:  We have fans.

The bad news:  The expected high today is 95 degrees--'feels like' temp of 105.

The good news:  There are cold adult beverages in the refrigerator.

Hope your weekend is cool!

Confession of My Staging Sin

Do as I say, not as I do...

It started out like any other day.  I only planned to remove the heavy oriental rug from underneath the kitchen table.  We needed a lighter look for the Dog Days of summer.  I moved the table and chairs to the center of my small kitchen, wrestled the rug out and thought, 'look how much more space'.

StagerLinda took over and I began to rearranging.  No, I didn't grab a camera. I don't have the forethought of most bloggers.  I was in the zone and never stopped to take a breath.

This table and chairs used to be crammed next to the windows.  There was barely elbow room for 4 adults to dine.

Ahh...breathing space.  Now, I can straighten the table, add leaves, extra chairs and have a small dinner party!

See this China Hutch?  It was on a different wall.

You can kinda see in this picture from an old Christmas party, that the hutch was a perfect fit to this wall.  (Sorry Faye for the closed-eyes shot. Connie you look cute!) But, the hutch took up so much floor space that it made the table and chairs cramped under the windows.

I put this bench (from my staging loot) in place of the hutch. Yippee! I've always loved this bench.   It's a cozy place for folks to relax and chat with me while I cook. (Sorry I didn't position it perfectly  under the pictures.)

Here's my Staging Sin.
Now you see it....

Yep.  I placed the hutch IN FRONT OF A CLOSET.  Bad stager, bad, bad stager.  You nehva-ehva cover a closet if you are selling. (It's probably not a good idea under any circumstances. But it's my house so **raspberry** tongue noise.)  It is a tiny-under-the-stairs-sloped-ceiling closet. No big loss.
 
Now you don't see it....

Ahh...big ole baskets to the rescue. I gained 3 feet by moving the hutch.  Even cowboy (eventually) came around. 

I'm not a rooster person but used this for a staging and couldn't stand to put him away.
Happy Friday y'all!

Are You Guilty of Wanting What You Don't Need?

Here's what I don't need this week.

Raleigh CraigsList

It's a hutch topper from CraigsList. 

I have a storage room busting at the seams with furniture...

Oh how I love the arched top with the crown, the design below it, the cubbies, drawers, and glass doors....oh my! It is illuminated too.

I really don't have room for it in my house....

I fancy placing it on my desk. 

It is probably so deep it would swallow my desk...
 
If I was talented in the restorative arts with chalk paint and waxing (Heather), I'd really do her justice. Heck, even I can replace the knobs with something Anthropology-like.

The lady selling it just moved.  She wants it out.  She'll contact me this evening with dimensions.  She is asking $150.

I know I could get it for less.


 I really don't need this hutch topper....

What do you think?  You will be doing me a service to talk me out of it. 

Thanks,

Sunday Musings: Mind Your Mind

VJ Wedeen, LL Wald, Martinos Center for Biomedical

Mind your mind. Did you know you have over 60,000 thoughts a day?  And, the majority of those thoughts are not new.

Mind your mind.  Be conscious of your biggest thought-wasters:

self-deprecation

seeking control

anger

guilt

judgment

trying to interpret the actions or motives of others

Mind you mind.  You can't afford the luxury of a negative thought.

Mind your mind.  Our thoughts are sacred and the only thing we really have control over.  Everything that you are, have been or will be is the result of how you think.

Mind your mind.  Go to your happy place.  Dream big.  Appreciate. Compliment often. Love deep. Pray. Nurture your needs.  Feed your soul.  Listen to your heart.

Love,

Entertainment in a Tiny Bath

Karen Reynolds-Champagne Home Staging

You can find a plethora of Entertainment Centers on CraigsList.  Entertainment Centers became dinosaurs when flat screens became hot.  Get Thee to an ATM and pull out $150 for an attractive and voluminous storage unit.

The repurposed Entertainment Center is brilliant in this little bathroom.

Everything in this bathroom is perfect: the black claw foot tub (sporting silver toes!), the updated fixtures, the patina of tin panels, and the seamless enclosed glass shower. The owners did an outstanding job updating this historic house.

This house, in Wendell, NC, just went on the market.  Buyers are drawn to an old home with modern updates. 

Happy Friday, y'all!  I think it has rained everyday for the past 6 weeks.  Mr. Meteorologist is calling for Flash Floods today and tomorrow.

Break out the Wellies!

Tumbler

Vision Can Take a House from Drab to Fab

I had a consultation at a house that looks really dreadful.  I venture to say that it will have little appeal to a potential buyer.  It shows as dark and dated.  Most buyers don't have the vision to take it to the next level.

I've had the privilege working with Maria Killam (Color Me Happy blog) since I first considered writing "An Affection for Staging".  She is one talented gal. Maria moved last year and readers followed all the changes she made to her 'new' house. The house I consulted on, had an similar floor plan (no fireplace, though) and design.  I recalled the spectacular job Maria achieved on her similarly dated house.  Maria's renovation is FABULOUS.

Maria Killam's Living Room "AFTER"

 Compare Maria's beautiful rooms to the house I consulted on.  Can you visualize the update?

StagerLinda

StagerLinda

Remove the railings, install laminate wood flooring throughout, a fresh paint color and the house takes on a whole new vibe!  Steal Maria's superb decorating details and you have a Show House!

It simply was not in the budget for the seller's to update. Wish there was an app for guiding buyer's on how relatively simple these changes would be to make. 

Tres Petite Maison

Happy Monday!  Hope y'all had a glorious 4th holiday.  Over the weekend, I inadvertently staged my kitchen (more on that later) and started the arduous task of painting trim in an upstairs bedroom. 

This morning, I read a story in the Huffington Post and have to share it. Holy Lilliputian, these pictures are rooms in a dollhouse.  Maria Sviatko of, The Shopping Sherpa blog, is the dollhouse designer.  Check out her attention to teensy-tiny detail.  Her work would be praise-worthy on a grand scale.  It boggles the mind to think of the time dedicated to these designs.

Amazing, no?

Precious. Precious.

God bless America and our good fortune to live in the land of the free and the home of the brave. 

We are going to a grand fireworks party at a friend's house.  It rivals the Capitol display!  Lucky us.

Repurposing a Headboard into a Bench?

I am so hungry to do something creative.  This is dangerous territory for me.  I become inspired and move forward at warp speed.  No concern have I for details.  I want results.  No time to research or make a plan--I dive right in.

Then the project bombs.

I throw a pity party after I re-read DIY blogs and lament "Why?" "Why, oh why can't I DIY, dammit!"

So I'll throw my inspiration out there for you my friends. Come along for the ride in fantasy Linda-Land.

I stumbled upon this bench on J.Waddell Interiors blog.

Joan Waddell- J.Waddell Interiors

This is in the dining room she designed for the Bellarmine Show house.

Here is another angle of the bench in the foyer before the room is loaded.

I'm not in love with the white upholstered seat. It's a great concept for design.  For staging, it would be better to have a wooden seat and add pillows.

OK folks, this is all I've got.  This headboard is what started my old, rusty wheels turning,"Ohhhhh, I could make that headboard into a bench!"  I took this picture for Craigslist many moons ago and then didn't post it.  (ADD? Correct-o.)

(Disregard the funny feet on the posts.  This headboard was used in a staged house and it needed a lift. Of course, the funny feet were hidden).

I am open for suggestions:

"bail", "you are cra-cra", "take it to a professional", "easy-peasy", "go to Home Depot and buy furniture legs and get a board cut for the seat", "get an old interesting piece of furniture and break it down for parts", "you DO have special saws, a workbench, tools, and a professional paint gun, right?"

Thanks for your input!