I'm Blue Over Commitment Issues

I ready to mix it up in my house again.  Blue seems like a good 'new' color for me.

I went to the fabric outlet and spent hours roaming the aisles.  All I knew when I went into the store was that I wanted Indigo. Indigo is a great color--it's not navy and it's not royal blue; it's just right--like my favorite pair of jeans.

Above are the fabrics I 'swatched' as possible companion prints.  These are the prominent colors :

Indigo

Medium Blue

Gray-Olive

                                                                   Blood Red  (can't think how else to describe it!)

I can pull colors, fabrics, fixtures, furniture and accessories for a client with confidence. When it comes to stuff for my house--I choke.

Anybody else have these commitment issues?

Oh yeah, what do you think of these fabrics? 

Later,

Linda

A Walk on the Wildside with My Steam Cleaner

I found this rug on CraigsList a couple of years ago.  She's a beauty!  After some negotiation, I scored it for $160. The owner was decorating and anxious to get it out of the house.  Being a Craigslist devotee, I knew a good deal and was the first person on her doorstep.

This rug has gotten around in the few years I've owned it.  She was in dire need of cleaning.  Being a frugal lass, I couldn't justify professionally cleaning.

That's when I took it outside, plugged in the ole steam vac and had a go at it.  Would it disintegrate? Become to heavy too move?  Smell like a wet dog?  Shrink?

It was hot Friday and I left it outside for 10 hours.  I placed it up on 'risers' so air could circulate around it.   After two runs with shampoo and water, and two for rinse, the only thing I noticed was dirty water and some fibers (kind of like it was shedding) in the tank.

Here is the rug after I brought it back into the house.  Izzie decided the clean rug was the perfect place for her to pose for the after picture.

The rug looks great and there is no damage. 

Sometimes it pays to break the rules.

Later,

Linda & Izzie

Staging for Kids & Staging Bloopers

There is a wee landing area topping the stairs to my backyard.  I figured, what the heck, why not give it a little staging while I'm at it. We have friends with a savvy seven year old daughter.  Young, Emily likes to be with us but not with us.   She can perch on this little bench and play her I-Phone (yes, really) games while the adults are close by.

Neutrals
I brought in neutral tones to stage this space. The brown shades in the batik cushion and small animal print pillow pick up the honey colors in the wicker furniture.  The black trim on the pillow, rug, and black stacking tables picks up the black from other items on the deck.  The console table top, the design in the sisal rug, and the bentwood chairs next to the landing all have black .  So there is continuity of color connecting all the spaces.

I love that I could squeeze in a fun little sitting nook for Em! 

Before Picture 

Deck Landing Before Staging

Staging Bloopers

  This week's episode of "Reality Staging with Stager Linda"



Opps! Butter fingers!  I really liked that planter.



I spray painted an old tray, inserted fabic under the glass, then stepped on it taking a picture.



Do not leave candles in direct sunlight on a hot day.



Happy Friday, y'all!

Later,

Linda

Staging My Deck II - Dining Area

Welcome back! Here is the 'new' deck dining area after staging.  The wrought iron table and chairs have been on the deck forever. 



View entering deck from the French Doors



View entering the dining area

Cushions were added to the chairs for a pop of color and to make them more comfortable.  A sisal rug was placed under the dining set.  The rug anchors the table and chairs and mirrors the shape of the painting.

Due to the built-in benches, there is not as much room on this end of the deck.  I used a long green pillow on the angled portion of the benches. The small decorative pillow picks up the flowers and colors in the painting.

View from the settee in the seating area

A Buffet Table from Two of This and One of That

I wanted a narrow buffet on the wall of the house.  My SIL (thanks, Karen!) recently gave me two wooden columns.  The columns serve as the base. Finding a top proved to be difficult. I ended up using a piece of metal artwork laying flat.  Instant table! 

Yes, that is a Blue Egg. Blue Egg has been on shelves, below tables, on a stand, both inside and outside of our house for years. I know Blue Egg is weird--but I love it.  I had to incorporate Blue Egg in my new staging since there is a bit of blue in the painting.

I also brought my Grecian statue and an antique bird cage out to join the fun.  I found the iron gate at Goodwill a few years ago.  I've used it above mantels and as wall art in houses I've staged. Here, I've placed it as a divider between the deck walkway and the eat-in area.

For entertaining, I set up the buffet/bar with dishes and silverware.  The silverware holders are terracotta candle holders.  I love the colors with the dishes and painting.


Wacky Centerpiece
Once while cruising through a high dollar interior design shop, I saw a glass centerpiece with little pebbles, seeds and sticks in the center.  It was $175!  "Hump!" said I, "I can do that." The glass and iron stand was in my staging stash. I added bird seed, and painted some sticks black (some sticks I left brown). I then inserted the sticks in the middle. Voila! (Plus, it is a great piece for those hard to stage niches builders put in new houses.)


The Centerpiece doesn't lean--the photographer does.

   

Niche in Client's House

Budget
I didn't spend a penny for staging the dining area of the deck!


There is still one small area on the deck that I staged.  I'll share that with you next post. Thanks so much for following my deck red0 and the great comments. 

Later,

Linda



Staging My Deck - Seating Area

Sunny Seating Area

Here's my 'new' deck.  It is a fairly long and narrow space.  I decided to divide it into two areas.  One as the main seating area and the other as the dining area.  I love the canopy umbrella but am not fan of the metal pole.  As a distraction, I placed Ficus trees around it.  The trees create a natural divider and helped the seating area feel cozy.  I love the happy yellow!

I placed a long console table on a diagonal in front of the Ficus trees. The low table straddles the base of the umbrella. The base is massive and weighted and I wanted it hidden. The table further divides the deck and functions as an end table for the settee and chair.  The table was a freebie a seller bequethed me when she moved.

Staging on a Budget

My goal was to stage using mostly what I had. I only purchased a few items for this makeover.  The rug is poly vinyl from World Market.  I looked at many outdoors rugs and fell in love with this one even before I saw the $15.99 price.  The yellow cushion on the settee I stumbled upon at Pier One.  The manager knows me and sold it to me for $45 (I saw a dirty corner!).  The yellow Sunbrella cushion, also from World Market, is new and was on sale for $19--more than I wanted to spend but I had to have it.

Perched Among the Trees

The wrought iron Bistro set is old and weathered but one of our favorites.  It provides an extra seating area across from the settee.  Our deck is on the second story.  Our friends say we live in 'a tree house'.  That is one of the charms of Casa Beam.

These bentwood chairs have been in countless houses I've staged.  I just retrieved them  from a house that sold.  They are stylish and comfortable.  This vingette creates yet another seating area adjacent to the settee and next to the Bistro table and chairs.

I had to include this picture of our snake plant. It must be 25 years old.  Some time ago, I planted asparagus ferns in the base. This year they came back with gusto and actually flowered for first time ever.  I think the snake plant looks like living sculpture. Don't you?

The double windows are from the kitchen.  The French doors lead into the Family Room.  The flow from indoors to the deck is optimal for entertaining--everyone is within line of site.

Sad, Pitiful Before Photos

Here are the "Before" pictures of the of the deck. It definitely needed attention. It was 100 degrees the day I took these shots, hence the condensation on lens.

Ephipany from the Cowboy
Husband  (he was wearing Cowboy boots when we met, so I call him,"Cowboy")  and I were sitting out enjoying our new deck.  Cowboy says, "Everything looks so nice.  We really should stain the deck."  Umh, been waiting on that for years.

I said, "In the words of Carole King, "It's too late, baby. Now, it's too late."
Maybe it will get stained next year...

I love our new space.  Hope you enjoy the new staging too!

DIY- A Passion for Creating and a Vision for Potential

I am teetering on the top step of a ladder spraying Scotchguard on my new market umbrella.  It is almost 100 degrees and 90% humity, I am sweating bullets, my bat wings are waving with the motion of the sprayer, and my ponytail is drooping with baby hairs sticking to my neck. 

I feel so unglamours.  For some reason, my thoughts traveled to Tinsel Town.  Can you imagine one of these beautiful women doing what we DIY-er's put ourselves through?  


Jennifer Aniston - Hollywood's Sweetheart



Catherine Zeta-Jones -- Epitome of Style and Class



Kim Kardashian - Self Absorbed Diva

Let's face it folks, we wouldn't fix our quirky desire to make something better even if we were celebrities.  We might pay somebody else to do it--but you can bet we'd have our finger right in the middle of the pie!



Hooray! I finished and it was dry long before the rain began.  Look at those raindrops bouncing off my Scotchguard shield!

I hope you are enjoying your weekend.  And, for all you DIY-er's, I hope it is productive. 

May you bask in the glow of satisfaction from a job well done!

Linda

More Bang for Your Buck When You Stage Outside

What do patios, decks, covered porches, verandas and  terraces have in common?



Images from Pinterest



These spaces are potential money makers. Exterior spaces (that are staged) attract buyers and create the illusion of extra square footage. Outrooms rooms are viable and valuable.  Put money in your resale pocket.  Stage the great outdoors!

Speaking of outdoors, we will be enjoying my newly staged deck this weekend. My friend, Karen turned me on to Tisdale. It is a good but tres cheap wine.  Give it a try and let me know what you think.



Linda Beam

My buddy, Virginia, dropped by to check on the deck progress.  Her petite feet fit perfectly on the transformed footstool!


Linda Beam

You are getting a sneak peak at my bargain rug.  ($15.99 at World Market!)
Happy Friday, y'all!

Linda

Plant Stands to Foot Stools and Deck Cats....Oh My!

This wrought iron plant stand was transformed from this...

....to a kitchy little footstool. 

I found the perfect pillow in my staging stash.  It is vintage velvet and filled with feathers. I loved the look of the distressed iron so I chose not to paint it.  The contrast of the prissy velvet to the clunky iron is a winning combo.  I frequently repurpose items from a seller's house when I am staging. 

This footstool works because:

  1. The pillow is the perfect size.  A different shape or inprecise size would have looked wrong.

  2. The plant stand is the correct dimension for a footstool.  The height works perfectly with the height of a chair.  The circumference is adequate for accommodating feet.

  3. The pillow color complements my deck cat.

 

Yes, my pictures are cropped like crazy.  I'm not ready for show and tell yet.

Later,

Linda

Repurposing a Sweet Antique Drawer

My grandmother had a cute little shoe cubby.  I used it for  25 years before the veneer buckled and a leg broke.  Alas, I had to send it to the garbage gods.  I kept the lone drawer from the chest.  (I am a sentimental lass.) The sweet little drawer has been patiently waiting to be repurposed.

I finally found the perfect use for it. 'Cute drawer' is now holding court on a table on my deck. (Pictures of deck update coming).  'Cute drawer' holds my glasses, (sun and reading) some books, napkins and small plates for pet and people treats.  C'est magnifique!

It makes me smile. 'Cute drawer' is useful and out where I can enjoy it.  I tell sellers to group their often used items on trays, in baskets, or decorative boxes.  Stuff doesn't look like clutter when it is contained.

What do you think about my repurposing of Nana's drawer?

Later,

Linda

You Can't Spend Your Way into Being Rich

I think I was French in another lifetime.  I adore French decor and the Fleur de Lis makes my heart sing.

Pinterest



Pinterest

I ran some errands on Saturday.  Tuesday Morning was having a 50% discount on all their outdoor stuff. I bought a 10' market umbrella on a cantilever stand. Sweet! (Check back this week and see my 'new' deck decor.)



(Too bad the boat and water didn't come with the umbrella)

Then I ran by Michaels. There was a furniture store in the same strip mall going out of business.  I decided to pop in.  After zig-zagging through rows of crappy furniture, I found IT--my beloved Fleur-de-Lis!  The sign read, "All accessories 50% off".   SOLD!



Linda Beam

Oh yeah, then UPS delivered my NEW CAMERA.  It was also on sale!  Can't wait to show you mo' betta photography.

Don't you love when one bargain follows another? I spent a lot of money.  But look how much I SAVED!  (Anyone else subject to this bizarre rationalization?)

I saved a bunch.

But you can't spend your way into being rich.  I don't know who orginally said this, but it always comes back to haunt me when I've had a great time spending while saving.

Hope you have a great week.  I won't be contributing to a stronger economy this week.

Later,

Linda

A Footnote About Dressing Plain Jane

What do these living rooms include that Plain Jane (previous post) did not?



ANSWER:  A Coffee Table

Here is another example of the difference between decorating and staging.  I did not use a coffee table in my staging of Plain Jane.  It may appear odd to have so much open space in the middle of the room.  The open space allows the potential buyer easy access for walking up to the many windows. We are selling the windows and the view.  Also, the open space allows this small room to appear larger.


Plain Jane after staging - Linda Beam

 Large coffee tables are very on trend.  For selling, large coffee tables literally eat square footage.

Happy Friday, y'all!

Linda