Monthly Archives: March 2014

Update Your Outdated Light Fixtures: No Electrician Necessary!

As an Akron/Canton home stager, one of the most common recommendations that I find myself making during the staging consultation process is to replace outdated light fixtures. Outdated builder-grade light fixtures do nothing to enhance the appeal of a property.

Homeowners are sometimes reluctant to follow through on this recommendation because they don’t want to incur the cost of an electrician to install new fixtures, or deal with drywall patching and other minor repairs that often go along with the process of replacing a fixture.

Fortunately, there are a variety of relatively pain-free options for dealing with this home staging challenge. Today, I will highlight four of these options:

1. Spray paint your existing fixture

If your lighting fixture is of the dated brass finish variety, but has “good bones” so to speak, then spray painting it may be your best option. All you have to do is head on over to Pinterest and do a quick search for light fixture painting tutorials, and you will have all of the information that you need to pull off this easy D.I.Y. project. For instance, check out this step-by-step guide at Folk Lifestyle.

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2. Change out the shades

If you have a chandelier that screams 1993, it may simply be time to change out the chandelier shades. Replacing traditional bell-shaped shades with a more contemporary drum shade in a neutral color such as the one featured below can sometimes make all the difference.

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3. Use a conversion kit

Many home improvement stores now offer various conversion kits that make changing the look of your light fixture a snap. For example, many popular home decor sites such as Ballard Designs and Home Decorators Collection sell conversion kits that enable you to easily transform a recessed light into a pendant light:

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Got “Hollywood-style” bathroom fixtures? Despite the name, this type of fixture is anything BUT glamorous! Lowes offers the Vanity Light Refresh Conversion Kit to remedy this common eyesore.

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4. Install a wireless LED light

Another option for adding on trend lighting in your home is the use of wireless LED lights that can be installed anywhere and requires no wiring. You could remove your old light fixture and simply place this new one on top of the fixture mounting plate. This option is also great for creating additional lighting in a room in which the current lighting is inadequate.

This fixture sold in the Improvements Catalog requires 2 D-size batteries includes a remote control wall switch so you can turn it on and off just like a standard light.

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Bottom line: if you are selling your home (or just want to freshen it up a bit), there’s no need to be intimidated by the process of updating those fixtures any longer!

Want to learn more about Natalie Gallagher or Refined Rooms? Visit Refinedroomsllc.com

Become an Organized Maxxinista! Shop T.J. Maxx for Inexpensive Organizing Tools

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Part of the job description of a professional organizer is to know where to buy various organizing products for the best possible price. When you’re in search of containers and tools for corraling your clutter and maximizing your space, some typical places that you might shop for these items include Target, The Container Store, and Lowes. But did you ever think to scour the back aisles of your local T.J. Maxx? You might be very surprised at the treasure trove of organizing goodies you will find.

Of course, there are the “usual suspects” that you might expect to find, like this smorgasbord of attractive baskets. The possibilities for organizing with open-top baskets such as these are endless:

Looking for a way to contain your kids’ toys in a stylish way? Why not pick up a few of these large containers…

Now for the unexpected…

Search those back aisles and you will discover organizing products for every room in your home! For example, in the aisle featured above, I spied a rack to use in the kitchen cupboard for vertical storage of cookie sheets/cutting boards, a drawer organizer for dressers, a shoe organizer (this product offers a universe of organizing possibilities), as well as a closet organizer for sweater storage. Can you say SCORE?!?

So let’s say you are in the process of organizing your bedroom. What might you uncover at T.J. Maxx that would be useful for your project? Let’s start out with your closet. Non-slip hangers are a must for maximizing space in a small closet. In fact, these hangers made my “Top 10 List of Organizing Products”.

If you are a regular reader of the Refined Rooms blog, you may remember these cute little numbers that were featured as part of the Refined Product Best Pick series. These jewelry and scarf organizers might come in handy as part of your closet organization process as well.

You might also find bed risers and under the bed storage containers; these tools would enable you to take advantage of the square footage under your bed for storing off-season clothing, or other items that you access infrequently.

The Cap Rack is another useful gadget for organizing baseball hats in your bedroom closet (or on the back of any door or wall space for that matter).

Got a kitchen organizing project in your future? Move one aisle over at T.J. Maxx and you may uncover some hidden gems, such as these plastic dry goods containers for your pantry (although I would recommend avoiding the round containers and selecting the square/rectangular containers instead, since they waste significantly less space).

I must say that my heart went pitter patter when I discovered one of my absolute favorite kitchen organizing tools…Fridge and Freezer Binz! Compartmentalizing the food in your fridge and freezer is an easy, yet super effective way to facilitate finding the items that you need quickly.

Here’s another nifty kitchen clutter control tool…an over-the-cabinet basket. I love to free up drawer space in the kitchen by using the backs of cabinet doors for storage. This tool makes it easy. (I actually purchased one of these to use in my bathroom to store my hair dryer and flat iron).

Last, but not least, are these colorful sets of drawer organizers, which can be used to organize virtually any drawer in your home. As the packaging states, they “make organizing as easy as 1, 2, 3.”!

So go ahead and explore your local T.J. Maxx (or Marshalls for that matter, since they are basically the same store) and report back to share the treasures you discover on your hunt for inexpensive organizing products.

Want to learn more about Natalie Gallagher or Refined Rooms? Visit RefinedRoomsLLC.com

Go Under the Bed to Uncover Hidden Storage Potential

Bed Risers

The most common way to render “under the bed” a useful space is to raise your bed off the floor a bit. I’ve seen people use wood blocks or even cinder blocks to elevate their bed. Did you know that there’s actually a product that is made specifically for this purpose?

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You can purchase a set of bed risers at almost any of the major retail stores. They come in varying heights and are typically made of plastic or wood. The one featured above comes with a bonus electrical outlet. Fancy!

Captain’s Bed

Looking for a great storage solution for a small bedroom? Perhaps a captain’s bed is the answer. These beds boast built-in drawers beneath the frame that make use of the space between the floor and the bed frame. The captain’s bed can eliminate the need for a dresser or chest of drawers in your bedroom, which will make the room feel more spacious.

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There are so many cute captain’s beds for kid’s spaces available today. Many of them offer open cubby spaces in addition to closed (drawer) storage, like this one:

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Murphy Bed

Need a place for the occasional house guest to sleep, but don’t have the luxury of a designated guest room in your home? The murphy bed is the ideal solution for you. What is it you ask? A murphy bed is a bed that is hinged at one end to store vertically against the wall, or inside of a closet or cabinet.
Pull it out when you need it on those few occasions during the year:

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…and push it back up and out of the way when the bed is not in use. Voila – instant square footage! This particular brand gets an A+ for clever design. Did you notice that the bed support doubles as a desk/work area?

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Storage Bed

It looks like a typical upholstered bed, right?

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Wait for it…

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Ta da! How’s that for the unexpected? a storage bed such as this one can yield up to about 50 extra square feet of storage space. Not too shabby, eh?

Moral of the story – if you are pressed for space, don’t overlook the wealth of opportunity that lies underneath your beds. Got another way that you utilize your under-the-bed space? I’d love to hear about it. Be sure to leave a comment below.

Your Home… Refined

Tips and Resources to Help Homeowners Create a Home that's Organized, Stylish, and Sellable

Monthly Archives: March 2014

Update Your Outdated Light Fixtures: No Electrician Necessary!

1. Spray paint your existing fixture

2. Change out the shades

3. Use a conversion kit

4. Install a wireless LED light

Become an Organized Maxxinista! Shop T.J. Maxx for Inexpensive Organizing Tools

Go Under the Bed to Uncover Hidden Storage Potential

Bed Risers

Captain’s Bed

Murphy Bed

Storage Bed

Want to learn more about Natalie Gallagher and Refined Rooms?

Visit RefinedRoomsLLC.com