Category Archives: Home Staging

Is Self Storage The Answer?

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unit storage

Photo © Depositphotos.com / Andrea Crisante

The Self Storage Association’s 2013 Fact Sheet presents some staggering statistics regarding the self storage “epidemic”:

  • Approximately 1 out of every 10 U.S. households currently rents a self-storage unit (which translates into 21 square feet of self storage space per household)
  • Self storage facilities report an average 85% occupancy rate
  • 30% of self storage renters have rented their unit for more than 2 years

On more than one occasion, I’ve had a client who has wondered whether a self storage unit might be an appropriate solution to decluttering their home. My answer?  I believe that self storage can be a smart solution in certain circumstances…those that involve a circumscribed time frame with a clear end date. For example, I may suggest self storage for staging clients who have an excessive amount of furniture, clothing, and household items that need “edited out” in order for their property to show well while on the market.

When to Consider a Self Storage Unit

Self storage can also be quite useful for people who are “between homes”, such as those who are building a home and have had to vacate their former home before the new home is ready for occupancy. Another situation where a self storage unit may come in handy is during a major home renovation, in order to protect your belongings from the inevitable construction dust storm. For those who are temporarily moving cross country or overseas as a consequence of a job transfer or military deployment, self storage is a great solution for temporarily housing your belongings.

Situations Where a Self Storage in NOT a Good Solution

self storage

Photo © Depositphotos.com / Andrea Crisante

When is self storage a bad idea? When you are using it as a cop out for avoiding the hard work associated with decluttering.  When you simply don’t feel like making the tough decisions about what should stay or what should go. When you don’t have a clear endpoint in mind for when you will remove the items out of storage.

There is a cost associated with keeping and storing things, whether it’s in your own home or somewhere else. The typical rent for a 10×10 (non-climate controlled) storage unit is $115/month. That’s a pretty hefty price to pay for storing items that you may use someday…that you don’t necessary use or like.

One of my clients recently decided to clear out her storage unit that she’d kept in excess of 12 years.  It was heartbreaking to learn that the vast majority of the contents consisted of items that she did not need or want.  Since she hadn’t accessed the unit in several years, she didn’t even remember what was in the majority of the boxes. She estimated the total cost of storing her unit “full of junk” to be somewhere in the vicinity of $13,000 over the course of those 12 years.

Don’t let this be you.

Want to learn more about Natalie Gallagher or Refined Rooms?  Visit www.RefinedRoomsLLC.com or connect via: Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | LinkedIn

Solutions for “Ugly Mirrored Closet Door” Syndrome

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Mirrored Closet Doors Cover

A client recently hired me to revamp her master closet and dressing area, in preparation for putting her home on the market later in the year.  She’s a savvy homeowner who plans to invest in a few key updates in order to make her property (which was built in the early 70’s) as appealing as possible to buyers.  This area of her home boasts several great features, including this built-in storage area:

Closet built-ins

An element of the space that will NOT appeal to buyers in its current state would be the floor-to-ceiling smoky-mirrored closet doors:

Mirrored Closet Doors

In order to stage this space properly for resale, those doors have to go.  Our budget would not allow for new doors; therefore, we explored several potential creative fixes. One solution was to utilize some type of wall covering to transform the doors, such as this awesome grass cloth example:

doorside

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After conducting a Pinterest search, we came across this brilliant idea of employing some type of opaque window film to create a more updated look, working with the mirror instead of covering it up:

frosted design

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After we made the decision to remove the central shelving unit from the closet to maximize hang space, we realized that neither of these solutions will work for our situation, since the existing doors would not close off the entire length of the closet. Back to the drawing board!

Like it has in so many previous Refined Rooms projects, Ikea comes to the rescue with a low-cost solution for our closet door woes (oh, when will Northeast Ohio get an Ikea store?)

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I’ve most often seen Ikea’s panel curtains used to replace hideous vertical blinds, but they can also be used as a room divider, as well as in place of a door to hide open storage. Ikea offers 18 different panel designs, ranging in price from $4.99 to $14.99 per panel.  For this particular project, the total cost of panels and hardware comes to around $80…significantly less than new doors.

The client was sold on this solution immediately and will be ordering and installing the panel curtains in the coming weeks. I promise to post the “after” photos when the closet makeover is complete. Until then, I’ll leave you with this visual…

ikea panels

Is there a place for Ikea panel curtains in your home? Hop on over to their website and check out all of the snazzy designs they have available.  Maybe one of them is right for your space.

Interested in learning more about Natalie Gallagher or Refined Rooms? Visit RefinedRoomsLLC.com.

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.

effortless lighting updates 1

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.

Effortless Lighting Updates

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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.

effortless lighting updates 2

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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:

effortless lighting updates 3

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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.

hollywood fixture conversion kit

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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.

effortless lighting updates 4

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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

Refined Product Best Pick: Grandin Road’s Andros Sliding Trunk

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As a new component of the blog, I will be featuring Refined Product “Best Picks”– products, furniture, accessories, and organizing tools that perfectly fuse form and function.
 

Today’s Best Pick is the Andros Sliding Trunk, brought to you by Grandin Road.  This fabulous piece can function equally well as a bench (at the foot of your bed, in an entryway) or as an ottoman.  Of course, any piece of furniture that is multifunctional and provides storage is a winner in my book!
 

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The Andros Sliding Trunk also boasts a clever design. Have you ever had to access the contents of your ottoman, and been annoyed that you have to remove everything on top prior to opening it? Not with this piece. Simply slide the lid tops to each side without moving a thing. Genius! It even comes with a removable wood tray that sits inside the interior track.
 
If you are looking to introduce a coastal vibe into your space and are in need of additional storage, this piece is a must-have!
 

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

 

Look to Pinterest, Houzz, and Zillow Digs for Interior Decorating Inspiration

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I’m sure many of you have engaged in the “old school” method for drawing inspiration for a home decorating project…thumbing through home decor catalogs/magazines and tearing out the pages that contain appealing images…

Design Inspiration1

How many of you have file folders filled with catalog and home decor magazine pages collected over the years?  These pages may contain images of the perfect color palette for your master suite; or perhaps those files contain a great example of just the right furniture configuration for your family room, or an innovative window treatment idea.
The digital age has brought about an evolution in the way we research and gather information across all aspects of our lives, including interior design.  Today, I’ll share my top two online resources for interior design inspiration.  As a bonus, I’ll introduce a promising new resource to keep your eye on as well.

Pinterest

Pinterest came on the scene just a 3 short years ago, and is currently the 4th most popular social media website in the world.  In case you aren’t familiar with it, Pinterest is an online pin board…essentially a digital version of your file folder containing ripped out magazine pages.  A “pin” is a link to an image or video that a user has added to Pinterest.  Users can add a pin from a website or upload an image directly from their computer.  Any pin on Pinterest can be repinned, and all pins link back to their source on the web.

Pinterest boards are used to organize your pins by topic. You could pin ideas for bathroom paint color and faucets to your Bathroom Renovation board, for example. Boards can be secret or public, and you can invite other people to pin with you on any of your boards.  Here’s a screenshot containing some of my Pinterest boards:

Design Inspiration2

When you follow someone on Pinterest, their pins show up in your Pinterest home feed. You can follow all of someone’s boards or just the ones you like best.  Not only do I use Pinterest as a mechanism for capturing general design ideas, I also create project-specific boards for client projects that the client and I can use to communicate ideas, share product/sourcing  information, etc.  It has become an indispensable tool in my business.

Click here to link to my Pinterest Boards

Houzz

Houzz is the the largest collection of interior design and decorating ideas on the Internet.  Word of warning:   when you enter this website, you will be engulfed in a sea of home decor eye candy!  Most of the image collections that are posted on Houzz represent the work portfolios of interior designers, decorators, and home stagers.

Houzz users can gain inspiration by browsing images sorted by room type and design style.  They can post to discussion boards to ask for or offer advice concerning their own specific design dilemmas.  They can source products that are featured in room design images, and even research local design professionals in their area.

 Design Inspiration3

Similar to the Pinterest board, Houzz enables it’s users to organize their curated images into categories via “Ideabooks” that can be shared with others to facilitate collaboration on a particular project.

Click here to take a look at my Houzz Ideabooks
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ZILLOW DIGS

You may be familiar with Zillow, a popular search website for real estate listings and real estate market information.  They’ve recently introduced Zillow Digs, an online community for home design ideas and inspiration.  Similar to Pinterest and Houzz, this site lets you browse images and save them to idea boards. You can search by style cost, and room type.   But Zillow Digs boasts one unique feature…it  provides an estimated cost for the project.  I am looking forward to exploring this site in greater detail in the coming months.

Design Inspriation4

So there you have it.  My short list of “go to” websites to get my creative juices flowing when embarking on a new redesign/home staging project.  How about you?  Do you have any great online resources to add to the mix?  If so, please share in the comments section below.

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

 

What to Consider When Selecting Exterior Light Fixtures

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When we purchased our new spec home over 8 years ago, it came with mostly builder-grade features that we’ve worked diligently over the years to replace/upgrade. This fall, the exterior light fixtures finally made it to the top of our “Replace/Upgrade list”.

exterior lights before

One of the easiest ways to freshen up a home’s exterior is to replace dated, tired light fixtures. This is true whether you are staging your home to sell, or you simply can’t stand looking at the hideous builder-grade fixtures that came with your home one minute longer!  When this task finally made it to the front burner of our Home Improvement List, I set out on my quest to find the perfect replacement fixtures. I’m really happy with the choice we made!  Here’s a close up photo of the old and new fixtures:

Exterior Lights Before After

Quite an improvement, don’t you think? So what considerations should you keep in mind when shopping for wall-mounted exterior lights? I’m so glad you asked…

Mounting Height

As you begin your search, keep in mind that the ideal vertical placement of exterior fixtures should be slightly above eye level and below the top of your front door. If your junction box (i.e., the location where the light is installed to the wall) is located high on the wall, then you will want to select a fixture in which the fixture body falls below the junction box (like the “After” photo above).

Color/Style

When it comes to selecting a color/style of fixture, take cues from your home’s architectural features and color palette. No matter how much you are personally drawn to a particular style of light, it must be consistent with the style of your home (e.g., coastally inspired fixtures belong on a coastal home).  For example, I selected oil-rubbed bronze fixtures since they relate to the finish of our door hardware, as well as the copper roof that is adjacent to the front door. The simple, classic lines of the new fixture are also consistent with our home’s transitional style.

Size

The most common mistake people make is to select lights that are undersized. Don’t assume that the builder-installed fixture is the correct size for you home, since they often install smaller fixtures in order to cut costs. A good rule of thumb for the front door area is to select a fixture that is 1/3 the height of the door if there is only one light, and 1/4 the height of the door if there is a set of lights flanking the door.

Illumination

Finally, you need to consider the degree of illumination produced by the fixture(s). When making your selection, pay attention to the number and wattage of light bulbs that the fixture requires, as well as the type of glass (clear vs. opaque vs. seeded) it features.  All of these features will determine how much light is produced by the fixture.

exterior lights after

Some of my favorite sources for exterior lighting include: Shades of Light, Wayfair, Bellacor, Lighting Universe, and Lamps Plus.  These online stores have a vast selection of on trend lighting (relative to what you will find in your local Big Box home improvement stores), and they typically offer free shipping.
One final tip to keep in mind after you install your fixtures…be sure to use a clear silicone caulk to seal the perimeter of the fixture, in order to prevent moisture, insects, etc. from entering the junction box.  It appears that our builder skipped this step.  As a consequence, we had to contend with rusted out hardware and a beehive during the installation process.
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