Design Enthusiast's Guide: Five Dos and Don'ts of Staging Your Space
When preparing your home for listing or simply making your space more welcoming for guests, certain rules should guide your approach. And fear not, rule-breakers, there are times to go against the grain too! Each 'do' has its opposite in a 'don't'. Here are the Dos paired with their Don't counterparts. Ready to dive in? Let's get the party started...
1. Gallery Wall: Artistic Expression vs Personal Exhibition
DO: Curate a gallery wall with tasteful images, artwork, or textiles.
DON'T: Fill the gallery with personal photos of you, your family, friends, or pets.
A thoughtfully assembled gallery wall can inject personality into your home without becoming overly personal. You want guests and potential buyers to appreciate your style, not wonder about your personal life or aspire to steal your hairstyle.
2. Accent Walls: Showcasing Style vs Overdoing It
DO: Feature an accent wall or area to express your unique style.
DON'T: Paint an entire room in your favorite color, or scatter too many accent walls throughout your home.
Accent walls can exhibit your flair and suggest to a potential buyer that they, too, can stamp their style onto the home. However, going overboard might suggest a scattered design approach and deter buyers or guests. Keep it tastefully balanced.
3. Throw Pillows: Comfort vs Clutter
DO: Decorate with fun, vibrant throw pillows.
DON'T: Overwhelm your couch or bed with an excess of throw pillows.
Throw pillows can bring a room to life, but overdoing it can make your space look cluttered. Swap out your pillows periodically to keep the look fresh. Also, keep them clean and fresh-smelling — nothing puts off guests like a throw pillow that smells like a wet dog or a diaper-clad toddler!
4. Ambient Scents: Pleasant vs Pungent
DO: Infuse your home with a light, pleasant scent.
DON'T: Overwhelm with intense fragrances or use too many different scents simultaneously.
Everyone has different scent preferences, so opt for lighter, universally appealing scents like vanilla, lavender, or sandalwood. Intense or overly personalized smells can make your space uncomfortable for some guests or potential buyers.
5. Floral Arrangements: Enhancing vs Overloading
DO: Adorn your home with flowers, using one or two types per arrangement.
DON'T: Create large bouquets with a chaotic mix of different flowers.
While flowers and greenery are a must for home staging or entertaining, too many varieties can be distracting and make your color palette appear too busy. Keep it simple and enhance your space, rather than detract from it.
Remember, the key is to embrace your style in your space while ensuring it's calming and welcoming, rather than overly busy. Your life may be busy, but your home doesn't have to reflect that! Here's to making all our design dreams come true… tastefully.
Hello, Dallas homeowners and future homeowners! Jillian Ihloff here, bringing you yet another invaluable piece of advice to make your home buying or selling experience exceptional. You know me for my expert insights on staging, curb appeal, and market trends, but today I'm diving into something often overlooked yet incredibly crucial—home scenting.
Hello everyone! Can you believe Labor Day is just around the corner? Whether you're staying at home or planning to soak up the sun elsewhere, I've got some fabulous suggestions for making the most out of this holiday. So let's dive in!
Hey everyone! Today I'm shifting gears from real estate and design to share something that is uber important in any home—the kitchen magic! I want to give you a super special recipe that’s close to my heart: our family crepes. This is the kind of meal that evokes nostalgia, is incredibly versatile, and best of all, puts smiles on faces (which is an actual ingredient, by the way).
Almost a year ago I began preparing myself mentally for a milestone birthday. Having three kiddos and also working, I knew this would take epic planning and the timing would have to be absolutely perfect to make take it from a dream to a reality. Last week I am excited (and sad) to report that I arrived back from the location of a lifetime! Rome, Florence, Venice, Slovenia and then Croatia. I was blessed to spend three incredible weeks in six different hotels very specifically chosen with who I am in mind. It was very important to me to stay at smaller boutique hotels and visit restaurants that someone who lives in that location would take their grandmother for a meal (because we all know how brutally honest grandparents can be).
Hello, dear readers! I am thrilled to share with you an exciting feature that recently appeared in the Dallas Morning News. The article, penned by the talented Mitchell Parton, shines a spotlight on a unique real estate development project that I am proud to be a part of. As a Tulsa native who recently moved to Dallas, I am excited to be the listing agent for a project that is transforming a 2,000-acre ranch in Fort Towson, Oklahoma, into a private haven for those seeking solitude and tranquility. The Hollow Point Ranch , as it is known, is a mere two-and-a-half-hour drive from downtown Dallas and is poised to become a sanctuary for those desiring a quiet second property. We are selling 50 parcels of land, each spanning 5 acres and listed for $495,000. These parcels are not just for individuals looking to build homes; investors are also welcome to participate. The community is being designed as a "place of refuge" with modern amenities such as fiber internet, an on-site water tower, and well water. As I put it in the article, "If everything hits the fan, you're going to be able to have a place to go. They can have a place to just breathe."
Just as with fashion, there are fleeting trends and timeless classics in the realm of interior design and décor. Candles shaped like busts or cats might be all the rage today, but their popularity will likely wane. Chinoiserie, on the other hand, has an enduring appeal. The golden rule? Stay true to your style and create a space that fills you with joy each time you enter it. That said, if you're in the process of selling your home, exercise a bit more restraint with personal touches that might not appeal to every prospective buyer.
Summer is synonymous with sunshine, vacations, cherished memories, and relaxation. Longing for the feel of summer throughout the year, or just looking to freshen up for the season? Here are some ideas:
As we brace ourselves for the scorching Texan summer, not only does the heat intensify but so do buyers' expectations. They envision homes that exude brilliance both inside and out. Raises hand This is where your trusty realtor (yours truly) steps in to assist. So, let's talk about the star of today's show: curb appeal.
