Summerland & Penticton Okanagan BC Real Estate, Homes For Sale and Revenue Properties - Raymond MAASKE: Sally Weatherley-Exit Stage Right-Vancouver BC (EXIT STAGE RIGHT)

What's Hot this Year in Home Decor?  This Vancouver Home Stager went to Investigate-Part 2

WOOD AND ROOTS – Twisted, gnarled roots are all the rage this year and serve well as bases for glass coffee tables, and console tables.  Their interesting shapes serve as a naturally beautiful but functional piece of art.  The addition of wood also gives the eye a rest from all the shiny, sparkly accessories that are de rigueur.  The combination of matte and shiny objects creates depth and interest.

NOSTALGIA – What’s old is new again.  I’m transported in time when I see an old-fashioned clock or turn-of-the-century camera or compass.  A jar of buttons or a tattered, block-printed book speak to me of my grandparents and all the good memories they evoke.  Time was slower and simpler back then.  These items make me feel good.  The store, Noir, has many of these items.  I love the stacks of old books on these bookshelves, coupled with a cloche, an old-fashioned typewriter, and whalebone.  Placing these items in a staged home would certainly speak to home buyers on a different level.

INDUSTRIAL CHIC – Yes, industrial chic is still with us.  Rustic metals, rivets, found objects from old factories – all this remains in fashion.   I love the naked, hanging Edison light bulbs. 

For more hot home decor trends for 2012, check out What's Hot this Year in Home Decor Part 1!

WHAT’S HOT THIS YEAR IN HOME DÉCOR? THIS VANCOUVER HOME STAGER WENT TO INVESTIGATE

We recently attending the Furniture Show in Las Vegas and viewed, first hand, cutting edge furniture and accessory trends. Here’s a little of what I found.

BLING – We were not disappointed. There was so much sparkle and bling, we could have used a pair of sunglasses! Not a problem, as I’m a huge fan of anything shiny that catches the light. This adds a bit of elegance, luxury and femininity to any décor. Silver mercury glass is still a hot commodity and looks lovely with a faux candle inside to make it glow.

UNDER THE SEA – The colour blue is very ‘au courrant’, especially soft sea foam blues, turquoise and aqua. Anything textural, such as coral, shells or sea sponges abound. Whether used in a bathroom or on a living room coffee table, combined with books and flowers, there always seems to be a place for sea-themed, textural items.

GLASS – Clear, shiny, ephemeral, see-through or cloudy, glass adds a certain fragile quality when combined with other more opaque objects and textures. Glass really takes off this year and is displayed in some amazing colours and forms. I love the glass curlicues and hanging glass chains.

MIRRORS AND OTHER REFLECTIVE SURFACES – Mirrors abound this year, but not just the “mirror, mirror on the wall” kind. Mirrors are also found on furniture, whether small side tables or complete mirrored armoires. Silver, hammered metals, and smooth, shiny metal surfaces in lamps and accessories add to the light and reflection in a room.

At Exit Stage Right, we'll be incorporating many of these 2012 trends into our home staging decor.  Keeping properties for sale looking fresh and up-to-date is extremely important to buyers. 

ADDING A SMILE TO VANCOUVER HOME STAGING

TRY A LITTLE WHIMSY

Adding a smile to Vancouver Home Staging – try a little whimsy!  When styling a property for sale, I don’t like to take myself too seriously.  Yes, it’s important to follow design elements and principles to achieve a well laid out, presentable home for sale.  However, adding a little bit of fun or whimsy makes properties memorable – in a good way!

I was inspired by a recent trip to the Las Vegas Furniture Market.  It seems I’m not alone, as I found many examples of items and accessories that were just a little bit quirky and fun.  Here are a few of my findings…

Ok, I might not do a whole feature wall of pigs’ noses, but a snout tucked here or there?  Why not?  Oh, and these are gilded pigs’ snouts – that adds a little bit of class, no?

We all know that it’s a good idea to send Fido to a friend’s house when showing your property, but how about a doggie replica, complete with leopard doggie bed?  If you live in a dog friendly neighbourhood, as I do, these might send just the message that dogs are welcome, with many off leash trails nearby.

Never since the Godfather movie have horse heads been so popular.  We saw many examples, in all different materials, including wood, metal, and ceramic.  Equine heads look great in a den, office of living room.  I’ll be trotting off to the store to stock up on these items!

When looking at several homes in one day, home buyers need a reprieve from the same old, same old.  We like to shake things up with a memorable item that makes home buyers smile and remember your property for sale.

TRIP THE LIGHT FANTASTIC WITH TANGERINE TANGO

PANTONE® COLOUR OF THE YEAR 

Trip the light fantastic with Tangerine Tango, Pantone’s® colour of the year.  As a Vancouver Home Stager, I know the importance of incorporating the latest and greatest colours and trends in order to keep my designs fresh and contemporary. 

On a recent trip to the Las Vegas Furniture Market, I saw a lot of this year’s colour of the Year 2012, Tangerine Tango, a vibrant, rust-orange.  This colour is fresh, juicy and punchy.  It really give a room a kick.  Used in small doses, this colour really makes a room sing and demand attention. 

I love the combination of tangerine and turquoise as shown here.  This is a very hip colour combination.  I can imagine using cushions in these colours to spice things up a bit. 

Who could possibly stay in a bad mood when sitting on this bright, sunny, happy chair!  Orange you glad I showed you Tangerine Tango?!!!

Home for the Holidays - Sutton Place Hotel - Vancouver, B.C.

Tis the season to spread joy and cheer!  This year, my Vancouver home staging company, Exit Stage Right, was honoured to be asked to participate in the 6th Annual Home for the Holidays Christmas tree event at the Sutton Place Hotel in downtown Vancouver.  Each year, designers are invited to decorate a Christmas tree.  For a small donation, the public is asked to vote for their favourite tree.  This year, all fundraising proceeds go to PALS, a school for children with Autism. 

There were about 10 decorated Christmas trees, each with a different theme.  I chose to decorate my tree and entitle it "Teddy Bear's Christmas Picnic".  I hung brown, bronze and gold ornaments, and tucked some Teddy bears into the tree, shyly peaking out from behind the boughs.  I added a picnic basket at the base of the tree, and used a tartan picnic blanket as a tree skirt. 

The Christmas trees at the Sutton Place Hotel will be on display from today until January 4, 2012.  If you find yourself humming "If You Go Down to the Woods Today..." I will know I've done my job! 

Have yourself a Beary Merry Christmas (sorry, couldn't resist)!

Welcome Laurence Smith, Realtor - Fair Realty, Victoria, B.C.

I recently invited a friend of mine, Laurence Smith, Realtor® with Fair Realty in Victoria, B.C., to join Active Rain.  Laurence and I go way back... to high school, actually.  Back then, Laurence went by the name Jon, so forgive me if I refer to Laurence as Jon (I know, it's confusing.).  Here's a photo of us at our high school reunion.  Yes, Laurence is wearing his high school T-shirt - and it fits!!!!

I first met Laurence in grade 8 at West Vancouver Secondary School.  Laurence actually grew up in Washington State, and used to have a very twangy American accent (at least that's how it sounded like to us)!  We went all the way through high school together, up until we graduated in grade 12.  Jon was one of my favourite friends in high school.  He was always so funny and easy to talk to.  He made friends easily, and seemed to breeze through school. 

After graduation, our paths didn't cross for many, many years.  Jon (I mean Laurence), eventually ended up working in West Africa and then teaching in Taiwan.  He began working in real estate in Toronto, 2002, and hasn't looked back since.  Laurence is now located in Victoria, B.C. and has been working in real estate in Victoria since 2009. 

Believe it or not, Laurence and I finally met up again at our high school reunion a few years ago - oh, no, I am not going to reveal which reunion it was!  We picked up our conversation again as if we'd just seen each other yesterday!  I had just started my staging business, and we delighted in talking "business".  Laurence and his wife are settling into a new house and calling Victoria home for the long term. 

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Laurence for your Victoria real estate needs.  He's very bright, personable, hard working, and fun. 

Now, my only pet peeve is that Laurence hasn't posted his photo yet or written a post here on Active Rain.  Can you all please help me to encourage Laurence to dive into the Active Rain puddle, where the water is warm and friendly!

ACTIVE RAIN BLOGGING TIP:  If I were to give one very important tip about blogging, it would be to add photos to your posts.  A wall of text is very off-putting, and often people will click away.  A photo or graphic will grab a reader's attention and entice them to stay longer. 

Here's how you add a photo to your post:  Click on the tree icon at the top of the post you're writing.  Click the browse button to the right of the url space (it looks like a page with a list).  Click "Choose a File" and it will take you to your computer where you keep your photos.  Double click on the photo, and press "upload" et voila.  Try it!

I Received a Referral from LA- Thanks to Active Rain!

What would you do if you received a phone call from the Real Estate Staging Association's Stager of the Year, asking if you could help out one of her family members?   Well, I'll tell you what I did.  I nearly plum well fainted!

"Hello Sally, this is Annie Pinsker-Brown calling".

"Sally?  Sally?...are you there?".

"Oh, hi, Annie", I replied weakly (remember, I'd just fainted)!  Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating just a teensy weensy little bit, but you get the idea.

Turns out Annie had a family member living in British Columbia, who wanted to sell her downtown Vancouver property, and Annie thought of me.  I first "met" Annie online, here at Active Rain.  I love the work she posts here, and can relate to her west coast style.  Eventually, I met Annie in "3D" so to speak, at the RESA Conference this past January in Vegas, where Annie won the RESA Stager of the Year, and I won the Rookie Stager of the Year for Canada.  It was a pleasure to meet Annie in person, and she really is as nice as she appears online!  

Not only was I thrilled to be styling this hip, young condo in downtown Vancouver, but I also met the Realtor, Todd Allan, who is a fantastic guy.  Turns out Todd had another townhouse he was just listing, and asked me to stage that property also.  Wouldn't you know it, with his great sales expertise, and my staging abilities, that townhouse sold very quickly for over asking!  To quote a line from the movie Casablanca, "I feel this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship"!  

Thank you Annie, thank you Todd, and thank you, Active Rain!

Here is a quick video and a few Before & After shots of the condo we staged:

Before & After Photos - Home Staging Vancouver, B.C.

My company, Exit Stage Right, had the pleasure of staging this condo for sale in the Cambie area of Vancouver.  This property was an absolute delight to stage.  The building is only three years old, and it has a lovely view of downtown Vancouver and the mountains to the North.  The finishes are high end, and there are many professionals in this building, including many in the medical profession, due to its proximity to Vancouver General Hospital. 

We sourced furniture that would fit well in a condo-sized setting, using several glass pieces to emphasize space and light.  We also made a special effort to include many textures in the accessories and furnishings, bringing in wood, rouched fabric, smooth metals, and organic materials such as grass balls. 

This condo appeared as just another generic, beige condo before staging.  After staging, the condo was vibrant, oozing with personality, charm and a dash of zen.

Here are some "Before & After" photos.

Paris Haute Couture Meets Vancouver Home Staging

When I was in Paris recently... one of my favourite past times was keeping a keen eye out for the latest in clothing fashion.  Whether through observing well dressed Parisians rushing off to work in their 4" stilettos on cobbled streets, or getting a glimpse of the latest scarf or purse as it rushed by, it was evident that Paris Haute Couture is alive and well, and living in Paris!

This window display in a clothing store in Paris certainly caught my eye.  I love the combination of the colour red with the leopard print fabric.  There's something very eye-catching and vibrant about this combination.  Since returning to Vancouver, I've actually seen leopard print everywhere, so this mode has definitely made it across the pond. 

As a Vancouver Home Stager, I look for inspiration everywhere.  I decided to take the leopard/red combination I'd seen in Paris, and apply it to a living room we recently staged.  If this interesting combination caught my eye in Paris, certainly it would have the same results in a staged home, and would catch a potential home buyer's eye, creating a memorable impression.  Here are a few before & after photos:

Grab home buyers' attention with exciting, memorable designs.  Property styling works when selling your home!

What's In A Name?  That Which We Call A Rose-Vancouver Home Staging

When I was in Paris (oops, there I go again!), I would walk down from our hotel to the local cafe for my daily cafe au lait and croissant.  Every day, I would pass this flower store on Victor Hugo street, and just looking at the display of roses would set my heart a flutter.  I had an emotional response to this flower shop.  Actually, the store didn't even sell flowers in general, but specifically, roses!  My mind wandered back to Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet play, and the quote:  What's in a name?  That which we call a rose.

Now, I don't know about where you live, but in my city, we can buy roses.  They are in the refrigorator section in a big, white, plastic tub!  Not very romantic, eh?  This shop in Paris, aptly named "Au Nom de la Rose" (In the Name of the Rose), seemed to understand the concept of retail merchandising. Every morning, the shop keeper would come out and display all the beautiful rose bouquets, cleverly crafted in rose topiaries and various beautiful arrangements.  Then she would sprinkle rose petals all over the side walk, and sweep them into carfully designed trails.  The pink banners and green painted trim of the shop echoed the colours of the roses. This display delighted my senses!

Being a Vancouver Home Stager, I couldn't help but think about how we market a home.  Do we use the "plastic bucket in the fridge" approach?  Or do we take a petal leaf out of a shop like Au Nom de la Rose, and carefully seduce our buyers, by presenting the home in a way that will speak to their emotions? 

A rose is a rose is a rose, and a house is a house is a house, so how do we differentiate our home for sale from all the other homes on the market?  With careful attention to detail, and staging the home to really capture the heart of the potential buyer.  This may be through a bistro set on the patio with an outdoor hurricane lamp and a book with sunglasses carefully placed on top.  It could be a flower arrangement placed on the coffee table, along with treasures from the sea, such as coral or driftwood, sending an organic signal. 

Yes, we are Home Stagers, but we are also Merchandisers for the Real Estate Industry, tugging at Buyers' heart strings, just as this shop tugged at mine.