Increase your Vacation Rental Income and Bookings with Home Staging
Did you know that you can increase your vacation rental income and bookings with home staging?
Home staging highlights the positive and downplays the negative aspects of homes for sale. A professional stager creates a look and atmosphere that buyers make an emotional connection with and they want to buy through decorating and market research. It’s the emotional connection that cinches the deal. Sellers then market their properties to attract buyers online with great photos of their beautifully staged home.
The same principles work with vacation rental properties such as Bed and Breakfasts, and other rental units.
“Whether you have investments in multiple apartment buildings, a few vacation properties or a single apartment in your basement, you can’t afford to have vacancies” says internationally recognized home stager Debra Gould, the Staging Diva.
“As a landlord, have you considered hiring a professional home stager to enhance the appeal of your rental units? If you have a property to rent, you should make a call to an expert home stager as soon as a tenant vacates the premises” says Gould in her article “Home Staging Boosts Demand for Rental Properties”.
After deciding who your ideal customer is, Home Staging can update the look of your rental to reflect your brand, appeal to your ideal customer and justify the price you want to charge.
Staging helps you get great photos for your online advertising that attract your ideal guests, increase your rental price and get more bookings.
I staged this property that had been a rental unit for the owner to sell. After listing it, they realized they could make more money by keeping it as a rental and used the staging and great photos to increase their income and bookings instead. After listing it on Airbnb and other sites, it created a buzz and generated more interest than other neighboring properties in the same area, increasing their rental price, income and bookings from what it had previously brought in as a rental unit before staging.
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Increase Your Vacation Rental Income And Bookings Today
I can help you make it happen. Start with a Vacation Rental consultation.
Maximize Your Home’s Value: Why Online Professional Staging Beats DIY Every Time
Considering selling your home and tempted to handle the staging on your own to save money? While it’s possible, consulting a professional stager could significantly boost your final sale price. Expert insights can make all the difference.
Online home staging consultations open doors to collaborating with top-notch stagers, regardless of your location or the absence of local experts. Experience the magic of expert advice, no matter where you are.
Benefits of an Online Home Staging Consultation.
An online home staging consultation, as opposed to an in-person consultation, offers several distinct advantages:
Convenience: Clients can easily schedule sessions at times that work best for them, without needing to coordinate for a physical meeting.
Safety: Especially in situations where health concerns (like pandemics) are prevalent, online consultations reduce risks associated with personal interactions.
Accessibility: Clients from any geographic location can access top-notch professionals, not just those located nearby.
Cost-Effective: Often, online consultations can be less expensive as there are no travel expenses or time associated with commuting.
Flexibility: It’s easier to reschedule or adjust appointment times without the hassle of considering commute or travel disruptions.
Documentation: Virtual consultations can be recorded (with permission), allowing homeowners to review advice and instructions as needed.
Immediate Implementation: Clients can start making recommended changes right after the consultation.
Eco-friendly: Reduces carbon footprint as there’s no need for vehicular transportation.
Comfort: Being in the comfort of one’s own home can make the consultation less intimidating and more relaxed for some clients.
Efficiency: Digital tools can be employed during the consultation, like screen sharing, which can help in showing visuals, designs, or examples instantly.
However, it’s worth noting that while online consultations offer many benefits, in-person consultations can provide a tactile and immediate understanding of space, which might be preferred by some clients or specific projects.
Home Staging by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design.
Benefits of Doing a Home Staging Consultation with a Professional versus Self Staging
Home Staging by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design.
Opting for an online consultation with a professional stager, as opposed to self-staging based on personal preferences, has multiple advantages:
Expert Insight: Professional stagers have the training and experience to identify a home’s strengths and weaknesses, ensuring the best features are highlighted.
Objective View: Homeowners may be emotionally attached to their property and its decor. A professional provides an unbiased perspective, focusing on broad buyer appeal rather than personal tastes.
Cost-Effective: While there’s an upfront fee, investing in a professional consultation can lead to a higher sale price, often compensating for the initial outlay and reducing potential lost profits from price reductions.
Current Market Trends: Stagers are updated on the latest home design and buyer trends, ensuring the home appeals to the contemporary buyer’s preferences.
Space Optimization: A professional can suggest layouts and designs that make rooms appear larger and more functional, maximizing the potential of every space.
Resource Recommendations: Professional stagers often have a list of trusted vendors, from furniture rental companies to painters, which can be invaluable for homeowners.
Efficiency: Based on their experience, professional stagers can quickly identify solutions, saving homeowners time and effort.
Avoid Common Mistakes: Without professional guidance, homeowners might over-personalize or clutter spaces. Stagers help prevent such pitfalls.
Enhanced Online Appeal: In the digital age, property listings often start online. Stagers know how to create spaces that photograph well, increasing online interest.
Psychological Impact: Stagers understand the psychology of buyers and create spaces that evoke feelings of warmth, comfort, and potential.
Flexibility & Convenience: Online consultations can be scheduled at the homeowner’s convenience and provide actionable advice without the need for in-person visits.
Value Proposition: A well-staged home differentiates itself in the market, especially in areas with many similar property listings.
Boosts Confidence: Having the endorsement of a professional can boost a seller’s confidence in their property’s presentation during showings and open houses.
While self-staging might seem like a cost-saving approach, the expertise and insights of a professional stager, even in an online format, can yield a swifter sale and often a better return on investment.
Home Staging by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design.
Ready to get a better sales price on your home?
Get your online home staging consultation or staging service today. For in person consultations or staging, call for a custom quote.
5 Steps to Attract Your Ideal Customer and Increase Your Vacation Rental Income
Would you like to attract your ideal customer and increase your vacation rental income? Whether you have a Bed and Breakfast or other vacation rental, it is important to have your property stand out online to attract the guests you want and make the income you want. Learn more by listening to this interview with Mary Ann Benoit on Seward Public Radio’s “Market Minute” with Nicole Lawrence.
These five tips can dramatically increase your Bed and Breakfast or vacation rental income and bookings and attract your ideal guests! I used home staging to make a huge difference at my own B&B and at least doubled my income and bookings. Now my branding attracts guests I love to have stay. Report includes video examples. Download your report now. Price: $4.99.
People often struggle with creating a great color scheme. Often, we start the conversation by talking about the limitations, or the box of colors you need to play with based on your fixed finishes.
In my last article, Celebrate Your Favorite Color- Go Monochromatic, we talked about how you could take your favorite color and celebrate it in all it’s glory with a monochromatic color scheme. Simple and easy!
What if you would like a little more color variety, but still want something that is simple and easy to create? Go analogous!
Analogous color schemes are based on three hues that are next to each other on the color wheel. They are friendly neighbors, they like each other and play well together:)
Analogous colors are harmonious and often found in nature.
Example of an analogous color scheme found in nature.
Why does it work? They go well together because one of the three colors is usually a combination of the other two as with the red, yellow and orange peppers above.
Analogous schemes offer more color variety than monochromatic schemes while still retaining that harmonious and often serene quality, although it can also be more dramatic too based on the hues you use. It is also a simple scheme to create by using your color wheel and picking three adjacent colors that you like.
Which three adjacent colors are your favorites?
MY favorite color training course, Camp Chroma.
For example, in my last article, I created a monochromatic design using blues and blue/purples around the range of 250-270 on the color wheel.
Monochromatic Blue color scheme. Edesign by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design.
If I wanted to take this monochromatic design, and create a more analogous scheme, I could go clockwise around the color wheel and add the neighbors of blue in including purple and red-purple. Or, I could go counter-clockwise and add blue-green and green.
I could also pick neighbors on either side and add purple and blue green. Let’s play.
Analogous Color Scheme #1
This design starts with our base blue as in the sofas and moves counter-clockwise along the color wheel to include blue greens and greens. I set the tone for this design with a new rug in blue green and then changed the paint color, lamps, side chairs and some of the accessories. I maintained the sofas and art as the anchor of the main blue color I wanted to harmonize with.
This design still maintains a calm, serene feeling similar to the original monochromatic scheme, but feels a little richer and warmer with the greens and blue greens.
Analogous color scheme and Edesign by Northern Lights Home Staging and DesignAnalogous color scheme and Edesign by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design
Fractal Art
This design, as with the monochromatic design, incorporates some of my original fractal art in a collection called “The Sea”, which reminded me of white caps on the ocean and also uses variety of blue shades.
The Sea The Sea #2 The Sea #3
Analogous Color Scheme #2
In this case, I again maintained the blue sofas as the base color from the previous design and went clockwise around the color wheel to include purple and red/purple.
I found a nice rug that contained the 3 main colors I wanted to work with to tie everything together. Then I switched the paint color, lamps, one accent pillow and some of the art to bring in some of the other colors.
This design is a little more dramatic due to the deep, rich moody wall color and the high contrast of colors against the white background of the rug. I still think it looks calm and relaxing too.
Analogous Color Scheme #2. Edesign by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design
Fractal Art
Here is some fractal art I designed that could be used in this design. My Forest Floor designs were inspired by colors in the boreal forest here in Alaska which have a lot of water in them (streams, ponds, rivers, lakes), thus the blues. The purples represent many of our purple wildflowers. Mystery is a mystery…..use your imagination of what it means to you.
Forest Floor #3 Mystery Fractal Art Forest Floor #4
Benefits of an Analogous Color Scheme
Analogous color schemes use colors that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel. These schemes offer a harmonious and visually pleasing palette. Here are the benefits of using an analogous color scheme:
Harmony and Cohesiveness: Analogous colors have a natural harmony because they share common color components. This results in a unified and cohesive look that’s easy on the eyes.
Subtle Contrasts: While the colors in an analogous scheme are similar, there are still subtle contrasts that can be used to highlight or differentiate design elements.
Versatility: Analogous colors can be adapted to both vibrant and muted tones, offering flexibility in setting the mood or theme of a design.
Richness and Depth: Using several shades and tints of a color range adds richness and depth to designs.
Natural and Comforting: Analogous color schemes often mimic how colors appear in nature, making them inherently familiar and comforting to the human eye.
Easy Color Matching: It’s easier to match colors within an analogous palette because they share similar undertones, reducing the risk of clashing hues.
Reduced Visual Tension: Analogous colors create a more relaxed visual experience because there’s a lack of high contrast between the colors.
Flexibility in Highlighting: One can easily highlight an element by choosing a color from either end of the analogous range, making it slightly more vibrant or darker than the surrounding hues.
Aesthetic Appeal: This type of color scheme tends to be naturally pleasing and aesthetically appealing because of its harmonious nature. An analogous color scheme can look richer and add more color diversity and interest than a monochromatic color scheme.
Enhanced Mood Setting: Due to their close relation, analogous colors can be effectively used to evoke specific moods or feelings, like warmth (reds, oranges, yellows) or calmness (blues, greens). These are really nice for living rooms, dining rooms and bedrooms. Analogous color schemes can also be more dramatic based on the hues you select, placement of colors and how saturated they are.
While analogous color schemes offer many advantages, it’s essential to ensure adequate contrast within designs to avoid them becoming monotonous or washed out. Using a neutral color or even a complementary color in small amounts can help add interest and break up the scheme.
Celebrate Your Favorite Colors
Imagine stepping into your space where every hue resonates with your spirit. It’s not just a room; it’s a reflection of you – a haven of happiness and tranquility. In a world where everything aligns, your surroundings uplift and rejuvenate you. When your home mirrors your essence, harmony is effortless.
Purchase an Aligned Design or Color Consultation today.
Crafting the perfect color palette can be a daunting task for many. Often, the starting point revolves around fixed finishes and certain constraints. In my recent blog posts, we’ve delved into constructing color schemes from a favorite hue, like blue. We’ve explored monochromatic and analogous palettes, and today, we’re diving into complementary color schemes.
Complementary colors are a pairing of hues that sit opposite each other on the color wheel. When juxtaposed, they amplify each other’s vibrancy and intensity. The beauty of complementary colors lies in their mutual ability to enhance one another’s brilliance.
Blue and Yellow glass from Creative Commons CC0.
Complementary color schemes, offer several benefits when used in design:
Visual Contrast: The stark contrast between complementary colors makes each hue stand out distinctly, creating an eye-catching and vibrant look.
Balanced Visual Stimulation: Complementary colors provide a sense of balance; one color might be warm (like red) while its complementary color is cool (like green).
Enhanced Vibrancy: When placed next to each other, complementary colors can make each other appear brighter and more vivid.
Versatility: Complementary color schemes can be adapted to fit various moods and styles. For a bold and energetic look, you can use the colors in their full saturation. For a more subdued and harmonious look, you can use toned-down versions of the colors.
Focus and Attention: Because of their contrast, complementary colors can be used to draw attention to specific elements in a design or space.
Harmony: Even though they’re opposites on the color wheel, complementary colors inherently work well together and create a harmonious design.
Flexibility in Decor: A complementary color scheme allows for flexibility. For instance, if you have a room with predominantly blue decor, introducing some orange accents (like pillows, art, or rugs) can instantly invigorate the space.
Depth and Dimension: In art, especially painting, complementary colors can be used to create depth, with one color serving as a shadow or highlight against its opposite.
Enhancement of Features: Complementary colors can be used to make features stand out. For example, putting orange flowers in a blue vase draws attention to the arrangement and makes both colors pop.
The key to a successful complementary color scheme is balance. Use in moderation and pair with neutral tones to provide a visual rest.
Complementary colors can create interesting optical illusions. For example, if you stare at a square of color for thirty seconds to a minute, and then look at a white paper or wall, you will briefly see an afterimage of the square in its complementary color. Try it with this blue square and see if you see an after image of yellow.
Why does it work? Leonardo da Vinci observed that the finest color harmonies were those between colors exactly opposed. Maybe that is where the saying opposites attract came from?
It’s opposite or compliment on the color wheel is yellow, which ranges from Yellow/red to Green/Yellow and can have varying degrees of saturation or chroma, and lightness. In other words, there are lots of yellows we can work with:)
Complimentary Colors- Created by Camp Chroma- The Best Color Training Ever.
The Design
Here are examples of two living rooms I created using a blue and yellow complimentary color scheme. The first is bright and dramatic. The second is more relaxed and neutral.
Complimentary blue and yellow Living Room Edesign by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design. Complimentary blue and yellow Living Room Edesign by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design.
Complimentary color schemes don’t have to be bright and colorful. They can use darker, less saturated or more muted tones of opposite colors for a more understated look. The design below uses an area rug with muted yellows and blues, and wallpaper with minimal yellow. Otherwise everything is the same.
Complimentary blue and yellow Living Room Edesign by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design. Complimentary blue and yellow Living Room Edesign by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design.
Benefits of A Complimentary Color Scheme
Navigating the world of complementary color schemes is easy and straightforward. Begin by pinpointing your favorite hue on the color wheel, then locate its direct opposite. This partnership is where the magic happens.
Complementary colors inherently possess a dynamic tension, making them ideal for spaces meant for lively conversations and gatherings, such as living rooms and dining areas.
However, this boldness can be tempered using muted or desaturated versions of these hues. Then you can craft a serene and sophisticated palette, perfect for spaces meant for relaxation and introspection.
Whether you seek vibrancy or tranquility, complementary color schemes offer versatility to match your vision.
Click on the picture to find out more about the best training class on color available, the Four Pillars of Color!.
Saving Money on Home Staging will Cost You
Every initial inquiry about home staging usually begins with, “What’s the cost?”
Likewise, if you offer a service or product, you’ve likely been asked the same.
While the cost of home staging might catch some off guard, it’s essential to consider its value. Thinking it’s “too expensive” is relative. Compared to the price drop on your home? It’s a wise investment!
“Home staging is more expensive than I expected.” More expensive compared to what? Not your first price reduction.
I completely understand the instinct to seek the best deal possible. A recent client expressed that the staging costs exceeded her expectations, but she chose to proceed. She recalled instances where investing a bit more yielded significant returns and satisfaction.
She’s insightful! She hoped for a specific selling price, yet a realtor confided that, given its present state, her home might fall short by $20K. Homes that don’t outshine the competition often linger on the market, frequently leading to reductions of around $10K. This protraction not only causes stress but also escalates costs, including mortgages and utilities.
The outcome? After staging, her home attracted two offers above the asking price within a day and 15 offers in a week, finally selling at a price $30K beyond her initial expectation!
Her investment in staging yielded a return 30 times its cost. Rather than potentially losing $20K, she sold rapidly, netting an extra $30K. So, is staging an expense you can overlook?
Consider another scenario: After staging a client’s home, it was snapped up on its very first day on the market at the full asking price. Although they didn’t secure an amount above their initial price due to maintenance and repair needs, the swift sale spared them the hassle of countless showings and the stress associated with it. Moreover, they saved a considerable sum on monthly maintenance costs.
“Home staging is too expensive. That belief is going to cost you.”
In another case, I staged a home that had been on the market several years without selling. In the beginning, the owner did not want to spend money on staging and tried to sell it vacant. No luck. They had numerous price reductions. After a year or more they decided to stage with a lower priced staging service that did minimal staging in some of the rooms. No luck. Finally, two years later they contacted me. After doing a professional staging job, the house sold in 6 weeks. That was actually very fast considering the home had been on the market for years and had the stigma of “what is wrong with that house that it has not sold yet”. Think of all the money and time this seller lost in trying to save a little on home staging costs.
How much are you prepared to shave off your sales price for a cut-rate staging service, or by skipping staging altogether?
Is the immediate savings on staging worth the potential loss in your final sale price? What truly matters: a short-term saving or a quicker, more profitable sale in the long run?
Ready to drop your expensive belief?
Get your online home staging consultation or staging service today. For in person consultations or staging, call for a custom quote.
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Interested in becoming a home stager? I recommend the Staging Diva Home Staging Training program!
Summer is one of my favorite times of year. It’s warm and the outdoors beckons, the colors explode with flowers, fruit, an explosion of green growth and the showiness of all the male birds. There is a feeling of abundance and adventure. Completion of all the things you have sown. It is bold and beautiful.
Would you like to have that same look and feeling inside in your home year round? Take some color and other cues from nature and bring the outside in. Here is an example of what I mean.
This picture was taking by a friend down the road at a beautiful spot named Tern Lake. I love all the various shades of green from very dark in the spruce tree to the lighter shades in the shrubs, grasses and herbs. The sky has a beautiful blue along with shades of off white and grays in the clouds. You see various shades of brown in the tree and in the rocks in the mountains. The most striking color is the fuchsia in the fireweed in full bloom. And there are a few wildflowers with yellow in the foreground as well.
This is what summer looks like in Alaska to me. We have an abundance of hot pink and purple wildflowers, but the fireweed is so “Alaskan”.
Fireweed is one of the first plants to establish in recently burned areas, which is how it got it’s name. It is a symbol of release, rebirth, and potential for something innovative and new.
The fireweed blooms from the bottom of the plant and works its way up. The saying here is that “when the fireweed blooms at the top, summer is over”.
So how do you bring the outside in? The easiest way is with a color palette that highlights the view you see outside your windows. Select either a neutral or a bolder tone from the view and use it on your walls. Select a more vibrant tone for accents, or even key pieces in your décor.
I loved the deep green and color of fireweed together and they symbolized “summer” to me so I decided to design this calming Modern Global Style office with those as my main colors. I decided to experiment with an extremely dark shade of green for the walls, to make it feel calm and enveloping, like the feeling of being deep inside the boreal forest. I added additional green tones in accent vases, the lamp and fractal art that I designed called “Spring” and several plant accents. I added wood to the floors. I played with the color of fireweed in my furnishings such as the desk and two chairs.
To continue with the wildflower theme, I added a wildflower accent table. I added off whites to the bookshelf, desk chair, rug, drapes, flowers and some accents to balance things so it would not be too dark. By adding several layers of lighting, it helped keep it from being too dark, brought out the various shades of green of the paint color in different lighting and highlighted the art.
The Process
The End Result
Fireweed Office Edesign and Spring Fractal Art by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design.Fireweed Office Edesign and Spring Fractal Art by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design.Fireweed Office Edesign and Spring Fractal Art by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design.
Get the Look
My “Spring” energy art collection seamlessly intertwines the abstract with the tangible, channeling spiritual energies through the vibrant color, patterns, and symbols. The “Spring” series in this design, in prosperous shades of green, symbolizes renewal, invigoration, and flourishing growth. Evoking the Wood Element from Chinese traditions and Feng Shui, it embodies, warmth, and idealism. Bringing the energy message of the outdoors in, it can amplify the energy you want to channel in your endeavors.
Bring Summer Into Your House Year Round
Imagine stepping into your space, immediately enveloped by colors that resonate with your essence. Every detail feels right, sparking joy within you. It’s more than just a room; it’s your sanctuary for relaxation, rejuvenation, and inspiration. When your surroundings mirror your spirit, life flows seamlessly.
Why limit yourself? Infuse the vibrant hues of summer or the subtle tones of your cherished season into your home.
Invest in an Aligned Design or Color Consultation today and see the transformation.
How to Make Magic Happen in Your Home with Lighting
Lighting is Magic
Yes you can make magic happen in your home with lighting!
Lighting is magic. Lighting can make a huge difference in how your home looks and feels. You have probably heard that layering your lighting, and having three sources such as overhead lighting, table or floor lamps and task lighting is important. But what does that really mean and how does it look? And is that all you need to do to really get the look you are going for? I find that lighting is a problem for many people when I do design consultations. For some reason, here in Alaska there are many homes that do not even have overhead lighting in the main living area. Many people do not have enough layered light sources. It can leave your room feeling uninspired, as well as make it difficult to do whatever tasks you want to do in your space.
Beautiful Lighting is Perfect for a Party
I recently created this Edesign which I thought would be a great example to show you what I mean when I say, “create magic with lighting”.
I wanted to create a room that would be perfect for an elegant adult Birthday party that could be used as a virtual background for Zoom events.
I created this room with a sideboard with the Birthday cake and other goodies as well as an area for wine and cocktails. The side tables are set with cocktail glasses and the coffee table with wine and cheese. Birthday presents are stacked on the floor near two of the chairs.
What do you want your light to highlight?
The design and colors were inspired by my fractal art, “Deep Purple” which I used over the sideboard. The paint color was selected to work with the art. I chose to create this room in a city and used modern furnishings. I would call this Modern Global Style.
“Deep Purple” fractal art by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design.
Natural Daylight
My first render of the space was done in using natural day light. Notice how the wall color looks, and how the accents for the party stand out, or should I say blend in, in the render.
Natural Daylight only. Edesign by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design. Natural Daylight Only. “Deep Purple” Fractal Art by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design.
Night Lighting- One Layer
I decided to try a night scene and play with the lighting to create a more “magical” atmosphere. In this render, I only used overhead lighting. Notice the change in how the paint color appears (a little washed out). The rug colors also appear dull. Still, the party accents do not really stand out.
Full overhead lighing only.
Night Lighting- 2 Layers
Next, I dimmed the overhead lights and I added light to the two lamps on the end tables so there was a second layer of light. This brought back a little of the richness of the paint color and a little more color to the rug. Still, the party accents do not really stand out.
Two layers of light. Dimmed overhead lighting and lighting from 2 lamps. Edesign by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design.
Night Lighting- 5 Layers
Finally, I turned off some of the overhead lights, and made other brighter over the end tables and coffee table to highlight the food and other goodies. I added accent lights over the art and sideboard to make them really stand out. I added up lighting under the trees so they would sparkle. The additional layers of controlled and directed light showed off all the different colors of the paint and really made it come alive. I changed the color of light in the lamps to make it warmer. And voila, magic!!
Five layers of light. Edesign by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design.
Here are some other views of the room. Notice how the lighting highlights different aspects of the party atmosphere.
Five layers of light. Edesign by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design. Five layers of light. Edesign by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design. Five layers of light. Edesign and fractal art by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design.
In summary, to create a beautiful lighting plan for your room, layer your lighting, control the lighting brightness, direction and color and add lighting to highlight the aspects of your room that are important such as your focal points and art.
Need Help with Your Design?
Are you getting ready for a special event or need help creating a little magic in your home? Try one of my Edesign services.my Aligned Design consultation or my coaching call.
Want a beautiful house? The key to success is to make a plan! Figure out what you need to create the design you want, and if it fits in your budget before you buy a single thing!
Make a Plan
You are much more likely to get the end result you want if you start with a plan!
Often, people start buying things they like, hoping that it will all work together. This may not work because the styles or colors may not fit well together, or they may end up buying too many colors and patterns because they have no unifying theme to work toward.
Sometimes homeowners select finishes such as flooring and counter tops and get excited and rush into other aspects such as painting and selecting furniture without thinking it all through. I get it, once you start, it’s hard to pause because you just want to see the end result!
To get an end result that will make you happy though , stop…., take time and make a plan first.
So how do you develop a great plan?
Start with your vision
Say you want to redo your master bedroom. Picture what your perfect master bedroom would look and feel like if you could have everything you want with no limitations. What would make you happy? How would you feel in the space? What activities do you want to do in the space? What style is the space? Do you like to change things up on a regular basis and want future flexibility or do you want the space to stay the same for a long time? Once you have the ideal room in your mind, you can try to work with your space, budget and time to create something as close as possible to your dream room.
Edesign by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design
Develop a budget and timeline
For now, this just needs to be a realistic picture of how much money you are willing to spend and how much time are you willing to devote to get it done.
Really….how much are you willing to spend and how much time are you willing to devote?
Determine what you have to work with
Fixed Finishes and Architectural Elements
Some things in your space like your fixed finishes may be “bossy” and can’t be ignored. The size of the room and existing architectural features such as your windows, doors, fireplace, counter tops etc. are unlikely to change and need to be considered. What colors are they? How will they affect the color palette, layout and style of your design? Of course, part of your plan may be to change some of these things.
What fixed finishes do you have to consider in your new plan?
Furniture, Art, Accessories
Do you have things you love and want to highlight in the room? Maybe a piece of furniture or art that is an heirloom or has special meaning? A beautiful rug that you love and want to use? What are the sizes and colors are some of these items?
Do you have special furniture or art you want to incorporate into your design? Edesign and art by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design.
How will the Space Be Used?
What will you do in your space? Who will be using it? Do you have children, pets or a significant other that you need to consider in selecting colors or finishes so they will like it too, and the finishes will stand up to the use?
Who will be using the space and what will they use it for? Photo from Unsplash.
What Needs to Change?
What do you have to or want to change? Do you need a paint job or new flooring? Don’t decide on your colors and materials just yet. Now, just identify that you need them, and come up with general ideas on materials you prefer such as carpeting vs hardwood flooring, or quartz vs marble countertops etc.
What needs to change? Flooring? Countertops? Paint? Photo from Unsplash.
What Needs Replacing?
You know you hate your credenza and art for example, and want to purchase something new. Create a general wish list for the new items, without deciding yet on the exact items.
Kaleidoscope Credenza with fractal art designed by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design.
Energy art can play a huge role in not only making your space beautiful but supporting you in being the person you want to be. See all my energy art at Fine Art America and let me guide you in how it can support you.
Select Your Color Palette
Color is key in pulling it all together, tying the bossy items together with the new items. A color strategist can measure the colors you have in your fixed finishes and inspiration pieces, and provide great recommendations for new flooring, countertops, paint colors, and furniture and accessories so it all works together. What order do you select everything in?
If you are putting in new flooring or countertops, select these first.
Select paint next. It is much easier to find a paint color to work with your flooring and countertops than the other way around. If you select a more neutral wall color, it can provide you with greater flexibility in the future to change colors in your rugs, pillows, and accent pieces
Check Your Budget
Check your budget. Are you still on track? Don’t forget to include labor and design costs. If not, where can you adjust.
Check your Budget. Are you still on track?. Photo from Unsplash.
Work in a Logical Order
Do your remodeling-flooring, counter tops, painting.
Develop a floor plan to arrange furniture around your focal points or highlight your inspiration pieces.
Select new items last. Pick furniture, rugs, accessories that work with your vision, inspiration pieces and color palette.
Do your design work and remodeling in a logical order.
Get Help With Your Plan
Developing a great plan can take some work and expertise. Try my Aligned Design consultation which considers design, color and energy to pull it all together so you get the end result you love and avoid costly mistakes.
Design is about more than just looks. Take this quiz.
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Are You Living the Life the Universe Wants You to Live?
There Will Only Ever Be One of You
There is only one of you in all the world. There will only ever be one. You are here to do what you alone are meant to do for the world in your unique way. Are you doing it?
One thing I have learned over the last year is that there is a reason I am here. That is to do what I am meant to do in my unique way, because no one else can do it like me.
It is funny. I was doing a home staging job the other day and the client asked what made me special. It effortlessly came out of my mouth, “Because I am the only one in the universe that can do things uniquely as I do them. I am what makes me special”.
This was not meant to toot my own horn. It just is the way of the world for all of us.
It is just that some of us recognize and celebrate it, and others are still learning the lesson.
We owe it to the universe and those around us to be our authentic selves. Otherwise, we are depriving others of what we were meant to give them as we try to fit in and be someone else instead.
Edesign and Fractal Art by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design.
In many ways, this last year was the best year of my life.
Yes, really.
Why? Because it was a year of learning and transformation.
Instead of dwelling on all that was wrong in the world, I decided to learn and grow and make the most of the time I unexpectedly had.
Times were hard in many ways, but I also learned how to deal with those hard times in a different way.
Edesign and Fractal Art by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design.
As things are getting back to normal in some ways, I feel differently.
It is like I am in the eye of the storm where all is calm while everything around me seems chaotic as others are trying to get back to “normal” Maybe “normal” wasn’t so great. Is that the place you want to go?
I feel the way I do is because of a program I went through and continue to do, called TCP (Transformational Coaching Program). The program helps you transform from the inside out, and helps you to BE the person you want to be, so you can DO the things you need to HAVE the life you were meant to have.
It helps you get in alignment with what makes you unique and why it matters.
Create the perfect space for you with my Aligned Design system. Edesign and fractal art by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design.
Are you intrigued? Is the little voice in the back of your mind saying “I don’t have time or money for that right now” because you are busy DOING all the things you think are important?
Believe me, I get it. I am the ultimate DOER. I felt the same way.
I took the program anyway, and am so glad I did.
It is easy to go on for years without changing our lives for the better. For me it was always the struggle between the short-term pain versus the long-term gain. You can always convince yourself you will start tomorrow.
Imagine yourself thinner, healthier, happier, wealthier, and more peaceful. Living a life filled with abundance without worrying all the time about money or accomplishing all the things. If you were fully convinced it would work for you, you would do it, wouldn’t you?
There is only one of you in all the world. There will only ever be one. You are here to do what you alone are meant to do for the world in your unique way. Are you doing it?
Get Aligned With Who You Were Meant to BE
I joined TCP to increase my income for my Interior Design/Home Staging business.
Although my focus was business, the program instead provided incredible value to my health and well-being.
I changed my habits and lost weight and quit smoking. I started to make self care my priority. I stopped DOING my way through life and learned how to BE the person I want to be. I released a lot of stress and anger and learned how to do things differently. I noticed a huge difference in my feeling of peace and well being.
I then took a TCP business class which helped me become more aware and aligned with what makes me unique and how to make that the focus of my business. This shaped my philosophy of “Aligned Design”, which aligns art, science and energy to create your perfect space.
Even though this business class was all about making more income for my business, the more I learned, the less important money became to me and the more important creating expansion in others lives and being of service became. Ultimately, that increased my business and income, and I was more aligned with what I was meant to be doing so was having more fun!
The programs are run by Jim Fortin and his amazing team of coaches. It includes a private Facebook group where there is onoing coaching and community, weekly content such as workbooks, videos and audios with homework, followed by weekly Facebook lives with Jim and the coaches on a wide variety of topics from health to business. We worked on things like clarity, vision, sub-conscious values, habits, self-integrity, responsibility, commitment, choices, relationships You could also ask for coaching on any topic in the FB group or do a “hot seat” on one of the live calls. The community of people in the group from all over the world is extremely positive and supportive.
Try it for Yourself
Are you ready for a change?
Don’t take my word for it, try it for yourself. Some of these links are affiliate links, meaning I may get paid a small amount for referring you at no additional cost to you.
Get on the Waitlist for the next TCP Program. I think this is the best training I have ever invested in. It made a huge difference for me. I hope it can make a difference for you too.
Listen to this podcast episode- Why Your Bad Habits are So Hard To Break. This one really helped me to change some of my eating habits and lose weight, even before joining the program.
The TCP program helped me clarify how I am unique and what I offer that creates expansion or a better life for others. I call it my Aligned Design system.
Aligned Design creates a home that Looks Great, Feels Great, and supports you to BE Great.
I use a holistic approach to align the art of sustainable Interior Design, the science of color, and the positive energy of transformative design, Feng Shui, and Biophilia to create the perfect space for you
