Phoenix Interior Design

Archive for the ‘Residential Interior Design’ Category

Why Home Staging?  Glad you asked.  Whether you are a home buyer or a home seller, you can reap the benefits from Home Staging.  If you are considering the thought of putting your home up for sale, please call me.  We need to work diligently together to get it in the best possible shape. 

Home staging or “staging” means exactly that.  Getting your house looking its best and good enough to be on stage for all the world to see!  It won’t look its best if you don’t know where to start, and that’s where I come in.

As an Interior Designer for more than twenty years, I know what your house needs to sell, and sell fast.  Perhaps you thought that because you love elephants and have elephant wallpaper all over your walls, everyone else does.  Sorry.  You see, it’s in the details and that’s where it counts the most.

Here’s what the Big boys are saying about Home Staging:

Kiplinger:
“Staged homes sell 4 times faster and for more money.”

USA Today:
“Staging Results in Faster Sale.”

NBC:
“Sellers turn to home staging.”

CSM:
“Staging returns 2 to 13 times on investment!”

MSNBC:
“Professionals set the stage for quick home sale.”

Quicken:
“Staged homes spend 50% less time on the market.”

Typically, you should stage your home before you interview the Realtors and before you put it on the market.  A Realtor will only be able to accurately assess its marketability when your home is “ready” to be placed on the market.  Ready means home staged, ready for viewing, all dressed up and every place to go.  It should be black coat, white shirt and black tie ready.  Is yours?

Are you a buyer?  Don’t you like seeing everything in its place, no clutter, the right colors, and lots of closet space?  Would you be more inclined to buy if you found a house like this?  Of course you would!  Both sellers and buyers will reap the benefits of Home Staging.

Still not convinced?  Think of it this way; your home is a reflection of you; your taste, your style, your personality.  Staging de-personalizes the space and makes it more neutral, if you will.  (Remember back to the elephants.)  De-personalizing allows the potential buyer to envision what the space would look like with their things, which allows them to imagine living in the space.

That’s exactly what you what them to feel.  Comfortable, like they were right at home.  This is key because unless the buyer can imagine the home as their own, they won’t take the next step, and that is to purchase your home.

Perhaps your home is already on the market.  No problem.  My staging services will only improve your chances of selling, and increase the odds for a faster sale.  About to drop the price?  No way!  Call me first!  That’s exactly what most of the homes on the market are missing.  My Home Staging services will set your home apart from the competition, and having an Interior Designer at your side will give you an unfair advantage over the rest.

Did you know that in some markets, such as California, over 75% of the up scale homes have been staged?  They know how important Home Staging is to sell their homes.  

My services also include staging for home and commercial offices for a more beautiful look, both visually and ergonomically.  Perhaps you have a doctor or dental office with an unsightly waiting room.  We can stage that too.  Patient’s love updated, fresh offices too and will always tell their friends about you.   

What are you waiting for?  Home Staging is exactly what you need.

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Email Janice Nickole at   janiceinteriors@gmail.com

Call Janice Nickole at  480-283-4428

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Decorating styles means more than just good design.  It’s about “your personal” decorating style, which includes everything you love to see, feel, touch and experience in your own personal space.  Your personal decorating style should radiate throughout the space, giving you a feeling of contentment and comfort, and it’s exactly how to make your house a home.

To find your comfort zone and personal decorating style, simply begin to shop the furniture and accessory stores both online and in your neighborhood.  You will soon begin to realize what you like and don’t like.  Certain colors, textures and styles will appear more exciting to you.  You’ll love the touch of certain fabrics, the lines of a table or the comfort of a particular chair. 

Soon a world of endless styles will open up to you with names like traditional, contemporary, modern, country, french country, tuscany, old world, southwestern, victorian, mediterranean, mission, spanish, italian, zen and feng shui to name a few.  Don’t fear… you may not know the style names at first, but you will notice a tendency to gravitate toward your style… Your personal decorating style will emerge.

Once you are “in-tune” to your personal style, you’ll need a design plan so that your space will shine to its maximum potential.  But don’t start buying just yet.  It’s a common mistake among many to want to rush out and buy furniture right away.  First you need to measure the space.  Nothing is more frustrating than having furniture that won’t fit in the room.  This also works with windows too.  Always measure first.

You’ll also want to plan on a color theme for your space.  Warm colors like orange, red and yellow are exciting, warm and inviting.  Cool colors like blues and greens calm and relax you.  Darker colors can make a room appear smaller or taller and lighter colors open up the space and appear larger.

Start with paint swatches to help you decide on your favorite color.  It’s best to tape your paint selections on larger swatches onto your wall and live with them a day or two.  This way you will see the color in daylight or natural light, and then see it at nighttime, or with artificial light.  Lighting plays a very important part in design and will change the overall appearance of your color.

Now with your color in place, and your measurements in hand, you can shop with your personal style in mind.  Combine many textures into the room for aesthetic appeal.  Don’t make the mistake of “cookie cutter” design.  Every piece does NOT need to be the same.  Mix it up for visual excitement.  Use wood, rattan, glass, metal, wrought iron and more in the same room.  This is aesthetically pleasing to the eye. 

If you simply don’t have the time or feel you’re not the DIY, or “do-it yourself” type of person, then it’s time to consider an Interior Designer to help you with your personal decorating style.  Their design expertise will capture the look you want to achieve and on a budget that’s right for you.  You can schedule a one-hour consultation with a few designers to find the one that is right for you.

Decorating your interior space with your personal style in mind is the key to a beautiful and comfortable room that you can be happy in and enjoy for years to come.

If you’ve got your home on the market for sale, then I’ve got some great tips on how to sell your home much faster.  There are many things you can do to prepare your home for resale that you may not have considered.  So now you’ve got an unfair advantage over the competition.

First start by considering the curb appeal of your home.  Yours may or may not have it.  Curb appeal can drive prospects to your home or drive them away.  It’s just that simple.

Is your lawn groomed and trimmed?  Have you discarded the weeds and trimmed the bushes?  Do you have bright, colorful flowers beckoning you to drive up and come in?

Consider the perimeter of the house.  Have you walked around the house to see if there is trash lying about?   Do you have your garbage cans hidden?  Have you removed and stored building materials, bicycles and toys?

Look at the house.  Does it need new paint?  Are the windows clean?  Gutters cleaned out?  Are there any exterior repairs that need to be done?  Is the patio or porch clean and front entry doorway cleared of clutter?  Is the garage clean and organized?  How does the garage door look?  Does it need repair or fresh paint?

You’ll want to make your front entryway inviting by adding some pots of fragrant and colorful flowers by the door.  Also consider an inviting welcome mat.  If you have one but it’s old and torn, get rid of it and buy a new one.

As for the interior, first and foremost, a must-have scent in your home is cinnamon or apple cinnamon candles and air spray.  This was voted the most popular simply because it’s an inviting fragrance, and tends to give people a sense of comfort and security. 

The scent of your home is one of the most important elements to selling your home.  Never have odors of animals, fish, cigarettes or any other foul smell permeating throughout your home.  Get rid of all tobacco and ashtrays.  Never smoke inside your house before a home showing.

Now let’s consider the interior spaces of your home.  Rid them of all clutter and this includes too much furniture.  By getting rid of the clutter you create more space, which in turn will make the room look larger.

This is true for the kitchen as well.  You’ll want to clear the countertops completely.  Less is more, and very important to remember as you consider each room.  Remove all the notes and pictures that are tacked on the front of your refrigerator.  A spotless kitchen is essential to selling your home. 

Cleaning all dirt, grease and grime from kitchens and bathrooms are a must and dirty rooms shall not be tolerated.  In fact, you won’t be able to sell your home if it’s dirty and smelly.

Consider clearing out the clutter in your kitchen cabinets as well as all clutter from all your closets.  Organization is key and will create more space.  Creating more space is very important and is essential to selling your home. 

Everybody always wants more space and certainly the cabinets and closets is where they will look.  So make sure to clear out excess clothing and organize your closets.  Consider taking out half the clothes, perhaps the winter clothes if it is summer, and store them in boxes.  This way the closet will look larger.

Bathrooms should be spotless.  Countertops should be rid of makeup, perfumes and other items.  Remove old wallpaper and paint with neutral colors.  Top with fresh, coordinating towels.

Now consider the paint on your walls and the color of your carpeting.  Are they loud, too bright, too colorful?  You’ll want to avoid trendy color schemes and tone them down to shades of white or beige.  Neutral color schemes is key to selling your home.

Is the carpet clean?  Does it need to be steam cleaned?  What about the tile or hardwood?  Have you cleaned them till they sparkle?  Do the window treatments need steam cleaning?  Consider a cleaning company if you must. 

Patch and repair all walls and repaint if necessary.  Tighten any loose knobs or faucets throughout and make sure to replace all burnt out bulbs.  Make sure the doorbell works and the mailbox clean or has a fresh coat of paint.  Check all window screens to see if any needs to be replaced.  Never show torn screens.

Now step back and look to see that everything is clean and sparkles.  Just before your home showing, take the kids and the pets to mom’s house.  Put the toys away and light the candles.  Turn all the lights on and play soft music in the background. 

If it’s summer, then make sure the air conditioning is running and bottled water is available.  If it’s winter, make sure it’s warm inside and consider lighting the fireplace.  You may want to have warm cookies and coffee available for refreshments.

Consider all these things to get your house in showing condition and you’ll be sure to have a buyer with the best offer come very quickly.  Good Luck to you!

A common myth about hiring Interior Designers is that Interior Designers are an unnecessary expense when planning your home design project.  Perhaps this myth is perpetuated because consumers are concerned that the finished room may not be to their liking, that they might lose control of the project, or that the project will go beyond their budget.  In actuality, it’s quite the opposite. 

Experienced, certified designers have invaluable experience and expertise to ensure you spend your money wisely and avoid costly pitfalls and mistakes.  They work with all budgets, big or small and with different types of fee structures that vary widely based on the nature and size of the project, geographical location, and the designer. The majority of designers use one or more of the following fee structures:

• Fixed fee (or flat fee) – a specified sum to cover the cost of the project, exclusive of reimbursement for goods and expenses.

• Hourly fee – calculated based on the actual time spent on the project.

• Percentage fee – computed as a percentage of the total cost of goods and services provided.

• Cost plus – the designer purchases the materials and furnishings, and then sells these to the client at the designer’s cost plus a specified (and previously agreed upon) percentage.

With a professional Interior Designer you have access to the latest and greatest resources and specialty products associated with the trade that are not available in retail stores.  Professional Interior Designers have access to design centers, and a Designer’s client can obtain extraordinary and exclusive products not available to the public.

Interior Designers are trained professionals who are able to handle all stages of the design process, from conception to completion and anywhere in between.  Whether one room, or your entire home, your Designer can transform your vision into an environment that truly expresses your own personal style.

Interior Designers are trained in color, scale, proportion and balance, all of which are essential components for achieving a beautiful and functional interior space.  They also provide information, insight and solutions regarding choices and features that are best suited to your needs.  Professional Designers work side by side with you and guide you through the maze of endless possibilities for furniture, fabric, flooring and much more.

So go ahead… tear out those magazine pictures, gather those ideas you have stored away in a shoebox, and then pick up the phone and call your local Interior Designer.  He or she will be able to put the pieces of the puzzle together.   The two of you will work toward creating the dream home you’ve always desired, and a home you’ll want to show off to family and friends.

Residential Interior Design refers to home interior design typically done by a hired Professional Interior Designer.  In contrast to Commercial Design, which focuses primarily on business office design, restaurants, medical offices, malls and the like, Residential Design focuses on the interior spaces of our homes to make them more aesthetically appealing and comfortable to live in.

The thought that our homes are our haven, our oasis of peace and tranquility, and a place that we enjoy coming home to, has been the Interior Designers objective for every residential design project.  Our spaces are defined by our personal styles, individual tastes and lifestyles, and it’s up to the Interior Designer to encourage the Client or homeowner to express this in every room.

Interior Designers will keep you on track with an experienced and trained eye for detail, color themes, design styles, space planning and furniture selection, as well as architectural and construction knowledge, whether adding a wall or the demolition of a wall, or making suggestions in the materials to be used.

Residential Interior Designers also have a team of experts to include vendors and contractors to get the job done right.  They also work with many different budgets, so no job is too big or too small for an Interior Designer. 

In summary, look to hire a Residential Interior Designer who is qualified by education with an accredited School of Interior Design.  Their consultation service is worth the investment when it comes to making critical design decisions on key design elements that will help make your house a beautiful home for you to enjoy for years to come.

Visit Janice Nickole on Facebook!

Email Janice Nickole at  janiceinteriors@gmail.com

Call Janice Nickole at  480-283-4428