Tomorrow Is A First!

HOORAY! It’s time to say goodbye to Old Man Winter!

Tomorrow is the first day of Spring!

And I am willing to bet that much of the time you’ve spent on your front step or porch lately has been time spent shoveling... ugh and ICK.

Enough of that already.

It is time for clear skies, bird songs, and sprouts of every sort. 

Springtime is a perfect time for our Quick Assignment of the Month!

Grab your timer, your broom, and your best tune to whistle. I'll meet you on the front porch!

1.    Set Your Timer: for 15 minutes. Start your timer and grab anything and everything that is on the front porch that says "winter" (practically a dirty word at this point). No lingering pine cones, dead evergreens, decorations with snowflakes (what were we thinking?!). And for goodness sake, grab the snow shovel that is still propped there. Put all of these things away wherever they go — either in the trash, a storage bin, or in your car to donate.

2.    Next, it’s time for a clean sweep. Lift up the mat, pull out your porch furniture, get behind the pots and sweep out those old dead leaves and drab winter grit. 

3.    Be sure you are whistling. Yes, it is required.

4.    Before the timer goes off, straighten the chairs and put things back in place. Be sure to step back and admire your work.

Congratulations! You have created a more welcoming entry for visitors, for yourself, and your family. 

FOR EXTRA CREDIT: Stop at your local garden center and treat yourself to a happy little six-pack of pansies. 

Plop them in your planters or in the ground near your front door. They don't mind the cold, and will greet you with cheer and color from now until summer.

Remember, these assignments are supposed to be fun-- not overwhelming! So set your timer and have fun. I can't wait to hear how it goes!

I hope that this month's assignment puts a smile on your face, as well as a song in your heart--whistling while cleaning is one of my favorites! :) 

Share your before and after photos on my Facebook Page, and tell us about your sweeping adventure. 

Have you "liked" Revealing Redesign yet?

I Thought Of You

Last week, as I sorted and folded, straightened and culled the items in my closet I thought of you. 

Do you know why?

Because when I started, I felt frustrated with my wardrobe, sick to death of my winter clothes, and I dreaded opening those doors to look at the same drab items I felt I had worn thousands of times over the past couple of months.  

Bet you can relate. 

But the clutter and frustration wasn’t why I thought about you. 

I removed things that I no longer felt joyful about wearing and I created space. That’s why I thought of you. 

Whenever we take a few minutes to put things in order, sort things, and get rid of things we no longer love (and maybe never did), I believe we tell the universe we are ready to receive new things, create new experiences, and have our lives filled up again—but this time with things that will nourish us and give us joy. We’re making room for things that will fill our hearts with possibility. 

I can’t tell you how many times I have moved a piece of furniture in a client’s home only to have them look at me puzzled and ask: “But what is going to go there now?”

I believe we often feel uncomfortable with empty space, and instead of embracing all of the possibilities it can contain, we rush to fill it with whatever is lying around. Or maybe we never make the move to create the space because we are too comfortable with the devil we know to invite in something unknown that might just be wonderful.

Over the years of helping people with their homes, I have learned that decluttering isn’t just about getting rid of junk. It is really about creating space.

So, this week I ask you two questions:

1.    Are there items that are taking up space in your life that might feel “heavy” to you, either physically or otherwise?

2.    What else could that space have within it, if given the chance?  What would make you feel light and joyful? 

I am thinking of you, and wishing you empty spaces full of the feeling of possibility.

What Is Your Next Step?

Taking on any project all at once can be daunting, and decorating a room is certainly no different.

Breaking a project down into bite-sized morsels makes it easier handle and more fun.  

Small steps keep you moving steadily forward, and when you know which step is the next best one to take, eventually you get to where we want to go.

Back in September, I started working with one of my clients who had just moved her family back to the area. She was settling into a new house and wanted to create a feeling of home again. Her goal was twofold: She wanted use items that had worked in her old house, and also figure out which ones no longer worked in the new space.  

That’s where I come in! (I love this type of challenge!)

Let’s look at the three steps we used to make great progress in her house. Maybe they will inspire you to take the next step in your home: 

Let’s take the first step: (Form & Function)

First, you must decide what items can stay and which ones need to GO. :)

Of the items in this photo, my client knew she wanted to keep the green sofa—although the color had always been a challenge. She also liked the area rug, and the piano. The off-white loveseat in the foreground felt old and tired, so we knew that piece could go. 

She wanted to use the room as a quiet place for reading, relaxing, and enjoying the fireplace, which meant that lighting and comfortable seating would be important. 

Next, Step Two: (Major changes/Purchases)

This is the part of the project where construction or other major changes to the room would take place (if needed). If you look closely at the photo, you can see that we selected a new wall color to help the stone of the fireplace and the green of the sofa work better together. After this new color was up, the room really started coming together.  

We placed two new, cozy chairs (not pictured) across from the sofa. They are for conversation or for curling up with a good book. We also added a new ottoman to act as a coffee table or a place to put up your feet.

 And Step Three: (What I call the “Top Layer”)

Step Three is SO important, yet, it is the one where most people give up and stop before the room is completed.

If rooms were conversations, this step would be the moment when whomever you are talking with finally gets a point you are making, and suddenly exclaims: “OH! NOW I get what you are saying!!”

The Top Layer is the finishing touch that sets the room apart. By adding decorative elements that really show your style, you make the room feel uniquely YOURS.

My client loves color and funky accents, so I knew the bold pillows, the colorful, textured lamp, and new prints echoing the color scheme of the house would make her happy! Note how the orange accent wall down the hall in the background now feels a part of this room, as well.

I love it when the whole house gets along. :)

We made great progress on this first pass, but the room isn’t fully finished, yet. I will share more “after” pictures later when the project is complete. It often takes time and patience to find all of the finishing details for a room, but as each one falls into place it makes a big difference. 

If you feel stuck and unsure how to move forward with a room, my Keep Moving Forward program might be the help you’ve been waiting for. Keep Moving Forward helps you take the next step in your decorating project so you can easily pull your room together.  Just click here to set up a House Call so we can take a look at your house together through fresh eyes, and get you off to a great start!

How To Be Irresistible…To Future Home Buyers

Repeat after me: Spring is almost here. Spring is almost here. Spring is ALMOST HERE!

And something that happens in the spring is that a lot of people consider putting their house on the market.  Are you one of them? 

So, over the years, as I have helped people with their houses, and staged homes so that my clients can list their houses with confidence--what are the mistakes I commonly see people make that could potentially cost them thousands of dollars when they go to sell? 

Hmmmmm….let's expose these stinkers, and make you some money:

Mistake #1. Relying on your buyer to have an imagination. Buyers typically reach for their checkbook when they see what they have been looking for clearly in front of them. For example, your house has an in-law suite, but currently that space houses your workout equipment.  Even if your listing states it has an in-law suite (something your buyer wants), if it isn't set up so they can SEE that it does, they will walk right on through disappointed…and NOT make an offer. I'm not even kidding. You can see an example of this here. 

Mistake #2. Living as you always have in the house. Once you have decided to sell your house, the best mindset to have is that it is no longer yours. Personal touches and taste-specific decor are not your friends at this time, because as we have already established, your buyer is not exceptionally imaginative. They won't be able to picture themselves and their belongings in the house if all of your leopard print fabric and velvet Elvis paintings are screaming at them, drawing their attention away from how they would live in the house, and from what you want--for them to BUY. 

Mistake #3. Living as you always have in the house. YES I KNOW I SAID THAT BEFORE, but, this is pertaining to the STUFF of daily life…like clutter and dust. Very few of us live in houses that are "q-tip clean" and perfectly picked up day-in and day-out. Did I mention that your buyer doesn't have an imagination? I think I did.  And seeing past dirt in corners and crap on counters is therefore not their strong suit. 

To illustrate this, I like to use the analogy of a box of Band-Aids….

You are given two options for buying a box of bandages: The first is a well-lit, clean aisle at Target. Lots of happy boxes lined up on the shiny shelves with clear, bright labels...

The second option is a dark back corner of a roadside store you find along the highway. There is just one or two sad, lonely packages there at the back of the shelf. They are slightly dented and a bit dusty--perhaps they have been sitting there a while...

Remember, these boxes contain the SAME Band-Aids! However, which one would you want to buy? And which one would you GLADLY pay MORE for??

Just sayin' :)

So, keep it clean, clutter-free, and obvious to all who enter that your house is the best house on the block…and watch it fly off the "shelves" at an awesome, profitable price. 

If you would like to learn more of the best tips and tricks to selling your house quickly and for a profit, make sure you register for our workshop coming up March 5th!!

March's Workshop At The Farmhouse! RESCHEDULED DUE TO WEATHER

Our homes are one of our biggest assets, so what decisions and actions can we take as we prepare to put this important investment on the market? What strategies can help us to make the process of selling our house smooth, quick, and profitable?

Join me (Erin Cochran, Head House whisperer of Revealing Redesign:) and Michael Eagle, Realtor/The Michael Eagle Group, for a fun evening where we will talk about how to ensure your home puts its best foot forward as it goes up for sale.

Peace of mind and money in your pocket during a time that is very stressful? Yes please! We will answer your questions and give you real estate market and home staging insights so you feel relaxed and prepared as you sell your home. 

Here are the details: 

When: NOW ON MONDAY March 16th, 2015 at 7:30pm

Where: Locust Hill Professional Center 327 W Baltimore Pike Media, PA 19063 (across from Wawa Corporate Center)

Admission: $25 (spouses/partners are FREE!!)

Click HERE to register

Hopefully Mother Nature helped us reschedule to a date that YOU can come! Hope to see you there!!