Silgranit Sinks

When doing renovations on your kitchen one of the things that gets changed is your sink. Instead of choosing the ever so popular stainless steel, many people are opting for a Silgranit sink.

This specific product is made by Blanco and is constructed of 80% natural granite. It's very strong and durable but also has the beauty of a natural product. The acrylic and granite mixture gives the sink a hard scratch, chipping and stain resistant surface. Silgranit is also heat resistant up to 280 degrees Celsius.

Just like many other different types of sinks it is available for both under mount and top mount installations and in many different shapes and sizes. You also have the flexibility of choosing from 7 of it's colours.

Next time you are remodeling your kitchen take a look at Silgranit. This product will add that touch of uniqueness that will make your kitchen stand out from others.

Decorating 101

A lot of people tend to struggle when faced with decorating an empty, white-walled room. Struggle no more! There are simple ways to approach an ‘empty canvas’ and transform a room into your own work of art.

Before I received my professional education in interior decorating, I always assumed picking a paint colour was the first step. This is the wrong approach. In fact, picking a paint colour should be one of the very last steps you make. You immediately limit yourself to your decorating possibilities.

Firstly, it’s important to find an inspiration for the room. Browse decorating magazines, internet sites, visit model homes and markets, and watch decorating inspired shows. Keep in mind most decorating shows are not realistic to the actual timeline it takes to fully design and decorate a space properly. Trading Spaces, for example, had many, MANY people contributing to the end result. So on top of finding inspiration for your space; be realistic with your time line. Rome wasn’t built in a day!

Jennifer


What next? More 'Decorating 101' to come....

Making old into NEW

The funny thing is when I purchased my 2nd home it came with this bench, a fish tank full of fish and some random things in the garage. Originally I was going to throw this unit out because I thought it was ugly and served no purpose in my home. Then as I was sitting in my living room I wished that I had a bigger couch or at least some more seating space. And it hit me! I could transform this unit I was going to throw out to a nice seating area for occasional guests.

First I removed the cute "lion head holding a ring in it's mouth knobs" then I washed the unit with TSP which helps get dirt and grease off easily. Then I lightly sanded the whole unit scuffing it up so the primer would adhere. Next I took a "high stick" wood primer and primed the whole unit. I let it sit for 24hrs to try properly then I continued with painting the whole unit a high gloss white wood paint. This time I let it dry for 48hrs just to make sure I wouldn't scratch it.

Add a plush top for seating and accent pillows and your done! This project was very easy and fun to do. If you have any item with in your home consider using it in a different way. Even an older dresser unit with a fresh coat of paint, new hardware and a little bit of handyman work you can transform it into a beautiful bathroom vanity!!

If you have an item that you are not sure what to do with give us a call and we'll be able to provide you with suggestions.

-Kristy

We did it again for 2010! Thank you

For the second year in a row I am RESA's Rookie Stager of the year Finalist! We are VERY excited to have been nominated as well as picked under peer review of one of my staging jobs.
2009 was a very fun and busy year and I am excited to submit my business package to RESA for viewing.
Awards ceremony is in January 2010 and I will keep you posted on the winner!

Newest Addition to the CHS&D Team!

Hello Everyone!
I wanted to take this time to introduce our NEWEST Team Member! Jennifer Anthony is a very excited and passionate individual and we are proud to have her on our team!Jennifer’s initial interest in design began when she worked in a china shop creating window displays. Design elements such as balance, emphasis, rhythm, and scale slowly revealed themselves to her as she built detailed vignettes with distinct design flair. This interest led Jennifer to further her education. She received accreditation from Algonquin Colleges in Interior Decorating Program. During her time at Algonquin she was featured in the Ottawa Citizen for winning 1st prize for ‘Best Design Concept’, for the college restaurant ‘Restaurant International’ makeover and 1st place for ‘Best Custom Light Fixture.’ The decorating industry is such a diverse field that upon graduation Jennifer still wanted to explore the many different avenues available. So she pursued certification in Home Staging with Haverhill and have found it to be a true passion of hers. Jennifer has also been featured on HGTV and the DIY Network with some of her staging & design concepts. She is also currently pursuing her interests in feng shui, and would like to offer this service to her clients in the future.

Jennifer will be going through our rigorous training program for the next 6 months to get her in top form for our 2010 projects! So when you see Jennifer and I out and about doing our training please feel free to say Hi and ask her some decorating & staging related questions!
Cheers
-Kristy

Using Artificial Plants in Your Decor

I don't know about everybody else but when I buy a plant it usually ends up dying on me. I fail to remember that I have a living thing that needs to be taken care of and forget to water it. Well don't worry because there's a cure in sight...get a fake plant! Using artificial plants in your decor is a great way to bring life into a room but are also maintenance free. There are numerous stores that sell artificial flowers, plants and shrubs in the Ottawa area, ranging in price from $1 and up. Also remember that you get what you pay for. The more realistic artificial plant tends to be the more expensive one. On the other hand, I have bought them from Dollarama and from afar they look great! Have fun and good luck decorating and don't be afraid to use an artificial plant!

Natasha

Orleans STAGER takes advantage of real estate agent!!

This get's me soooo mad!

One of my real estate agents I work with recently obtained a listing where the home owners have requested that they use their "friend" who is an interior decorator as their home stager. The agent we will call Agent X said sure I will look into it. So she contacts the "Friend decorator" and asks her fees and decides to agree to let her client use their friend.

After the appointment the home stager sends an e-mail to Agent X and says "Hello Agent X I was at your clients home for longer than expected i was there from 6-9pm and your first invoice is $398.00. For the rental of accessories your second invoice will be XXX.XX"

Agent X was COMPLETELY Blown away because the home stager A) did not stick to her quote and proceeded with the consultation into "After hours" with out obtaining permission prior. and B) TOLD the home owners that Agent X will cover the cost of the accessory rental. C) charged her 5x the price of what her usual home stager charges as well as provided Agent X's clients with unnecessary recommendations that really did not apply to the home.

I AM ABSOLUTELY HORRIFIED not at the agent but at this so called "HOME STAGER" her business ethic is sooo poor i do not know how she remains in business.

1) The home stager should have NEVER proceeded past the discussed hours set by the agent this is not acceptable. When I go into a consultation I tell the agent that the average home will take me 2 hours to finish my report and discuss it with the client. SHOULD I require more time I will first of all contact you to discuss why I need more time and if you are ok with it and if you ARE NOT then I will FOCUS my time on the most important area's within the home EX: Kitchen, Bathroom, Living, Dining, Bedrooms and the basement usually last.

2) This stager should have NEVER told the clients that Agent X will be covering the cost of the inventory rental especially when the "stager" didn’t even discuss this with the agent.

3) The invoice should NOT have been increased because she dilly dallied through her appointment if she said to Agent X the apt will be 2 hrs but it took her 4 hrs and DIDNT tell the agent then that is her own fault and the "Stager" should NOT have invoiced for that un-estimated time.

This is a hard industry to be in, tight deadlines, scared clients because they might be offended etc. WE DO NOT NEED TO ADD POOR STAGING SKILLS AND BUSINESS ETHIC to this list! so this Home Stager in the ORLEANS, "Ottawa" Area should take a close look at her business because if she keeps doing this to her agents then eventually she'll have no clients left!

AGENTS PLEASE TAKE NOTE DO YOUR RESEARCH ON YOUR HOME STAGERS and find out...

a) Do they have an education in the home staging & decorating field?

b) Do they have insurance?

c) Ask them how long their consolations are and for how much...also ask what happens if you need more time.

d) Ask the process in their staging company, each company will do things different and this does not mean its wrong just know WHAT the process is.

e) Are they members of the RESA (Real Estate Staging Association)?

f) Do they work alone or do they have help to move items around if needed?

g) GET REFERRALS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

With in my own company customer service is #1! I am sure many people hear that but we MEAN IT!! We are the ONLY Home Staging & Interior Decorating Company in OTTAWA ONTARIO To have won the Better Business Bureau's TORCH AWARD for Marketplace Ethics. We will ALWAYS provide everything that we say we will provide as well as NEVER invoice for something we have NOT Quoted for unless we have discussed it prior to implementing it.

Please real estate agents use your stagers, do your research and form relationships with great companies.

-Kristy

Purple House Living Room

The Living room before & after.
When I walked into the living room it was dark purple, random items though out left to "show space" from the home owners, older furniture that was full of dust and was empty so its served no purpose which made the room absolutely dull, dark, and lifeless. When it comes to home staging we need to make the home bright, inviting, and appealing to the majority of home buyers.
What I did to the space was paint the walls a neutral colour called "Brazil Nut" brought in some twigs, couch, table, bench, art, drapery and an area rug to take away from the purple carpet that can not be replaced at this time. A great investment for the living room would be to remove the carpet and add hardwood though out but since this home will not be listed for a while we've decided to hold off so the dog's in the home don't add their nail marks.
As you can see from the before and after bringing in items makes a major difference making the space more appealing, inviting and showing home owners the potential of the space.

Staging Drapery Qucik Fix

Have you ever walked into a home and they had no drapery and the view is looking onto other houses or construction site?? Definitely not a selling feature of having to look at that.

When I am stuck and I do not have drapery for the room I head off to Bouclair. Bouclair has a WIDE variety of drapery in a one stop shop so essentially all you need is 10 minutes in the store and your good to go on your staging adventure.
Another great place to obtain drapery and cheap is IKEA, their sheers start at $10.00 for a package of 2 which is good enough for a whole window!!

I have heard of stagers using bed sheets for drapery but I find that lazy, cheap, and unprofessional looking. We are selling a house not a frat room.

Good luck & Happy Staging.

Staging Tip of the Day

Today's staging tip is COLOUR APPROPRIATELY.
So many home owners paint their home as a reflection of who they are and what they believe in which is GREAT! but not when it comes to selling. We need to make the space appeal to the most amount of people in the least amount of time so what appeals to people? A colour they can live with or stand until they can afford to decorate their home.
The best thing to do in a home for sale is to add colour through accessories such as lamps, pillows, art, decorations etc and have the walls a warm creamy beige colour. This colour goes with pretty much any decor so home owners will be glad they do not have to move in and repaint the offensive mustard yellow wall colour the previous owners had.

It's not to say all colour in the home needs to be removed with a beige colour, if the colours with in the home are neutral enough and reflect natures natural colours and go well with the decor then it could be safe to just keep it. Soft yellows, greens, blues etc can be beautiful if used appropriately. If their is painting required to tone down the decor beige/ tan is best, don't let decorating get you carried away.