CasaSugar

Five Tips For Increasing the Property Value of Your Home

CasaSugar — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 09:15:09 -0700

In anticipation of the new TLC series Hope For Your Home, which premieres this Saturday, I thought I'd share with you host Kirsten Kemp Becker's five tips for increasing the value of your property. A veteran Realtor, author and real estate company, and owner of a successful design company, Becker knows a thing or two about acclimating your home to the current economic climate. Here's a few ways she says you can do so yourself:

Plants on the outside. "The most economic way to achieve curb appeal is by refining your landscaping at the front of your house and by making sure the front door is the focal point. Guests, buyers, and appraisers will take notice of the entry experience and homeowners/sellers need to establish that emotional connection from the moment they pull up to your home. Remember the details: trim weeds, fix broken screens, hide the trash cans from view, and plant some fresh flowers in prominent planters."

There's four more where this came from, so read more.

Paint on the inside. "The biggest transformation in the shortest period of time results from paint. It can lighten a room, create an accent wall, and provide flow from one space to another."
- "If you can't afford new lighting or higher ceilings try painting a neutral color on the walls and a shade lighter on the ceiling."
- "To give a room a focal point or create more drama around one wall, try your hand at some color by painting it a shade of chocolate or charcoal to achieve a designer's touch."
- "If you can't afford to remodel the entire house and change your floor plan to make each room transition smoothly, try using the same shade of paint in all the public areas and down hallways - consistency of tone adds a feeling of congruency and openness."

Kitchens and baths. "Invest time and money into updating kitchens and bathrooms, but it doesn't mean ripping it all out and starting over - you can enhance what is already there. Learn to distract buyers' eyes from that which is not perfect by directing them towards areas that have been completely updated. A coat of paint and new hardware on existing cabinets and bathroom vanities can instantly update dated countertops tiles and fixtures. Take it one step further by using epoxy over existing tile or regrout to avoid demolishing and installing new tile, which saves time and money."

Declutter. "Stick with the timeless tried and true paint colors, accessories, and furniture in order to maximize the length of time and enjoyment out of your investment. Paramount to this is how you maintain your home. There is nothing like clutter to bury a home's value. If a professional can't see the space, appreciate the finishes or easily navigate around personal belongings and oversized furniture, they can't appraise it or sell it for top dollar."

Clean, clean, then clean again. "Even if a house has a poor floor plan, limited landscaping, or outdated bathrooms and kitchens, everything looks more valuable when it is well maintained and dust free. Pride of ownership shines through in a house that is clean and well cared for, which translates into higher profits in a sale and more attractive loan options for a refinance."

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This Just In: TLC Premieres Hope For Your Home This Saturday

CasaSugar — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 06:15:27 -0700

This Saturday, TLC will premiere its new series, Hope for Your Home, about the harsh realities facing homeowners in the US today. In each half-hour episode, host and real estate expert Kirsten Kemp Becker will help one family in financial need make improvements essential to increasing the value of their property, with the help of a contractor, of course.
"In a slow, or dare I say declining real estate market, it is important to set yourself apart from other homes on the market when yours is listed for sale. If you need to refinance, the same holds true," says Becker in a press statement. "Fortunately," she continues, "there are high impact low cost improvements homeowners can achieve over a weekend with help from friends and family." After these improvements have been made each week, a real estate agent and mortgage broker will examine each home and reassess its value, giving the homeowner the option to refinance and stay in their newly renovated home, or sell and find a more affordable alternative. Tune into the premiere this Saturday, Aug. 9, at 8:30PM EST/PDT on TLC!
Source

Share Your Thanksgiving Vignettes!

CasaSugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:15:46 -0800

I hope by now you've joined my new group Lovely Little Vignettes, which is the place to share photos of the small vignettes you create in your home, or those you see online or at a friend's home. There were some great Halloween decorating vignettes shared in the group, but now I'm anxious to see your more autumnal and Thanksgiving-related vignettes! (If you're not sure what I mean by vignettes, this slideshow should make it clear.)
So, show me what you got! Be it some art books on your coffee table or your arrangement of green cachepots on your windowsill, I want to see all of your beautiful photographs of the little details throughout your home.

Source: Flickr User bangli 1

Ask Casa: Help Me Choose Paint Colors

CasaSugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:00:19 -0800

Hi Casa,

My boyfriend and I are about to move into our first house and I couldn't be happier! I can't wait to get in there and start putting our touch on things! The only problem is that I am having a tough time picking a paint color for the living room.

A few years ago, I bought a set of three prints that I absolutely love. I want to hang them above the sofa in our new place, but I'm having a tough time finding the right paint color to highlight them. When we first bought the prints, our living room was white and they popped beautifully. But now I'm a little sick of white and want to add some color, but I'm not sure what direction to go. The living room in our new place opens onto the dining room, so whatever color we choose will have to continue into the dining room too.

Any suggestions?

Thanks for the help,
KatieMise

To see my suggestion for KatieMise, read more.

Hi Katie,

Great prints! I love them. This isn't a tough one. When choosing a wall color for a wall with artwork, my rule of thumb is always to choose a hue that's an accent in the art piece, but not the primary color. You should choose a complementary color, too. In this case, the background colors of two of your prints are a greenish-blue and a true blue, and in all three prints there is reddish detailing. So, I think a red or watermelon hue would really make your prints pop. Not only are they on the opposite side of the color wheel from those greens and blues, but reddish walls will make the red detailing in your prints pop!

I made a couple of mock-ups to give you an idea. But the best thing to do is head to your paint shop and grab a few samples in these colors, and then bring them home to see what works with your prints. Then, test the paint on your walls before you paint the whole thing. If a whole room in a red color is too much for you, you can always just paint an accent wall and then leave the rest of the walls white. I think it works with the artwork, too, because red is a really important color in Asian culture.

Hope this helps!

Cheers,

Casa

Let's See Your Lovely Little Vignettes!

CasaSugar — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:00:29 -0800

I hope by now you've joined my new group Lovely Little Vignettes, which is the place to share photos of the small vignettes you create in your home, or those you see online or at a friend's home. If you're not sure what I mean by vignettes, this slideshow should make it clear.
So, show me what you got! Be it some art books on your coffee table or your arrangement of green cachepots on your windowsill, I want to see all of your beautiful photographs of the little details throughout your home.

Source

Ask Casa: Framing Fine Photography

CasaSugar — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:00:13 -0800

Hi Casa,

I am adding, for the first time ever, fine photography to my apartment. However I am at a loss when it comes to framing styles and arrangement.

One set of four photographs is horizontally-oriented and black-and-white. I'd like this set in my bedroom but don't know how to arrange them so they look more interesting seeing that they're all horizontal. Tips? Regarding framing them, I'd like to know which types of frames (color, matting, etc.) you recommend for my room seeing that the walls are white but most of the accessory pieces in my room are either antique brown wood or a few wood pieces I've painted bright coral and Yves Klein blue. Are white frames my best bet? Can you frame b&w photographs in brown wood?

The other set of photographs are two color photographs, also horizontally-oriented, that will be nearly facing each other on opposite walls. Tips on framing, matting, and color? They need not match, do they?

I appreciate any tips you might be able to offer me!

Best,
Daniela

To see my suggestions for Daniela, read more.

Hi Daniela,

How exciting! First of all, I wouldn't worry too much about making them "look more interesting" - adding fine art to your home will instantly give it a face-lift regardless of how it's arranged! But, I'll give you a few tips.

As for color, I do think white frames are your best bet. They won't compete with the artwork, and they go with everything. But, you can also go with silver or stainless steel for a more contemporary look. And yes, you can definitely frame black and white photography in brown wood. Another option is to use frameless glass clip frames, which have a more contemporary, minimal look.

I'd say for the set of four photographs, keep the frames cohesive. If you want to choose two different mat colors for the set, you can do that to give it a little edge. But don't get too crazy, maybe go with a gray mat.

For the set of two color photographs, go with a white or off-white mat. For the frames themselves, you can do two different colors or finishes if you like seeing as they'll be on different walls. Select colors that will make the images pop. But make sure the two colors don't clash.

As for arrangements, one option is to use picture ledges. This style allows you to easily move around your photography when it's feeling stale. You can also add a smaller piece of artwork, or even a knickknack, to play with scale. A layering effect (setting one frame slightly in front of the other) is nice, too.

You can't go wrong with a box-shaped arrangement. Just make sure you keep them evenly spaced.

You can also hang two rows of frames a bit off-kilter from one another. It should be enough that the arrangement doesn't look like a mistake, but not too much that the bottom frame is hung between the top two. If you choose an off-kilter arrangement, make sure the distance between the top two frames and between the bottom two frames is the same.

Or, if you happen to have a really long wall, you can hang the four of them side by side. This will give you more of an art gallery effect.

Hope that helps!
Cheers, Casa

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Ask Casa: What to Do About Burgundy

CasaSugar — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:00:14 -0700

Su Casa member Pretty Little Things got this overstuffed burgundy chenille burgundy chair at a garage sale for only $50. She wants to integrate it into her awesome new apartment, but her "theoretical color scheme involves grays, golds, whites, neutrals, dark wood, no burgundy!" And aside from the color, she also finds the chair bulky. So she asks, "Can someone suggest a nice color palette that would match with burgundy (in keeping with the other colors I had in mind, or something like them) or should I just give up and get a slipcover?"

To hear my suggestions for Pretty Little Things, read more.

Hi there-

Good question!

First of all, is the chair in good condition? If not, I wouldn't invest any money in even a slipcover. While $50 seems like a bargain for a chair, with some more garage sale trolling and Craigslist, I think you can find another used chair in good condition that may eliminate the burgundy issue.

Next, do you mind the shape? Personally, that overstuffed look is not my style, but if you like it, keep it. If you don't like the bulky shape and you're just keeping it because it was cheap, I think you should just sell it. Don't bring anything into your home that you don't love, or that you can't alter (to be loved).

That said, I think it's a good decision to get a slipcover for the chair, or have one made. Your theoretical palette sounds beautiful and I would love to see how you put it all together. While the burgundy wouldn't exactly clash, I think it might stand out as more of an eyesore than anything else. And, if we're talking aesthetics, I've never been a fan of burgundy furnishings, either!

I suggest getting a white or off-white slipcover that's NOT fitted - and even wrinkly if you can find one. I'm thinking of the chairs in Stockholm's Hotel J, which I think are cool and relaxed. This look works really well with overstuffed chairs, and will give yours a modern-meets-shabby-chic vibe.

Hope this helps! Let me know what you decide!

Cheers,

Casa

Let's See Your Lovely Little Vignettes!

CasaSugar — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:00:18 -0700

I hope by now you've joined my new group Lovely Little Vignettes, which is the place to share photos of the small vignettes you create in your home, or those you see online or at a friend's home. If you're not sure what I mean by vignettes, this slideshow should make it clear.
So, show me what you got! Be it some art books on your coffee table or your arrangement of green cachepots on your windowsill, I want to see all of your beautiful photographs of the little details throughout your home.

Source: Flickr User Michael Francis McCarthy

Let's See Your Lovely Little Vignettes!

CasaSugar — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 07:00:59 -0700

I hope by now you've joined my new group Lovely Little Vignettes, which is the place to share photos of the small vignettes you create in your home, or those you see online or at a friend's home. If you're not sure what I mean by vignettes, this slideshow should make it clear. So, show me what you got! Be it some art books on your coffee table or your arrangement of green cachepots on your windowsill, I want to see all of your beautiful photographs of the little details throughout your home.

Source

Let's See Your Lovely Little Vignettes!

CasaSugar — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 13:30:27 -0700

I hope by now you've joined my new group Lovely Little Vignettes, which is the place to share photos of the small vignettes you create in your home, or those you see online or at a friend's home. If you're not sure what I mean by vignettes, this slideshow should make it clear. So, show me what you got! Be it the jewelry and water glass that ended up on your bedside table, or artwork and knick-knacks you've more purposefully arranged on your mantel, I want to see all of your beautiful photographs of little details throughout your home.

Lovely Little Vignettes member KWM shared this image of her "six shelves for six honeymoons" with the group. She says, "Every year for our anniversary we take a trip and always aim for that one photo that sums up each experience. I found a fun place to display them all in our bedroom. It's fun to remember those special moments every morning and evening." I love how she's given these nostalgic photographs a designated place in her home. Where do you display your photographs?