Luxury for Less

Just because you are on a budget, doesn’t mean you have to compromise on style in your home. If it’s time to refresh your décor but you don’t think you have the necessary funds, think again. Here are a few ways you can add a touch of luxury to any room of your home without breaking the bank:

Start with the walls
No room of your home can ever feel luxurious if the paintwork is shabby or wallpaper looks dull or weathered. A new coat of paint or wallpaper is the fastest, and easiest way to a fresh new look. If painting, consider a suede, satin or cashmere finish in a neutral colour for a look of elegance. If wallpapering, consider rich colours, textures or traditional patterns. Use good quality products for best results.

Liven up the living room
Add an instant touch of lavishness with one or two large cushions in rich embroidered fabric, velvet or faux fur. Add warmth to your wood floors with a shag rug for modern décor, Turkish or Oriental style for more traditional tastes. No need to splurge on new lamps, simply update the shades with linen or silk-like material. Give a favourite piece of furniture a makeover with updated sleek metal hardware or repaint with an attractive gloss paint.

Beautify bedrooms & bathrooms
Buy beautiful bed linen when it is on sale. Billowy comforters or duvets with plenty of plump pillows make the whole room look luxurious and inviting. A plush rug for stepping in and out of bed gives a sumptuous start and end to your day. Add plenty of thick fresh towels and large pillar candles in the bathroom to set a pampered scene. Invest in light switch dimmers to create the ambiance you desire.

Get chic in the kitchen
Freshen up cabinetry with new paint or modern hardware and update lighting fixtures. Buy a beautiful tablecloth or table runner and top it off with a potted orchid in an attractive pot. Rather than using every day chipped or stained mugs, treat yourself to a couple of fine china tea cups from a thrift store or good quality coffee mugs for your favourite brew. Then sit back, enjoy tea for two with a friend, and truly savour the moment.

Recently I tackled what will probably be the most difficult staging of my real estate career.  The smaller home, situated on a large lot in a desirable neighbourhood, was quite frankly a disaster when I first laid eyes on it.  Clutter ran rampant.  Dated wall paper adorned the walls. The pungent odour of cat urine assaulted my nose.  The walls, windows, and floors looked dingy.  I thought to myself, “What have I gotten myself into?  Where do I start?”

When consulting with the executors of the estate it was evident that they were overwhelmed by the state of the house and were not quite sure where to start.  Many of the homes like this one in the neighbourhood were being torn down and new monster homes put in their place due to the large lots sizes.  This posed the question of whether to completely empty it out and leave ‘as is’ or stage the home.  Ultimately we decided to stage the home but with a limited budget using the existing furniture in the home.  By doing so I wanted to appeal to the widest margin of buyers possible: Builders and people willing to move in and live.  If we left the home as it was the amount of persons interested in the home would be significantly reduced to builders.  Builders only make up a small percentage of prospective buyers.  If we didn’t do cosmetic changes, people not interested in remodelling would have difficulty visualizing themselves in the home, not to mention be turned off by the odour and grime.

When prospective buyers view a home many psychological factors come into play.  Something as subtle as a marked up wall can turn buyers off.  Clutter distracts from the architectural features of the home.  A piece of missing trim or loose door hardware can raise doubts about how the home has been maintained.  I’ve had buyers in this situation who raise the question, “What else has not been properly maintained and what problems are there that we can’t see?”   Bad odour is a big turn off.  Most people want to get away from unpleasant odours and as a result, when viewing a home with bad odours, buyers will often speed through and not take note of the features.  Quite often when recalling the property they’ll remember the home as the one that smelled bad.   Smell is also one of the biggest triggers of memories.  This is why many Realtors will bake cookies before an open house.  It triggers good memories and smells great.

Back to the subject house.  The first thing I wanted to do was go through the home and label all the furnishings and accessories we could use for staging.  Once this was done I arranged for the family to gather as many people as possible and order a dumpster.  Anything that the family did not want and was not salvageable for local charities was to be disposed of.   In one day we filled a large dumpster.  By cleaning out the home it created room to carry out the necessary improvements to get the home ready for sale.

Next up it was a thorough cleaning.  This entailed washing walls, spot removal, window cleaning, dusting cobwebs out of the corners and off the ceilings, thoroughly scrubbing down the bathrooms and kitchen, and polishing the furniture.  Already the home was smelling better and looking bigger.  All the clutter and odour were distracting from the great features that the home had to offer.  We also had the broadloom professionally steam cleaned.  Although this didn’t get rid of the cat urine odour completely it helped immensely.  The areas causing the odour were treated afterwards with an enzymatic spray that breaks down the urine on a molecular level to get rid of the smell.  Simple Solution

Once the cleaning was completed, wall paper was stripped and required painting completed.  We also decided to paint the vanity, walls and replace the dated floor covering and accessories in one of the bathrooms.  Surprisingly it cost less then $200 to bring the 1960′s powder room into the 21st century & look like a million bucks.   The window treatments in the bedrooms where also updated with simple white cotton shears to give the rooms a bright airy feel.

Furniture was then moved from one bedroom to another.  The difference was night and day.  One of the most common mistakes people make is placing too much furniture in their bedrooms.   This often makes a room appear smaller than it really is and distracts the viewer.  We followed suit with the rest of the rooms.  Organizing, repositioning furniture, & placing accessories.

As a result of our labour we had a home that appealed to the largest array of buyers and were able to offer it for sale at a higher price.  Here’s a recap of things to do when staging.

1. De-clutter.
2. Clean thoroughly.  Light fixtures, walls, ceilings, windows, and the obvious things like kitchens(this includes de-greasing and cabinets) and bathrooms.
3. Touch up paint and repaint if necessary.
4. Consider stripping outdated wall paper.
5. Reposition furniture to improve flow and openness.
6. Get rid of offensive odours.
7. Consider renting furniture to update a room’s look.
8. Place accessories but not too many that they distracts from the room and house itself.
9. Consider doing minor cosmetic updates to bathrooms and kitchens.  They’re more affordable then you think.
10. Use nice bedding and make use of pillows and throws to create an inviting look. Good, fluffy towels in the bathroom help create an image of luxury and comfort.

If you are interested in viewing this property or selling your home please contact me.

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I still remember the first day we took possession.  Everything seemed perfect.  We sat on the floor in the empty living room admiring the gleaming hardwood and the openess of our new space.  Even  the stair case looked spectacular with it’s rustic worn treads.

Moving day came and went.  Weeks turned into months and months turned into years, five and a half years to be precise.  Those five years were spent productively.  Both of us focusing on our careers and even a few new ones along the way.  Our home throughout it became more of a sanctuary.  The quirks of living in a hundred year old home made it all the more endearing.  New drains, a stretch of water pipes replaced, new pot lights, and replacement of contaminated soil.  Yes… we bought a house with a small rear section of contaminated soil.  No problem.  Already mandated to be cleaned  up which it was about 3 years after we moved in.  Non the less, it was ours and it was perfect for a couple of young professionals.

Over the next five and a half years little things we thought were endearing and gave the home charm started to become annoying and run of the mill.  The squeaky second level pine plank flooring, the pitch and squeak of the treads on the worn rustics stairs, the bathroom still looked good but was starting to show it’s age and we noticed the main level of our dream home was somewhat dark during the day.   Wait a minute.  We had actually improved upon our home by some of the small projects we had done.  It still looked great and we received many compliments from guests but for us, although special, it was losing it’s lustre.

What happened to two or three years then moving?  It had been almost six years and we were living in the same home.  It is quite simple.  We fell in love with the neighbourhood and it’s close proximity to everything.  Not to mention that real estate prices in our pocket had almost doubled in value in that short period.  Still, we couldn’t ignore that perhaps our tastes and needs had changed and maybe it was time to move to another home.  Like anyone in this position we started kicking tires… or in our case…. front doors.  The homes and condos we looked at came in many shapes, sizes, and prices.   Big, small, run down, renovated, excellent neighbourhood, so so neighbourhood, and the list went on.  We found nothing.  So what next?

The only logical course of action was to renovate our home to suit our present needs and tastes.  For the next two months we planned.   We hired a designer, a contractor, and also determined what we wanted to do.  It seemed so easy and smooth.  Expanded parking, second level hardwood, a new staircase, quartz counter tops in the kitchen, a new bathroom, a skylight, new roof, and new furnace and air conditioner.  After the renovation we were not going any where in a hurry.  Finally by November the renovations started.  What was to be three weeks turned into three months of inconvenient hell.  The end result worth it looking back in hindsight.

When the renovations were complete I was not pleased with the finishing details of the bathroom.  The grout was fragmenting in spots, the pot lights seemed too tight in the ceiling, some of the tiles were uneven… although only by a mere millimetre I noticed.  To top the cake, the pocket door in the bathroom was installed crooked.  Off by a bit.  Only noticeable to a trained eye.  Still being the type A personality that I am, it drove me crazy at first.  So, I stewed for a few months after completion.  Liking the over all picture and renovation but not liking the small finishing details in the bathroom.  Wanting it repaired but not wanting to go through renovation hell again nor willing to spend another dime.

It wasn’t until a few months later when we were at a friends dinner party that it hit me like a ton of bricks.  I am a perfectionist for small details and perhaps my expectations were too high.  I expect perfection and in this case, it is near impossible to get perfection from a 100 year old house.  I talked to a couple of people at the party who had had the same contractor do work on their older homes.  They were very happy with his work.  It is then I realized that all of my professional training and experience were working against me while our own renovations were taking place.  OUCH.  I started to think about homes I have seen during my career.  Homes that were in the million dollar price range which I realized weren’t perfect either.  Some of the homes which had designer baths and kitchens had more crooked mill, tile, and finishing work then mine did.

The following day I looked at our new bathroom for the first time in a different light and I fell in love.  It really is beautiful and everything I dreamt it would be.  In fact it turned out better than expected.  Perfectionism isn’t a bad thing.  In my mind it’s what makes us strive to be better at what we do but no longer will I fall victim to it.   Fretting over the insignificant small details (such as a tile being off by a fraction of an inch or slight brush strokes in ceiling paint) only makes a renovation experience stressful and takes from the overall experience and end result.

Front porches aren’t just for storage and protection from the weather while you enter your house. They are a great additional outdoor space for your home with many benefits. When utilized as a living space they are a fantastic way to enjoy the outdoors, meet your neighbours and enhance the sense of community. Whether you are kicking back sipping your favourite beverage watching the world go by or entertaining, a front porch can be a welcoming urban oasis to escape hectic city life.

Dressing up your porch is easy and affordable. Elements such as drapery, bamboo roll blinds, and rugs bring warmth and comfort to an otherwise cold space. These elements, when done correctly, also enhance the curb appeal of your home. If you’re not sure, stick with neutral colours with some contrasting colours to break up monotony. Draperies and blinds are a great way to hide objects such as bikes, provide shade from sunlight, and can be pulled closed for privacy. Using plants creates warmth and provides green. Ornamental palms are a great low maintenance way to give a tropical feel. Sisal area rugs are durable, natural, and another way to add ambience and warmth. Don’t forget to accessorize. Candles and accent lighting provide a relaxing atmosphere and have a dramatic lighting effect at night.

Furniture is another important element of any outdoor space. Teak furniture provides neutral tones and warmth but requires yearly maintenance to keep it looking its best. Powder coated aluminum and wicker furniture are relatively maintenance free and can be kept outdoors all year around but wicker isn’t always the most comfortable to relax in. Make sure when purchasing your furniture that it’s to scale with the size of your porch.

These websites have some additional ideas for decorating your porch.

Porch 32
Quick, Chic Outdoor Decorating
Home Decorating Room by Room