It's Interesting ... and It Works Too.

Some things are functional AND interesting to look at, providing a double benefit each time we use them. We want rooms to have a focal point, but if too many items compete for attention it can make a room look 'busy', and distract the viewer. So use such items sparingly to provide interest in a room, the way accessories enhance clothes, and ensure there is a strong focal point with which they do not compete.

Besides being functional, this item has a fun design as well.

Staging For Bird Owners

Birds are enjoyable pets, and exotic birds come in beautiful colours. It's natural to want to show them off, but is it a good choice when you are staging? Here are a few reasons birds may detract when showing a home.

1. Feathers - and seeds! Even new bird cage designs allow a few of these to find the floor.
2. Flutters - a surprising number of people dislike or fear birds, and this may distract them from enjoying your home.
3. Fantasy - When trying to create the image of an idyllic lifestyle, cages suggest 'work' because they require cleaning - even if they are perfectly clean at the time.

When selling, you want buyers to put themselves in your place - literally- and imagine comfortably living in your home. So if possible, try to arrange a mini vacation for the birds in your life when your house is for sale, and enjoy the happy reunion in your new place.

Wow, It Matches!

Choosing things with the same patterns or colours - matching - might be a shortcut to 'pull things together'. However, because it is so obvious when things match, the result can be too simplistic for good design. We want design elements to relate to each other...and perhaps 'relate' is a better approach than 'match' in many cases. When items tie together but are not exactly the same, people enjoy the connections without thinking about them. "Matching" will draw more attention, and for positive effect might be introduced when it is unexpected, or to make a bold message apart from design.

A face paint design is fun when it unexpectedly

matches the colour of your clothes.

Dogs in clothes send a message. 

Owners and dogs in matching clothes send a 

stronger "pet lover" message.

A FREE Way to Add Value to Your Home

Most home improvements cost money, but there's a way to add value to your home, make it nicer for you to live in, and maybe even earn a little cash at the same time. Buyers will pay more for organized storage areas. Rearranging your stored belongings can provide breathing room and a sense of order that makes the home more appealing. And selling unused belongings can generate a little spending money for something new.

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What Is Kitsch, And Should I Use It?

Kitsch is defined in the dictionary as "art, objects, or design considered to be in poor taste because of excessive garishness or sentimentality, but sometimes appreciated in an ironic or knowing way". The effect is something like being tickled under the chin and told "kitschy-kitschy-coo" like a baby ... ugh!

Does kitsch have its place? Sure, because it may evoke a smile among people who appreciate its playfulness or message. When selling a home, however, the tastes of the buyer must be considered in order for them to feel "at home" too. If the charm or humor of kitsch lies in some element of bad or childish taste, then it is risky to believe every buyer will respond to it favorably. They may not be in on 'the joke' like your friends, so it is safer to prepack these items for your next place.

Help for the Cluttered Collector!

Collecting is a fun, but sometimes space or maintenance become issues. We want to enjoy treasured collections without letting them overrun our living areas, because great memories can be associated with items we collect as well as the places we found them. Photos of the collection are an excellent way to do this, whether framed as a collage or shared one by one as a slide show using a digital frame.

Favourite toys and collections can be remembered daily through photos.

Should I Stage With My Unusual Plant?

Plants add a touch of nature to a room and blend with almost anything. Whether an "unusual" plant is a good choice may depend on why it stands out. Is it a unique color, an unusual shape? Or has it just overgrown and become large or spindly? Does it fit in the room - scale-wise and also with the decor? The plant is not the selling feature, so make sure it doesn't detract from the room and adds an interesting highlight.