Springy, Green and Budget

To me, a seasonal change at the front door says Welcome. First Impressions are so important. A calendar-conscious urn or pot implies many things: this home is cared for...the details matter... and timeliness is important...all crucial impressions for potential buyers. How to make that great, fresh, and welcoming first impression without too much time and money?

I am the first to complain about Christmas trees in March, or heat-stroked pansies in July. But it is hard to find a pot-filler that is approprite for all seasons. I weather out our Minnesota "spring" (fear of frost season) with sticks and stones(they never die or need water, but are not plastic or fake). I have used forsythia cuttings and pussy willows with success in years past, but those are relatively short-lived. Now that it is May...I would love to put in some fresh and springy pansies or cool-loving flowers...However, soon it will be 85 degrees and humid, with my front step baking like a brick oven, killing even the most sun-loving flowers. I am also conscious of the expense of changing out living plants from spring to summer and then to fall. In an affort to be frugal and minimal I am trying to make smart purchases that will weather well from spring until late fall...through cool and heat and cool again...here is what I came up with.

Think about potting ornamental grass, Autumn flowering perennials, herbs, and late harvest vegetables...these plants change from little springy greens to grand autmnal hued plants, providing interest in changing color, texture , and size hrough the seasons...the herbs and veggies can be enjoyed through Thanksgiving and the perennials could be re-planted in your landscape. An environmental and economical thriftiness with an asthetic appeal that refreshes itself with change over the months...Happy Potting!

Color my World and (pay for the good stuff)

Painting a room is the least expensive fix...Big bang for your buck...Huge change for cheap...okay already, we get it. Its not news to us that painting a room refreshes everything. Unfortunately, there are some potential obstacles to this easy home improvement job that can block even the best of us:(1) making a color choice; and/or (2) procrastination (understandable!). I have suffered from both indecision and sheer laziness to the point of absurdity in this realm of painting-"I want a neutral that complements my salmon,brown and taupe tile, but does not match exactly; and I want it to look modern, yet be true to the original mid century fixtures; and I do not want white or a shade of eggshell, but browns/taupes would be a bit much...." You can see the dilemma of expecting too much magic from a fresh coat of paint. Finally this past winter, I re-painted my bathroom the same shade of egg shell it has always been. Not what I had in mind, but 7 years of waiting for the color inspiration of a lifetime was just plain silly. I figure a fresh coat of the old color is an improvement, because who knows how many more years it will take me to be sure of the right color. Here is my advice, Just Do It (isn't that a catchy slogan).

Here are some color trends for the season/year...I am not endorsing them necessarily, especially not for staging a home for sale where wall color should be neutral and less personal, but here they are for you paint warriors-

shades of plum and mauve

goldish-yellow and oatmeal-neutral

shades of blue

Once the paint color has been chosen, please, don't scrimp on quality when buying paint...the more expensive paint covers better.

The window treatment and cure...

I love the word "treatment" for window coverings...like a prescription to make the window healthier, a cure, a fix. So what is the primary ailment of windows? Its dirt, dust, water marks, and/or an unsavory view. Window shades, blinds, curtains and draperies can indeed save a room from a less than ideal view, and they can mask the dirty window problem. My problem with window "treatments," however, is that they are often worse than the original ailment. They block light, can get way over-done, over-decorated, over-coordinated, and can be so-so-so fussy. I am a big fan of simple, simple and more simple. I would love all of my windows to sparkle with the sun shining through, completely naked of treatment. Unfortunately that is not always practical... for the sake of privacy, and temperature. (The summer's heat and the winter's cold can be an issue in untreated panes. )Even me, a purist and true minimalist has to admit that asthetically, sometimes the right window treatment makes a room feel RIGHT...it may balance the "weight" of a room, provide "support" for a floating ceiling, or finish the open "hole" a window may leave in a wall

Here are my suggestions: Simple drapes that can be drawn open and shut; neutral shades that go up and down, blinds that are wide enough to make cleaning possible. Try making a window appear larger by over-hanging the rod on either side of the window. During the daytime, open your curtains to the framing. Also, try changing up textures and colors on larger windows that might require more panels. sometimes darker on the outside and lighter on the inside gives a stage-like impression...

Stay away from multiple layers of heavy draperies (dusty, heavy, yucky), and also those mini-plastic blinds (also dust collectors).

Dont gross me out the door...

"A little bit of elbow grease goes such a long way," I always say. For all you home shoppers, home show-ers and home owners out there, there is nothing worse than coming in from the cold and wet, taking off your shoes (as we like to do here in the snowy Midwest), and feeling a greaz-y carpet, sticky linoleum or grubby tile floor permeating the protective layer of your socks. How about the hard and sticky dried up food bits, not to mention hair of all unmentionable varieties and rocks that we also feel when walking (usually on tip-toe) through the house. In such a case, I have decided not to go into a room or down the stairs due to this "gross me out the door" phenomena. Filth is a huge turn-off...and so easily avoidable.

In the grand scheme of things...clean sells better than dirty! Clean allows a potential buyer to take note of the important selling features, and not the disgusting smelling creatures...If you can't paint, repair or even clear the clutter...Clean your house, it's the least you can do in preparing a home for sale. It doesn't have to cost a cent, although you can hire the job out if cleaning isn't for you (a 1- time deep clean can run anywhere from $100-$500). Don't gross me out the door, literally. Don't distract me from the features of your home by scaring me with its dirt, dust and yuck. Clean it ! Especially the floors, bathrooms and kitchens...these need to sparkle!

Moving from one "eye stop" to the next....

You hear these elusive, almost upper crusty terms..."focal point" "balance" "sense of ease" "spatial harmony" "traffic flow" ...what? To some of us these terms mean something real, but hard to pin down in a formula for success. For me, trial and error is my most tried and true method for furniture and accent arrangement. These initial staging steps are easy...

1.Clear the extraneous (all of those personal knick knacks, chotchkas, collections);
2.Clean; and
3.Repair, Restore and Repaint.

Its the furniture "rules" that are hard to come by. Every room is different: a different size, a different shape, a different purpose, a different style...so MOVE IT, look at it, and MOVE IT AGAIN. Keep at this furniture dance, until it feels "right." Nothing should feel in the way. Nothing should feel too crowded. Once you have it, punctuate your room with "eye stops." These color pops throughout the room move the eye (and eventually the buyer) through the room. RED is a great "eye stop" color. I use it in most rooms, no matter the color scheme.

Real books, real plants, real life staging...

Book shelves are often seen super-staged, in a way that I feel is a bit contrived. Instead of fake plants and fake books, please use real, live and authentic books, plants and art. Leave at least half of the shelves “open” to show room for more. In the open areas, a few decorative items are good. The key here is neatness (organize books by size) and balance (place some horizontally and others vertically.) The entire shelf should look functional and pleasing, not prop-like.

Don't let lint burn you out...

Here is a tip from I received via my sister-in-law...and it makes sense. I hope it saves a dryer or two.

"The heating unit went out on my dryer! The gentleman that fixes things around the house for us told us that he wanted to show us something, and he went over to the dryer and pulled out the lint filter. It was clean. (I always clean the lint from the filter after every load clothes.) He took the filter over to the sink and ran hot water over it. The lint filter is made of a mesh material. The hot water just sat on top of the mesh! It didn't go through it at all! He told us that dryer sheets create a film over that mesh and that's what burns out the heating unit. You can't see the film, but it's there. That “film” is what makes your clothes soft and static free, nicely fragranced too. You know how dryer sheets feel waxy when you take them out of the box? Well, this film builds up on your clothes and on your lint screen. This film build-up is what can potentially burn out the dryer’s heating unit and burn your house down. The best way to keep your dryer working for a very long time (and to keep your electric bill lower) is to take that filter out and wash it with hot soapy water and an old toothbrush (or other brush) at least every six months."