Difference between Home Staging and Interior Design

I have been asked many times if interior design and home staging are the same thing. They are actually on opposite ends of the design spectrum.

Home staging means to prepare a home for sale while interior design refers to the act of personalizing the design of a space.

Home Staging

Staging is neither decorating nor personalizing. It focuses on bringing out the best in your home and strategically arranging furniture and décor to highlight those features. We also strategically mask less desirable features, if there are any 😊. Our goal is to create a generic look that allows prospective buyers to imagine themselves in your home. We create visual square footage by arranging furniture in a more inviting way and colors to bring brightness. We create a lifestyle that attracts widest possible range of potential buyers.

Interior Design

The feeling of being "at home" comes from an intimate relationship between us and our most personal place. It provides us comfort, pleasure and sanctuary, and uplifts us emotionally, physically and spiritually. Our goal as a designer is to build such a personalized space for each homeowner, by incorporating their personal aesthetics and daily functional needs. It starts off by understanding the kind of style that the homeowner is inclined towards: whether it is Minimalist, Contemporary, Traditional, Transitional, Rustic, French Country, Shabby Chic, Coastal, Hollywood Regency, Scandinavian, Urban Modern, Bohemian, Mid- Century Modern, Industrial, Modern Farmhouse, Eclectic, Modern Country, Art Deco or Asian. We encourage unique patterns, colors, sentimental pieces and family heirlooms.

Next step is to bring along the 7 elements of Interior design of that genre : Space, Texture, Light, Color, Pattern, Line and Form.

The perfect blend of all these elements creates a space that is unique, radiates the home owner’s personality and at the same time is warm and inviting, to truly make it their “Own Home”!

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Textures in interior design

In the words of design, texture is the impact of how objects feel through the sense of touch on the external surface.

Although this term refers to how a particular surface feels, it has a visual element as well — with one quick glance, you can tell how a particular item will feel. Hence, certain items look smooth or cozy. Texture has the power to add warmth, depth and character to your home in a way no other element can. To get a better idea of what texture consists of, imagine yourself walking over a Persian rug or wrapping yourself in an Alpaca throw on a winter night.

The kind of textures we are talking about incorporating are things like wood and textiles — things that have pattern and movement and look like they would be interesting to touch.

It is a designer’s job to put two or more contrasting textures together to add visual weight to the space. This works best when two contrasting textures — rough and smooth — are used in close proximity to each other.

Textures, if implemented incorrectly, will make an otherwise pleasant room feel haphazard. Sometimes, the easiest way to harness the power of texture is to center it around a standout feature, such as an archway or fireplace. Selected textures can play off of the characteristics of the focal point.

The following are top three of the textures that we like to incorporate in our design plan for clients:

Velvet:  The perception of velvet has changed dramatically in recent years. Velvet furnishings has taken on new significance in 2019. A velvet sofa is no longer something to feel embarrassed about, but something to embrace. You can easily add luxury to the living room with a contemporary velvet tufted sofa. The popular colors are greens, blues, rich rusts and terra-cotta shades.

Velvet itself is quite durable, even though its luxurious and high-style look would make you think otherwise.

Marble: One of our favorite accents that seems to be here to stay is the marble trend. After seeing the way marble can completely transform a space, we are beginning to understand what the Romans made all the fuss about. Although it may seem awkward at first glance, marble is excellent material for furniture. It is strong, powerful is timeless. Do not be afraid to invest in a piece of furniture made of marble. The material’s distinct veining adds visual interest to any furniture and décor while maintaining a sleek appearance. Adding marble accessories can rejuvenate any space in your home.

Textured Rugs: Rugs are a perfect way to bring an element of texture into the room. A rug on a tile or wooden floor is both visually and tactilely contrasting. It adds in another layer to a room. A carefully displayed rug will be able to alter how light reflects around the room. Its presence will soften up, smooth or add rustic charm to overall place and add dimensions to a room.

Our favorite is hand woven woolen rugs. Wool is very resilient and its texture allows it to quickly recover from crushing or indenting caused by footsteps. This natural resilience also keeps the rug looking new and fresh for longer periods of time.

This design inspiration, that we are sharing here beautifully incorporates a velvet sofa, with leather accent chairs. We have marble coffee and side tables and also marble lamps. For accessories, we have used green agate, velvet and woolen throw pillow, paired with metallic vases and a handmade woolen rug bring the whole design to completion.

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Symbolism of flowers in Feng Shui

Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese art of space arrangement, that uses universal principles and the laws of nature to determine how to organize your environment for the energy to flow in the right cycle for your overall health, happiness and prosperity.

Flowers are very powerful Feng Shui cure and have been used for centuries to uplift the chi of a home. They are also believed to being in good luck, healing and numerous blessings. Each color of flower has specific meaning in Feng Shui.

For example, red flowers represent passion and emotion; orange, warmth and conversation; yellow, truth and friendship; green, growth and vitality; white, innocence and purity; purple, spirituality and faith; blue, clarity and relaxation.

Listing out a few of my favorite blooms and their symbolism:

Orchids: Orchids signify purity and fertility, and they enhance career success. Put a spray of purple phalaenopsis in your home office, your meditation space or your family room for grace, harmony and progress. In a living room, the orchid bestows family luck and harmony.

Chrysanthemums: Chrysanthemums represent the sun. They symbolize happiness and joy. The golden yellow color flowers bring into your home the energy similar to the happy, life-giving energy brought by the sun.

Roses: Roses symbolize love and passion. The pink and red color roses have been used for centuries to symbolize love and marriage, a Feng Shui symbol. The peach colored ones represent comfort and stability, while the yellow roses bring hope into your home and nourish the spirit.

Tulips : Tulips symbolize endurance. They are also believed to bring in good luck, especially in one’s career. If you want to use it as a career Feng Shui cure, place them on the north corner of your living room.

Lilies: The lily is  considered to represent acquired wealth. They are also believed to have strong protective and cleansing vibrations.

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Design Trends of 2018

It’s that time of year again! The holidays are behind us and now we are wondering what the new year will bring in terms of new style trends to enjoy. Here are my thoughts on the subject:

Black and white have been trending up since at least 2016. By all appearances, this color combination is still gaining steam, and will remain popular in 2018. Sherwin-Williams' 2018 Color of the Year (Oceanside SW 6496) is an intense shade of blue-green, while Pantone recently announced the rich and regal Ultra Violet will reign supreme in the coming year.

A few years back, mixing metals was a total no-no. But experts now agree that today’s homeowners want more than simple. Copper or Brass fixtures will gain prominence.

In the kitchen, sleek quartz is taking the place of the granite.

Red-toned woods are fading in popularity and trending towards lighter color palettes in domestic American woods such as maple, pine, or hickory

Minimalist, Scandinavian as well as an influence of retro-modern designs, are stylish options for interior design in 2018.

To sum up, Here are a few of the hot home trends for 2018:

• Geometric Patterns

• Farmhouse Style

• Wood & Natural Elements

• Bright & Warm Colors

• Metallic Décor

• Textured Accents

• Concrete Surfaces

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8 things to do before you put your home up for sale.

Are you ready to sell your home?  Are you overwhelmed by trying to figure out what to do?

From cleaning to repainting, here are 8 things we recommend you do before you put your home for sale.

  1. Find a listing agent : We recommend you invest in a professional, who understands the market and sells homes for a living. When interviewing a listing agent, be sure to ask about their experience in your neighborhood, their expertise in buying or selling homes, portfolio of homes they have sold recently, connection to potential buyers and social media expertise.

 2. Curb Appeal: Make sure potential buyers' first impression of your home is a good one. Inspire them to stop by the open house or schedule a tour—so they can see more. Make the front porch welcoming . Invest in a new doormat and take the time to scrub down your front door. Better yet, repaint it and add some new house numbers and a new porch light. Don’t forget your side yard.

 3. Clean, clean, clean: First impressions means a lot. So don’t let foul smells, dirty floors or dusty surfaces make a bad impression on a potential buyer. Before listing your home (and throughout the selling process), give your home a deep clean.

You want your property to look spotless. Deep clean carpets so they look and smell good. If the carpet is stained, consider replacing it. Have your windows professionally washed. Even on gray days, clean windows will let in more light and make your rooms sparkle.

 4. Light Bulbs: When showing your house to potential buyers, all light fixtures and lamps will need to be turned on. For this reason, it’s important that all lights in your home have working light bulbs. Change light bulbs throughout your home to make it brighter. Replace CFL bulbs with warmer incandescent bulbs.

5.   Paint the walls : Now’s the time to re-paint your home. Stick to whites, light grays, light beiges. These shades will make your home appear bigger, brighter and more welcoming. Adding a fresh coat of paint to your home will also help cover the wall’s imperfections and convey a blank slate to potential buyers. Even if you’re not doing a full-on repainting project, pay special attention to scrubbing and then touching up baseboards, walls, and doors to make the house sparkle and look cared-for.

6. Do the repairs : Repairing and updating your home both inside and outside, is a truly easy way to drive up your home value and present a place that someone will want to purchase. Make sure anything and everything that needs to be fixed (locks, hardware, leaky faucets, cracks in the walls, broken appliances, squeaky doors, etc.) has been taken care of before listing a home.

7. Tidy up the garage : Install overhead or wall shelves to store bikes and sporting equipment. Create a workshop area in one corner — show buyers it’s more than just a place to park cars

 8.Staging : Nothing invigorates a house like some new furnishings or perfectly chosen accessories. Home stagers look for the selling features of your home and highlight them. Stagers know the real estate market, and what sells, so it's important to take their advice. Their job is to help drum up interest from potential buyers, which is always good news to the seller.

With a home that is fixed up and move-in ready, you will probably see more interest, and may even see multiple offers. Good Luck!

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Ikebana

Ikebana is the ancient Japanese art of flower arranging. The name comes from the Japanese ike, meaning ‘alive’ or ‘arrange’ and bana meaning ‘flower.’ It was introduced in Japan in the sixth century by Chinese Buddhist missionaries, who had formalized the ritual of offering flowers to Buddha. The art is based on the harmony of simple linear constructions and the appreciation of the subtle beauty of flowers and natural material, such as branches, stems and rocks.

There are over 3000 schools of Ikebana. The oldest known school is Ikenobo. Ikenobo began at the Rokkaku-do temple in Kyoto where the Ikenobo family had long been head priests.

Over the next few hundred years, Ikebana continued to grow and develop, becoming not just a staple of Buddhism, but a staple of Japanese culture as a whole. This became even more apparent in the late nineteenth century when Western culture was introduced to Japan. Some flower masters embraced Western blooms and incorporated them into the arrangements.

Ikebana is expected to be followed in such a way that it can be admired from all angles, which is why the elements should be carefully arranged in a three-dimensional view.

Overall, there are three styles of ikebana: Moribana uses flat, shallow containers and typically use more than one type of flower. Nageire style uses three plant groupings that form a triangle. And Shoku style has an upright style in a tall vase. Or, you can freestyle your arrangement to your taste.

While it takes years of study and practice to master the intricacies of ikebana, anyone can learn a few basic steps to design beautiful, Asian-inspired floral arrangements.

A Guide to Ikebana Flower Arranging:

1. Try to maintain sufficient space between the flowers, leaves, and stems. Fill any gap, if present, considering the color and effect of the elements.

2. Containers play a crucial role in the flower arrangement, and there are different types one can choose from. The most common ones include vases that are small and shallow or tall and slender.

3. While arranging the flowers, remember their significance. If you use fully-bloomed flowers, the arrangement represents the past. Partially-bloomed flowers represent the present. Flowers that are still in the bud phase, apparently represent the future.

4. Select one or three larger flowers to be the focal point. Examples are lilies or chrysanthemum shaped flowers. *A natural balance is achieved when you use odd number flowers.

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Murano Glass is an Art

Murano Glass is 100% Hanfcrafted in Venice. A piece of the artisan's heart and soul is captured in every Murano Glass creation. Crafting Murano Glass jewelry, vases, sculptures, chandeliers and other functional and decorative pieces is a complicated process where from silica, minerals, water, and fire Venetian artisans create masterpieces.

The methods and techniques they use are centuries old, and artisans train for many years in their fathers' and grandfathers' workshops before they can attain a revered status of the maestro or true master of the craft.

Murano Glass masters are not just artisans, they are artists. Ever since Murano glass-makers guild was established on this Venetian island is 1291, Murano glass blowers have been innovating, seeking new methods of creating glass, inventing new styles and designs, and pushing forward to express new philosophies and artistic visions through glass. This made Murano Glass its own art form, recognized at international expositions and top art museums and galleries worldwide.

Some of the Murano's historical glass factories continue to produce wonderful Murano glass collections. Some of them are Mazzega, Venini, Barovier & Toso, Pauly, Seguso, Ferro Lazzarim. Murano glass is still interwoven with Venetian glass to this day since most of these family founded glass foundries started in Venice and later moved to Murano. Today, Murano is home to the wonderful Museo Vetrario or Glass Museum in the Palazzo Giustinian, which holds displays on the history of glass making as well as glass samples ranging from Egyptian times through the present day.

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Traditional Brass Statues from India!

Tara Devi Brass Statue

My love for Traditional Brass Statues from India!

Brass is a metal composed primarily of copper and zinc. Copper is the main component, and brass is usually classified as a copper alloy. The color of brass varies from a dark reddish brown to a light silvery yellow depending on the amount of zinc present; the more zinc, the lighter the color. Brass is stronger and harder than copper, but not as strong or hard as steel. It is easy to form into various shapes, a good conductor of heat, and generally resistant to corrosion from salt water.

Brass Statues from India are made by the finest brass makers. They are hand cast using techniques dating back many centuries. Highly skilled artisans, put in their greatest devotion to render- fine quality, impeccable finish and a graceful persona to the sculptures.