With a little advance planning and prep during the winter season, you can reduce home selling stress in the spring. Here’s our go-to list of what sellers should be doing now to ensure for a successful sale next spring.
1. Assess Your Home’s Condition – Inside & Out Take a step back and look at your property through the lens of your buyer to determine what needs the most attention for move-in ready appeal.
2. First Impressions Go A Long Way Tackle exterior repairs and maintain seasonal landscaping – such as cleaning gutters, raking lawn, trimming shrubs and shoveling driveways/walkways.
3. Remove Distractions & Get Organized Remove the clutter – personal items, collectibles and excessive furniture that distract from the room’s key features.
4. Make it Fresh & Bright Update anything that feels dark and dated with a neutral palette such as walls, cabinets, trim, window treatments and carpeting.
5. Create the “Wow Factor” After all the repairs and updates are complete, consider hiring a professional stager who can add the final aesthetic touches that will engage prospective buyers both online and in person.
Why are people sometimes hesitant about hiring decorators? In a world where “surprise” remodeling shows on television dominate the visibility of interior decorating, it’s understandable that a few misconceptions about interior decorators have formed. But in reality, whether you’re moving into a new home or updating the house you’ve lived in for the past 20 years, hiring a decorator has many advantages from saving time and money to eliminating unnecessary stress.
The following is a list of common misconceptions about working with a decorator.
Myth: Interior decorators are too expensive.
This is one of the most common assumptions people have about interior decorators– and it keeps many from seeking out the help of a designer in the first place.
Truth: Decorating doesn’t have to break the bank.
Our decorators are committed to finding and creating options that maximize our clients’ resources, style, and budget. As one of our decorating clients, Abbi, stated, “PJ & Company knew I was on a tight budget but was open and very creative at working with me to find things that met my taste and fit into my budget.”
In the long run, hiring a designer can be more budget-friendly than taking on the project yourself. An expert can help you avoid costly mistakes and can suggest design options that will ultimately increase your home’s value for when it comes time to sell.
Myth: The decorator’s style differs from my own, so the design won’t reflect my taste.
People often equate hiring an interior decorator with the loss of creative control. In fact, it’s just the opposite.
Truth: The design process is collaborative.
Instead of infusing his or her own style into a client’s space, a decorator listens to what the client wants and then transforms that vision into a design that is cohesive, forward-thinking, and functional for the client.
We believe communication is essential, which is why we make sure to establish a partnership with our clients every step of the way. The most important part of the process is understanding our clients’ needs, lifestyle, and budget so we can provide them with a decor that they will love.
Myth: I don’t need an interior decorator because I can do everything myself.
While this is an option, there are benefits to hiring an interior decorator.
Truth: Interior decorators can make the decorating process cheaper and stress-free.
A professional can maximize your budget and schedule by utilizing resources only available to interior decorators. For example, our designers have access to showrooms not open to the public and receive discounts that can then be passed on to the client. Our company provides access to reliable vendors and contractors, and manages the project from design to construction so that the decor update or renovation can be a stress-free process for our clients.
While there are many misconceptions surrounding designers, their skills and expertise debunk the myths. At PJ & Company Staging and Interior Decorating, we pride ourselves on making the decorating process pleasant and easy for our clients. Whether it’s a consultation to select the right paint color or fabric for a room, complete decorating renovations, kitchen and bath cabinet and countertop selections, choosing the best coordinating backsplash, lighting, flooring, or furniture and accessory selections/arrangements, we collaborate with you to fulfill your personal goals and make you happy every step of the way.
We are proud to announce that we have been selected as one of the “25 Best Interior Designers in Connecticut.” Click on link below for article and scroll down to find us.
To celebrate our 12th Anniversary we are offering $50 off a home decorating consultationwith one of our designers. No matter what your style, schedule or budget, we can help refresh any space in your home for the new year.
Contact us to schedule and mention “The Style Report” through January 31, 2018.
We recently helped a young couple with a new baby remodel and decorate their dated bath/laundry area so that they could enjoy comfort, functionality and style for many years to come. If you are considering a bathroom remodel, we hope our before and after photos below provide inspiration for creating your dream bathroom – please contact us if you need our help!
White vanities, quartz countertops and carrara marble continue to be on trend. We gave this dated bathroom a stylish update with faux carrara marble flooring (that wouldn’t break the budget), bright white paint for vanity, molding and trim, and a soft neutral gray wall color. The quartz countertop, polished chrome faucets and hardware, framed whited mirror and vanity lighting completed the design our client had envisioned.
Finding the right shower design that would be perfect for bathing a baby was a small challenge. We started from scratch with a new porcelain tub, white subway tile and glass tile accent enclosure, shelf insert for storage, and a single handle chrome shower head and faucet. The frameless french glass shower doors not only adds style but allows great functionality when bathing a child.
This laundry closet transformation was top on our client’s list. She needed easier access, a place for storage and folding clothes, as well as a way to hang wet clothes with ease. We created a more functional space including new front load washer and dryer, new cabinets and hanging bar, a formica countertop, and new mission style closet doors. We also provided some extra space by moving the wall back.
