Staging Our Rental: The Little Things

We recently put one of our rentals back on the market. Between each tenant, we like to walk through and decide on some upgrades we want to make. This house was in amazing shape when we bought it and only needed small repairs after the first tenant, so we decided to go for some cosmetic upgrades like more contemporary curtains and adding some hardware in the kitchen. We also changed out two of the faucets (kitchen and guest bath) just because the originals looked cheap. I also made sure to take better photos this go round. Small upgrades and good pictures can make a huge difference not only to the quality of tenant, but also to how fast a house rents.

master bedroom curtains before

master bedroom curtains after

living area before

living area after

Photo shoot: Hands down Pretty!!!

This is possibly the prettiest little house I have photographed to date. The front porch is like a welcome home hug, the kitchen looks like a magazine photo, the backyard is right out of a fairy tale, and the view from that second floor balcony is nothing short of breathtaking.

Color Consultation: A Serene Summer Home

By far my favorite use of the knowledge I gained from studying Color Theory and Color Psychology is doing color consultations for people who want to bring personalized color choices into their homes, but aren’t quite sure what colors to choose.  I also love getting to lay out a palette for a whole home! I like putting all of the colors for the home on one page whenever possible so that the client can see the flow of the entire home at a glance.

My advice to anyone wanting to personalize the colors in their environment is to avoid being caught up in whatever happens to be trending right now. Instead, find a trained color consultant to help you out if you aren’t sure of what you want. Just like the clothing that you wear, your home should be a reflection of your unique personality, not something you copy out of a magazine.

Photo Shoot: Sunset at the Olive Farm

Photo Shoot: Cat Spring Ranch

Sometimes my job is just too easy.

Home Improvement: The Escapee

One of the very few things I don't really love about our current home is this built in. It is technically in our living room (oh how I hate open floor plans) but looked like an escapee from the kitchen. Honestly, I didn't know what to do with it. Was it a hutch? book/dvd storage?

So in order to give it a life of it's own, I painted it white with the Amy Howard One Step Paint and changed out the hardware so that it no longer matched what was in the kitchen. Now it looks like a stand alone piece of furniture. In fact, it looks like a nice antique. Of course I later painted the kitchen cabinets, but they are still a different color with different hardware, so this piece still has a distinct life of its own--and it fits much better with my modern farmhouse style!

Home Improvement: Painting the kitchen cabinets

This time the photos say it all:

the inspiration photo (looks a lot like my kitchen)

Before

After

Before

After

Paint: Linen by Amy Howard One Step Paint
Note: I decluttered the top of the cabinets too for a cleaner more modern look.

Photo Shoot: More Historic Grandeur

Whenever a house is empty or in a remote location, I take John along with me for the shoot if I am not being accompanied by the agent. (We've all heard the horror stories.) Well, this time it was a good thing I did because I arrived on a cloudy day near sundown---and the electricity was out in most of the house! Thankfully he always has a flashlight on him and was able to get the lights back on because WOW!

Home Improvement: The Island

The front of an island is often an overlooked and under-designed feature in contemporary homes. Builders just don't have the time or the vision to pretty them up for the most part, which leaves homeowners with a great opportunity to personalize the space they spend the most time in. Since our island looks out on to our living room, I really wanted it to be not only attractive, but a feature in the Texas farmhouse style I wanted to create in this space. (Plus, I really hate that oak plywood.) Thankfully my husband is a carpenter, so this project was a breeze, but it's one I think just about anyone could pull off. We added bead-board paneling and some 1 by 4's and then painted it gray.  (Weathervane by Clark & Kensington) It's a strong step in the right direction for toning down all that oak. 

Home Improvement: Lighten Up

All of the cabinetry in our house is oak. I wouldn't mind except that it is cheap oak plywood that contains too much grain/pattern for me. The answer for me is simple: paint it white. Starting with this window seat. 

Photo Shoot: Serenity Massage & Bodyworks

...and then for something totally different...

Advertising photos for Serenity Massage & Bodyworks here in Sealy and owner Misty Schulte.