#phancy design

Interior Decorating involves designing the space using a mix of what the owner has (in most, but not all cases) and blending it with new. The key difference is that Interior Decorating is done with the clients approval and in line with their personal taste. The client has input in the decision making process and provides valuable information related to their likes and dislikes.  It is then that I capture the essence of what they are looking for and move full speed ahead. Their space, their choices.Home Staging has nothing to do with the home owner's taste. It is done to reflect the tastes of the widest range of buyers. I start by trying to use what's already in place but as the project moves along, accessories, bedding, window treatments are often provided as part of our rental agreement. It is my task to appeal to the widest range of buyers with or without the seller's taste entering the mix. At Phancy Design we do not believe in simply "fluffing" up someone's home.  We want to make an impact.  Dramatic transformations happen often with us.  Our goal is always "model home", knock your competition out of the park, and give you ideas for your future home, all at the same time!  We do of course have to work within the budget of the home owner or realtor, so that can be a challenge! Whether you are staying in or leaving your home, Phancy Design can assist you.  Please contact us to reserve your consultation.

BEFORE & AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

C'est plus qu'un rêve. C'est notre avenir. Notre passion nous amènerons à travers le Canada. Vos maisons à vendre, notre meilleur travail.  Des forfaits abordables parce que vous voulez vendre rapidement, avec moins de négociations et passer à votre prochain client.

It's more than a dream.  It's our future.  Our passion will take us across Canada.  Your homes for sale, our best work.  Affordable packages because you want to sell quickly, with little negotiation and move onto your next listing.

Phancy Design

 450-458-7001

Home Staging season is in full swing!  Whether you are hiring a professional Home Stager (recommended!) or attempting it on your own, here's our top 5 list of FAUT and "FAUX pas"!

DO.... 1) A thorough cleaning Your home should shine during photos, visits and open houses.  This is not the time to go on a house cleaning strike.  The home is still yours (although you should now be looking at it as a "product" you are selling) and you must maintain it. 2) De-Clutter This is the perfect time to dispose of anything you aren't using any more.  Prepare donation bags for those clothes that no longer fit, throw out any broken toys or small appliances, get your home office in order. 3) Air it out It's been a long winter.  Really long.  Take advantage of any rises in temperature to open those windows and bring in the fresh air.  It's good for you, it's good for your home and it's good for visitors. A few times a day, if only for 5 minutes, will do a world of good! 4) Evaluate your floorplan Are you really showing your home at its best? Or have you moved the furniture around to accommodate babies and pets? Your home needs to flow properly. Remove any roadblocks and play with your furniture.  Resist pushing all your furniture against the walls (this does NOT make your rooms look bigger) and create airy spaces that your visitors can circle, walk through freely and envision their own furnishings. 5) Repairs That to-do list you have been sitting on?  There's no time like the present to get it done! In fact, it's critical.  You know the staircase to the basement requires a handrail. Do it!  The building inspector is going to tell you anyways.  Get it done now and that's one less thing on his report! House needs paint touch ups? Do it now!  As unimportant as that seems, it's one less reason for your potential buyers to turn around and walk away or bog you down in negotiations.  Think TURN-KEY, finished home with nothing to do.  Think model home. Home Staging is not just about making it pretty (although that is also a HUGE "DO" on the to-do list). It's about creating functional, welcoming, clean spaces.  About showing your home at its best. About creating that turn-key vision for your buyer. Not sure? Contact us for a consultation and let us help you get your listing on track. FAUX PAS 1. Pets

You love them. I love them (have 3 pups of my own) but your buyer may not.  Even the animal loving buyer does not want your dogs jumping on them, following them around or just getting in the way. The non-animal lover or allergy sufferer could walk right out.

Down boy!

Please do not show pets, their bowls/toys in your listing photos. You'll alienate a big portion of your potential buyers.  And DO keep your pets outside during visits or better yet, take them off the property completely. Allow your buyers to take the time they need to view your property and not have them feel rushed because your animals are over-excited. 2. Lighting

BEFORE

AFTER

Do not neglect the power of lighting. Artificial or natural. Let the sunshine in and show your best light (s).  People are looking for bright and airy spaces. Heavy, dark curtains that block the light may be fabulous for energy conservation but not so great when we want to let the light in.  Consider light weight, light filtering, FLOOR LENGTH (I cannot stress this enough!) curtains to add light, drama and a breezy feel to the room. Fixtures.  How old are yours? Is great grandma's Tiffany lamp hanging over the dining room table? Is it suitable for this room and its existing decor? Consider changing fixtures in the kitchen and dining room to something more modern and current. A small investment for a BIG return.

3. Setting The Table

Hands down my BIGGEST pet peeve and a HUGE faux pas! HUGE. Just.Don't.Do.It. Why? Believe it or not there is a psychology to Home Staging.  As a matter of fact, it's largely psychological with a big dash of magic. a) How many times in your life have you set the table, then left the home? Once? Twice? NEVER, perhaps? So why do it now? That is not the way you live and we want to show buyers they can live as you have. b) It's an outdated practice from the 90's.  When Home Staging first became popular, this was one of the 1st tasks accomplished.  If you have been advised to do this. STOP.RIGHT.NOW.  Because here's the psychology around it.... So your table is set... Scenario 1: You have a 4-seater table and it's set and ready to go...Your buyer tours and oooops (!)...this room can only host four people!! But, we're six! And all those dinner parties we love to host? There's no room! It only holds four! The buyer does not see all the EXTRA space around your table.  YOU know your dining room can easily accommodate a table of 8.  They cannot as they are too focused on the fact that your table only holds four people.  Suivant, next! Scenario 2: You have an 8-seater table and it's set and ready to go...Your buyer tours and oooops (!)...this room can host eight people!! But, we only have a 4-seat table! We can't afford a table for 8 right now! Our table is too small! This room is too big!  Suivant, next! A simple centerpiece is all you need!  

THIS is how we do it.

So, I repeat... a) How many times in your life have you set the table, then left the home? Once? Twice? NEVER. b) It's an outdated practice from the 90's.  STOP.RIGHT.NOW. 4. Collections So you're a collector...Comic books, owls (guilty!), porcelain dolls...this is the time to put them away. First of all, they are probably worth a fortune.  Both monetary and from an emotional standpoint.  We don't want them broken or stolen during visits, so do put them in a safe place.  More importantly...non collectors will have no appreciation for your treasures. To them, it's just clutter.  And focusing on clutter, takes our attention away from your home.  Let you buyers focus on your fabulous home, not your bobble-heads ;-) 5. The Empty Home While I always encourage you to de-clutter (see item 2 of the DO's) there can be too much! And listing your home without furniture, all together, may also work against you.  Buyers need to see how you live.  They need to visualise the space.  The majority of buyers really struggle with putting a room together.  They need your help.  It doesn't matter if your furniture is not the same as theirs.  If your sectional fits in the living room then they can rest assured that their sofa and loveseat will as well. Your buyer may be upgrading to a larger home, which means they may not understand your floorplan.  They need guidance. It's their first dining room.  They've only eaten in a small kitchen. They want to see the possibilities.  YOU know it's a dining room, they only see an empty space. What will they do with it? What is this room? They may not know. And that can be scary.  With Home Staging, we can show them, guide them, Think MODEL HOME. Still unsure? Well, that's Phancy Design's speciality. We have had the privilege of staging homes for over 10 years and it's my passion, my life. Let's chat at 450.458.7001 and get your home ready and SOLD!

Before

WELL, I just have to say...the girls at Southern Honey Chawk Paint have BLOWN me away! First of all, getting some of the more well known chalk paint distributors to ship to Canada is like asking them to give birth. Painful. And most won't.

Ashley from Southern Honey was all smiles and sweetness. And she shipped, quickly and reasonably. Now...the paint. OH MY GOODNESS. Unbelievable coverage, unbelievable application, unbelievable colours. I am officially in love. No, really.

Thank you Ashley for your fabulous attitude, service and product. You have a believer!!

Have three professional Home Stagers assess a property and you will come out with three very different interiors. Why? Because Home Staging is an art and each person will interpret the space differently. When I walk into a home, my vision starts to form immediately.  Yes, immediately.  I can see where the furniture will be placed, what furniture to use, my colour pallet, and the fine details that will round out the space. The space speaks to me,  Sounds crazy, right?  But, it's true. After assessing the space, there is much planning that surrounds the staging.  Having a vision is one thing, making the vision come to life is another.  I am always so grateful when the home owner allows us to set the stage.  They have faith that all will come together.  They believe in the process. It's not always that simple. We have clients who insist on staging themselves, picking up on our comments during the consultation process, trying to grasp everything we intend to do.  A difficult task as they cannot grasp our visions.  As such, those homes often languish on the market and are not being shown at their true potential. Too often we are seeing; 1. Too much de-cluttering.  Yes, there can be too much!  You don't want to remove all personality from your home.  On the contrary, we want the buyer to want what you have.

Planning Stages

2. Too personalised: What you love in your home (artwork, busy prints on fabrics, bright, bold walls) is probably not what the masses will want.  Think MODEL HOME. 3. Furniture in the wrong place: You can double the sizes of your rooms visually if your furniture is placed correctly.  Don't assume that placing all the furniture against the walls makes your room look bigger.  This is rarely the case. 4. Clean Up: We have seen far too many listings with laundry on the floor, dishes in the sink and clothing stockpiled on chairs.  You are selling your home.  You must show it in pristine condition. 5. Bad photos: If possible, your agent should be providing professional pictures or at least, take them properly.  Remember, you are not selling what's in the home, you are selling the home itself.  Photos of the bed or curtains are not relevant.  We want to see the room, in its entirety, in its best light. And PLEASE keep your pets and their accessories OUT of the photos.

"Home should be your sanctuary.  Today's world can sometimes sadden me - we are overworked, often underpaid and scrounging to make ends meet yet we are constantly connected to our phones, our computers, our work.  We all need a place to unwind and what better place to do that than home?" You remember this from our last discussion?  The rules still apply :-)  So what other elements can we apply to your home so that it truly IS your sanctuary.  Items 1 through 3 were VERY important so I hope you have given them some thought.  Let's keep up the momentum, shall we? 4. Organic: Keeping your home alive is the best advice I can offer you.  Now I am not telling you to change your life, start eating organic (although there's nothing wrong with that) or change your lifestyle.  I am telling you to keep your interior real. Nature has HUGE healing properties.  And while you may not be "in tune" with nature (case in point, myself, who has a healthy dose of respect for nature but for goodness sake, don't ask me to sleep outdoors!) you can introduce some of the elements to give the illusion of bringing nature inside.  NO, I do not want to see a home full of houseplants, no I do not want you to go from modern to country, and no, I am not trying to convert you.  I want you to have the feeling of the great outdoors, with a giant twist. Introduce greenery...an easy-to-care for Bamboo plant, PAINT, decorative rocks or stones, SHAPE.  I cannot stress the need for organic shapes enough.  Shape is important, shape is real, shapes are soothing.  Some examples of all these...

Bamboo in a window sill will bring a room to light

Shapes are calming - shapes are true

Sage green grounds this space

 See how easy that was?  Need more? Fresh flowers on a wood table captures nature effortlessly.  A metal wall hanging in a traditional room grounds a space...the possibilities are endless. MOST IMPORTANT TIP THAT I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH - REALLY. Dried flowers are a thing of the PAST (really cannot stress that enough)  - Toss them.  Immediately.  Dead flowers equal dead home.  Go on, do it.

Wood comes alive with greenery and river rocks (courtesy FreshHome)

5. Mix and Match Most often heard "argument" between my clients - We Don't Have The Same Taste! PSHAW, I say!  Do not be afraid dear readers.  So you are modern and he is country.  So he is traditional and you are eclectic.  Fear not.  As you were married, we can marry your tastes and styles.

His shabby table - your modern chairs (credit RH)

Your country paired with his traditional (note the table greenery!!) (credit: RH)

Credit: Prairie Perch

Do you see how all the elements work together?  You can have brilliant spaces by mixing and matching the tastes and preferences of everyone in your home.  It works!  Not sure how exactly? Consult with us... 6. Finally, Let There Be Air Nothing is more stifling to your psyche than dead air.  It's harmful to your well being and can impact your days and nights.  Baby, it can be hot outside.  Baby, it can be cold outside.  OPEN UP THE WINDOWS.  The biggest "pick-me-up" I can offer you is fresh air.  Even in the dead of winter, opening up the windows can clear your mind.  Take 5 minutes to open up every window in your home (regardless of the temps outside) and BREATHE.  Just for 5 minutes then you can close it back up.  Air circulation does the mind so much good and you will infinitely feel better in your space. And let there be light...Do away with those heavy draperies and open up your space.  You can purchase light weight draperies that offer heat insulation properties now so you are longer weighed down by heavy fabrics and light blocking draperies. In the evenings, turn off the lights and light some candles.  Not only is it romantic, it's so calming.  You'll have no choice but to relax.  The harshness of bright, overhead lights are tough on the eyes and do us no good.  We don't need bright, artificial light - dim the bulbs, enjoy the ambiance - make a change.

www.partylite.biz/phancydesign

Some people have trouble thinking outside the box.  So let's throw out the box, shall we?

Decor choices can be overwhelming, no?  From Pinterest to television to magazines, we are constantly being reminded as to how quickly trends can change, the do's, the don'ts and the what-were-you-thinkings when it comes to decorating. I want to dispel a myth or two about how you should (or should not) decorate.  If you are currently living in your forever home (no plans to sell within the next 5-10 years or your last residence until your kids put you in a really nice, 24 hour butler service nursing home complete with spa) then traditional rules do not apply.  For the most part. 1) Your home should be a reflection of you and your family.  Modern? Traditional? Eclectic? 2) Your home should be comfortable. 3) Your home should be livable. 4) Your home should be functional. We took on a home not long ago that was in desperate need of an design intervention.  This beautifully laid out home had not only been badly built (we had to address and fix those issues as well) it had been horribly decorated.  Horrible is a strong word, no?  It was horrible.  Really. Having heard the history of the previous owners I had no problem believing that the house had a huge impact on how they were living.  The colors were aggressive, bold, had no rhyme or reason and just looking at those colors made me feel agitated.  Yes, agitated. Home should be your sanctuary.  Today's world can sometimes sadden me - we are overworked, often underpaid and scrounging to make ends meet yet we are constantly connected to our phones, our computers, our work.  We all need a place to unwind and what better place to do that than home? You should want to unwind, relax, unload and BREATHE the minute you walk in the door.  And you can.  No, really you can. 1. Paint: Color has a HUGE impact on our lives.  Color is meant to make a statement, yes.  But it should be geared to make the statement YOU want.  Soft or carefully selected bright colors to soothe or bold, brash color to provoke?  It's your choice. Consider the room, the lighting, the environment first.  What do you want to accomplish in that room? 2. Clutter: Oh the dreaded clutter.  I am not suggesting you part with your treasured collectibles.  I am merely suggesting you control them.  Find them a spot, a niche of their own.  Mail, long forgotten papers? Trash them!  Nothing clutters the mind like a cluttered home.  If you can adopt the "everything in its place and a place for everything " way of life your general, overall happiness gauge just went up :-) 3. Functionality: Is your home functional?  Here's a thought...it's not because the previous owners or the builder of your home called the dining room the dining room that you have to use it for the dining room.  Capiche?  Maybe your family room would make a better dining room?  May be you don't need the dining room at all but it would make an outstanding home office?  There's the box again.  DO NOT feel stymied by your floor plan.  Shake it up a little.  Move it around.  Make your home what you need it to be and not what people think it should be. I will talk about this some more next week but let's start small, shall we?  Try tackling numbers one through 3 and get back to me.  Jot down your ideas, comb through magazines, find those interiors you love and make a plan.  Unsure?  Contact me. Baby steps. Baby steps before we go full throttle and change the way you look at your home forever.

In A BIG way.  I would often worry that if we were working too much (can you work too much when you are doing what you love?) that I would run out of ideas.  And to be honest, there are some moments where I just cannot put 2 and 2 together but thankfully, those are merely moments and do not translate to long term lapses. Right now, creativity abounds!  I am longing to start the next home.  Our wonderful homeowner is raring to go but has a few dedicated tasks to carry out first.  Once those have been completed, we will step in. I am up-to-date on all my tasks so I have a few rare moments to dedicate to my own home.  Rare indeed.  But it's calling me.  And it's loud.  Like an incessant ringing in my ears.  Which means I am incessantly ringing in my husband's ears.  While I call it ringing, he might call it harassing or worse, nagging. He runs our renovation division so I don't like to ask him to take on home projects because well...he's tired on the weekends and let's face it, I have expensive taste.  So that essentially means that the money we bring in would then be going straight out again.  I hate it when that happens ;o} But I digress and all nagging harassing aside, it has to be done. My living room is small and the layout is challenging to say the least.  My current sofa/loveseat is showing signs of having lived with a family of six and a very large dog. And they are much too deep for the space. So my search begins...the kids are older now (11, 16, 17 and almost 20) and the dog knows better so I'm hoping my dream room can start to take shape.  Soon.  I want a light and airy space.  A collection of modern and beachy.  But not kitsy beachy. Modern beachy.  It won't be easy but my projects rarely are. I like decorating OUTSIDE that darned box people are so intent on living in. My faves so far:

See where I'm going with this? And we can't forget the paint now can we?!  Benjamin Moore & Martha Stewart to the rescue.  I have wrestled with the colours for weeks from numerous other companies as well but I think I've settled on;

Raindance by Benjamin Moore

Chalk by Martha Stewart

While the colours may appear dark as opposed to the light and airy I mentioned early, they are quite bright and I have A LOT of light in this room.  I'm not worried ;o)

Stay tuned friends, more to come.  In the meantime, please do colour your world!