Newmarket and Barrie Food and Home Magazine

Published decorating tips: Fresh New Look for Lampshades

by Barb Singleton
Certified Interior Decorator and Home Stager^®

Have your lampshades seen better days? Give them a fresh new look for a lot less than it costs to replace them! Remove the fabric covering the lampshade, and your will find a nice clean surface to work with. Place the seam side of the lampshade on the cut edge of your fabric or rice paper. Play with the positioning until you can roll the shade from end to end in one piece. Allow ¼ “ around the edge of pattern, draw cutting line. Use a firm hold spray adhesive and spray generously. Allow surface to become sticky. Roll lampshade onto your fabric/rice paper. Fold fabric for clean edge on seam. Fold cut edge towards underside of lampshade. Taking it a step further, add a complimentary trim with a glue gun to give a more professional look.

Buy What You Love!

You fall in love with a fabric, but can’t afford to have your entire window covered in this fabulous fabric. Have panels created to trick the eye into believing that the panels cover the entire expanse of the window. If your window is on the small side, place the rods and panels on the outside edge of the window frame to give the illusion of a larger window. When covering the main section of the window, use great sheers. Sheers come in all styles from plain, stripes, patterned and now even with textures. Having sheers on your windows accent and give a sophisticated finish to your window treatments in the same way as a great lining finishes off a jacket. Always remember to line your widow panels to protect and extend the fabrics life. Additionally, if you are simply accenting your windows with these great panels, have a great rod with fabulous finials to finish off the details of your windows. When creating either your main window treatment panels or sheers, allow for 2 ½ to 3 times the fullness of the space you are working with. We all know there are fabrics available in all price points, but, did you know that your Interior Decorator can get you great fabrics within the same price range as what you can find at retail outlets? The fabric selections available to Interior Decorators will amaze even the most seasoned shopper.  

Barb is a frequent expert contributor to decor and lifestyle magazines and media, such as:

• Food and Home Magazine - Newmarket and Barrie editions
• Life Sense Magazine
• Articles for realty publications
• A guest on HGTV's Craftscapes with Sue Warden and Rogers' Daytime York Region

A sample published home staging article:
Spring is in the Air… Is it Time to Move?

by Barb Singleton
Certified Interior Decorator and Home Stager^®

If moving is on your “to do” list, you may want to have your home Staged® to help sell it faster, and easier. 

This is a relatively new process, which began in California a few years ago.  As the name suggests, you stage your home so that potential buyers can see your house as a product, rather than your collection of family photos, memorabilia and personal decorating style. 

By having an impartial pair of eyes present your house as a product, the moving process can be much less stressful. Statistics show that potential buyers spend less than 10 minutes taking the tour, so the impact of your house is immediate, and you only get one brief chance for a great first impression. More importantly, you will receive the equity you deserve from your house, and your house will sell faster. 

Part of the theory is that you have to pack your personal items anyways, so why not start early. If your house is bursting at the seams with excess furnishings, out of season clothes, along with tons of family pictures, now is the time to get them packed and into a storage unit rather than storing them in the garage or basement. You don’t want these spaces to seem smaller than they really are either. 

Another easy tip is to keep your lights on, even when you’re not there. It will automatically brighten up the rooms when your house is being shown. 

The obvious still needs to be done, which would be the minor repairs along with being clean and tidy. Try to have some greenery (silks are great for this) in the common areas, such as the living room or kitchen. This adds some “life” to the house, but not a personal statement.  Add to this some live cut flowers, (white is best) tulips or roses if in season and add these to the bathroom or bedroom.  Again, it adds life to the rooms, without being too personal. 

If you are really ready to sell, consider having this done professionally, before you even call a real estate agent. This way you maintain control of how, when you get the work done and on your schedule.

The obvious question is also the cost of having a professional coming in to do this. The answer? Much less than the first price reduction, not to mention much less stressful than living in a house that has to be maintained as a showcase. 

Remember that Home Staging is not the same as Interior Decorating, they do however complement each other.

Enjoy the video all about Barb Singleton's services

Please phone Barb Singleton at 705-437-3419: local to Newmarket, Keswick and
most areas in Georgina

Her cell phone is 905-251-0205

Or e-mail: barb@heartandsouldesigns.ca

For address and directions, see Contact Us

Changing your home from weary to WOW

Proud Member of the Real Estate Staging Association

Revised May 18, 2010