America's Top Model {Homes}: Point William, Lewis Smith Lake House

Don't you just love the feeling of moving into a new home? The excitement of a new house is great enough, but moving in before the holidays must take that excitement to a whole new level. The new owners of this fabulous Alabama model home are getting ready to experience just that.

Nestled in the Point William, Smith Lake community, this model home offers killer views and plenty of stylish inspiration for design lovers. The styling in this home offers some great examples of subtle tricks of the trade in staging a home for sale. Grab a coffee and let's take a tour of a few favorite spaces in this cozy dream house.

The dark grey color and 4 lite design on these windows are on trend for new construction. Grey and black windows are coming on strong in exterior color. I also appreciate how they skirted the deck with a simple horizontal pattern, painted the same color as the deck.

The family room offers up lots of great ideas. The dark paneled ceiling is such an interesting touch. I love how the dark molding along the ceiling creates a shadow effect, almost as if there is a recessed area between the ceiling and the wall. It's such a great idea to make the ceiling trim dark. I think most people's first instinct would be to do the ceiling trim color the same as the floor trim.

Neutral colors are always best to use in staging. Rattan decor, reminiscent from the 70's,  is making a huge comeback. The key is to mix it in with modernized decor. You can find some great pieces on Etsy. But before you overpay, make sure to check your local Craigslist. Just search "wicker".

SHOP ETSY

Hanging a grouping of art around the wall thermostat is a great way to disguise it.  I also love the use of different sized accent tables around the room.

This kitchen is pretty with the gray island. (another big trend in kitchens) I can't help but think what a fabulous addition it would be to add some AMAZING pendant lights. I would pick something like this...

Staging Tip: Make sure to hide away trash cans and paper towel rolls when having your photos taken.

These views are to die for!

Another fun use of space with a vintage wicker peacock chair.

That stair landing makes you want to see what's around the corner!

Seriously.

One of the things that stand out to me here is such a beautiful Master Bedroom without the typical "Lake House" theme. The view of lake is better complemented with this romantic traditional design.

The use of a desk doing double duty a side table is one of my favorite staging tactics. This room is a great example of staging to demonstrate use of the space and define the room.

Another great view to wake up to. 

What do you guys think? Imagine decorating this house for the holidays!

Congrats to the new owners! 

{all photos are from FlexMLS. Listed by Justin Dyer) 

Kitchen Renovation: Before and After

A recent article in The Union Leader featuring one of our latest projects sparked some interest in seeing more on the Windham NH kitchen. Many people don't realize that New England Staging & Interiors has a full range of design services, yet we do, and we love designing kitchens!!

Jennifer Colvin and I began working on this kitchen renovation early 2014. It has a few spots still left undone in the eat-in area (waiting on custom rods from Smith and Noble-FOREVER!) therefore we haven't yet had it photographed. However, the holiday decor photo shoot let the cat out of the bag so I thought I'd share what we have so far. 

Here's where we started. BEFORE

And here's we are today. AFTER 

{forgive the terrible iphone photos!!}

Stools: World Market {Grey is no longer available}

Cabinetry: NFP (through NE Staging & Interiors)
Backsplash: National Tile 
Honed Calcatta Cararra Marble: Stone Decor Galleria, Fabricator: Ripano Stoneworks
Appliances: Thermador
Sink: Kohler
Pendants: Thomas O Brian
Window Treatments: Custom, NE Staging & Interiors)

Sorry for this dark photo!!

The marble was honed. 

{Affordable} Transitional Style for the Dining Room

Transitional style in the dining room works well whether you are selling or staying. It offers a nice balance of sophistication without looking too formal. Here are a couple of our "go-to" looks for creating a beautiful dining room with a simple color palette.

Add caption

Color: Bleeker Beige HC 80

Dining chairs are always a challenge to get on short notice, 

so here are some great in-stock options at affordable prices.

Dining chair

Cream dining chair

Blue/Gray Linen

Allerton Dining Furniture

Allerton Dining Table

Becca Dining Chair




This is for you Nancy :)

The Year of Photography

Great art never goes out of style.
I think this should be the year of buying fabulous art. Whether it's framing an architectural photograph you took on your smart phone or finding a quirky painting at the antique market.  Gone should be the generic "box store" artwork. With resources like Etsy, online art auctions, and the ease of printing our own photos, there is no excuse to have meaningless art in our lives.

“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” 
― Pablo Picasso

I love adding a little irony to a room through artwork, especially mixing old and new.   We have some great projects on the books for this year so, I thought I'd take you on my journey to find meaningful art.  Beauty that greets us with heart, touches the soul, and takes us to a happy place;
 our very own home.

I'm always inspired by photographs in unexpected spaces. 

(still in love with my Slim Aaron's photograph) 

 The newest JK Place in Rome is full of gorgeous modern art.

My fabulous friend and photographer Sarah Winchester is the "go-to" artist for amazing photographs.
She took this photo in Paris and translated it into this amazing piece.. it's 4 x 6 ft on acrylic!
She has a huge library of gorgeous photos and I cannot wait for our next installation.

Photo Credit Sarah Winchester

This photograph used in this room by Mary McDonald has always been one of my all time faves.

For this look, Jonathan Adler is killing it right now with his collection of Slim Aaron's prints.

This seaside photo by Christian Chaize.

Packaged in an archival portfolio, a Praia Piquinia Subscription by Christian Chaize can be delivered to your door. I would love to frame the whole series in a big, bright room with a view.

Available for approx. $900. More info. and prints for as little as $60 on 20x200.com
or buy the hardcover book for $25!

The best thing about photography and our super, smarty camera phones, is that we can capture our own shot and frame it for very little cost. The best art happens in daily life. Go ahead- give it a shot.

Here is a photo I took on vacation that I think could be fun. 

Hello Instagram.

Inspired design: Mixing old and new.

It was a busy week of staging, de-staging, sourcing new products and preparing for an 

upcoming "top secret" event. Here are a few of this week's highlights.

Staged this GORGEOUS unit on Newbury St Boston

 View from Living Room. 

While looking for industrial items for my "secret" event. I stumbled upon THIS major

find in a hotel liquidation/salvage store. I literally died when I saw this gigantic oil painting for $200!!! (now hanging in my little tiny dining room)

I'm obsessed with this painting and cannot wait to re-design my dining room around this antique art. Mixing old and mid century modern is truly my preferred design style. 

When I want inspiration for my own house, I look to designer Catherine Kwong. 

Her work is a visually stunning mix of old and new. 

Some of Catherine's work:

View her portfolio here. And, her blog is FABULOUS too.

And one more thing... Here is my favorite PIN this week. Ack! 

THIS MARBLE IS TO DIE FOR!!!

Gritti Palace Hotel in Venice, Italy (via Sukio)

Follow on INSTAGRAM Inspired Design board for more inspiration!

-S-