Staging a house filled with little kids (and their toys) is never easy. Finding a way to make the house look its best while the family still is living in the home means finding a place for all those toys. Fortunately, the homeowner had a large basement which was perfect for a play area and we were able to shift a lot of those toys out of the front room, making it more open and welcoming. With some editing and a few additions, we were able to make this space shine!

A project that has been in the works for 11 months has (almost) been finished. Heightened Impressions was hired almost a year ago to redesign the lobby area and social room of a lovely downtown condo. Working with a Condo Board means designing for a committee and waiting for feedback between monthly condo meetings. It was a long drawn-out project but the feedback from owners and guests has been tremendous. 

The lobby is bright and open and the first thing guests and owners see upon entering the building. Sadly, it had been furnished years before with little concern for style. The seating was old, badly worn in places and was not really inviting. 

 After many meetings with the buildings Condo Board, new furnishings were finally chosen. A large sectional replaced the oxblood-coloured sofas and the tired chairs were replaced with a pair of  bright teal chairs. The cumbersome table was replaced with a large round table. Matching side and console tables and new vibrant chairs replaced the dark furnishings, bringing colour and new style into the lobby. 

The Social room was in worse condition. The sofas were all held together with black duct tape, the tables were chipped and, frankly, quite ugly. The carpeting was stained, buckling in places, and the colour of it made the cream walls look vaguely pink-ish, and not in a good way. It desperately needed help. 

The main concerns with the social room were to provide sufficient seating for a variety of activities, from board meetings to private events, as well as making sure the furnishings were durable and comfortable. We chose a pair of sectionals upholstered in a high performance upholstery tweed. We also replaced the worn carpeting with carpet tiles for durability and style. 

​There are a few tasks that any good realtor will suggest that the homeowners accomplish when they are getting ready to list their home; give it a good cleaning, finish minor repairs, and declutter. These three are no-brainers! All potential home buyers want to walk into a place that looks and smells clean, looks reasonably maintained, and isn’t packed to the ceiling with stuff. No one wants to walk into a listed property and see every nook and cranny jammed with stuff, it actually makes them wonder if the house is going to be too small for them.

One thing that often gets forgotten is to depersonalize. I don’t mean the homeowner needs to gets rid of all their knick knacks and tchotchkes but it’s a good idea to evaluate the decor and look at it from a buyers perspective. Will buyers see your child’s room, with walls completely covered in posters, collections of hats or bears, or whatever is there, in the same light you do? What will buyers think about the enormous gallery of family portraits taking up valuable wall space? Then there’s that beautiful stainless steel fridge, completely obscured by kids drawings, takeout menus and that silly magnet from your last vacation. Don’t forget that spoon or plate collection that's been passed down from your Grandma, you might like it but is that what you want a potential buyer to remember? The time to deal with some of this decor is before the house is listed. After all, if you are moving anyway, why not pack away a bunch of non-essential items?

I just finished reading this book about de-cluttering and I wanted to share it with everyone I know. It's a short read for those of us with very little spare time but it is worth the time, I promise.  I borrowed it from the library because I am trying to cut down on the books I buy but, after reading it, I may go buy my own copy so I can go back to it over and over. 

The premise of Marie Kondos system is quite simple. Only keep things in your home that bring you joy. While I can't picture myself doing some of her suggestions (like thanking my possessions for helping me, this is just a little "out there" for me), I am in love with her process. ​Taking the time to evaluate every item in your home to see whether they bring you joy, stress or even unhappy memories is an extremely useful process. How many of us keep things we don't like just because they were a gift? How many people have junk drawer(s) filled with bits and bobs that we don't even look at and probably forget we have the instant we close the drawer. How many times have you bought something just to find you already had it in the back of a closet or in the garage?

If we only kept the things that truly made us happy, how much happier would your home be? How much happier would your LIFE be? 

Now I'm not saying everyone should follow her process to the letter but I plan on trying this in the new year. I am so fortunate that I don't have the shortage of space that most people living in Japan (or many urban centers for that matter) have but I KNOW I have piles of stuff I don't need, want or love. Time to really clean my house. 

​Thank you, Marie Kondo, for inspiring me! ​