What is the difference between decorating and staging and designing?

From Anna Matsunaga, Team Momentum, Keller Williams Realty Tacoma
253 353 2662.  http://www.teammomentumrealestate.com/

I have often been asked by people what is the difference between staging, decorating and designing.  I just read a blog that I think describes the difference very well and has some great pictures to illustrate it as well.

The one thing that I would add is the design can be for a current home owner or to help sell a home.  Decorating and staging are specifically for one or the other.....

Here is the link to the blog, hope you like it.

http://activerain.com/blogsview/2165269/what-staging-is-and-is-not-

Anna Matsunaga, http://www.teammomentumrealestate.com/

A little considered, but extreemly important design element.....

From Anna Matsunaga, Team Momentum, Keller Williams Tacoma 253 353 2662
www.teammomentumrealestate.com

Most of us are well aware of the toxic nature of many thing around us and are making real effort to avoid it and cleanse ourselves of what is unavoidable.   If you are a realtor you know when you show a home you are well aware of the junk cars next door to the home your clients are looking at.  You know being next door to a junk yard will bring values down and will make the experience of living there less pleasant for a buyer.  You also know it is important before putting a home on the market to clean it up and remove debris from the home and yard so that it is appealing.


However, if you are a realtor and you are showing a home ( or if you are a home buyer considering a home for yourself) how often do you consider NOISE pollution?  Is it a noisy area?  Is the home poorly insulated so that you hear every little bit of noise from outside?

 Is there alot of traffic around and how noisy is it?  When living in your home do you purposely design a pleasant sound scape as carefully as you design the interior finishes?  ( maybe even more carefully?)

 Remember, your eyes have lids and they close when ever you want them to and they are not taking in anything while your sleep, on the other hand there are no ear lids and you are taking in everything while you sleep.

 What you hear effects your health.

Just like what you see effects your feelings, health, happiness and emotions, maybe even more so.





Noise has always been a huge stressor for me, I have always been very sensitive.  I have found that just taking a walk out of doors makes a huge difference for me in how I feel.  A little fountain in the house ( inexpensive and easy to maintain) does amazing things for how I perceive my life and gives me energy.  Opening the window to hear the rain coming down also refreshes me like nothing else. Walking outside has always done wonders for my stress levels and I know I am not alone.  When considering a home, are there places nearby where you can walk and hear and see water? Or hear birds?  Or at least have some silence?


 When we replaced our very loud old washer and dryer my stress levels plumeted, I wash 3-7 loads a day and had not realized JUST how much the noise was stressing me out.  Then we recently replaced our dishwasher.  I did not even realize the old one was noisy....but it sure was because again, my stress levels fell.  So when you are in your home today think about what you could do to remove unpleasant sound and what you could do to increase pleasant sound. 

If you are purchasing a home, think hard about how the layout of the home, the location of the home, the acoustics in the home and the windows and appliances will have an effect on the sounds in the home.  If you don't like some of what is going on with your present home, look for ways to make a change, this could be as simple as playing harmonious music that relaxes you,

( I love www.pandora.com since I can so easily choose the type of music I listen to and change it up with out the clutter or expense of storing music around the house), encouraging birds to visit you with a bird feeder, adding a small indoor fountain or turning down the volumn on your electronics or replacing noisey appliances....the conscious effort will make a huge difference in how you and everyone else feels inside your home.
Want more information on this?  Follow the link....

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/10/30/facts-about-sound.aspx

 From Anna Matsunaga, Team Momentum, Keller Williams Tacoma 253 353 2662
www.teammomentumrealestate.com

Want more information on interior or exterior design?  Contact Connie Kay with Connie Kay design 253-691-0709


Have Real Estate questions?  Want to know more about what money put into your home makes the most difference?  Contact-

Anna Matsunaga, Team Momentum Keller Williams Realty Tacoma
www.teammomentumrealestate.com 253-353-2662

Just a little "frosting"

From Anna Matsunaga, Team Momentum, Keller Williams Tacoma
253 353 2662, http://www.teammomentumrealestate.com/

Here is a quick example of what just a little "frosting" can do the the street appeal of a home.  This is an example of some work done by one of my clients after a consult with Connie Kay.  This home is now for sale in Lakewood WA.

Our client made very very significant improvements inside as well and the house is beautiful, but face it, if he had left the outside the same, I know I would have had much less chance of selling the place and likely not nearly as many people would have gone in to see the inside....in the end this makes a huge difference in market time as well as eventual sales price.  It's so great to have smart clients who really understand this!...and it is fun to know that the new buyer will have a house that makes them feel happy every time come home too. 

The front door of a house makes a huge difference in how you and your neighbors perceive your home and a huge impact on whether you even get a prospective home buyer in the door....and in today's market, the more buyers want to see the inside of your home, the better, it can make a difference in whether YOUR home sells or if some one else's sells instead.....

Want more information on designing and selling your real estate?  Just want ideas for designing your own home?  Subscribe to our blog, or for Real Estate information contact Anna Matsunaga, 253 353 ANNA or for a design consult in your own home or office Call Connie Kay 253 691 0709......and be sure to email us if you would like your own personal invite to our next design workshop. ( a fun information filled luncheon)

A new Real Estate agent "gets it" regarding design early in career....

From Anna Matsunaga, Team Momentum, Keller Williams Realty Tacoma 253 353 2662.

I was reading blogs written by fellow realtors this evening and came across this post by a relatively new realtor writing about improvements made to her very first listing. 

Below is the link, it is a before and after of just the front, but it makes a good point, good for her for "getting it" early on in her career.  Pretty sells, correct price sells, and of course location sells. 
http://activerain.com/blogsview/1862118/before-after

Skyline Loft-Finished product

From Anna Matsunaga, Team Momentum, Keller Williams Realty 'Tacoma, 253 353 2662

Well, the Skyline Loft is finished, and wow.  I have to say I am impressed and I am not easily impressed, it turned out even nicer than I thought it would and I expected some wow.  It has the look and feel of a much higher priced property, but it is in the lower price point where properties are still selling.



Kitchen Before.....

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Kitchen after....

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The kitchen was not the only thing greatly improved.....

Main bathroom......Before-

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Main bath after......

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Masterbath, before ( next 3 pics)

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Masterbath after.....Ta Da!

Will post more soon, the whole place turned out beautifully and actually the pics do not do it justice....want to see it in person?  For as long as it is on the market, you can call to see the inside- Anna Matsunaga, 253-353-2662

Want to schedule a time for your very own design workshop?  Call Connie Kay @ 253 691 0709 to schedule your own design consult.  Connie Kay does consults for residential and commercial spaces......

Skyline Loft....the artistic process

From Anna Matsunaga, Team Momentum, Keller Williams Tacoma 253 353 2662


Here is some of the progress that had been made in the kitchen the next time I came to see the project.  I love the red in the cabinets and extra foot in height already was making a huge difference....

This space will sport a microwave unti with vent directly over the stove.

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The kitchen before, notice the same space to the left

Notice also already the difference in focal point, instead of the floor and the side of the fridge and then the micowave being the focal point like they are in the before picture, we will be able to focus on the lighting, cabinets and art work once it is finished.

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Master bath before, wood paneling which is clashing with the door, which is clashing with the floor, which is clashing with the cabinets....and it's all dated, plus poor lighting and a mirror that totally disorients you in every way.  Take a good look @ the cabinets, because Connie Kay is going to save them ( they were high quality and in very well cared for condition)....the next few pics will show you how.

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Here we see  the master bath in progress, notice counter top removed, paneling removed, mirror removed, cupboards just beginning to be sanded a little....

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This pic is in the main bath, but shows the treatment for the cabinets further along, after sanding and painting and sanding more they have a whole new look that will match the personality of the Loft as well as being completely contemporary.  The same treatment was later done to cabinets that had been removed from the kitchen and then they were added to the laundry room above the washer and drier and also in a great pantry area for additional storage.

Any designer can simply yank out the old and replace it with new, but there is really a talent to knowing what can be salvaged and renewed AND what should really go.

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Hope you are enjoying a peek at the inside of a redesign.  Keep in mind this is not a high end property.  It has a spectacular view and is in a great neighborhood, but it is in a range that likely 85% of home owners in the nearby area could afford it.  While more designers work on the high end price point homes, the more reasonably priced homes are where the most money to be made is right now for those who are fixing and flipping.  A spectaular finish can still get you a fast sale as well as a price at the higher end of current comps even in the current market.  To find out more about design for resale and the adventures of doing so follow our blog.  

Want to see Connie's work in person?  If you are in the Greater Tacoma WA area contact Anna Matsunaga 253 353 ANNA, or Connie Kay 253 691 0709 to find out when Connie's next design debut' event, or design workshop will be.

Skyline Loft the beginning of the creative process and the beginning of the work

From Anna Matsunaga, Team Momentum Real Estate, Keller Williams Tacoma 253 353 2662

If you have already read some of our blog so far you have seen before pictures of Skyline Loft and likely have a good idea why it was a wise decision to redo it.

So I am now going to share some of the process and pictures of it with you.....

These are some of the choices Connie was considering for the place, color pallets, cabinetry as well as carpet and granite....there was much to consider with these, the exact same color looked completely different on each wall of the place based on the light coming in from so many angles, as well as the greenery outside and the wood on the ceiling and the wall all morphed the color, in the end she chose the basic idea for the colors most of the walls would be ( there actually are several colors now in the unit, but you likely will only notice 2 wall colors..)  In the end Connie custom mixed to get the color that worked best for the space....

Here are some of the colors she was playing with when I checked on the work the first week, notice the stove, an older model that we felt should be replaced, we were happy when the owner agreed and decided to purchase a new one for the unit. Also note, the brick against the wood looked a bit dated and certainly not worthy of being the main focal point in the living room.

More experimenting with custom mixed color

One of the biggest downsides to the kitchen prior to the beginning of the redesign was the fact it felt a bit cramped and the overall effect of the way it was done just did not feel quite "right" one of the main factors was the fact that like many of the residences in Sunset Plaza, the home had a low area from which the cabinets sat with an open area above and a beam that simply came across the kitchen between the kitchen and dining room area.  It was just there, and yes for a good reason, it was supporting the wall on the other side....so Connie wanted the look to better match the high ceiling look of the living room as well as make the kitchen more functional by allowing more room to work on the countertops, as you can see she raised the wall up by at least an entire foot and found another way to support the outer wall so that the beam sitting in the middle of no where could go away.

Also the only light in the kitchen had been a light hanging from a chain in the middle of the kitchen with one bulb....Can light became a better solution added far more light and helped show off the soon to come pretty assets the kitchen would boast in the end.  I felt much better in the space and liked it better than before even with it completely unfinished like this, it felt more balanaced and comfortable to be in and I did not feel cramped at all when I went in this time.

You can see here where the wall was extended upward on the outside of the kitchen....also notice the fabulous wood planked ceilings....and exposed wood beams as the design unfolds we will be able to appreciate them as the beautiful architectural detail that they are....


If you would like to know more....come to see it for yourself 9/10/2010 6-9pm when it will be open for you to see.  Call me for the address and directions....-Anna Matsunaga 253 353 2662.
Want to know more about design, need a proposal or consultation for your property?  Call Connie Kay @ 253 691 0709. 

Will post more in progress pictures tomorrow. :)