inspiration

5 Tips to Create the Perfect Private Sanctuary

November 12, 2021 by Naomi

It’s so easy to get caught up in the busy day-to-day routine…most of us forget to schedule time in for ourselves even though this results in more productivity and creativity when we get back to work.

This is why it’s a great idea to create a room just for you, a room where you can listen to music, write, read your favourite book – anything that helps you to relax!

Today I want to help you create your own personal sanctuary. You might think having an hour to yourself every few days isn’t important but it is! We need to revitalize our body by having rest days and making relaxation a priority – that way you can perform better in business and in life! So here’s my top 5 tips for creating a relaxing retreat for yourself.

Step 1. Get Rid Of All That Clutter!

Have you ever noticed when you are surrounded by too much ‘stuff’ you feel lazy, confined and not to mention unclean? It’s a fact then when you are surrounded by clutter your energy is down! Take out everything you don’t use that is just getting covered in dust and keep only what you really need or really want in your special space.

Create a Sanctuary — Image via Style Curator

Step 2. Freshen UP!

What colour makes you smile? Consider what shades are in style this month and add a pop of it into your space using paint or some removable wallpaper for that extra bit of style. If you don’t have time to do that, go out and purchase some colourful cushions, throws and artwork (or make your own) to liven up a bland room. Add some colourful flowers just to finish off.

Step 3. Turn off that phone!

You are in YOUR space, trying to forget about the rest of the world. A phone ringing will bring you out of that Zen state straight away! So no Telephones, Computers, TV’s or IPads! So what if one of your guilty pleasures is watching your soap operas? That’s okay, just make sure you turn off the TV as soon as it’s over! It signals too much stimulation and not enough relaxation.

Outdoor Space Sanctuary — Image via Interiors Addict

Step 4. Smells too good to be true.

When you have your favourite candle burning, it immediately sends you to a happy place. An amazing scent can help you feel relaxed and pampered. So make sure you have a selection of candles, oils or incenses to aid in the indulging.

Step 5. It isn’t a cell!

Ever noticed when you sit out in the sun for 5 minutes you feel better? Bringing natural light into your space is important as nature has a relaxing effect on us, it’s also good to get some vitamin D! So put an armchair under a window or even a sun bed and soak it all up!

Enjoy!

Do you love these style tips? Click here to check out my Pinterest board for more style inspiration!

Our Favourite Rugs!

February 9, 2018 by Naomi

1. Kenza Rug – Freedom

2. Madras Rug – Freedom

3. Nomad Grey Rectangle Rug – wholesale supplier

4. Gold Black and White Rectangle Rug – wholesale supplier

5. Gold Navy Rectangle Rug – wholesale supplier

6. Atrium Pilu Natural Rug – wholesale supplier

7. Eco Herringbone Marble Rectangle Rug

8. Stockholm Rug – Ikea

9. Colca Wool Rug – West Elm

10. Atrium Wish Gold Round Rug – wholesale supplier

IIHS Success Story: Jaculin Dodson

November 2, 2017 by Naomi

Here at IIHS, we strive to make a difference in the lives of our students that goes beyond the course content. It could be through giving you the tools you need to succeed, or the confidence you need to make positive changes in your lives. Each year, we are so proud of the growth and determination we see in our students and we’re over the moon to share some amazing success stories of some of the best home stagers and stylists from the IIHS community!

So without further ado, we would like to introduce…

Jaculin Dodson – Peony Property Staging

How has your business grown since studying with IIHS?

“I’ve always had a passion for interiors and for property. While on maternity break with my children, I knew that I didn’t want to get back into the corporate world and I wanted something that would give me the freedom to be around for my growing family and that also fuelled my passion.

I came across the International Institute of Home Staging, as being a Newcastle based girl, had followed the growth of Naomi’s Silk Home business with much interest.

I took my leap of faith and bought my ticket to attend the first Home Staging Symposium in 2015. My business was a dream at this time and after attending the Symposium in Sydney, I was inspired and fired up to make this a reality”.

Home stager success — Image from Peony Property Staging

What has been one of the best parts of becoming a member of the IIHS community?

“I signed up as a Shine/Professional Member at the Symposium and also enrolled in Course 1, The Art of Home Staging and to be honest, I haven’t looked back. I completed my studies in the Art of Home Staging and then enrolled in Advanced Home Staging and Business Development.

My business growth has been incredible since I studied and I took on Home Staging as a full time job. I have moved from being home based, to storage sheds and a desk in a collective office, to recently taking on my own warehouse and office in Newcastle where I now operate all facets of my business. I’ve taken on staff and the plan is to bring my husband into the business next year!

I will not ever look back and I’m so glad that I took that leap and went along to the IIHS Symposium and studied with IIHS”.

What are the goals you have for your business and how did studying with IIHS help you achieve these?

“I am wanting to continue to grow and increase my capacity to service more agents and clients in the local area.

I am a believer in investing in myself and in my business and aside from the IIHS Course, I have also attended a number of other events organised by IIHS including travelling to Bali for Business & Balance Retreat!”

We are so proud of you Jacci!

You can find out more about Peony Property Staging here: http://www.peonystaging.com.au/

If you would like to follow in Jacci’s footsteps and take a step closer to getting your dream job, you can enroll in our last home staging course of the year here.

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Styling By Jackie | Home Stager of the Month

September 14, 2017 by Naomi

At IIHS we love having the opportunity to showcase the work of our Shine members as one of our many membership perks! This month, our Home Stager of the Month is the lovely Jackie Fyfe from Styling by Jackie.

Staging properties in the south eastern suburbs of Victoria, Jackie has been running her own home staging business since 2013.

According to Jackie, “with a background in graphic design, fashion and furniture retail, interior styling was a natural progression”.

What made you get into the industry?

I wanted to unleash my creative side and in return, empower and help others to successfully sell their homes for a premium rate.

It all started with a friend in real estate who know I had a ‘flair’ in the interior sector. I was asked to help a neighbour prepare her house for sale.

With some tweaking and practical advice, the neighbour’s house sold within a week for a substantial amount more than expected!

Now consulting and styling, on average, four to five properties a week, the rest is history!

What is your favourite part of working in home staging?

Being able to look back at before and after photos, witnessing the incredible transformations that are made in bringing out the best in properties.

I also love working with homes that are unique, such as mud brick, farm and art deco.

These different styles of homes challenge my creative boundaries in selecting appropriate furniture and accessories to compliment their individual styles.

It’s about creating a unique and tailored look, not simply a one style fits all.

What advice would you give someone wanting to enter the industry?

My advice would be to definitely research the industry thoroughly before diving in.

Although this career is completely rewarding and totally creative, styling properties is hard work.

It involves an innate ability , patience, real estate and vendor understanding, and, of course, a love for all things interior.

A sense of humour is also essential!

To get in touch with Jackie, head over to her instagram @stylingbyjackie

How to Double your Database Overnight! with Tara O’Connell

June 4, 2016 by Naomi

When I started my first online business, The Baby Diaries, I literally made every mistake in the book … (plus a few more). One of those mistakes was paying for “pay and pray” marketing such as print advertising. You pay the money and then pray people see it, read it and take action. I even paid for the inside cover of a magazine… and guess how many sales that advert converted to? ZERO. Finally after lots of trial and error I came up with what I call the “6 ingredients to shine”. These business ingredients are essentially the difference between having a business that was going nowhere fast, and a company that is now doing multi 6 figure deals with national retailers and currently expanding globally.

One of those ingredients is the BEST marketing strategy I’ve used in over 25 years of business. In fact by using this strategy alone, and spending nothing on advertising, or anything at all except a small amount of my time, this strategy had The Baby Diaries promoted to 1 million of my ideal customers and my sales increased by over 400%.

This strategy WILL work for you … that’s a promise … so read on.

The strategy is called Partnership Marketing. There are 10 types of marketing partnership strategies. Today I’m going to outline 4 strategies, including the 3 that I used to get in front of those 1 million customers. Once you’ve finished reading this you’ll be ready to start getting some simple partnership wins under your business belt as well.

CONTENT partnerships –where one partner provides content such as blogs, how-to videos, articles, chapters that would be of value to the other partner’s customer base. An example is my partnership with BornOnline. They provided expert blog content that I distributed to my database providing great value. In return BornOnline received exposure to my database. Added value is that I’m having my blogs written for free, and BornOnline also shared the blogs, with links to my app to their database. They got exposure to my database and they promoted me to their database. We both shared the same customer base. Win Win!
BENEFIT partnership – examples include my partnerships with Bubba Bags Nappy Bags and Mum2Be Hospital Bags. I promoted their products to my database via promotions, prizes and discounts, and they promoted my App via social media and by placing my brochure, which is the same size and shape as an iPhone, into every bag sold. Again, we each got exposure to each others database which was full of our ideal customers. Win Win!
CO-MARKETING – this is simply where each business promotes the other business to their database. I was fortunate to secure Gymbaroo for this type of partnership. They promoted my app to their 500,000 mums and I promoted their new online program to my database. Win Win!

Each of these marketing partnerships had a few things in common. First they were all equitable. I didn’t go cap in hand, even to Gymbaroo who are a global company.

Another commonality was that The Baby Diaries shares the same ideal customer as each of my partners. The App is recommended from pre-birth to 2+ years. So not only could I have the App in front of my ideal customer at the exact time that they need it through partnerships, the App was recommended to my ideal customer from someone else that they already know, like and trust.

Another partnership you may see a lot is the Affiliate Partnership. This model will see one partner promoting or selling the other partners product or service (such as an online course or a product range) to their database, usually in return for a commission. Both parties receive revenue, but, if you’re the partner with the product/service, having your offering promoted by your marketing partner to their well-established database is like a form of testimonial.

There is no other system that I’m aware of that would provide this level of exposure with this level of impact without spending a cent. This is why I get really excited at the potential that marketing partnerships have to double your database and reach overnight.

Getting Partner-ready is essential. First you need to be clear on your ideal customer. It’s also important to understand what stage of growth your business is at. For example as a start-up you may have a small database and social media following. So perhaps a partner to help you reach a larger audience quickly is valuable. Then once you’re up and running you may want to maximise your exposure via larger partners. Or your strategies could become more sophisticated and include things like co-branding or white labelling.

The best place to start is by writing down all of the businesses you can think of who are providing products, services and apps to your ideal customer at the same time, or just prior to, the customer needing you. Then circle any of these who you already know, or who you have a connection with. You now have your list of potential partners!

If you’d like to learn more about Partnerships and how they can transform your business, I encourage you to do what I did and download the free Partnership System from Australia’s leading partnership expert, Simone Novello at Partner2Grow.

Have a wonderful month!

Tara x

Tara O’Connell is creator of the globally successful App “The Baby Diaries”, now downloaded on every Continent in 15 languages; and creator of her signature “Shine Online” training program where she helps small business owners to achieve and enjoy success. Tara is an award winning entrepreneur, author, speaker and CEO at Tara-OConnell.com where she inspires and empowers business owners around the world to take action and achieve business success.

Your Personal Branding Experts

April 11, 2016 by Naomi

We are very lucky at IIHS to have some great experts feeding into our Starting your own home staging business course and I would love to introduce you to the dynamic team of Clare Gleeson and Abby McCarthy from Neon Zoo.

Abby McCarthy and Clare Gleeson are the founders of design studio ‘Neon Zoo’ and sister business ‘Ernest & Co’ (launching in May 2014!).

Designing with more grunt, growl and meow is Neon Zoo’s core focus when developing bespoke branding solutions. Once a brand has been developed for their clients they then like to sink their teeth into applying it to creative print and digital solutions. Their day to day work varies from logo design, web design, illustration and advertising.

Ernest & Co is their new business and aims to provide ready made business and personal branding solutions. Ernest & Co has been conceived to give freelancers, consultants, micro businesses and budding entrepreneurs the opportunity to quickly purchase a ready made brand that can be tailored to their specific needs. Ernest & Co’s motto is to ‘Make Your Mark’ with their ideal client sharing their love for design and an understanding that a strong brand should be at the heart of every business regardless of their size.

Both Abby and Clare are true design nerds who can talk about design for hours on end and share an unhealthy addiction to Pinterest. Their studio culture is that they take their work very seriously, but not themselves.

IIHS are thrilled to have these creative ladies on board to help and guide our students through the somewhat daunting process of branding your business.

For all the Shine members you will get sent out a great audio inspiration in the coming months that will truly transform the way you look at branding.

Check out more about Neon Zoo and the dynamic duo here.

Do you know who you are? with Tammy Guest

March 26, 2016 by Naomi

Remembering who you are will help to heal ‘adrenal burnout’…

Last year I wanted to learn how to make my business global – weeks before I was flying out to Bali for a month long Entrepreneurial Incubator trip, as my starting point, a friend asked me “Do you know who you are?” and, “Why are you heading to Bali?” My answer to her was, “Of course I do”. I knew, I was a mother, wife, and busy woman running a clinic and this was the trip where I would create great changes to my business (I knew who I was, or, so I thought).

But, these questions interwoven with a last minute cancellation for my entrepreneurial dreams tripped me up—unknowingly, I revisited this very question.

After I had taken a couple of big breaths and spoken to my husband, we came to the conclusion that I could still do all I intended in Bali, just without the program (cancelled trip), as I had essentially already given myself the time to do it.

The first few days in Bali was record breaking in the amount of work I got done. I hit the ground running and by day three I had pretty much done three months worth of work.

But, it was day three that I was introduced to the flow of Ecstatic Dance, the freedom of scooter riding to new places, meeting new people, and setting up a session with a shamanic healer. Through all of these experiences, parts of me lit up.

I experienced feelings in my body I hadn’t felt for a while; exhilaration, exploration, adventure and connectedness.

The insightful session with the shamanic healer led me to a weeklong women’s circle exploring our relationship with the feminine, the divine, the masculine, the earth, and ourselves.

It was a wonderful contrast to my entrepreneurial scientist identity, who I was.

I returned to finish off my ‘to do’ list and was looking to update some of my videos. I saw (myself) the woman looking back at me in those earlier videos screamed adrenal fatigue—hiding behind burnout!

There were so many obvious similarities with her (me) and the thousands of women I treat for adrenal fatigue, and I hadn’t even noticed.

The experiences I was having felt as though they were taking away layers I hadn’t even noticed I had accumulated. The thing is, I didn’t go to Bali to remember who I was, as I thought I already knew. I truly believe who we are can surprise us—if we just allow it.

But we can’t all go to Bali to accidentally remember who we are so the following exercises are set to start you on the process.

You might be wondering why we are starting here, with you. I mean ‘healing naturally from adrenal burnout’ you might be thinking, well where’s the things I need to take?

Can’t you just tell me the shortcut?

The thing is, how we are in the world, and how we heal or fix things can be similar to the globe of the world itself. You see if we just tried to heal from the outside, it’s a lot of work for a small amount of reward and it will only work for a short period of time, it might look nice to others but the foundations are rocky.

Whereas if we go back to the core and work our way out, then we have alignment with who we are!

Finding your values is a way of recognising some of the choices that we make and why we make them. And maybe some of the hiccups we’ve had in the past with wondering why we choose some things and to do them so easily, yet others seem so hard to stick to.

As Dr John Demartini says, it all comes down to what you value.

Now, a lot of us believe we value things like family, money, and maybe we even think we value our health. But the easiest way to see what we really value is to look around you.

I invite you to complete the questionnaire about your surroundings and discover a little deeper within.

Answer the following questions honestly—be true to yourself…

If I came to your house, what would I see?

What colours do you have around you… white, stark, and clinical? Or are there warm, earthy tones?

Is there vibrancy?

Is there clutter or is there space?

Are there family or pet photos on the wall?

Are there pieces of memorabilia from traveling, art, books, technology?

If I came into your kitchen, what foods would I find?

Would I find healthy fruit and vegetables or ready-made meals?

Do you take daily exercise; if so, what do you love the most?

If I went to your office, what would I find?

What would I find in your inbox?

What are the things you subscribe to?

What are the pages that you like on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest?

What do you spend your money on when you’ve got that last $5.00 or that last $20.00 note?

What is it that you prioritise to spend money on and what could you not live without?

What’s that thing that you must have?

What would I see if I looked at your clothes?

Would they be a particular style, like sporty, fluid, or business like?

What are the particular colours that you wear?

What do you spend your time on?

What do you think about during the day?

What do you find yourself daydreaming about; holidays, a new car, seeing your friends or is it spending time doing a particular activity?

Where do your conversations turn to?

When you end up having those conversations, those big, deep, meaningful conversations or even the gossipy kinds of conversations, what’s the topic that you always end up turning to?

I will now ask you again… Who are you?

With all this fresh in your mind, I invite you to write a list of your core values. (What words, phrases, themes appear most frequently?)

Now, I’d like you to check out what the themes are. These are the things that you value. You’ll notice that there’s generally a common thread and this is how you prioritise what you spend your time and money on, this is how you make your choices. You may notice that healthy food, or health, or maybe even yourself in general, may not appear high on your list.

This is why many of the things that you’ve done in the past might not have stuck when it’s come to your health.

Having awareness is the best way forward—to heal.

From awareness you can then make an informed choice and have the option to choose something different—change is growth! Enjoy and honour yourself through the process.

Keep well,

Tammy

Make sure you check out Tammy at

Quarterly Blog Review

March 20, 2016 by Naomi

Can you believe that a quarter of the year is already over? The past three months have absolutely flown by at IIHS and we certainly hope you have had a great year so far!

At IIHS we have been busy creating new content to inspire you, no matter if you are a home stager, an inspiring home stager or just interested in interior design!

This is a summary of our most loved blog posts of the year so far! You guys have been giving us some awesome feedback and we can tell how much you are really loving the blogs!

The first one we are going to look at is Feature Property – Inner City Charm. This traditional, renovated suburban home is absolutely lovely and an awesome family home! It has been staged in a way that creates a warm and homey feel. A wide variety of colours have been used to transform this home including greys, whites, oranges, blues and rose gold. We love giving you guys inspiration, examples and stand out pieces to work from and this home is great for that!

Next was Kona Colour of the Year 2016! This blog truly opened all of our eyes to the power of yellow. Everywhere you look this year there will be kona walls, stools, stables, lounges and feature pieces. Having such a lovely colour promoted in the design world may challenge some designers but will certainly brighten up any area that it is placed in!

After Kona there was Vignette Workshop with The Block Twins, Alisa and Lysandra! This blog and video compilation was a condensed workshop that Naomi Findlay had with Alisa and Lysandra from The Block, all about the best ways to use vignettes. We decided to share this workshop with you guys to help inspire you and provide some more information about how to style vignettes in a really simple and visual way!

Finally, there have been a bunch of love around the post Home Staging Prices: how much should I charge for home staging? This blog is a need to know topic, how much do I charge? While it is impossible to know exactly how much to charge when you are starting out, this blog will provide you with everything you need to consider before you start mapping out your prices!

We are looking forward to putting more content out into the world of home staging and hope you are excited to see what we have install!

Want a great space to entertain in?

November 11, 2015 by Naomi

What are you doing to get ready for the entertaining season? Having people over for Christmas can be a great time for family to get together and enjoy the stories of the year that has past?

Not everyone has a space at home that they feel great about sharing and wish it could look just that little bit more welcoming, inviting and special.

Do you wish it could make your space look a little more polished, wish you knew some small easy ways to give your spaces that little bit of dazzle and shine?

Join us on a fun, FREE and easy styling challenge Instagram 10 ways in 10 days to a styled space.

Find out more about how the Free Instagram Challenge will work HERE!

Its Free Fun and will take you that next step towards a great styled space for the entertaining season.

Old Style Charm

October 28, 2015 by Naomi

‘Carinya Taldumande,’ c1895 is a classic example of late 1800s architecture in Newcastle. This Victorian manor blurs the lines of traditional and classic contemporary style and is the perfect family home.

This four bedroom home has classical features such as a tessellated tiled entry, a timber staircase, arched hallways, a wrap-around verandah, fireplaces and timber floors. Inside, a long hallway leads to a formal lounge room with a large, homey fireplace. It is clear a renovation has been undertaken inside the house, with open plan dining, a large pantry and a chef’s kitchen.

Upstairs with the bedrooms is a family bathroom and a lacework verandah to offer privacy.

This classic home has a paved courtyard, a three car garage and a separate bedroom for guest accommodation. The home has glass sliding doors that lead to the courtyard. The ground floor is equipped with a laundry and bathroom.

‘Carinya Taldumande’ is located close to the city, being on 10 minutes from the Newcastle CBD and beaches.

James Street Hamilton styled by Silk Home — Styled by Silk Home

Gabby Rosenfeld – Freestyle Interiors

October 16, 2015 by Naomi

Gabby Rosenfeld has run and owned Freestyle Interiors with her husband since 2005. Originally the business was only designing and manufacturing cabinetry. Recently an opportunity arose for Freestyle Interior and Gabby has begun home staging. Gabby is a qualified Interior Designer based in Melbourne – she loves her job because of the variety in her work and because no two houses are the same!

Gabby Rosenfeld - Freestyle Interiors — Gabby Rosenfeld – Freestyle Interiors

Melbourne based Gabby Rosenfeld from Freestyle Interiors is a qualified Interior Designer and has worked together with her cabinet maker husband for 10 years, designing and manufacturing joinery.

Wanting to bring a more creative element to the business, an opportunity presented itself to introduce property styling as part of their services. “Six months ago we decided to diversify our business and introduced property styling,” said Gabby, “I knew I wanted to do something more creative and had considered property styling for a while”.

Gabby was given the chance to stage a large 4 bedroom, 2 living area property on the Mornington Peninsula. She knew this was her calling as the house sold just 2 days after the furniture was installed.

“I love that no two houses are the same…it is also a very rewarding industry where you get to help people and achieve their goals and move on to the next chapter in their lives.”

“When you get a call from your client to tell you that the house has sold it really is a great feeling!”

According to Gabby, having the right foundational skills makes all the difference. Gabby holds her success to having a business mentor with Small Business Victoria Mentoring service, who taught Gabby how to write a business plan, marketing plan and focus on business goals. “If you have the mindset of a “pro” you project that image to your target market.”

Check out some more of Gabby’s work at www.freestyleinteriors.com.au

The Hottest Summer Colours Right Now

February 10, 2014 by Naomi

Pantone have just released their colour forecast for 2014, filled with bright colours full of life and pastels to mellow any space! Their feature colour for the upcoming year is Orchid! Why not try combining a feature colour from the exciting range into your interiors this year?

Check out the amazing colour palette below!