styling

Simple Styling Hacks for Flowers

June 4, 2019 by Naomi

With a change in season I find myself scrolling images for inspiration. Sometimes people think when winter comes around, you can’t have fresh flowers – totally not the case!

I love a beautiful arrangements of flowers. They can be used to either make a statement or to just add a touch of greenery to a room. Adding a touch of flowers can add a different element to the space, for example, making an area more cheerful, adding a hint of fragrance, adding a pop of colour or to even compliment or enhance the current style/design within the space.

The beauty of it all is there are no hard rules on how or where you choose to incorporate flowers. You can add them in your kitchen, living, dining or even your bathroom. The look you want to create can differ depending on whether you choose long and thin flowers or short and rounded shaped ones. You may find yourself varying the look and feel as the flowers need changing to truly create your own personal touch knowing you haven’t spent a lot of money.

The images included are some of my inspiring shots where the use of flowers complimented the entire design of the room.

Want to find even more gorgeous things to add to your spaces? Come shopping with me in Bali for my Buying Tour in August 2019! Click here to find out more!

Create a Divine Dining Space

May 28, 2019 by Naomi

Creating the perfect dining space is something we can all achieve and guess what?! It doesn’t need to be done with a big budget!

Many families or households don’t take the time to regularly use the dining table as a chance to get together and enjoy a good meal and great company.

Dining spaces can be designed to accommodate each household’s lifestyle and taste. From a small family breakfast table to a large formal dinner, there are no set rules as to what you can and cannot include in your dining space. As long as your end result is a space that feels inviting and comfortable.

Some examples of items you could include in different dining areas could be:

Something traditional or conservative…

a timeless timber table and chairs
timber buffet styled with simple candles and/or vases
Contemporary artwork or mirror

Something modern or eclectic…

a white timber table
colourful chairs
quirky console table styled with plenty of fun personal touches
modern artwork or unique wall feature

With the styling industry ever evolving and many of us wanting to keep up with these changes, we can be pleased to know that sourcing that ‘must have’ item is achievable. The current market caters for all budgets with less expensive items to very costly, it really depends on what you’re after and what you’re wanting to spend.

Either way knowing you can create a space that has been designed and styled specifically for you should mean plenty of enjoyable times will be spent around the dining table, in style!

Are you following me on Instagram? Check out my favourite designs @naomifindlayofficial

Do you own your own home staging company? Why not check out our business resources like Standard Operating Procedure templates? They’re the perfect way to improve your processes and procedures!

How to Choose the Right Shade of Grey

May 21, 2019 by Naomi

Recently I have been working with a client that has given me no end of interesting blog topics to bring to you, this one is about how to choose the right “shade of grey”. Each time this client excitedly shows me a new home furnishing or interior element that is grey they often follow up by saying, “but it’s not the right shade of grey, why can I see brown in it?”.

(Inspired by the amazing images from “Arianna Interiors“.)

That’s why I’m going to give you my five rules for choosing a shade of grey for my home or client – they are a simple and a great place to start.

1. Decide before you start whether you are wanting the coolness of a blue grey or the warm of a brown grey.

2. Be careful what light you are viewing the swatches under in the shop or showroom. Depending on whether the lighting is a warm yellow or a cool white light will greatly effect the way you see the colour.

3. Remember that the the human eye is not a machine and that the way you view colour is quite subjective. What is a perfect grey to you may be different for your partner.

4. Colour is also relative, when you are viewing what you think is your perfect shade of grey at the paint suppliers it is one of many colours on the paint swatch. The colours along side your choice will impact on how you view and perceive the colour you have chosen. Where possible use a neutral coloured view finder to isolate the one colour of interest to minimise the impact this can have.

5. Finally, consider the final resting place of the colour. All the elements of the room you intend to paint will effect the final product and result of your “shade of grey”. The lighting, the shadows and the colours and furniture around it. Make sure you test the paint on a large size card on the wall (A3 at least) and live with the colour test for a while before making the final decision.

With winter around the corner there is no excuse to put off updating the colour of your favourite space, maybe to a shade of gorgeous grey.

Do you want to come on the shopping trip of a lifetime? Join me for my Bali Buying Tour this August 2019! Click Here to find out more!

3 Things NOT To Do When Styling Your Home To Sell

May 2, 2019 by Naomi

Research into home buyer psychology tells us that we have just 30 seconds to make a first impression when selling our home.

So you need to nail the look and feel of your property if you want to sell faster and for more money!

If you want to get prepared before the property stylist comes to perfect your space, here are three things to avoid doing during the process:

Declutter

A lot of clients tell me that their homes feels comparatively empty when it goes to market. This is where the idea of cosy vs clutter comes in.

It’s often difficult to differentiate between the two when it’s your own home, however it’s essential not to get this one wrong. The best rule is to try to avoid the “cosy” look when selling your home. Having too many accessories, personal photographs and other items in an attempt to create “cosy” will actually make the property seem cluttered and lose its appeal to the broader market.

Stick to stylish, understated and sophisticated accessories. There’s a fine line though, you don’t want your property to feel cold – but the property stylist can help you bring in warmth with great styling choices.

Not being able to look past your own personal style

This is an area of great concern when you are styling a property for sale. You have to remember that your personal taste is not necessarily that of the market. When selling, you need to appeal to as many people as possible so remember – when you have your home styled for sale it is not about you (I know that hurts but it will help you when you sell, trust me).

This is why bringing a professional in can be the best thing you could do to increase your chances of selling for more.

Choosing furniture that is the wrong size for your space

The use of furniture that is too big or the wrong shape can drastically affect the way a potential buyer sees your home. It’s all about scale and making the space feel light and airy. If your bedrooms are small, your choice of furniture could either emphasize the tiny space or completely transform the feeling for a potential buyer.

Your home stager can work with you to choose appropriate furniture if yours is the wrong fit.

Are you a home stager? Want to boost your career? Come to the National Home Staging Symposium! Click below!

How to Create a Gorgeous Vignette

April 12, 2019 by Naomi

When you work in property styling, knowing how to create gorgeous vignettes is essential!

But what are vignettes? And how can you make them amazing?!

Vignettes are small arrangements of bits and pieces usually placed on coffee tables, book shelves, benches and anywhere that can hold specific items to bring texture and warmth to a space.

The ways in which vignettes are arranged is not random, even though it can look that way. In order to have a successful and aesthetically pleasing vignette, it is necessary for the items used to be specifically picked for a particular reason.

A vignette can be as simple as a small house plant next to a book on a coffee table. These items are commonly used in vignettes because plants are not only aesthetically pleasing but they can also create a positive and calming atmosphere in the area.

Coffee table books are often used in vignettes as they are intriguing and can make guests interested in the overall arrangement of the vignette.

Small artworks, candles and magazines are all used in vignettes to create interest and pleasing aesthetics in an area such as a coffee table.

The idea behind vignettes is that you are able to create your own small artwork that you can change whenever you please.

When styling vignettes it is of utmost importance to ensure that all items used are of different textures, shapes and sizes. While vignettes may seem easy to style, it can be difficult to create an arrangement that makes you and everyone who sees the vignette say “WOW!”.

Using different colours, textures, shapes and sizes that all work together is the most effective way to create an amazing vignette, but it is all about trial and error.

Where you put your vignette can also determine if your vignette works or not as well. A vignette may look awesome on a coffee table, but it may look a little too much on a book shelf. It’s all about figuring out what works best in the space.

If you’ve created a gorgeous vignette, tag @NaomiFindlayOfficial on Instagram and we’ll share it with our audience!

How to Style a Master Bedroom

March 29, 2019 by Naomi

Styling a master bedroom in a home for sale can be tricky. The majority of time spent here is for sleeping and for this reason, many people have a complacent attitude when it comes to styling the master bedroom.

But the key is the create a space that oozes comfort, tranquility and space. So how do you create a space that attracts buyers?

Read on for my top style tips…

Having a pleasing master bedroom is more than just the mattress. When it comes to putting your house on the market, it’s all about practicality and aesthetics so choose gorgeous pillows, play with different colours and textures, and use light to your advantage.

The bed is the major part of a master bedroom, and is usually the focal point of the room. Simple bedding such as a white cover is best. This can be dressed up with a throw and pillows of a variety of colours.

Not all master bedrooms have a lot of wardrobe space, and buyers will wonder if there is enough room for clothing so consider adding stylish clothes rails and a chest of draws to showcase alternative storage solutions. As long as the furniture is scaled to suit the size of the room, it shouldn’t look crowded and can in fact make the space feel complete.

Lighting is another key feature that is of utmost importance in the master bedroom. Natural light is always a plus, but it is understandable that this is not always available.

Downlights, side table lamps, tall feature lamps and candles are all great ways to make the room feel more comforting and, most importantly, makes sure the room is well light.

Accessories and art are also great ways to make the room shine and add interest without deterring buyers.

We have scattered some of our favourite master bedrooms below! As you can see, there is no strict formula when it comes to decorating the master bedroom but all designs contain the features mentioned above.

What is your favourite master bedroom?

Must-Have Home Staging Stock

June 15, 2018 by Naomi

When you reach a certain point in your home staging business, acquiring stock and inventory is an essential step up. At first purchasing this stock might seem like a bit of a leap, and depending on what stock you purchase it might be. However, if you are smart about what stock you purchase and how much of it you purchase it could make all the difference to your home staging business.

When it comes to stock there is typically two types of stock, soft furnishings and hard furnishings. Soft furnishings include items such as pillows, linen, lamps and small accessories. The way I like to think about soft furnishings is that, if I needed to, I could pack them in a box and put them in my car. On the other hand, there are hard furnishings. Hard furnishings are big items such as lounges, arm chairs, dining tables, coffee tables, and so on. These are the items that can’t be packed into a box and loaded into your car.

Depending on what level of your business you are in you could be thinking about acquiring one of these two types of stock. Logically, soft furnishings should be acquired first, and then later down the track hard furnishings can be acquired. However, as everyone is at different stages in their business, it is important to be able to look down the track and consider what sort of stock you should be acquiring.

SOFT FURNISHINGS

When it comes to soft furnishings, these items can be purchased relatively cheaply and in bulk.

Pillows: sure, pillows can be expensive, but purchasing pillows that work well in a wide range of environment is a great way to get the most out of your money, and add texture in a range of environments. Purchasing pillows in a few colours and designs is a great idea as they can be used on their own or grouped together.
Faux flowers and plants: Faux flowers and plants are great as, when the right ones are purchased, they can look amazing, can be used in a range of spaces and styles, and can last a long time.
Books: there doesn’t have to be a theme to this, and they can be purchased from a op shop, but books are a great way to add texture and a lived in feeling to any space. These are the most cost-effective soft furnishings and can be used in any environment, from a study, a bedroom to a lounge room or even an outdoor setting.
Knick-knack accessories: by this I mean small accessories that can be used in a variety of environments, anything from vessels, small bowls, candle holders, or any other small accessories.
Linen packs: this isn’t absolutely necessary, but having at least coverlets and toppers is necessary as it can transform a room from something dull to something amazing.

229f1da3e9e8b569b0beceee69dce779 — Image via immyandindi.com.au

HARD FURNISHINGS

As for hard furnishings, these items are more expensive, and it is beneficial to go for quality over quantity.

Mattresses: often times clients do not have enough beds for how a property can be staged to show off the best of the space, or they have moved and have taken their mattresses with them.
Dining chairs: not all dining chairs go with tables, or look good with them, so having some neutral dining chairs that work with a range of colours is a great idea so you can use the clients dining table and your businesses chairs.
Bedside tables: bedside tables have the potential to open up the bedroom and transform the space into something amazing. Having bedside tables that are unique, yet work well in a variety of environments is essential.
Lounges: when used everyday, lounges can easily begin to look old, worn and unpleasant. Having lounges in stock that are a neutral colour is a great idea as they can be used in a range of spaces in a range of different styled homes.
Coffee tables: Coffee tables are great ways to show off the space in a lounge room and add an element of homeliness into the space. Not everyone has a coffee table, and if they do it might be old and worn, having new, amazing coffee tables as part of your stock can transform and fill a space amazingly.

5512a478c1edcd04581dc6e05593f575 — Image via southernliving.com

Faux or Real Plants

June 10, 2018 by Naomi

Today, as I always say, I’m going to give you my perspective and a little bit of the experience that I’ve undertaken in my years in home staging about a specific topic.

You can thread from that what works for you, what agrees with you and what strikes a chord in your business and then make decisions about how you want to move forward from there.

Today, I want to talk to you about faux or real when it comes to flowers and plants.

In my home, to be honest with you, I only allow real, living plants and flowers and tree and nature.

But, in home staging, it is a little different. The community is a little divided on it, whether to use faux or whether to use fresh.

There are obvious difficulties when it comes to using fresh flowers, especially if it’s a vacant property. I’ll give you a bit of an insight as to what we do here and you can take from that what you need for your business.

In all vacant properties, unless they’re in the prestige price bracket, we often use faux plants and faux flowers.

Purely for the reason that rarely does someone have the budget and is able to afford us continually going back to the property every week or every two weeks to refresh the flowers, to water the plants and make sure that everything’s in working order.

The reason that that is important is there is never a time when walking into a property to a dead plant or to smelling, molding flower water is okay.

It actually is a bigger distraction than having a faux plant or faux flowers in the property.

Obviously, there are some markets where that just doesn’t work. There are some markets, even when it’s a vacant property, that we invest in having real and authentic plants and real and authentic flowers in there.

We come up with a pricing system and a process that allows for us to go in and interchange the plants and interchange the flowers during the time on market.

If you have a property that is occupied, you can actually negotiate with the owner if they’re there and if they’re happy to, around the concept of them topping up the flowers and them taking care of the plants.

But again, this takes some negotiation and it takes a little bit of work.

What I will say, though, is if you choose to use faux plants or flowers, you really need to make sure you maintain them well.

There’s nothing worse than dirty, dusty, musty smelling fake arrangements, fake plants or fake flowers. It’s essential that when you’re storing these items, if you choose to use them, in your warehouse, that they’re always bagged up so they don’t become a dust collection.

What you can do if you do find that happening is actually use feather dusters on them or, even in some cases, I have vacuumed our plants.

Another great tip is that you actually have a roster and a process where all of the fake plants and all of the fake flowers get cleaned. This can make a massive difference to how long they last and how good they look.

My biggest advice if you need to use fake plants or flowers is to invest in really good quality plants and flowers.

It will cost you quite a substantial amount, but there are some amazing products on the market internationally for this. There’s amazing freestyle arrangements that you can make and there’s also some amazing premades. You even have some really cool things like premade terrariums and all sorts of things.

My big tip is choose the price point of the property. The client and the type of installation, whether it be an occupied or a partial, before we make the decision about whether you’re going to use real or whether you’re going to use faux foliage.

There’s my take, guys. One thing is for sure, either way, you need to make sure that the faux flowers and foliage that you use is perfectly targeted for the property, for your brand and also for who you are selling to.

Choose wisely.

What Beds to Use in Home Staging

June 5, 2018 by Naomi

Hey, guys. I’m back again for another installment to answer some questions that have been emailed through to me.

I’ve had a few people email through their question and I’ll read it to you here.

We’re just starting up our home staging business and we really need to know about how you do your beds.

That’s an interesting question, isn’t it? I am going to answer that to the best of my ability and hopefully everyone will be able to take a snippet from that.

I’m assuming that this question is pertaining to what sorts of beds we use in our installs. Let’s look at our options.

The first option is, obviously, a traditional slatted timber bed that needs to be pretty much built on site. It has the side rails that has the header and the footer and the slats that the mattress would sit upon. There’s one option.

The next option is an ensemble bed and, obviously, the last option is a bit of a more temporary bed. It may be an inflatable bed, it may be a camp stretcher with an inflatable mattress on top or it may be a camp stretcher with a foam mattress on top.

These are all different sorts of options. That’s not all of them, but they are some of the different options that you have when you’re staging a property and you want to put in some beds.

What do we do? If I’m going to be dead honest about what we do here at Silk Home, which is my brick and mortar home staging business, we actually use a lot of ensemble beds.

We used to use the slatted headers and footers with the side rails, but the time it took to construct the beds on site meant that our productivity was greatly diminished.

And that meant that we needed more than one person to be on site installing every single house, even after the initial drop off of furniture was complete by the muscle, basically. That was a bit of a negative for us. It really did take some time.

The other thing we noticed is that the mechanisms that you’re adhering everything to did, over time and after multiple assembling and disassembling, wear. We steered away from that.

That pointed us to our ensemble beds.

We have, as well, used all varieties of camp stretchers and foam mattresses/camp stretches and air mattresses, but one of the big problems we found with air mattresses was that sometimes they do go down.

You often find that the time you get a call is 7:30/8:30/9:00/10:00 on a Saturday when, often, you’re busy doing other things, saying,

“I’ve just taken everyone into an open home and the mattress is deflated. I need something else here right now because the open home has pretty much been ruined by the fact that there’s a deflated mattresses and a slump-looking bed sitting in what might have been an amazing master suite before.”

One of the problems I have with inflatable beds is they certainly have their locations, but one of the things that you need to make sure you think about is they aren’t 100% reliable.

I can probably hear many people going, “What about those places where you can’t get an ensemble base into?” Absolutely right. It’s a huge, huge challenge.

There are many places, especially in the older parts of town, where the stairwells are too skinny and the lifts are too small and the landings at the top of stairs are too small to be able to work an ensemble base around.

In those cases, we actually have to use a mattress and we prop the mattress up on tubs.

There you go. There are our sneak peeks and our behind the scenes of what we do at Silk Home for beds. I hope you’ve learned something from that; I hope that there’s something that you can take and integrate into your home staging business and into all the different situations that it may be applicable.

I’ll be back next week. Make sure if you have any questions that you jump onto our Facebook page and we can help you out.

If you have really specific questions about your business, make sure you pop over to our memberships. Our Shine Membership has a closed Facebook forum where you can pretty much ask anything you want.

The members of the community and myself will be jumping in there to help. Jump on over and check them out. They’re all on the website.

I’ll see you guys again soon. See you.

Must Have Home Staging Stock and Accessories

May 25, 2018 by Naomi

Acquiring a variety of stock and accessories is a must for your home staging business. At first, purchasing stock might seem like a bit of a leap. However, if you are smart about what stock you purchase, you’ll find you can use it over and over again with great results.

When it comes to stock there is typically two categories, soft furnishings and hard furnishings.

Soft furnishings include pillows, linen, lamps and small accessories. Soft furnishings are those items that, if you needed to, you could pack them in a box and put them in your car. On the other hand, there are hard furnishings. Hard furnishings are big items such as lounges, armchairs, dining tables, coffee tables, and so on. These are the items that can’t be packed into a box and loaded into your car.

Logically, soft furnishings should be acquired first, and then later down the track hard furnishings can be acquired. However, as everyone is at different stages in their business, it is important to be able to look down the track and consider what sort of stock you should be acquiring.

SOFT FURNISHINGS

When it comes to soft furnishings, you can generally purchase these items cheap and in bulk. They should include:

Cushions: Purchasing pillows that work well in a wide range of environments is a great way to get the most out of your money. Try buying cushions in a few colours and designs as they can be used on their own or grouped together.

Faux flowers and plants: When the right ones are purchased, faux plants can look amazing and be used in a range of spaces and styles. The best part is how long they last!

Books: Books are a great way to add texture and a create ‘lived-in’ feeling to any space. These are the most cost-effective soft furnishings and can be used in any environment, from a study, bedroom or a lounge room. Just purchase a few books from your local op shop or you might even have some hanging around the house.

Knick-knack accessories: By this I mean small accessories that can be used in a variety of environments – anything from vessels, small bowls, candle holders, or any other small accessories.

Linen packs: This isn’t absolutely necessary, but I like to at least have a few coverlets and toppers as it can really transform a room from something dull to something amazing.

HARD FURNISHINGS

Hard furnishings are more expensive so it’s usually beneficial to go for quality over quantity. The stock I recommend purchasing includes:

Mattresses: Often clients do not have enough beds to show off the best of the space, or they have moved and have taken their mattresses with them.

Dining chairs: Not all dining chairs go with all tables, so having some neutral dining chairs that work with a range of colours is a great idea.

Bedside tables: Bedside tables have the potential to open up the bedroom and create a space for your soft furnishings. Tables that are unique, yet work well in a variety of environments is essential.

Lounges: When used everyday, lounges can easily begin to look old, worn and unpleasant. Having lounges in stock that are a neutral colour is a great idea as they can be used in a range of spaces in a range of different styled homes.

Coffee tables: Not everyone has a coffee table and if they do, it’s often old and worn. Investing in a few coffee tables can help you to transform and fill a living space amazingly.

Purchasing stock doesn’t have to be a huge expense at first, in fact it shouldn’t be a huge expense when you first start accumulating inventory. As your business beings to flourish with the large amount of stock you accumulate, you will be able to stage more properties and further grow your business.

Get your FREE Crash Course in Home Staging below!

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4 Tips For Hanging The Perfect Wall Art

May 9, 2018 by Naomi

One aspect of decorating that many people struggle with is choosing and hanging wall art. If you’ve left the walls of your home blank because you’re afraid of making an error, or if you’ve hung photos and prints only to be disappointed by the results, keep reading! By following a few best practices, you can use your artwork to transform your space with these 4 simple tips.

Hang only what you love

Choosing artwork for your home is highly personal subject, and this is where we let go of any rules, save for one: You must love the works of art you hang on your walls. They should speak to you. Never choose a painting or print just because you think it matches your room — it’s a sure-fire way to be disappointed in the end.

Original paintings can be expensive, but if you have artistic friends or family, you can frame some of their original pieces for a really sharp, custom look. You can also purchase prints, enlarge favourite photos (black and white portraits are very chic), or find some incredible antique signs or other interesting objects to hang on your walls for interest. You just need to love it.

2. Don’t skimp on the frames

If you choose to hang traditional wall art, it’s worth it to spend a little more for professional framing. This will protect your investment, as framers use acid-free materials and UV-rated glass to make sure your artwork doesn’t deteriorate. Framing is also an opportunity to unify your look. For example, you could have several very different paintings in style or subject, but if they’re all in similar frames, you add instant cohesion to your room.

3. Keep artwork in scale with the space

The biggest mistake most people make is hanging a picture that’s too small for the space. If you put a beloved, page-sized portrait on an expansive wall, it will be totally lost and ignored. To figure out how large a picture to hang on your wall, measure the width of the space (say, the area between two windows) and multiply that number by .57. The result is the ideal width of the painting you should center in that space. This bit of arithmetic is based on decorators’ tried-and-true proportions, but you of course have a little leeway. You can also group smaller photos together to reach this number — just be sure to account for additional spacing between each.

4. Hang artwork at eye level

Many people hang their pictures too high on the wall, thinking that there’s a lot of space to fill toward the ceiling. This is not the case! The centre of your artwork should be at eye level of the average person — if you live with someone, split the difference. The one exception is with lettered signs, which are typically designed to be seen from a distance and can therefore be hung higher than eye level if you like.

If you stick to these four simple rules, you’re sure to be pleased with how your works of art transform your walls.

Want more tips? Get your FREE Crash Course in Home Staging below!

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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

styling

Declutter

Not being able to look past your own personal style

Choosing furniture that is the wrong size for your space

But what are vignettes? And how can you make them amazing?!

SOFT FURNISHINGS

HARD FURNISHINGS

Hang only what you love

2. Don’t skimp on the frames

3. Keep artwork in scale with the space

4. Hang artwork at eye level

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