Kelly Patterson

The Winery Gable: An innovative solution to outdoor privacy.

Barrie Home Stagers are always up for a creative challenge! When a Barrie agent came to us looking for a way to overcome the issue of privacy in a house that was going on the market for the second time, we couldn't resist the opportunity of turning the most negative feature of the house into a stunning focal point that the homeowners were proud to show off to any potential buyer in the local Barrie market.

Before the transformation, Barrie buyers were faced with a good sized deck in excellent condition but with an obvious concern - it was very open to the surrounding neighbourhood including the local traffic on the street behind. It was the number 1 feedback to the agent and the reason why the house just wasn't selling.

To increase the useable square footage of the house, highlight the indoor/ outdoor lifestyle potential and create privacy, Barrie Home Staging company, Kristin Kelly Design Solutions (www.kristinkelly.ca) had a winery gable built onto the existing deck for both practicality and decoration. We added a few hanging baskets of seasonal flowers for colour and the rest is history. The issue of privacy was no longer and the house sold after the first Open House.

Built by: R Klein Construction, Barrie

Winery gables are a smart and inexpensive way to create privacy to your outdoor area. A winery gable frames the open space and provides a visual screen that obscures the view from the oustside whilst keeping the area open and airy. Here are some tips on achieving a look to suit different homes in and around Barrie.

•· Choose materials that blend in with the existing style of the home. Wood can be left in its natural state or painted to match in with the exterior of the home.

•· Construct a winery gable in steel or aluminium to complement a more contemporary home.

•· To add architectural interest, personalize the gable section with lattice, cut-outs or curved features.

•· Attach decorative hooks and brackets for hanging plants or other decorative items - the sky is the limit.

•· Decorate according to the season: Hanging baskets with flowers or edible herbs in Spring, Glass balls or stained glass hangers in Summer, Wreaths and vines in Fall, Twinkle lights and ornaments in Winter.

Concept and Design: www.kristinkelly.ca

Isn't it amazing what people have stashed away in spare rooms, basements and garages? So much of our initial consultation should be finding out what treasures homeowners have in their homes that is not being used to its greatest advantage.

All Home Stagers know the importance of that very first meeting with the homeowner to look at the property and see how it can be transformed into a more marketable product. However, I have seen many examples of stagers not knowing exactly what the homeowner has lying around, tucked away in the crevices of a home that will ultimately save the homeowner a lot of money in furniture rental either from the stager's own inventory or from an outside rental company. Let's face it, it saves us a lot of work too!

When we first meet with the homeowner, we get permission to be a little nosy around the place (although I don't use that term). I look everywhere - under beds, under blankets, in cupboards, behind furniture - anywhere that people manage to hide the things they don't use for whatever reason. I find if homeowners are hiring a stager, then they are giving you permission (and I write it in the contract) for you to use whatever is contained in their home first before having to resort to outside sources.

It's worth being curious about the contents of the home as they can then be incorporated into the overall plan. I have even had homeowners in tears of joy over the fact that they didn't believe their belongings were 'good enough' to use as part of the staging. Pride of ownership is a sensitive issue with all homeowners and we as professional home stagers ought to respect that.

Here is a recent example of one of our discoveries: Grandma's hand-me-down hall table.

The homeowners didn't think it co-ordinated with their existing home decor so they covered it over with a sheet and used it as storage space.

Once we found this beautiful piece, we included it into our overall plan for the room and found the perfect place for it in an alcove between the lounge and dining room. This piece now adds formality to the space. It's clean, functional and highly decorative!

So we used what the homeowner already had in the home, saved them some dollars and created a space that is warm and inviting with a bit of class.

Don't be afraid to be a little bit nosey!!