Eve Rusakova, Home Stager, Toronto, ON

Staging a Bathroom: How to Make Buyers Fall in Love With Yours.

We all know that kitchens and bathrooms sell homes. These two small but very important rooms of any home can become either deal-makers or deal-breakers when it comes to selling your property. Speaking of bathrooms many of us wish to escape an everyday reality in a spa-like environment surrounded by updated vanities, floating sinks, stainless steel faucets, glass showers, and uhhh-so-inviting soaker tubs. But even if your bathroom does not pretend to bear the title of "The Best Bathroom of the Year", you can still create that much-desired look of a cozy and inviting space. Whether selling or staying, spruce up the look of your bathroom with our easy-to-do tips:

• If you don't plan to spend big buck on a new bathtub, consider re-glazing the old one. This procedure, done by a professional, can save you up to 90% of the cost of a new bathtub. Re-glazing also helps to get rid of that pink or blue-colored sinks, which scream "DATED!".
• If you see signs of mould on your bathroom walls, here is a little trick you can do to get rid of it: dilute bleach with water 50/50 and spray it on your walls. The mould should disappear. Secure the achieved effect with a fresh coat of paint and... voila! - you've got a fresh new looking walls.
• Clean, clean, clean! Your bathroom should be spotless clean, therefore make sure there is no rust on your faucets; scour the glass door of your shower, so the glass actually becomes invisible; and polish your tile so it looks like it's been just installed.
• Every bathroom needs some storage space. So if you don't have any, consider putting some portable shelving where you can display your clean towels or invest into closed cabinets.
• Accessorize your bathroom: to create a truly spa-like feel of your bathroom and make it look like it just came to life from the magazine pages, do not forget about essential accessories: candles, sea shells, plants, and of course, some art.

Christmas Home Decoration Trends for 2011

As well as many aspects of our lives, Christmas home decoration has its own fashion and trends. While the general picture remains pretty much the same from year to year, there are certain decoration elements that come into the foreground in each particular year. I think not many of us heard that there is a special convention held each year, dedicated entirely to Christmas home decor and Christmas home decor trends. Interior decorators, retailers, interior designers get together for several days to discuss and demonstrate the most prominent features of new Christmas home decoration trends. So here are the trends for Christmas 2011:

1. Country style. No wonder that the country or cottage style decor is becoming so popular. Due to its simple but heartwarming elements, it reminds you of your childhood and holidays with your family. Even in you live in a modern style home you might want to switch your decor to a more rustic style for this holiday season.

Via House and Home

2. Elements of Inside. While last Christmas season aimed to showcase all the elements of the outside life (birds, nests, twigs, etc.), this year it is quite the opposite. All the elements of the inside are appearing on the Christmas tree, such as figurines and ornaments in forms of cookies, jars, buttons, even pots and pans.

via Martha Stuart

3. A third trend is a more upscale version of a holiday decor: elements of gold, faux diamonds combined with rich purple color. Purple was named the Color of the Year 2011 and the trend found it's reflection in Christmas decoration as well.

Photo via Martha Stuart

via Luxury Property

4. As for the color, the usual golden and red ornaments are giving the place to unfamiliar lime and turquoise. While it may sound wild, in fact it looks amazing. Why not trying for a change?

Via BHG

via Centsational Girl

Happy holidays and have fun experimenting!

The humanity has stopped inventing anything cardinally new in many spheres of life. Everything new is a well-forgotten old. Things are just either going out of fashion or coming back. Talking about home decoration and interior design, we've spotted 3 major things that have made a huge comeback. It is hard even to imagine that not so long ago those 3 decoration elements were considered faux-pas and "messages from the past" and right now are viewed as bedrocks of all modern interiors. Possibility is that over time they will return to where they came from and be forgotten, but for now...let them shine!

Comeback #1: Wallpaper.

The use of wallpaper dates back to 1400s as a cheap substitute for tapestry and paneling. The first wallpapers were decorations for wood panels coloured by hand. Since then the wallpaper production has undergone the major changes in both design and quality. With most people when you say "wallpaper", a picture of purple grandma-style wallpaper with borders pops up in their minds. Not anymore. Nowadays the technology of production of wallpaper has reached such heights, that you can't even determine what type of material the walls are being covered by. Vinyl wallpaper, foil wallpaper, flock wallpaper, grass cloth, fabric, even 3D wallpaper - you have all the variety to chose from. No wonder professional decorators and designers are switching back to this method of wall covering. Either decorating the entire room with wallpaper, or just accentuating a feature wall, you can create a truly unique and customized interior that will reflect your own style and personality.

Photos via H&H Canada

Comeback #2: Brass.

A gold-covered vintage candleholder or brass sunburst mirror are making us rethink of our brass prejudice. The cold shine of chrome has been overshadowing everything around it for a while. And probably people are ready to switch back to warmer hues that brass offers. So brass faucets, mirrors, chandeliers, candle holders and light fixtures and coming back into the forestage. The trick right now is to choose the right brass without evoking the dated feeling. The combination of gold and silver along with clean streamlined lines of furniture and modern fabrics will do the right job.

Photo via Emma's design Blog

Comeback #3: Purple.

From wall paint color to accent pillows and knick-knacks - purple is here and you can't resist it. For centuries being viewed as the color of royalty, now purple is being introduced into interiors in more deep calm hues. That shade of pale purple, seen in our grandma's bedrooms along with lace valances and doilies, is being dissolved in the records of history for good. Moreover Benjamin Moore has chosen their "Vintage Wine" as the Color of the Year in 2011. "First seen on the fashion runways of New York, Paris, and Milan, this rich hue with a deep brown base and a hint of smoky violet is just as magnificent in the home". Small wonder that this beautiful color is being introduced in the main rooms of homes not only through accents, but also as a primary color for walls, floors and even ceilings.

Photo via Purple Interiors

Photos Via Homedit.com

So, like it or not, but the history is making another turn. Be prepared to see more of this 3 design features in modern interiors. And if you need help introducing them into your own surroundings, call Studio 74. We'll help you make your living or working environment unique, sophisticated and updated.

Staging is not an option for investment properties - it's a must.

As a professional home stager in Toronto area I work with private real estate investors, who buy properties, renovate and sell them, aka "flipping". Recently I was contacted by one such investor, who has been doing this kind of business for some time, but never staged his properties before. His latest investment was almost finished when he thought that home staging might help him get even the better deal out off the house. After I've spent a considerable amount of time educating him on the benefits of home staging, he was convinced that staging is no longer an option, it's a must, especially for investment properties. If you are investing a considerable amount of money into things that are both visible (new walls, paint, new kitchen and baths) and invisible (electrical, insulation) but after that fail to showcase your home properly, consider that you are quitting half way through. That last step is crucial in making your affair successful. Home staging turns a "just renovated" house into someone's home.

Check out what a beautiful final product we've got:

Light as a decorative element

Light is an integral part of any interior decoration. It plays an essential role in creating a beautiful and functional interior. Playing with different sources and forms of light a talented decorator can accentuate specific areas of your home, create a special mood and atmosphere, make a statement, or improve the overall ambiance of a property. A thoroughly planned lighting scheme plays one of the key roles in creating customized interiors and individual settings. Here are the main principles of creating a great illuminating scheme of your home.

1. Start with the general lighting. As the name implies, this light source is for the basic general use, the main goal of which is to illuminate the space. A good example of general light is very popular now pot lights or a light fixture mounted to the wall. As pot lights do not add a lot of aesthetic value to your home decor, a rightly chosen ceiling light fixture can make a big statement and even become a focal point of the room.While it bears mostly the functional load, you still want to be extra careful while choosing a light fixture for the room, as it can clash a chosen decor theme or compliment it, pulling the entire look together.

2. 2.Plan your task lighting. Task lighting provides direct area-specific lighting for certain areas of your home at higher illumination levels. An example of task lighting can be a light pendant over the kitchen island, a lamp on your computer desk, or vanity lighting in a bathroom. While the main purpose of the task lighting is to illuminate the area for a specific task, please avoid a severe contrast between general and task lighting as the eye’s pupil will dilate in low levels of light and contract in high levels of light. A constant dilating and contracting is the major cause of eye fatigue and eye strain.
Task lighting comes in a variety of forms from ceiling pendants to table lamps. They play an essential role in a visual perception of the space. You can accentuate certain architectural features of your home, define different zones, or form and shape the space with different light sources. With all this variety of designs and styles of lamps available on the market you can easily create a unique space accustomed just for you and your needs.

3. Create a mood with accent lighting. This type of lighting is the most forgotten of all types of lighting, while it can provide the entire atmosphere and influence the mood. Examples of accent lighting are picture lights, candlelight, niche lighting, lighting inside glass cabinets, etc. Chandeliers and wall sconces with installed dimmer switches can also act as accent lighting providing visual interest to the specific part of the room. With different accent lighting you can accentuate different architectural features of your home or draw the attention away from not so distinctive ones.

When planning the lighting scheme of your home, consider introducing all 3 layers of lighting. This way you will not only create a well-lit functional space, but add some dramatic interest to your home.