Greetings,
Welcome back to Matters of Style, a periodic newsletter from To a T Interiors. In this edition are stories of two projects that had to be done under tight deadlines: a condo redo in MA and home staging in MD. Read below for tips and methods that help cut the time and expense of both jobs.
Happy Decorating!
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Urban Condo Redo: From Empty
to Furnished in 10 Days
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For anyone planning a redesign, you know how challenging it can be to pull everything together. Add in long distance and time constraints and you have the recipe for a recent experience my husband and I had furnishing and painting a two bedroom condo in Cambridge MA. The project's goal: appeal to academic-year renters, a niche market due to the many colleges and universities in the Boston area.
 | | Living Room Before |
 | | Living Room After |
This entire redo was completed in 10 working days in order to meet the peak marketing period. Elapsed time start to finish was 22 days and costs were kept under a $10K budget.
Hopefully few readers will need to complete a project with such an abbreviated time line but some tips are relevant to any decorating project. Keys to completing within the established time frame were:
- completing a floor plan for each room (resulted in a list of all the major items needed along with ideal dimensions),
- shopping only national chains having a presence in the DC and Boston areas that had stocked furniture options (custom orders were not possible),
- establishing color inspiration in advance for each room (narrowing the choices meant staying focused), and
- patronizing stores that were feasible for the established budget (no wasted time looking at furnishings that did not fit within the budget).
 | | Bedroom Before |
 | | Bedroom After |
Want to know how we did it in 10 days? Here is the schedule we followed.
- Day 1 (3 weeks before the condo was empty): day trip to Boston to get major furnishings. Shopped two stores, decided on sofa, chair, dining set, bedroom set and scheduled delivery for planned work week. Area rug and sofa provided color inspiration for the living room palette.
- Day 2: In MD, bought shower curtain and comforter set for color inspiration in bath and bedroom; ordered paint color samples; bought mattress and scheduled delivery.
- Day 3: In Boston, (travel days not counted), cleaned and prepped walls, decided on paint colors, bought paint and supplies.
- Days 4-6: Painted 4 rooms and had window treatment installer come for measurements.
- Day 7: Received delivery of furniture selected Day 1, ordered blinds, shopped IKEA for remaining large items.
- Day 8: Assembled desk and bookcases, shopped at Bed, Bath and Beyond for housewares and hardware store for additional paint and cleaning supplies.
- Day 9: Shopped for all remaining items, unpacked and assembled, as needed, all items.
- Day 10: Painted bath and touch up to trim, window treatments installed.
 | | Office Before |
 | | Office After |
We are planning a return trip to add finishing touches (a few pieces of art and some additional lighting). However, this trip we are going to enjoy the fruits of our labors: we plan to relax, explore Boston and spend time with family who live nearby!
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Staging SOS: Another Story With Quick Results
| Just last week I had an opportunity to assist Brigitte and Kevin in getting their house ready for sale. They were well underway when they got a final staging estimate that was outside their budget. I got the SOS distress call from Kevin asking for help and I was there the following day. The before pictures reflect the state of things when I arrived.
 | Living/Dining Rooms Before Staging
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 | | Master Bedroom Before Staging |
Once we completed the tour of the house, we
mapped out a plan for each room, came up with a shopping list (deciding to use art and furnishings from Kevin's office, decorated by To a T in 2010, helped stay within budget).
While I went shopping with the list, Kevin picked up the office art and accessories. Meeting back at the house, we adjusted the furniture layout in the living, dining, family rooms plus master and guest bedrooms.
 | Family Room Before Staging
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I then placed the
lighting, art, decorative pillows and other accessories for the biggest impact.
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Living/Dining Rooms After Staging
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The homeowners took it from there, completing decluttering, hanging the art work and filling in a few gaps with additional purchases.
 | | Master Bedroom After Staging |
They also painted the master bedroom and bath (with colors recommended by To a T), had new carpeting installed and hung new light fixtures in the entry and dining areas.
 | | Family Room After Staging |
These after pictures were taken the day the house was listed.
Once we saw how the staging fit in with the existing paint, additional work and expense was avoided when it was decided not to repaint the guest bedroom and kitchen/family rooms (as recommended by the previous stager).
 | | Guest Bedroom Before Staging |
 | Guest Bedroom After Staging
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The homeowners are extremely pleased with the end results noting that the staging definitely enhanced their home's selling appeal. When asked about the biggest lesson from their experience? "We won't wait until we are ready to leave our home to call To a T for help with decorating. We'll have Susan assist us in our new home as soon as we move in."
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As always, if you need help making your home the inviting, comfortable space you envision, call To a T Interiors. We can help you select the perfect paint color, find solutions to corral the clutter that accumulates for busy families or redesign your living spaces to enhance the beauty and function for the whole family.
Susan
To a T Interiors 301-467-3563
www.toatinteriors.com |
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Q & A Corner
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| | Q. I'm moving from a single family house to a condo in DC. Do you have any tips for maximizing space in a one
bedroom condo?
A. There are lots of tricks for making a small space appear bigger. Here are a few to consider:
--For an airy, spacious look, keep the color palette in light neutrals for walls and furnishings.
--Eliminate clutter; look for storage options with every purchase.
--Change out over-stuffed furniture for smaller scale seating. Consider the scale of the room when making any purchase. Most furniture manufactures make apartment size sofas, ideal for smaller rooms.
--Expand the room with light; use a variety of lamps for mood and task lighting.
--Create a more open feeling using glass table tops or lucite chairs.
--Hang window panels from ceiling to floor to make the room appear taller.
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