Redesign: Maximizing Your Potential

Have you ever heard the expression, “the cheapest car you can buy is the one you already drive”? Of course you have, if you’re from the land of idiomatic dialect i.e. the South! I know decorating your home isn’t nearly the same investment as paying for a car (except perhaps in some cases), but, it is always cheaper to use what you’ve already got. I know it’s not within everyone’s skill set to do major projects like refurbishing a piece of furniture or envisioning a new purpose for something, be it a stray ottoman or a five-piece bedroom set. But there are many ways to approach redesign, so before anyone starts to despair, let me offer these three simple ideas that will help you begin maximizing the potential of the things you already own:

1. Take it little by little. I have a theory that if you obtain several new things at once, there is less time to appreciate their newness individually. Same is true of projects. Allow yourself the joy of appreciating one small change at a time. Try it! If it doesn’t work, I’ll downgrade my theory to an idea.

2. Ask yourself if you really NEED it. If you’re losing your head over finding a use for a piece that you have, but don’t use and don’t have a use for, stop! Donate it or sell it on Craigslist. You’ll buy yourself a little free time, and maybe even make a dime doing it. Usually, you have to sacrifice one of those for the other, so i’d call it a win-win.

3. If you do need it – or you don’t, but you want it – and you are completely at a loss, what else can you do but call a professional? Vision isn’t a gift that everyone has, and that’s where POI can help.

P.S. For all you WSB Radio fans of the Home Fix it Show, make sure you tune in this Saturday, 2.23, to hear our very own Patsy Overton on air!!

Here are some redesign potentials in my dining room – check back in the next couple of weeks to see what they turn into!

this is a BEAUTIFUL headboard that my husband made for me when we were dating.  I want to turn it into a wall hanging...

this is a BEAUTIFUL headboard that my husband John made for me when we were dating. I want to turn it into a wall hanging…

...and this is a side-of-the-road find that got me through a few years in college...as you can see, it needs a drawer fix and some paint.

…and this is a side-of-the-road find that got me through a few years in college…as you can see, it needs a drawer fix and some paint.

here's the room as a whole to give you an idea of the scale...hopefully it will look quite different in the near future!

here’s the room as a whole to give you an idea of the scale…hopefully it will look quite different in the near future!

Patsy Overton Interiors. 770-843-2307 Accredited, Licensed, Insured.

Cumming Staged Home Under Contract

In May of this year I received a call from Sherry Ajluni, a “go-getter” Keller Williams agent.  She had a new listing in Cumming which she knew would show better with home staging.  (Smart lady!)  I met Sherry at the house where I did a home staging consultation with Cindy, the homeowner.  Cindy had already done a GREAT job of decluttering and removing personal items, but I saw a few things that still needed to be addressed.  For example, take a look at before & after pictures of the living room:

living room before home staging

Living Room - before

living room after home staging

Living Room - after

As you can see from the first photo, the room needed “grounding” so I added the rug.  In addition, a rearrangement of furniture was in order to draw the eye from the blank sofa wall in the “before” shot to the wall of windows in the “after” shot.  Normally I never place anything in front of a window as it blocks the light, but in this case it was called for in order to “weight” the room on the right side.  In addition, there is a 3rd window not shown above, so there was still plenty of light in the room.  To finish the look, a few key accessories were added.

Next, the dining room which was opposite the living room, separated by the foyer.

dining room before home staging

Dining Room - before

dining room after home staging

Dining Room - after

In the “before” photo of the dining room you can see that it needed a little sparkle to set it off.  I added pictures on either side of the china cabinet and dressed the table.  The table runners look much brighter in the photo above than they did in the room.  They were actually a much better blend than what you see here.  One more thing to take note of:  in most cases I would’ve removed the rug in order to make the room look bigger.  In this situation it wasn’t necessary, as the room was quite large.  Also, upon entering the house, the potential buyers already had great visual exposure to the hardwoods in the foyer extending to the family room.  The main objective here was to dress the room with appropriate accessories.

Master Bedroom before home staging

Master Bedroom - before

master bedroom after home staging

Master Bedroom - after

I love these photos!  This great master bedroom, first and foremost, needed an updated paint color.  I always like to use a color in the master suite rather than a neutral to set it off, but it must still be in the neutral palette.  In this case we used Sherwin-Williams “Grassland” SW6163.  The homeowners were so pleased with it they said they will be painting their new bedroom the same color.  While the room was being painted, I went shopping for new bedding.  Now the room looks fresh and updated.

master bath before home staging

Master Bath - before

master bath after home staging

Master Bath - after

In the master bath the walls were neutralized.  In this case I selected Sherwin-Williams “Sands of Time” SW6101, which was a nice blend with existing floor tiles.  In addition, a few accessories were added to bring the room to life.

The results?  This Cumming staged home is now under contract!  The homeowners are busy packing and selecting finishes for their new home.  And I’m happy to report that they’ve asked Patsy Overton Interiors to help them get settled in their new home.

If you want your home to glow, the colors to flow and the clutter to go, contact Patsy Overton Interiors 770-843-2307  Accredited, Licensed, Insured.

Accessories Make All the Difference

Last fall I received a call from Jim & Andrea in Lawrenceville for a home staging consultation.  I met with them, explained the basics of home staging, then walked the home with them from room-to-room discussing what needed to be done to get their property sold.  I left them with a long checklist of follow-up assignments.  At the time, their home had already been on the market for 6-8 months and we were entering the “nothing’s going to sell until spring” zone.

Sure enough, Jim called again this spring to say that the home still had not sold and he was wondering if they needed to purchase new furniture to do the trick.  They had done a fantastic job of neutralizing paint colors, decluttering and streamlining, but the home was still lackluster.  Shown below is a picture of their living room as I saw it that day:

living room before accessories were added
Living Room – before

After walking through the home, I told them I thought it would be a waste of money for them to purchase furniture for staging; however, I did think adding key accessories would make a HUGE difference.  I left the home, went shopping, and came back with a few tricks (aka “accessories”) up my sleeve.  Here is what the living room looked like afterwards:

living room with key accessories added
Living Room – after

As you can see, we added a rug for warmth, replaced the large doll house on the far wall with a piece that had been in the foyer, replaced the lamp with one that was more updated, added a floral, greenery, throw pillows and a nice size-appropriate print to pull it all together.  What a difference a few accessories made!

The results?  Within a few weeks I received an email from Jim who had this to say: “We accepted an offer on our home last week.  I believe that your advice and accessories helped us sell this house after it had languished for almost a year on the market.  Thanks!”

Whether you are decorating or staging your home, accessories can make all the difference between having a look that is disjointed and sparse vs. one that is pulled-together and polished.

If you want your home to glow, the colors to flow and the clutter to go, call Patsy Overton Interiors770-843-2307 Accredited, Licensed, Insured.

Decorating with Color Class – Week 3

On Wednesday, March 16 we will have our 3rd class on Decorating with Color at Blackshear Place Baptist Church in Flowery Branch, GA. (This location is especially convenient for anyone living in the north Gwinnett or south Hall County areas, but all are welcome!)  Initially, the class was to focus on decorating and home staging, but the participants had little interest in the home staging aspect so I’ve revised the class to focus on decorating with color.  Here’s what we’ve covered so far:

  1. The distinct similarities and differences in decorating and home staging.
  2. The elements and principles of design.
  3. Decorating Styles:  Traditional or Formal, Country, Eclectic, Casual, Contemporary
  4. Color Definitions:  Hue, Value, Intensity, Tint, Tone, Shade
  5. How to use the color wheel.
  6. Deciphering the Sherwin-Williams fan deck.
  7. Decorating with color.
color strips and paint brush

Decorating with Color

In addition to covering the topics shown above and viewing corresponding slides, each class has a “workshop” element to it.  Participants were given graft paper and asked to measure and draw to scale a room in their home. Over the course of the next few weeks, we will put together a decorating plan for that room.  Also, last week class members were taught to “match” colors from a fabric swatch to a fan deck.  Training the eye is key!

Please join us this week for an in-depth study of the elements of design.  Here are the particulars:

  • Location: Blackshear Place Baptist Church, 3428 Atlanta Hwy., Flowery Branch  30542
  • Room:  B216/217
  • Date:  Wednesday, March 16, 2011
  • Time:  6:30 -8:00PM
  • Charge:  FREE!

I hope to see you Wednesday night!

If you want your home to glow, the colors to flow and the clutter to go, call Patsy Overton Interiors. 770-843-2307  Accredited, Licensed, Insured.


Serving the following cities: Alpharetta, Atlanta, Auburn, Buford, Canton, Conyers, Covington, Cumming, Dacula, Duluth, Dunwoody, Flowery Branch, Gainesville, Grayson, Lawrenceville, Lilburn, Loganville, Marietta, Monroe, Norcross, Oakwood, Roswell, Snellville, Sugar Hill, Suwanee and Woodstock
Serving the following counties: Barrow, Cherokee, Cobb, DeKalb, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Hall, Jackson, Newton, Rockdale and Walton

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