SC FAB FEB

 I don't go to therapy. I used to, I believe I started when I was 8 but alas it does not work for me. However, I do go to the spa whenever my anxiety takes over (which is fairly often). Today is simply a preventative trip as Feb has been Fab so far. I'm off to Red Door!

Sick of my SC self I have an adorable preppy professional to introduce today. My bestie Kerri. Not only is she sweet, fun and polished-she even brings the most beautiful wine glasses to our cookouts!

 Are you preppy?  

Mmmm...I guess you could say I was born preppy...I grew up in Barrington, RI...Barrington was listed in the Official Preppy Handbook as a preppy town!  As a child, I summered at the Cape, had monogrammed night gowns, wore Dean or Fair Isle sweaters, wide whale cords (sometimes with whales or my favorite...strawberries...wow!), tretorns and loved the color combination navy blue and kelly green.  My first purse was a Papagallo Bermuda bag and I never went anywhere without a ribbon belt that matched my outfit...I was big into accessorizing...ribbon headband, monogrammed necklace, shrimp ring, etc.  My best friend in high school, Martha, was nicknamed Muffy...if you lived in Barrington you really had no choice but to live the preppy life!  Now, as an adult, I have mainstreamed and mix up my wardrobe but still find myself gravitating toward anything Lilly Pulitzer!!

What is your approach to staging/decorating? 

My company is Show & Sell...I have owned it for 5 years with my extremely talented partner, Christine Droney.  We are the premier Staging and Interior Redesign company in Southern New Jersey.  Staging is all about working with a budget and having a homeowner spend the least amount of money possible to move the home in the shortest period of time for highest price.  We have staged homes that are priced in the millions to homes in the $200s and it is all the same...you just need to figure out what it's going to get the job done.  We ask ourselves...how can we transform a home so that it looks the best it can look...the best in its price point...the best within its competitive set.  Obviously, a home that is priced at $2 million requires a different level of staging than a home priced at $400K....from what goes into the home (quality/level of home furnishings and decorative accessories) to how much you stage (entire home versus a few select rooms).  For vacant homes at the beach we have had great success staging the entire home...that way the realtor can market the home as furnished and it is completely turn key for the buyer...so many of our staged homes have sold that way...they are so beautiful, inviting and equipped that all you need to bring is your toothbrush to move in!!! 

What inspired you in the home?  

Our decorating style is definitely inspired by the coastal homes in Newport, Nantucket and New England...it is what I know and love.  Christine and I don't do "tacky" beach motifs...you will not find flip flops, beach umbrellas, etc. anywhere in our homes.  What you will find are upscale and elegant touches...even in homes that are moderately priced.  Every home deserves to be elegant!  I love textures and items that add warmth and personality.  For our beach homes, we always put textured, woven area rugs down and accent our couches and beds with fabulous decorative pillows. In the bathrooms we love to use woven baskets and roll towels.  New, updated bed linens are a must for any home and can be a great way to convey personality and add color...especially when the walls are builder grade white.   In our signature homes, we always include a Lilly Pulitzer "Essentially Lilly" coffee table book!  And, we always look for those one or two "Tah Dah" pieces for the kitchen and family room...our signature pieces that really demand a second look....these can be decorative accessories...a wonderful brushed nickel crab platter, really great dining room plates, a candle holder filled with shells, etc.  Even if your home is not for sale or staged...I am a firm believer that everyone needs the WOW factor somewhere in their home!!!

What are your top tips for decorating and getting a house sold? 
If you have an occupied home and want to get it sold you MUST eliminate clutter!!  It is the absolute best thing you can do...get a PODS if you have to or a dumpster...just get rid of the stuff/collectibles that are overtaking your house!! If you have a vacant home...consider staging the home with furniture so that it gives a prospective buyer an idea of how to live in the home.  If you use a talented staging company...like Show & Sell...we will stage your house so it shows like a model home!  Our objective is to have a prospective buyer's first impression be a lasting one...we want them to imagine living in the home...to literally want to move right in...we make sure the kitchen and dining tables are beautifully set as if a dinner party was about to begin, we make the bedrooms look inviting and lovely...we pay special attention to outfitting certain bedrooms for children and others for guests...we always place an accent tray and a bottle of wine in the master to give it added ambiance....we create vignettes in rooms that are hard to figure out...we leave no stone unturned...and we get it done quickly and always on budget!!  Oh, one more thought...to anyone who has wonderful crown moldings but the moldings are the SAME color as the paint on the wall...if you can't see the moldings, you won't sell them...consider painting the walls so the moldings pop!!
 For more information on Show & Sell's services and how we can transform and redesign your home...please visit www.shownsellhomestaging.comCLICK HERE or call me at 609-204-8223.  I would be more than happy to help with any interior redesign question or project!!

XOXO

SC