The Refreshed Home LOVES working with builders and flippers!   

The folks whose hands get things done-they know a lot of stuff. Also-no one can implement the cool and best things for less cost. BUT….

We can’t all be good at everything. And  it hurts to see those empty gray houses sit, month after month. TRH suggests there are other choices besides waiting/hoping, price reduction or renting furniture.

Listing photos drive buyers and agents to a house, right?

A(nother) empty, souless gray box with tundra-like expanses of white bathrooms (I know, how do I really feel?) when seen on a 3″ smart phone screen doesn’t go to the top of anyone’s must-see list. Your well-chosen cabinetry, the nifty tiling details and all the other extras don’t read on the small screen. They go unseen, and unappreciated.

Instead, consider these top 3 easy and low-to-no-cost fixes I typically recommend during consults:

1. Use color on the walls. Or at least more than one shade of gray.  The premise of our love affair with gray-that we need calm in our lives-is still very much alive, but colors with substance feel so much more sturdy,  comforting and valuable. You have to paint anyway, let TRH help you choose well the first time around.

• Pantone’s choice of Living Coral for 2019 COTY surprised, even disappointed many of us in the trade. (Slate magazine took it especially hard).  Pundits speculated  on smokier tones, and  Behr, Sherwin Williams,and PPG have all gone strong. Benjamin Moore played it safe, but still, see how all have saturated and nuanced tones? 
• So for 2019:  Keep it cool, but go deep! Teal in the powder room, or a deep greige in the Master BR can go a long way!  This re-hab is still in progress, but see how BM’s Downpour Blue made the white tile whiter, and called attention to the higher ceilings and cool transom window?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Don’t let photos of naked bathrooms be published. Sure, new construction needs to look like new construction…but c’mon, would it kill you to add some color and warmth?

• An architecturally important faux green plant/tree adds drama and punctuation, eliminating those white-out (or death-by-beige) conditions. Shelve the white orchids, they do nothing for photos, and are just dull.  And the tray with a champagne bottle and glasses? Just Say No. PLEASE.
• Towels! New, pristine and move-in ready doesn’t mean denuded.  Abundant towels are both luxurious and a relative bargain. Bathrooms that are ‘done’ draw buyers through the entire property.  Yes, I do bathrooms! And while partial to white towels, I also inventory bright yellow, smoky ameythst, deep teal, navy blue, black, turquoise and deep lime green!

3. Don’t default to the same design or materials you’ve used since ____.  Or do what your SO/admin/neighbor/barista thinks is a good idea. Colors! Patterns! Finishes! What fun! Well, it actually is.…but getting your house sold quickly and for the most money is serious business.

• The stakes are high. Knowing how something on a sample board or 2″ square will read in the whole room, and with adjacent finishes is a big deal!  TRH doesn’t work with power tools, but knows the power colors and finishes, interior and exterior.
• OK, you want input from people you know and trust…or maybe you just have this understanding with someone on your team, this part is their gig. But if what you’ve been doing hasn’t been working out as well as you’d like, or you are aiming higher, we should talk. ALL of us.

TRH is your design advocate. We work collaboratively, with whomever gets to vote-so you all get going in the right direction. MUCH more fun than all the back and forth, and NO hurt feelings! Interested or curious?  Just start a conversation…!