An amazing new app for your iPhone: ColorSnap

This is an awesome new app from Sherwin-Williams.  Simply snap a photo on from your iPhone or any android phone and it will match your photo to a Sherwin-Williams paint color.

I tried it out and took a photo of my dining room rug. The rug is a pseudo-oriental with a botanical pattern. I snapped the photo and the app asked me to pick a spot in the rug to use for the paint match. Turns out that the background color of my rug is Fired Brick.

And the app is free!  Here's a link: ColorSnap by Sherwin-Williams

Packing 102: Start well in advance.

So you have an accepted offer on your house...or you are about three to four weeks away from moving, it's time to start packing. Waiting until the last minute can add to the stress of moving and, quite frankly, make your life a living you-know-what in the 11th hour before moving.

Start by packing up the things that you don't use on a daily basis. By skimming through your belongings, you can keep your house comfortable to live in during this time by being selective about what you pack.

Start by packing up everything that you have in storage in your attic, basement or garage. Then move room-by-room and pack everything that you won't need during the next 20 days. Closets are a great place to start too. Pack up all clothing that is out of season or that you only wear two or three times a year. Then head into the kitchen and pack up all those gadgets that you can't let go of but you rarely, if ever, use. And pack up the excess glass wear, plates, etc.

Keeping what you need on hand will make the last days of living in your current home a joy. And knowing that you are making head-way in packing daily, you'll sleep better at night.

From an article in the current issue of Bloom Magazine

Simply Tasteful Design

Interior decorating—simplified. That’s what Matthew Cole does as the brains behind Bloomington Staging & Design.

The goal is always to make a home look as great as possible. Here’s the difference: When Cole is staging a home that’s up for sale, he leans on his 20-plus years of experience in real estate to create a look with the broadest possible appeal. Design jobs, however, are tailored much more closely to the tastes of the owner.

Either way, it’s a matter of helping homeowners make the most of their space. “It’s like cooking dinner and not having a recipe,” says Cole. “They’ve bought the ingredients and don’t know how to use them. I go into people’s homes and try to use everything they have, and give them a fresh perspective of how to use the space.”

Most jobs take no more than three or four trips, says Cole. First, he’ll stop to check out the space and talk to the homeowners about what they want most. Next comes a design plan—furniture ideas, color shades, the occasional structural change. Clients might pursue the plan on their own, or ask Cole to suggest painters and other service providers, or hire him to manage the entire job. Finally, he keeps an eye out for just the right finishing touches. “If I’m out and about and see a perfect item, I’ll snap a photo and text it to them,” he says.

What Cole doesn’t do is traditional interior design where the drapes are perfectly matched with new upholstery and paired with wall paper. “My design is based far more on functionality and simplicity. This also makes me more cost effective because I can complete a job for as little as two or three hundred dollars and give the homeowner a whole new way to look at their space and live in their home.”

The biggest mistakes he sees? “People who try too hard to make a house look staged with over-the-top bouquets of flowers and knick-knacks,” says Cole. “They are trying too hard to make it look perfect.” “I want my houses to look like people are living there—just somebody with really good taste.”

Contact Matthew Cole at 812-606-8558 or visit www.bloomingtonstaging.com

From an article and photo in the August/September issue of Bloom Magazine


Check out the Home Beautiful section of the current issue of Bloom Magazine.

Packing 101: Using wine and liquor boxes

Whether I am working with someone as their home stager or as their Realtor, one of the biggest worries of the homeowner is packing. Before (hopefully) the home owner has put their house on the market, they have started to declutter through packing, not by putting things in closets and cupboards. As I always say, "you are planning on selling your house, so you'll need to pack eventually. Why not get a big chuck of the work out of the way now."

Start by going to your local wine shop or liquor store. Their leftover boxes are the perfect size and strength for your packing needs. These boxes are designed to hold mass amounts of weight and the size makes them perfect for a single person to lift and move.

Then work your way through your house. Start by packing up items that you rarely use (that set of china that only gets used during the holidays or the sports equipment that is out of season). The decluttering process is one of the most important parts of prepping your house to be marketed, so go room-by-room and start the process by packing up all those rarely used and seasonal items.

And make two separate categories of boxes. The ones that hold the items that you know you want to keep and the boxes that hold items that you plan to take to Goodwill or sell at a yard sale. Pack...purge...pack...purge...

If you really want to do it right and can afford to, rent a storage unit to hold the boxes of items that you'll be moving to your new house. You'll be amazed at how easy it will be to fill up the unit.

Piace' is Bloomington's Newest Boutique

We are thrilled about the opening of Piace'. Located next door to the Buskirk Chumley Theatre on Kirkwood, this shop offers women's (and a small section of men's) casual and chic clothing. Co-owner Johnna Davis said that they planned on buying limited quantities of each item so that you don't end up wearing the same think that the person seated next to you is wearing. Perfect.

The small men's section currently features a very cool jacket priced around $80 and several great shirts priced from the $20's to $40's.

The shop is located at the site of the failed condo project called 120 Kirkwood. I have to say that Piace' is a far better use of this great downtown location. The renovation of the original building has created a beautiful space for this boutique. Check it out.

Polychrome Painting

While in Terre Haute for a conference, I spent a little time in St. Stephen's Episcopal Church which is located on 7th Street across if ISU. I was quite taken by the painting style of the trim and rafters of this building, pictured here.

I went back to my hotel room to do research about this 'candy cane' style of painting. The website for St. Stephens says that when they remodeled the church in the 1960's, they wanted to capture the interior design concepts of St. Mary's Church Ulford, Surry in England. This style is know as Polychrome and dates back to the 13th century in the case of St. Mary's Church.

Further research shows that the candy cane was not invented until the 17th century by European Christians. So my initial thought of 'why paint the trim to look like a candy cane' evolved into 'how lovely if the candy cane was created in the style of a beautiful English church'. If you are even in Terre Haute, Indiana, you should visit this lovely church and take in a little 13th century decor.

Creating the right dining atmosphere for a dinner party

Tonight we're having some friends over for a dinner party. I'm working on creating an atmosphere that is both elegant enough for a Friday night dinner invitation and also casual enough that people feel comfortable putting their elbows on the table and laughing loudly. These are my favorite kinds of dinner parties.

The table is set with silver (faux) chargers and candelabras. The china is simple and white with more pattern in the salad plates. The crystal is lovely and real. And the napkins are the one thing that adds a bit of color to the table.

The candelabras, or chadelabras as Sandra Lee of Semi-Homemade calls them, were a great find. They have such classic lines, yet are obviously not trying to be silver or pewter. They say elegant and fun and very approachable. The best part is that they were only $14 at my local discount retailer. As always, new candles are being used and they were lit and allowed to burn for a minute or two to give them that "I'm not a new candle" look. My mother always taught me to do this.

The music tonight will be light jazz playing softly in the background. I find that everyone appreciates this, whether your taste lends itself to classical, rock or blue grass.

And to enhance a fall feeling, when the dinner plates are cleared, the guests will find a lovely and colorful fall leave on their charger. (it also will distract the eye from the fact that they are not perfectly polished!)