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.