Kate's Home Staging & Interior Design Blog

Some Simple Fixes Make all the Difference!

In today’s real estate market, it is imperative that your online home pictures really WOW any potential buyers. A certified home stager can help any home seller or Realtor sell their home quickly and for the highest dollar amount.

Here is an example of a bedroom before home staging:

Here is an example of the same room after home staging:

What a difference some fresh paint and carpeting made. We simple rotated the bed and added some fresh linens plus draperies. A small nightstand and lamp and some simple artwork really pull this room together.

Zero Cost Home Staging – Remove the Clutter!

What impression does an overcrowded room give to a potential home buyer?

Your home is too small.
There is a lack of storage space.
The home may not have been well maintained.

Home Staging can help a potential home buyer prepare their home for sale and it can address issues such as an overcrowded room filled with too many things.

By simple removing some furniture and items, this enclosed porch as transformed.

By simply re-arranging the room’s existing furniture, it looks twice the size. The floral chair and ottoman was removed and the home seller has gained a beautiful porch.

Home Staging can help you transform your home and does not have to be expensive. A professional home stager is trained on how to use your existing items for the largest impact.

Picking the Right Paint Color!

Ever walk into a room and it feels very dark and uninviting?

How would a potential home buyer feel in this room?

If you are trying to sell your home, the wall paint color can really transform the entire feel of the space.

Color invokes emotions in almost everyone.

Here is an example of a bedroom before a color consultation:

Here is the same bedroom after the color consultation:

This bedroom is using the same bedding as the first picture. Only a few items to the left of the bed were removed and the walls were painted a much brighter color.

If you are planning on selling your home and are not happy with some of the wall paint colors in your home, a professional home stager can help. We will show up at your home with large paint chips and help you decide on the best colors for each room.

Another Bathroom Redesign Project Complete by Kate’s Home Staging & Interior Design

The best part of my job is the big reveal at the end and how happy my clients are. This bathroom redesign project started well over a year ago and life took over for my client, so her new bathroom had to be placed on the back-burner.

Well, it is finished now and she could not be happier.

Check out the before bathroom photos:

The After Photos look amazing!

To keep within the limited budget, we kept all the plumbing in the same general area. The tub faucet was only moved over slightly to make room for the glass shower overhang. We used a subtle gray on the walls to tie the look together. I really like this bathroom redesign, it is very traditional and timeless.

Home Renovations Done Through the Eyes of an Interior Designer!

An interior designer can help at many steps through a home renovation project. Once I get to know my clients, I can help their vision for their home become a reality.

Currently, I am in the process of my own home renovation and trying to make my dollars work for me to achieve a desired look.

To keep the costs down for my living room renovation, we re-used the large furniture (sofa, love seat, coffee table) and added new accessories.

Also, any good interior design project requires a lighting design as well. We added a centralized ceiling lights with a fan to the space. We also added two floor standing lamps for more ambient lighting. Sheer curtains were utilized over all the windows to allow natural light to be accessed in the space.

Here is a before photo of the space:

The walls were painted a Benjamin Moore Affinity yellow paint color, the oak wood floors were sanded and sealed with a low gloss, and all the accessories were added.

Thanks for stopping by, Kate

Do You Have the Vision for Your Home Renovation?

Home renovation requires many things, from a budget, good tradesman, and the vision of the finished product.

Do you have the vision for your home renovation project?

Can you picture the finished space during the construction phase?

Do you know how you plan on using your new space once it is completed?

Before you start removing walls, calling in contractors for estimates….take a moment and consider calling in an interior designer to help you lay out a plan to achieve the look of your new space. By working with an interior designer early on, it may actually save you money from costly mistakes.

A good interior designer will have been involved in many contruction projects from the beginning to the end and should be able to provide photographic proof on the projects.

A good interior designer will be able to provide you recommendations of local contractors that she has personally worked with and has seen their work.

Do you have the vision to start here….

And end up here…

A good interior designer can help you select tile, granite, wall paint color schemes, and help you select furniture to fit your ideal design.

Thanks for stopping by. Kate

Commercial Office Space Updates Make a Huge Difference

2020 has been a very interesting year for all of us filled with surprises – both good and bad. The corporate workforce has taken a turn away from requiring employees to be at the office everyday and has embraced a “Remote Workforce Strategy.” During this time, with many employees being encouraged to work from home, I have been involved with more commercial decor upgrades.

Here is a photo of a local office space before much work was completed:

The walls were painted a light bluish, gray paint color (Benjamin Moore – my favorite brand), the carpet was replaced with carpet squares (held down by special tape), the window frames were painted a darker gray color along with the forced heat vents, and the cove-base was added in a black color. I had to re-use the desk, file cabinet, and bookcases that were available at the facility.

I decided to utilize Feng Shui and face the desk chair pointing towards the door, a mirror was added between the two windows to reflect away any negative energy, and small desk fans were added to keep the air circulating (to prevent any stagnant energy). The following items were purchased and brought in for the project:

Three Desktop Lamps with Soft Yellow Light Bulbs
Two Silk Floral Arrangements for the Windows Sills – and to create Symmetry
Two Orange Chairs to be placed around a circular table
Two Himalayan Salt Lamps to purify the air
Two Floor Standing Lamps
Couch with Two Accent Pillows
The Bookcase was organized to keep the office looking and feeling good

Office After Paint, Carpeting, and New Furniture

This photo was taken from the office door, looking in. For under $1,000 this entire office space was transformed!!! Could you image what we could do for your home office to make it more functional and conducive for working.

So, let me know what you think – anything you think should be added or is missing.

Thanks, Kate

Rockland County Commercial Paint Consultation – Check Out My Color Selection!

Lately, I have been moving more into the commercial design realm – hooray! I am currently working on a New City Office Layout, plus decor, etc for a previous client. To my surprise, I found the commercial jobs actually much more fun than I had first anticipated. Being able to be creative on such a larger scale was very motivating to me.

Here are some pictures of a color consultation for a commercial office bathroom:

Commercial Bathroom Color Consult Before Pictuer Before My Paint Color Consultation

Here is the picture with my new paint color selection:

Commercial Bathroom Paint Color Consultation by Kate Case, Kate's Home Staging

Obviously, this is a Women’s bathroom, but I just love the new paint color. The bathroom was also professionally cleaned before this pictures was taken.

I think the Benjamin Moore Paint Color just warms up the entire space and we have successfully eliminated that sterile, white feeling the space previously had.

We are moving slowly through several buildings this client owns and will be updating the paint color scheme throughout, so stay tuned for some more pictures this summer.

So, please let me know what you think? Do you like my Paint Color Selection for this bathroom?

Kate, Owner/Designer at Kate’s Home Staging and Interior Design, specializing in commercial and residential floor plans, decor updates, paint color consultations, and home staging. Call Kate at (845) 538-3623 to schedule your design consultation. Hiring a Certified Design Professional is less than you think 🙂

Hudson Valley, NY: Decorating Help with Color Schemes – Complementary and Analogous

Color in design evokes emotion and is very subjective. Color Theory explains how colors interact and can influence each other. Color Theory divides color down into their primary shades of red, yellow, and blue; these three colors are “pure” since they are not mixed with any other colors to achieve their effect. Secondary colors are formed by mixing together one or more primary colors; secondary colors are orange, green, and violet. Tertiary colors are formed by mixing two or more secondary colors; examples of tertiary colors are blue-green, red-violet, yellow-orange, and blue-violet.

To better understand color, the Color Wheel can visually explain how the various colors interact. As you can see below, the Color Wheel visually illustrates warm versus cool colors. The colors red, orange, and yellow are associated with warmth (located on the right side of the color wheel), such as the sun’s yellow color. Cool colors such as blue, green, and violet can remind us of the pale blue sky.

Monochromatic Color Scheme

Analogous Color Scheme

Complementary Color Scheme

Analogous colors are a palette of colors that sit next to each other on the color wheel; they tend to blend easily together. (To learn more about Analogous Color Schemes, please see guest blogger Charisse Colbert’s post below.) Complementary colors are on the opposite side of the color wheel; these colors generally enhance and intensify each other. Complementary colors can create a sense of enthusiasm and excitement based off their contrasting tones. Monochromatic colors use variations in lightness and saturation of a single color; this color scheme tends to be very soothing since there is only one color being used in the space. There are more color schemes which will be discussed in a future blog – so please check back.

Today, we are focusing on Complementary color schemes and how they work together. Complementary color schemes work well when you use a warm color against a cool color. This color scheme offers a higher contrast than the analogous color scheme.

This color wheel is highlighting how the Complementary Color Scheme works; to create a room design using this scheme you must select a color on the opposite side of the Color Wheel. For example, you can create a room design with a blue/orange color scheme or a yellow/violet color scheme.

Violet and Green Room Design by Kate.

Blue and Orange Bedroom Design by Kate.

Yellow and Violet Girl’s Room Design by Kate.

Color can have a huge affect on our emotions and it can influence how we see things. I hope you enjoyed my Complementary Color Room Designs and check back soon for more color schemes designs.

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Thanks for stopping by.

Kate, owner/designer at Kate’s Home Staging and Interior Design, to schedule your design appointment please call Kate at (845) 538-3623. If you are interested in purchasing any of the home decor items displayed in the above room designs, please just click on the pictures and you will be taken to my Project Decor Design Shop.

Orange County Home Renovations Advice – When Should You Purchase a Fixer-Upper?

When I was a first time home buyer, I was a little aprehensive about purchasing a fixer-upper.

But, since my husband has plumbing, electrical, and other construction skills we decided to go for it back in 2004.

Here is what the outside of my home looked like initially:

Orange County Fixer-Upper Home

Here is how it looked once we were through with the updates:

Same Orange County Home After Renovations

So, how do you know if you should purchase a fixer-upper house?

As you can see, many factors need to be considered before you purchase a fixer-upper or any home for that matter.

If you recently purchased an older home and need help deciding on what rooms to update, please consider contacting Kate’s Home Staging and Interior Design for some honest and cost effective design advice.

Kate can be reached at (845)538-3623 or by email at kate@kateshomestaging.com.

Good luck with all your home updates.