Weekly Schedule

Here  is what to expect on any given day of the SVA Home and Garden Blog:


Mondays:      Practical Matters: Updates on a range of  Home and Garden subjects from light bulbs to soaker hoses. 
Tuesday:       Home Staging, from basics to wow!
Wednesday:  In the Garden: outdoor living at its best
Thursday:      Filling in the Details: accessories and finishing touches
Friday:            Favorite Things: best resources out there
Weekend:      Creating Change: Transforming Spaces to Change Lives


I look forward to sharing with you through the coming days.


I hope this day is a good one for you.
Susanne

The Bellavista Staging Part 5: The Master Suite

While the Master was furnished, it needed some finishing touches to make it work.  The bed had a geometric duvet cover, a little severe for the character of the bed.  The pillows were skimpy, and the bedside tables were empty.  The Duvet was plain satin on the other side, so turning it over, adding king shams in blue and chocolate paisley, chocolate accent pillows and a blue throw brought life to a very neutral bed.  The sparkle of mercury glass and silver accents brought life to the room, while some dark metal urns echoed the chocolate on the bed.

Media centers

With the advent of flat screen TV's, the landscape of the family media room has shifted dramatically.  No longer do we have armoires or massive boxes taking up half the room!  This one is from Jon Vaughn of Spatial Effects spatialfx.com.  The flat screen is wall mounted with all wiring hidden in the wall.   Low maple cabinetry holds all the media equipment, DVD's and CD's.  Mitered corners on the doors catch the light while a grey granite top creates a warm cool balance with the maple.  Elliptical speakers from B&W provide vibrant surround sound, while the 60" Pioneer plasma brings home viewing to a whole new level.  Low voltage downlights highlighting the adjacent artwork completes the look.

Twigs!

Twigs!  Curly willow, pussy willows, white birch and deep reds, all add texture, color and drama to any room.  Find a fabulous  container and let them do their magic!  

Silks: a Lasting alternative

Silks: A Lasting Alternative

Silks stay just the way you arrange them, and you can make them to do exactly what you want, unlike fresh flowers.  You don’t have to worry about spills from watering.  For a brown thumber or an empty house they are an ideal solution.  

 

Can you tell the real from the silk?  Here is the same planter filled with silks for a more permanent arrangement. 

1.         Fill pot to ½” from rim with florist’s foam.

2.         Loosely arrange your selection on the table in front of you.  Cut stems to workable lengths      with wirecutters.

3.         Arrange in the container

4.         Finish with moss – mounding moss, deer moss, a selection of rocks or other finishing details.

The Belavista Project Part 4: The Kitchen

This is a fabulous kitchen to work in: roomy, lots of counter space, double ovens and dishwashers, a nook with a fabulous view of the backyard and mountains, and a neutral palette in harmony with the adjacent family room.  For staging, we added soft reds, blacks and warm earthy accents to invite you in.

Before

After

After

Living Accents for the Home

Home brought to life!

Living plants truly are great enhancements to any home or home staging.  The question is will they be maintained and have adequate lighting to keep them at peak performance?  If not, will they be replaced on a regular basis?  Perhaps a better question is how do you make a really stunning arrangement either in fresh plants or silk?  For living plants here is what I do:

1.              Select a fabulous container.  Line it with very heavy plastic.  Attach felt pads to the bottom to protect where it will be placed.

2.              Arrange the pots of plants  you are considering.  If they come in different size pots, then cut florists foam to adjust the heights of the various pots for maximum effect in your container.

3.              Arrange pots in planter and cover with moss: deer moss mood moss, rocks or other finishing materials to complete the look.  Here we have Kalanchoe for color-a good choice because it  is minimal care and blooms for several weeks; mother fern, a small philodendron for height and a variegated leaf for added interest.

4.              Replace plants/florals as they fade while maintaining the integrity of the whole arrangement simply by replacing the plant/pot in question.