Urban Farmhouse

What is an Urban Farmhouse?

An Urban Farmhouse, combines traditional features with modern trends to create an updated and fresh take on a classic. These homes are known for a blend of horizontal and vertical siding, open floor plans, covered back porches and metal roofs. They may have reclaimed woods, metal and leather elements, industrial elements with timeworn finishes and distressed details, and unique light fixtures. Essentially, straddling the line between rural and urban.  This eclectic, mix-and-match style is less about following the rules and more about creating a highly original look for every room in your home.  

This Seattle home was built by Thomas Group LLC. Listed by Gunnar Hadley and Greg Stamolis for Windermere Real Estate, photographed by Robert Brittingham @ RJN Imaging and the staging is by us!

Get Our Look!

A great way to get a look is inspiration from the design world. Here are some kitchen ideas to help with that Urban Farmhouse vibe. A very fun and creative staging job for all of us here at Open House Staging. Click and Shop!

This fabulous listing is designed and built by Thomas Group LLC, listing by Gunnar Hadley and Greg Stamolis for Windermere Real Estate. The staging was done by us! 

Real Estate Rock Star

One day we were having a champagne toast at Westward on Lake Union. We raised our glasses to all the different types of homes we had staged: Penthouse, tree house, old church, garage, condos, new construction, waterfront, etc. We still had one more type of home left on our list and that was a floating home. So we toasted to staging a floating home in the future.

The very next week the phone rang.  Yup, a floating home. That is how we met Molly. And I wanted to share her with you all.

Meet Molly Cartwright from Coopers Jacobs Real Estate.

Her doggies are adorable (more photos on her Instagram @mollysellsseattle) and love those views from a couple of her listings. 

I put Molly in the "Rock Star " category because she is great to work for and she goes the distance for her clients. We see first hand all the work that agents put into preparing a listing and Molly is no exception. She is smart, savvy, knowledgeable, stylish and interesting.

Throwing a few questions at her was a great way to get to know her. 

1. WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR PROFESSION?

My career gives back to me each day in the form of gifts.  Every time my phone rings, every email I receive, or every person I meet I look at it as a gift of opportunity and I think this is what I like most about being a Realtor.  

2. HOW DID YOU CHOSE YOUR AGENCY?

 I knew the owner (OB Jacobi) of Windermere as a personal friend and was encouraged to join one of his new offices. But I've been with Cooper Jacobs Real Estate For 12 years.  We are powered by Keller Williams North Seattle. 

3. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LISTING?

Grrrreat question!  2420 Westlake Ave N #12.  The most sexiest floating home I’ve ever seen.  The vibe it transpired as soon as you walked in the front door was undeniable. I still have the professional flyer we made on my inspirational board.  It sold in three days as the highest sold Westlake floating home to date.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DRINK?

Red Vino (current favs are Barbera and Malbec).  We don’t have liquor at home so when I go out it’s a gin o’ tonic for this girl. I like gin. Not a lot of people do. Okay, I also like dirty martinis. I feel like a Bond Girl when I drink them.

5. WHAT ROOM IN YOUR HOUSE WOULD YOU PUT A LAVA LAMP?

I’m not a huge fan of lava lamps.  So I would say in the garage.

6. WHAT WAS THE LAST GIFT YOU GAVE SOMEONE?

A glassy baby to one of my best friends benefiting Camp Korey

7. WHO WOULD YOU LIKE TO SIT NEXT TO ON A 10 HOUR FLIGHT?

Jen Sincero, author extraordinaire! and if I could choose someone from the past it would be Abe Lincoln. 

Thank you for agreeing to my interview and sharing with us Molly! 

Preparing for the New Year.

I am a fan of Jessica Araus so I was thrilled when she gave me the green light to post her article. I think it is perfect food for thought when we look to the New Year.

DON'T WAIT FOR MONDAY... START TODAY

There will be days when you don’t follow your diet plan, you skip your workout, or you don’t work toward your vision. We all have days we don’t do what we said we were going to do. However, even if you consider an entire day to be a failure, I encourage you to pick yourself up and continue working toward your goals as soon as you can. Every day is a fresh beginning and a new opportunity to get things done. If you really want to make a change in your life, you have to be willing to accept failure and move on. You might have had a bad day, or maybe two, but don’t let it be three. Make proper use of your time starting now.

It’s easy to come up with excuses for why we can’t get things done today. We tell ourselves we’ll get it done “tomorrow,” or in the worst case, we’ll wait until it is Monday again. However, when you are clear on your vision, you won’t want to wait for Monday. You’ll want to start as soon as possible.

There have been times in my life when things didn’t go as I planned or wanted, but I never waited for Monday to start over again. I always had hope that tomorrow was going to be a better day, and I looked forward to every day.

So, what is your vision?

Perhaps you want to travel the world with your partner, get in shape, or help your family financially. Regardless of your plan, think of the people you are failing when you are delaying this goal, waiting for another Monday to come. Is it your family, your spouse, or maybe yourself? Realize that the sooner you take action, the earlier you’ll accomplish your goals. No matter what it is, start doing something today to move toward your vision. It can be as small as working out for 10 minutes, writing one good page, taking an hour to promote your business, or saving $10 for your next holiday. Success will not simply happen to you. You have to make it happen.

What is distracting you?

If you got stuck on Wednesday, take a moment to reflect on what went wrong. Perhaps you need to prioritize your activities and start the next day with your most important task. Get up earlier if needed and get it done. It’s important to be really honest with yourself and accept when you’ve been devoting time to things that are distracting you. Whether it’s negative thoughts, junk food, or procrastination, whatever isn’t serving your vision, drop it now and move on.

Treat each day as if it were a Monday, and you’ll start seeing results. What separates the successful from the rest is how they manage their time. No matter what your situation is right now, you can always rewrite your plan and change your story. All you need is the right mindset; the rest will take care of itself.

BY JESSICA ARAUS        November 15, 2017

Merry Christmas!

Have a wonderful, family and friend-filled Christmas!

Fauxidermy

Add a pop of personality over your mantle or bed with a faux animal head or Fauxidermy (yes, it is a word-well kind of). Mine is over the living room mantle. I love this guy. He is often a conversation piece and for sure a statement he makes. Right now he is decorated for the holiday.

photo from Decor8 via Pinterest

Photo via zGallarie

Photo Via zgallarie via pinterest

I actually purchased this metal cow head as a house warming gift for a friend but it has not made it to her yet. I sent her this photo and told her it was her gift the next time I see her. We just keep staging with it in homes.

Photo by steve hanson group

Photo by steve hanson group

Lake Living

Sometimes I feel like living anywhere but Seattle. Take me away. We loved this lake side listing which briefly did take us out of Seattle for the day and landed us at Lake Tapps. And a beautiful sunny day of staging is rare this time of year. The listing agent requested a bit the Chip and Joanna Gaines vibe and the rest is all our own. 

We don't usually stage so far out of the city but a few things came into play when we said "Yes!". First of all, who can say no to a listing agent who is a working mother of 4 very young kids? If she can do it-we can do it. Secondly, we got to stage her very 1st listing as a new agent and that felt great to be a part of something big. Thirdly, and yes, back to getting out of Seattle, we needed a break from our city. 

This listing is by Jessica Yost for Keller Williams of Puget Sound, the photos are by Andrew Webb for Clarity NW and the killer staging is us!

Log Cabin Chic

I tapped into our staging team for shopping tips. It's fun to see what everyone is into. Right now on Kristen's mind is a 2nd home. Of course we have all weighed in on how it should be decorated because that's just what we do. Loving her inspiration photos and her vision.

Get our Look!

When I feature the "Get Our Look!" series I try to find the exact or similar items. You do not need the same piece to create a similar vibe. It all works and plays together. We sometimes find one-of-a-kind items from homeowners, designers, and other staging companies that want to sell their pieces. We have even traveled to LA to fill a trailer and haul it back to Seattle. I hope you enjoy seeing how we can put a room together. Click and shop!

We love staging for our friend and client Tiffany. She sends some great jobs our way. Listing by Seattle Home Group , fab photos by Sean Henderson from 3DRE.

Happy Shopping Weekend!

We had such a great response when Katie made some gift selections here that I asked her for more. And she delivered! This is definitely the more girly feminine side of her. I have a couple of things from this list picked out for the girls in my life. Click and Shop!

Magnolia Home | Pier 1

Many of us have been watching HGTV's Chip and Joanna Gaines' show Fixer Upper. I enjoy seeing how Joanna stages each of the remodeled homes. She has her distinct signature and she pretty much stays in her lane despite all the home decorating trends. Both Target & Pier 1 have her Magnolia Home Collection. Here are some of the items from her new line that caught my eye. Many pieces are only found online and some have free shipping! Click and Shop!