Power of the Pillow

As many of us practice the Stay-at-Home policy we cannot help but notice our homes. We now have time to purge, organize, paint, clean, craft and decorate.

Our very own Jo lovingly reigns over our Pillow Department in our warehouse. She mixes and matches, takes chances and the outcome is beautiful. We all watch and learn.

Jo says “a pillow can magically transform a room. As we prepare for summer, it is more important than ever to love your space.” Her inspiration today came from Earth Day.

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There you have it!

You can always stop by our SHOP for tons of inspiration.

MIX & MATCH

Oklahoma Visit...YeeeeHaaaw

Underneath my city girl skin is a farmer girl at heart. Been wanting to share this road trip with you as it was the highlight vacation of 2019. Always searching for inspiration to keep creative and motivated.

PAWHUSKA, OKLAHOMA

As a huge fan of The Pioneer Woman on the Foodnetwork Channel I had to take a trip to check out all the coolness.

To get to the Drummond Ranch Lodge, where most of the segments are filmed, you need to head out of downtown Pawhuska and find your way to their driveway. 7 miles down a dirt road. I have never driven that far down an unpaved road. Here is the main area of the lodge.

We are standing right smack dab where Ree does her show. We get to wander around the entire lodge on our own. You can open any drawer or cupboard and check everything out at your own pace. Mother and I had it almost all to ourselves. And there’s a former ranch hand available to answer any questions.

The Mercantile

Frontier Hotel

Ree Drummand’s kitchen at the Lodge

Pawhuska is a very quiet town. Everything pretty much is shut down by 9pm.

It’s an easy flight from Seattle to Oklahoma and an incredibly beautiful drive to Pawhuska.

HAVE FUN YA’LL!

Garden Revelry

Time for you to meet your new “go-to” gal for container gardening. Cindy Funes from Garden Revelry has been beautifying front porches, decks, terraces, back yards all across the land. We all need someone like her in our life,right?

For my interview with Cindy we decided to sit in our respective gardens and share a virtual cocktail while we chatted. She let me in on her favorite drink, (always a good way to start an interview)-a French 75. So we mixed one up and began a lovely evening talking about gardening and other things. She also shared a fun seasonal drink idea for all of you to try out - a Honey Sage Bourbon. That’s sounds like a gardeners drink! See how to make it here.

Cocktails refreshed and our interview continues:

1. What is the best purchase you’ve ever made?  Our house.  We have a view of Mt. Rainier. I love how every morning the sky is a bit different, yet it always looks so majestic.

2. What was the last gift you gave someone? A 1000 pieced botanical puzzle.

3. What is the worst thing about your work?  The fact that I have no control over mother nature.

4. What was the last book you read?  Pachinko by Min Jin Lee.  She was looking forward to hearing her speak at SAL at the end of the month but unfortunately canceled.

5. What do you think about when you are alone in your car?  My mind wanders...planting combinations, to do lists, people and then it always goes to “what should I make for dinner?”.

6. What is the weirdest thing you have seen in someone else’s home? A bong hidden among the leaves of a container planting.

7. What do you love most about your profession?  The opportunity to connect clients with nature and beauty by transforming their outdoor living spaces with container plantings.  Love the people, love the process, love the end result!

We move on to some Container Garden tips:

• Choose a pot that is bigger than you think you’ll need.  Preferably at least 12” in diameter. Larger pots hold larger volumes of soil and don’t dry out as quickly as smaller pots. 

• Use a high quality potting mix such as Sunshine LC1, Garden and Bloom, or EB Stone Edna’s Best Potting Mix. Utilize the Thriller, Filler, Spiller formula when choosing plants and have a mix of evergreen, seasonal color and foliage plants to create interest.

• Fertilize your plantings throughout the growing season. We mix in Osmocote, a slow release granular fertilizer, at the time of planting and then supplement with liquid Miracle Grow once every 3-4 weeks to replenish the plants with nutrients they need to perform all season long.

• Set a consistent watering schedule, create a system that helps in this regard whether it’s setting reminders on your phone or installing a drip irrigation system.  Plantings won’t thrive without consistent watering unless you’ve planted succulents.  And even then they need water too, just not as much!

For inspiration we faithfully follow Cindy on Instagram: @gardenrevelry. Her website just launched so that is a great visit as well.

Thank you Cindy for the fun visit!

If the inspiration has hit you then please head to our SHOP for some of outdoor entertaining items we love.

Etsy Mother's Day Gifts

This year we may only be celebrating our Mothers from afar. I was thinking of not even waiting until Mothers Day and sending a gift right now. Mail has become so important at this crazy moment.

We have our finger on the pulse when it comes to shopping for the latest and greatest so… we wanted to get your creative wheels turnin’ on the Mother’s Day front.

Here are some great gift ideas for you!!

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To Inspire You.

This is the go-to for door beauty.

These cotton blankets are the bomb! Sitting in a basket outside to extend your time outdoors. Yes Please!

Cottonwood

How about an ever-so-chic bird feeder?

Art Bird Feeder

Kimberly Monaco Designs

Amy Waltz Designs

This is probably the only time I wish I had 6 kids.

My girls know how much I love a pretty mug so I know there are Mom’s everywhere who agree!

Velvet Crown Design

Forever Wedding Crafts and Elle and K Boutique and Back Again by Jill

And…if we have not inspired you enough with these fab gifts then we invite you to see Etsy’s Editor Picks here.

MOM’S ROCK!

The New Normal

Met on Zoom yesterday with our staging team. We are all on the Stay at Home Mandate and talking about going back to work with face masks. Plenty to choose from!

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Purchase Here:

And for the Open House Stagers we are going with the Camo look HERE.

How is it going?

Stay Healthy

Stay Active

Stay Engaged

Stay Positive

Views. Views. Views.

A beautiful home with breathtaking views.

This property brought to you by Darcy Breene for Windermere Real Estate, Photography by Christopher Cooper for Clarity NW, and staging by the Open House Staging Team.

Ready for some Vintage Finds?

From the lovely, talented, hard working Stager Girl we call K2, I bring Kristin’s carefully curated vintage finds from Etsy.

Here’s what we will share about her:

• Her personal style has inspired her co-workers to make similar design purchases with the promise to not wear or carry that fabulous purse when she is around. She is our “influencer” and our fashionista.

• She has the ability to pull amazing finds off the shelves of Goodwill stores across America - we encourage her to collect treasures for our own homes.

• History Channel’s American Pickers is her go to show to watch when she has a free moment. We would like to nominate her to host.

• She loves the thrill of the hunt, will investigate anything intriguing and possibly of value, and is a researcher extraordinaire.

• A kick ass Stager - Her signature shows up in her staging style. From a colorful ceramic pheasant, black Egyptian Bast Cat, or a Vintage ice bucket. You can pick out her special touch.

• And, on top of it all, she is a Beauty inside and out.

Shop on people….

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Vintage Scandinavian Diabolo Teak floor Lamp

Mid Century Laurel Table Lamp with Brass and Walnut Body

Mid-Century Modern Chrome Octogon Milo Baughman Coffee Table

Danish Holmegaard Copenhagen Glass Set

Giant Sculptural Holmegaard bowl by Per Lutken

Vintage Ligne Roset Togo Loveseat

Paul McCobb Drop Lid Desk and 4 Drawer Chest.

Stunning Capitol Hill Home

This was a favorite of ours for sure. It is ONE. BIG. HOUSE. The home owner left a few pieces of furniture for us to use and we all wish we could load them up on our truck and use them again.

The listing is by Amy Sajer for Windermere Real Estate, the photography is by Greg White with Seattle Home Photography, and that great staging is by us at Open House LLC.

Color Psychology for Home Staging

Wanted to share this great article with you by Kellie Tollifson from T-Square Properties. Visit their blog if you want more tips and advice.

Color Psychology for Home Staging

Color affects the subconscious level. It can affect your emotions, mood, and gives you a remarkable feeling. And, this is why interior designers, and artists in general, are keen as to what color they use when working on a project.

Photo by John Wilbanks

So, are you thinking of staging your home? If so, it’s important to understand the psychology of colors so as not to make a potentially costly mistake. Remember, Kellie of T-Square Real Estate Services warns, how successfully your home is staged can have an impact on how quickly or slowly your home sells.

The colors you choose should highlight your home’s comfort, security, and efficiency. Below is some crucial information about some of the most common colors and how you can use them to stage your home successfully.

White

Photo by John Wilbanks

What comes to mind when you think of the white color? Cleanliness, right? In the psychology of colors, besides cleanliness, white color also symbolizes hygiene. It also gives the perception of space, particularly for small spaces.

As such, if you are working with a small space, white is the color to use. That said, using too much of it, especially in large rooms, can scream “Don’t touch me!” and can be quite clinical.

Red

Red is associated with blood and fire. Consequently, it is usually associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, and passion.

When used properly, it can make one more accurate and much more attentive to detail. So, how can you use it to attract the attention of a would-be buyer? Well, you could use a red accessory on the fireplace mantel or place a vase of red flowers on a sparkling granite counter top surface.

Blue

Photo by Clarity NW

Blue is the color of trust and responsibility. It calls to mind feelings of serenity and calmness. Blue symbolizes wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, and truth. It tends to be favored by so many people and is often viewed as a non-threatening color that is traditional and conservative.

Just like other colors, the last thing you want is to overdo it. Overdoing it will make it come off as cold or unfriendly.

Blue works like a charm when used either in the bathroom or bedroom. You may even consider painting the kid’s room soft blue. Research has found that the blue color can help invigorate the creativity of people.

Yellow

Yellow is a bright color that immediately grabs the eye. It creates a sense of energy and excitement. When used properly, it can help evoke strong feelings of happiness and optimism.

But remember, overdoing it will only work against you. In fact, excessive use of yellow color can be overwhelming and can even cause some people to feel suicidal, fragile, or even depressed.

Just like the other colors aforementioned, go with shades of yellow. This is especially true in hidden areas like the basement.

Green

Photo by Clarity NW

Green is the color of life. It is associated with the environment, growth, harmony, freshness, safety, and fertility. Traditionally, green is also associated with money, finances, greed, and ambition.

Research focused on treatments for seasonal affective disorder found the green color to improve mood.

When it comes to home staging, using it on bedroom walls usually does some wonders. More particularly, shades of neutral greens can help give a sense of harmony and rest.

Purple

Photo by John Wilbanks

Purple combines the calm stability of blue and the fierce energy of red. It’s usually associated with ambition, nobility, royalty, and power.

You can use the richness of purple to elevate a room, which should help you seize the attention of a buyer.

Lighter shades of orchid, lavender, or lilac can help evoke a feeling of heightened creativity, maturity, and calm. The most intense shades of eggplant or violet, on the other hand, can indicate a luxurious feeling.

Paint Color Mistakes to Avoid

• Avoid choosing flamboyant colors. Steer clear of neon colors like orange. Using these can make your home look gaudy and can turn off potential buyers.

• Avoid using trendy paint colors. Use a versatile color that will be functional for every season.

• Avoid using the wrong paint finishes. Paint finishes come in different varieties, from high gloss to matte. If you are unsure about a particular finish, test in a small area and see how it looks before applying it to your walls.

• Avoid overpowering the rooms décor. Pick a color that doesn’t contrast with the décor. In other words, pick one that is in harmony with the furnishings you have.

• Avoid extremely dark colors. Avoid colors like grays, browns, and blacks. These will absorb natural light and leave a room feeling like a cave.

• Avoid impractical colors. While white can make a room glow, it can be difficult to maintain, especially if the buyers have small kids. Cream can be a good alternative here.

There you have it. How you can make use of different colors to sell your home fast. Aside from using the right color, you also want to make sure you hire the right person for the job.

Kellie Tollifson

More about Kellie:

What do you love most about your profession?
As a small business owner, a property manager and a speaker, I like helping and sharing my knowledge with other small business owners.

How long have you been in the business?
I’m actually a property manager and have been in the business for 20 years!

What room in your house would you put a lava lamp?
Bedroom!

What do you do to get rid of stress?
I like exploring the Northwest and working out!

What do you think about when you are alone in your car?
My job! Work relationships are something I’m continually trying to improve and bring to the optimal level of efficiency, profitability and fun. 

Thank you Kellie!

Green Lake Staging-Modern

A highly sought after Seattle neighborhood and an incredible home = the good life!

Listing by Anita Hearl for Windermere Real Estate, photos by Clarity NW and staging by some overworked stager girls at Open House.