Small Cool…

I think my house is too big.

I know I could never imagine thinking this, when I was in my smaller ranch home but, while sweeping the upstairs hall and discovering dust balls in places I haven’t been in weeks, I felt drained.

Not drained from the amount of work I had to do to keep the house in order, but drained in the creativity department.  Is there such a thing as having too much space for “stuff” that it actually stifles our creativity?

I don’t know, but I’m feeling it.  When I was in the ranch home, I remember being bold and daring.  I painted the dining room a deep chocolate-brown, I used baskets for storage and seats.  I recreated shelves and turned nooks into libraries.  In the living room, I painted one wall aqua  and on the other  white with a huge freehand aqua flower.

I hung curtains all over and weekly rearranged furniture to give each room new life.  The bold YELLOW kitchen always felt spicy and my red bathroom fun. I miss the ME, in that home.

Now with a little over 3,000 sq. ft, I feel…afraid!

I’m afraid to make any paint decisions that may stand out and not flow with the “theme” of the home…?? What theme? I still have yet to define my “theme” but don’t’ want to make any moves out of fear of potentially messing whatever it WILL BE, up.  Insanity!

I know and always tell clients, “Painting is the easiest, most affordable way to make a change. If you don’t like it- paint it AGAIN!”

So why am I not following my advice?

Today, I had to revisit a few good websites and books that always inspire and motivate me.  (http://www.apartmenttherapy.com) Apartment Therapy’s “Small Cool” book top’s the list.

I really miss my small cool home viewing this site http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/big-book/ ..now, how to take these ideas and be brave enough to incorporate them on a larger scale?

Sellers Quickly Transform Property with Paint

The best way to update a property is to paint it. It’s a job that many sellers can do themselves.

Here are six suggestions for making the work go quickly.

1. Move the furniture. Get as much furniture as possible out of the way, and then cover what’s left with plastic drop cloths held in place with masking tape.
2. Buy good paint. Top-quality latex interior paint will hide what’s underneath and make the job go faster.
3. Tape the edges. Taping the edges with painters tape will speed up the job and make the results more professional.
4. Work top down. Paint the ceiling first, then the walls, then the windows and trim and finally the baseboards. This will cut down on time spent repairing drips and splatter marks.
5. Cut in the corners. Applying a three-inch band of paint around the edges will allow you to fill in the middle with a paint roller.
6. Apply paint generously. Trying to stretch the paint won’t save sellers any money if they have to repaint.

Source: Paint Quality Institute (09/21/2010)