Feng Shui Tips For Selling A Home (Part 2 - Kitchens)

PART TWO OF FOUR

(Originally published on AMH Co., Home Interiors, Inc. - published with permission)

KITCHEN - 
this space energy is for eating well and the impression you want to give to buyers is that they will be able to fulfill their needs here. Again, clear the clutter... You should have only a few items on the counter tops, not only to make the kitchen appear more spacious and clean but also to allow the good energy to flow. If your counter tops are not in the best condition possible, replace them and you will see a return on this investment - especially if your wise in your material/color selection. Ask a professional stager or designer for help in choosing the right material that will appeal to the most buyers.
Kitchens are key to making a sale and much attention should be placed in this area of your home. Look at a few design magazine and notice what props are used for the layout. It's quite easy and accessible to locate many examples of a desirable kitchen.

Ann-Marie Haynes is a member of C.H.I.P.s and brings fresh, inspiring and sophisticated interior design to the Greater Chicago area through AMH CO., Home Interiors, Inc. This post was originally published on her blog, and is part two in a series of four - to read the entire piece click here.

Feng Shui Tips For Selling A Home

Part One of Four

(Originally published on AMH Co., Home Interiors, Inc. - published with permission)

No one has to tell you that in today's real estate market, it is imperative that sellers make every effort to stand above the competition. Home-staging is necessary but by also incorporating a few, simple Feng Shui principles, one will receive more positive feedback and greater odds of getting the contract.

Feng Shui is all about clearing unnecessary elements (both seen and unseen) from our lives and focusing on the energy present in the space around us. These principles carry through very well in setting the stage to sell your home. The energy in the home will be felt by the buyers and you must make every effort to make that energy positive. The air must flow freely, be of good quality and definitely, not restricted with clutter.

You are selling emotion to the buyers...and you are selling a commodity. Let go of all personal attachments to your home.

OUTSIDE -
Begin your "transformation" on the outside. Spend 2 - 3 minutes standing at the street in front of your property. With your most critical eye, examine every aspect of the exterior of the home from the lawn and landscaping to the structural details. Be especially conscious of the front entry and the door, itself. Talk about first impressions...this is it and you have only one chance to make a good one! Is the front lawn carefully manicured appropriately for your specific location and/or neighborhood? Are the shrubbery and flowers fresh and tidy? Is the front porch/entrance free of all clutter, personal items and well-lit? Is there spaciousness and protection from the elements? Are the house numbers very visible and clean? Can you see the front entrance from the curb/driveway clearly? How's the condition of the front door, itself; remember, the buyers will be standing, waiting for the agent to unlock the door, examining every aspect of this area with their most critical eye. The impression you make in these first few seconds will only be reinforced by the buyers once they step inside. You should get the idea by now!

Ann-Marie Haynes is a member of C.H.I.P.s and brings fresh, inspiring and sophisticated interior design to the Greater Chicago area through AMH CO., Home Interiors, Inc. This post was originally published on her blog, and is part one in a series of four - to read the entire piece click here.

CHIPs Member Specializes In Building The Business of Design

C.H.I.P.s is a community for Chicago Home Interior Pros to come together and share business ideas and strategies.  We are not just another online-networking-social-media-group, we get together a few times a month to discuss our businesses, trends, marketing strategies. We'll occasionally have guest speakers on current topics, such as using social media to market our businesses.  We invite all types of Chicago home interior professionals to join us, such as architects, designers, realtors, skilled-trades, etc. 

This Week's Featured CHIPs Member: Deborah Flate, Dialogue Consulting

After successfully implementing growth strategies as a sales person and sales manager, Deborah started her own company bringing these principles to other designers, product companies and showrooms. Deborah is passionately driven to help clients find a sense of calm and focus amidst changing economies and give them information they need to make sound decisions and increase their profit margins.  Deborah's company, Dialogue Consulting, is a multidisciplinary consulting company that does strategic planning resulting in optimal growth for companies in the Interior Design Sector. For eight years now, Deborah has provided strategic planning and sales training. A client says "Because she so well understood the product, sales and the dynamics of managing both staff and clientele, she was able to turn around an ailing organization, and make it a profitable one."

Dialogue Consulting is truly "Building The Business of Design".  For more information, see Dialogue Consulting's website.Deborah can be contacted by emailing her at deborah@dialogue-consulting.com or by following her on Twitter.  You can also connect with her on Linkedin.  

If you are a home interior professional in Chicago and would like to join or learn more about C.H.I.P.s, visit our main group site by clicking here.

Social Networking meets Live "In Person" Networking

It goes without saying that the use of Social Media Networking has contributed significantly to the growth of C.H.I.P.s (Chicago Home Interior Pros). Members have all come to C.H.I.P.s via an invitation from a current member or through Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin. Last Thursday C.H.I.P.s members got together to discuss using Linkedin to market their businesses ( we were fortunate to have Mark Bradford and Rob Lambert of ChirpUp.com come in to lead our discussion).  It was great to see members networking with each other, passing out business cards, carrying on conversations about previous C.H.I.P.s  meetings and what they've accomplished since.  You can tell some members have met outside of our events and have begun building professional relationships.  

The point is that no matter which website we use to "build our networks", it is always important to carry it to the next level. If you are building on a relationship with a local Tweeter, Linkedin connection, or Facebook friend, why not do something crazy and meet in person? The more comfortable you are with someone, the more likely you will turn to each other for business needs.  After all, that's what we're supposedly doing on these websites, isn't it?

This post by Israel Retana. Israel is the founder of C.H.I.P.s and 2ndgeneration craftsman at Retana Cabinet Works , where they've been specializing in custom cabinetry and antique furniture restoration for nearly 30 years. He can be followed on twitter (iretana), friended on FaceBook , connected with on Linkedin, or contacted at israel@retanacabinetworks.com 

Slice It Up - Challenge #9

Originally published on homeworkshop.com , republished with permission.

It’s not always simple to choose artwork for a space. Maybe you enjoy a print, a photograph, or your own original watercolor, but it doesn’t fit the space as well as you’d hoped. Or you love the colors, but the composition isn’t working.

What to do? Why don’t you slice it up?

I’m not suggesting you cut up any valuable or treasured artwork. But sometimes all it takes is a different viewpoint. So try this: divide one image into sections, frame each section separately and hang as a grouping. It’s a fresh look.

This technique can add interest to strong images too. You can increase the impact of an image by enlarging it and displaying it in several frames. I did this with a dandy Martha’s Vineyard photograph, and I’m thrilled with how it turned out (above).

I grew up in New England and as a kid spent some summer vacations on Cape Cod. Fond memories of grey shingled cottages, the warm sand between my toes, the smell of clam chowder, lobster bibs. To this day that area holds a special place in my heart, and we get back to visit here and there.

Now that we’re redecorating our master bedroom, I am trying to bring in some of that East Coast beach feel. I searched stock photography and found some great images: docks, pathways through the dunes, beach fence, and a cottage. Then I printed out “comp” versions of the images I liked best.

I got a steal on four sale 8″ x 10″ frames at Michaels, so I sliced up and pasted some test groupings of four. Chuck and I chose the one we liked best of a dock in Martha’s Vineyard (yippee–we agreed first time!). Then I bought and downloaded the image, did a bit of math to crop, and printed each quarter of the image on photo paper to fit the frames.

Here’s the original photograph:

I am tickled with the finished project (top); I plan to do this for our room with at least another of the images.

So there’s your inspiration. This week’s Challenge: Slice up an image and display it creatively. You can make a grouping like I did or you can even rearrange its parts in one frame — talk about instant abstraction.

See what your room needs, get slicing and have a blast.

When you're done, snap a photo and submit your entry. Do so by Wednesday, July 15, 2009 to be included in the Ta-Da! Challenge Results post. We can't wait to see what you do!

Slice It Up -- Challenge # 9

• Submission Deadline: Wednesday, July 15, 2009
• Ta-Da! Challenge Results: Thursday, July 16, 2009

To submit an entry, visit the challenge on homeworkshop.com

Submitted by Kathy Barlow. Kathy is a friend of C.H.I.P.s and author of the blog, HomeWorkshop.com.  She can be followed on Twitter.

The Power Of Twitter

This past Monday the traffic on this blog was way better than average. It was within my top ten days of reader visits.  What makes this particularly interesting to me is that I did not post on Monday, nor did I on Sunday or Saturday.  That's right, three days without posting and I get one of my best days so far in site traffic.

How did it happen? Consider this:

One of my twitter pals , @UrbanDecorSue , has 8,557 followers.  I am fortunate to have her as a follower on Twitter, friend on Facebook, and member of C.H.I.P.s.  She posted a tweet about this little C.H.I.P.s blog. One of her followers, @furnituregal, read it and retweeted (RT) it to her 232 followers. One of @furnituregal's followers, @ergoheat retweeted it to her 2,638 followers while @TronTrainer retweeted it to her 82 followers.  That means that one person alone provided the opportunity to have this blog read by 11,509 tweeple. 

I came home from a hard day at work, not having had the chance to blog or jump on twitter, to find out that my message was spreading without me.

So for those of you who have not yet become a registered Twitter user, I see this one example above and ask: "Why Not?"

This post by Israel Retana. Israel is the founder of C.H.I.P.s and 2ndgeneration craftsman at Retana Cabinet Works , where they've been specializing in custom cabinetry and antique furniture restoration for nearly 30 years. He can be followed on twitter (iretana), friendedonFaceBook , connected with on Linkedin, or contacted atisrael@retanacabinetworks.com 

Marketing Genius: Promote Yourself By Promoting Others

I am a marketing genius. 

In the last few days I've revisited some old strategies I haven't used for a while. The response was great and for the life of me I could not remember why I stopped doing these a while back. I've been busy and just let it slide. Never again.

Here's the thing. I truly enjoy being the guy that helps others. If I know someone I think would make a great connection for you, I will make some sort of introduction.  Over the weekend I looked through my Contacts application on my phone, scanning for new contacts I had that may work well with older contacts.  Early Monday morning I sent out simple emails:

"Bill & Jill, I thought the two of you might benefit from knowing each other. Bill is an excellent ceramic tile installer and Jill is a great kitchen & bath designer. "  

I swear to you, my number one purpose of these emails is simply to make that introduction that could help both Bill and Jill. What happens next I believe to be Karma.  I will get emails back saying : "Israel, thanks for the introduction. We haven't seen you in a while, call me - let's do lunch!" Folks, it's always good to have lunch with a previous client or referral partner.  Another email would be : "Thanks! That reminds me, I have an interior designer you should meet..."

The lesson that I keep teaching myself is: be sincere in your caring about those around you, and they will care about you.  You see, when I ask you "How's business?" , I really want to know.  I'm not making small talk. I want to know what you're doing that may help me, but I'm also curious about what I can do to help you.  And somehow, that ends up working out for me.  

Try it: take a look through your list of contacts and figure out who would benefit from knowing each other.  Send out the introductory emails, and let me know what kind of feedback you get.

This post by Israel Retana. Israel is the founder of C.H.I.P.s and 2ndgeneration craftsman at Retana Cabinet Works , where they've been specializing in custom cabinetry and antique furniture restoration for nearly 30 years. He can be followed on twitter (iretana), friendedonFaceBook , connected with on Linkedin, or contacted atisrael@retanacabinetworks.com 

If You're Going To Follow, Follow Wisely...

A while back, I posted a blog that contained a small list of some of my favorite Home-Interior-Type-Twitter-Folk to follow. It was received well and I thought I would keep an updated list and post it from time to time. Obviously, you can start by FOLLOWING ME (shameless, I know) and C.H.I.P.s . When I scan through my Twitter stream, these are some of the names that make me stop and look at what they're tweeting:

Interior Designers & Furniture Designers/Makers:

John Strauss (John Strauss Furniture Design) @johnstrauss *

Jamon Schlimgen (Jamon Schlimgen Cabinetmaker) @jscabinetmaker

Chris Rossi (Modbird) @modbird

Eric Lau (VisionDecor ) @visiondecor_evl *

Adam King (Adam King Studio) @AdamKingStudio

Nicole Miller (Jeannot Fine Furniture) @furnituregal

Kari Hultman (villagecarpenter.com) @karihultman

Martha Downs (Downsworks) @mildowns

Guild Craft Rugs @guildcraftrugs

Strange Closets @strangeclosets *

Desiree Denoyer (DM Design Solutions) @DMDesigns

Home Interiors Media (Magazines, Blogs, Podcasts):

Wes Kennedy (Home Accents Today) @WesAtHome

Rick Waters (Splintered Board Podcast) @splinteredboard

Furnitude (www.furnitude.blogspot.com) @furnitude

Design Milk (www.designmilk.com) @designmilk

Home Accents Today @homeaccents2day *

Chicago Home Magazine @chicagohomemag

Katherine Raz (www.backgarage.com) @katherine_raz*

i4design Magazine @i4design

Home Interiors and/or Social Media Mentors:

Gabe Strom (Gabe Strom) @gabestrom

Alexandra Gibson (Gibson Design Management) @gibsondm *

Nika Stewart (Wealthy Decorators) @wealthydesigner

Leslie Carothers (The Kaliedoscope Partnership)@tkpleslie

Melissa Galt (Today By Design) @ProsperByDesign*

Mark Bradford (www.chirpup.com) @markmbradford*

CHIPs Members on Twitter:

Candy Kloster (Curtain Call Creations) @DesignMySpace

Simone Targo (Organized Design by Simone) @simonetargo

Shane Inman (The Inman Company) @shaneinman

Sri Nallapati  (Cosmos Granite) @sri_nallapati

Matt Cain (Integrisys) @dcainer

Deborah Flate (Dialogue Consulting) @deborahflate *

Andrea DiCianni (Interior Design) @AndreaDesigner

Susan Rapp (Urban Lifestyle Decor) @UrbanDecorSue *

Amy Karatz (Natural Order Staging) @amydesigns

E-Z Painting Inc @EZPaintingInc

* = CHIPs Guest Blogger

This post by Israel Retana. Israel is the founder of C.H.I.P.s and 2ndgeneration craftsman at Retana Cabinet Works , where they've been specializing in custom cabinetry and antique furniture restoration for nearly 30 years. He can be followed on twitter (iretana), friendedonFaceBook , connected with on Linkedin, or contacted atisrael@retanacabinetworks.com 

CHIPs Member Helps Guide You Through the Stress of Your Stuff

C.H.I.P.s is a community for Chicago Home Interior Pros to come together and share business ideas and strategies.  We are not just another online-networking-social-media-group, we get together a few times a month to discuss our businesses, trends, marketing strategies. We'll occasionally have guest speakers on current topics, such as using social media to market our businesses.  We invite all types of Chicago home interior professionals to join us, such as architects, designers, realtors, skilled-trades, etc. 


This Week's Featured Member : Amy Trager, Certified Professional Organizer ®

This week's featured C.H.I.P.s member is  Amy Trager, Certified Professional Organizer ® .  Amy first discovered the idea of being a professional organizer several years ago and began making phone calls and reading books about the industry. After shadowing a professional organizer who owned a company in Naperville, IL, Amy began an internship with the company. She fell in love with the industry, and eventually started her own business in January 2006. Amy now has  a large array of clientele. Services provided range from the very high-end client who doesn't have the time or interest in organizing their own space, to the client in dire need of finding clean clothes and dishes to use, and pay bills on time. No matter what the situation, Amy leaves her clients feeling their space is a calm, efficient space. All of the spaces are custom designed to fit the space and those who use it.

If you need help "Guiding you through the STRESS of your stuff " visit Amy's website, http://www.amytrager.com.  You can connect with Amy on Linkedin, or email her at amy@amytrager.com .

If you are a home interior professional in Chicago and want to join C.H.I.P.s visit our Group Site. 

Social Network Marketing For the Busy

A couple weeks ago, I published a guest post by Mark Bradford of ChirpUp.com titled Attention Marketers: You Can't Afford Not Blog . The post goes along with conversations I've had with other home interior professionals at past CHIPs events : creating a name for yourself, establishing yourself as an expert in your field, via blogging.  I believe strongly that most people in preparation to begin a project will jump on the information highway to do research on what should be done and who is best suited to do the job.  Not only does being active on Twitter, Facebook, and a blog establish you as "in the know", it also helps with search engine optimization.

I am surprised at the number of business owners I know that do not engage in this new marketing medium. Most of them will tell me that they simply do not have the time. This is what I've done to jump over the hurdle of time when it comes to social networking.

Scheduling Blog Posts.

First of all, for the CHIPs blog, I am open to guest-bloggers. I welcome others to submit posts that fall in line with the purpose of CHIPs to provide business ideas and strategies to other business owners (particularly those in the home improvement/home interior industry). Not only does this help me promote others, it also provides me with a couple of posts a week I don't need to worry about. So when I have some time ( admittedly at night usually ) , I schedule my posts on Blogger. This means I can type up as many posts as I want and schedule them to be published later in the week. It's real simple to do on Blogger, just setting the publish time and date under "Post Options".  To read about scheduling posts on Wordpress, see Chirpup.com's blog post about it.

Scheduling Twitter Updates.

I love being a twit, but there are times I just can't get in front of the laptop.  Tweetlater helps out tremendously. Using Tweetlater, I can take 15 minutes typing in Twitter updates for the following day, directing others to the blog, promoting events and other CHIPs members.  During the day when I have a couple of minutes, I take out my phone, tweet, & respond to other's tweets - so that there's a personal touch as well. Tweetlater also gives you the opportunity to automatically follow those who follow you and send them an automatic DM.

This post by Israel Retana. Israel is the founder of C.H.I.P.s and 2nd generation craftsman at Retana Cabinet Works , where they've been specializing in custom cabinetry and antique furniture restoration for nearly 30 years. He can be followed on twitter (iretana), friended onFaceBook , connected with on Linkedin, or contacted atisrael@retanacabinetworks.com 

Cool Nurseries! (Is That An Oxymoron?)

Originally published on The High Fashion Home Blog. :

First of all, let me preface this blog by saying that I am neither pregnant, nor intend to be in the near future. I say this for the sake of my mom and sisters who faithfully read this blog.

While perusing through pictures pulled from the Domino website before they took it down (still upset about that, by the way. Sniff!), I noticed a lot of really cool nurseries. As in, I would decorate my adult bedroom the way they decorated their kids' room. Each photo had its own little inspiration...

The very pale aqua offsets the awesome wallpapered ceiling wonderfully. What a novel idea! Wallpaper on the ceiling!

These ebony-stained wood walls are breathtaking! And not a pastel in sight!

If I was to do pink, this is how I want to do it- fiery, in your face, unapologetic! That Amanda Peet sure does have style...

I like this one solely for its space saving ideas. The fuzzy throw rug is fun, too!

Obviously, I'm on a linen kick lately (see my last blog!) Wrinkly linen drapes are pretty for baby.

I love the idea of using a blown up picture of the kids as their own work of art. The fairy light chandelier is a playful light fixture.

Re-published with permission.

CHIPs Member Makes Painting A "NEAT" Job

C.H.I.P.s is a community for Chicago Home Interior Pros to come together and share business ideas and strategies.  We are not just another online-networking-social-media-group, we get together a few times a month to discuss our businesses, trends, marketing strategies. We'll occasionally have guest speakers on current topics, such as using social media to market our businesses.  We invite all types of Chicago home interior professionals to join us, such as architects, designers, realtors, skilled-trades, etc. 

This Week's Featured Member : Shanna Curr

y of E-Z Painting, Inc.

This week's featured C.H.I.P.s member is Shanna Curry of E-Z Painting, Inc.  Shanna's husband has been painting since he was 18, and started the Evanston IL-based company 5 years ago.  E-Z Painting, Inc. specializes in doing a quality job for low prices. One of several client testimonials found on their website (http://www.ezpaintinginc.com) describes the staff as "Very nice, courteous, pleasant people to work with", she goes on to say that they are "dependable and do an extremely NEAT job. Very impressed with their vision and execution."

If you are in need of a residential or commercial painting contractor in the Chicago-land area, visit the company's website at http://www.ezpaintinginc.com , follow them on Twitter , or shoot them an email at estimates@ezpaintinginc.com .  E-Z Painting,Inc can also be found on Linkedin. If you are a home interior professional in Chicago and want to join C.H.I.P.s visit our Group Site. You can also join our Facebook group. 

Remodeling For Those "Aging In Place"

CHIPs member Toba Marks of Gold Coast Bath Systems in Chicago recently completed her certification for the design and remodeling of those of us "Aging In Place".  She is  currently waiting for her certification papers to arrive from Washington D.C.

The company recently decided to focus on this market after realizing that it is much under-served. Aging in Place enables people to remain in their homes safely,independently and comfortably, regardless of age, income or ability level. It means the pleasure of living in a familiar environment throughout one’s maturing years, and the ability to enjoy the familiar daily rituals and the special events that enrich all our lives.

Gold Coast Bath Systems has made it their goal to enable their clients to identify their needs and to recommend, offer and provide attractive design solutions that create a safe and comfortable environment for individuals who want to age in place.

To age in place, clients will need to modify their homes as they mature to increase access and maneuverability. These modifications can range from the simple installation of grab bars, the adjustment of counter top heights, the changing from door knobs to levers, to the creation of multifunctional first floor master suites to the installation of private elevators.

Gold Coast Bath Systems has committed to work to find the right modifications for their clients as they age in place in their home environment.

Read more about Gold Coast Bath Systems in Chicago and about Aging In Place.

This post by Israel Retana. Israel is the founder of C.H.I.P.s and 2nd generation craftsman at Retana Cabinet Works , where they've been specializing in custom cabinetry and antique furniture restoration for nearly 30 years. He can be followed on twitter (iretana), friended onFaceBook , connected with on Linkedin, or contacted at israel@retanacabinetworks.com 

What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?

How accurate is the Bureau of Labor Statistics about Interior Designers?

My 11 year old daughter has expressed interest in being an Interior Designer when she grows up. While I realize that her profession of choice may change a lot before she actually begins a career - and maybe even after - it was enough to get the gears going in my head, plus she asked to do some research on it.

Going through the Bureau of Labor Statistics website, we found some interesting facts. Employment in the Interior Design field is expected to grow 19% between now and 2016. The bureau points out that "Keen competition is expected for jobs because many talented individuals are attracted to this occupation", as well as "About 26 percent are self-employed". Reading through some of the educational requirements and needed knowledge of building codes, CAD, blueprint reading, as well as having to discuss budgets and such, made my daughter's eyes start rolling in her head. She remembers me prepping for the NCIDQ test years ago, and asks if it was difficult - I almost didn't want to tell her how many times I had to re-take the lighting part. It was a challenge, I explained, but I was happy to have gone through it.

Then she asked "How much do interior designers make?" According to the bureau, the current median income for an interior designer is $44,950. There is obviously a great dependence on the economic environment, as the bureau points out hiring an interior designer is considered a luxury.

She asked if all of this "work" was worth it. I explained to her that any career is going to require some specialized education. Any career worth having is going to make you work hard for it, but as long as it's something you enjoy, it will be worth it.

But I'll leave it up to you. A quick survey for those of you who are Interior Designers, leave your comments below : Do you feel the Bureau of Labor Statistics' description is accurate (see link below)? Would you recommend Interior Design as a career for your child?

Citation: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition, Interior designers, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos293.htm (visited May 04, 2009).

This post by Israel Retana. Israel is the founder of C.H.I.P.s and 2nd generation craftsman at Retana Cabinet Works , where they've been specializing in custom cabinetry and antique furniture restoration for nearly 30 years. He can be followed on twitter (iretana), friended on FaceBook , connected with on Linkedin, or contacted at israel@retanacabinetworks.com