Many sellers and buyers are ready to downsize. Some do it because they are empty nesters or single and don’t need that much house. Others don’t want to deal with the maintenance. And some do it for health reasons, moving to wheelchair friendly or one-story homes.Whatever the reason is, downsizing can be a challenge. Homeowners are faced with many decisions and finding a new home is just one of them. They must evaluate their lifestyle and plan for the future. They must make decisions on what items to take from their home and what to leave behind. We can help them decide which belongings are best to keep and where all of their favorite items should go in their new home. We can also help them find resources for the items they no longer want. Staging to live and interior design are just some of the services we offer to help downsizers move along.

I have always been facinated by the design of airplanes, boats and RV’s.  Every inch of space is maximized and organized.  Utility reigns.  Performance is driven by bare necessity.  Clean.  Crisp.  Concise.

That’s why I was excited when I was flipping through TV channels and came across a segment on the frame-built “Katrina cottage” developed by Marianne Cusato as an alternative to the government trailers for Katrina relief victims.  The cottage consists of a covered front porch, stainless steel kitchen, RV-style bathroom with shower, and living area.  It sleeps three from two beds that fold down from the wall, has a table that folds flat against the wall when not in use and a hook to house two folding chairs.  It is very modern and upscale in design. 

The plans and kits are to be sold beginning next month at Lowe’s nationwide.  Options range from 550 to 940 square feet.  Lowe’s has received requests for $2 plan books from every state.  I’m impressed.

Most know that the kitchen is the number one selling feature of a home.  Some also know that a kitchen should be updated at least every 10-15 years.  But what will buyers demand in the future for kitchen design? Technology, of course!

The Internet Home Alliance Research Council recently conducted a digital kitchen study to see what homeowners would like to see in the future.  The council is made up of leading companies in the industry which you may be familiar with - Whirlpool, Bell, Cisco, HP, Intel, Microsoft, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), and the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) to name a few.

The hot demands these days are granite countertops, stainless-steel appliances, gourmet cooking features, and an open floor plan for socialization. Oak is out and eco-friendly bamboo, dark rich woods, or white painted cabinets are in.

So what’s next? The results of the study show that kitchens will continue to be the hub of the home, moving from an entertainment area to a command center. Homeowners want to be able to manage their schedules, energy use, and home security from the kitchen. One concept is to be able to access recipes or digital calendars right in the kitchen.

If you are getting ready to sell, now is the time to make a home improvement. A digital kitchen makeover might be just the thing to make your home the hottest on the market.
Source: K+BB June 2007

No mom is too busy to put the toilet seat and lid down for showings. But what mom doesn’t hate cleaning the toilet? Bemis Manufacturing Company, a toilet seat manufacturer, is holding a campaign to find the busiest mom. One reason is to bring awareness to how demanding the job of being a mom is, and the other is to promote its Easy Clean toilet seat hinge. The campaign runs until August 1, 2007. They will select the 20 busiest moms, then an ultimate busy mom will be chosen with the prize of maid service, personal chef, massage therapist/spa treatment, and a babysitter allowance twice a month for a full year! And, of course, busy mom gets enough Easy Clean toilet seats for her house. Know a busy mom? Nominate her at www.busymomcontest.com.

If you want some privacy, prefer the look of paper shades over vinyl, and don’t want to spend a lot of money, then you gotta check out QuickShades by the same company that makes Levolor and Kirsch window treatments. These are great! They are pleated paper shades that stick in place with a strip of non-damaging adhesive. Like standard blinds, there is a functional cord to raise and lower them. They come in 36 and 48 inch widths (typical) and can be customized by trimming them down with a utility knife. You can find them at Wal-Mart, Lowe’s, or Family Dollar stores for around $5 each. So simple. So affordable.

Let’s face it, staging inventory gets outdated and worn out over time.  To reduce our inventory, we participated in the annual neighborhood yard sale. Items up for sale included pillows, artwork, handbags, belts, jewelry, a stunning antique fainting couch, and many other great items. It didn’t bring in tons of cash but it did force us to do our Spring cleaning and gave us an excuse to sit and “work” out in the sun!

Imagine designing the perfect beach - blue skies, never too hot or too cold, no rain, water is pure and the surf is perfect. Well there is such a place. The Sheraton Seagaia Resort in Miyazaki, Japan. They have built an ocean dome only 300 meters away from the natural beach.

It boasts a flame-spitting volcano that erupts every hour, causing the hi-tech wave machines to start up for that perfect surf. White marble sand was brought in for beach lounging.

Temperature, wind and humidity are constantly controlled to provide the perfect atmosphere. What a great design. For pictures visit.

Warner Bros. Studios is the first to build a GREEN studio (not to be confused with a green screen or a green room). We give them two green thumbs up!

One of my pet peeves is excessive packaging! It is an extra cost to the consumer, a pain to open, and just ends up in a landfill anyway. So when I read this article about the world’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart, puttng the pressure on its vendors to cut down on packaging, I was excited. Kudos to Wal-Mart…saving you money and the earth.