#staging Archives - Page 4 of 4

Customize Your IKEA Hack

Posted on November 27, 2018March 14, 2019 by admin

IKEA hacks are all the rage, and with good reason. Pre-built, reasonably priced items that can be totally customized give me plenty of reasons to get on board. Can you say: factory finish?

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So, when it comes to the Hemnes line (Hemnes is IKEA’s real wood, upgraded line)- the hardware is a dead give away that you’re using IKEA shelves. Updating the hardware creates a HUGE impact for not very much money.

IKEA Hemnes cabinets with stock hardware

On our giant living room wall builtins IKEA hack, we used two sets of black Hemnes cabinets, each with three drawers and glass doors (please excuse our tardiness- they’re not finished). They were totally snooze-fest level with the existing hardware.

You can completely change the look and feel of the whole thing by finding hardware that speaks to you. At first I really wanted long, brass handles. However, 16″ hole separations on the drawers really limit non-custom options (the quotes I got on custom bars were in the $100 each range, and I needed six). So, I went back to the two pulls per drawer option and found something in the same family as what I wanted before.

I found these Antique Brass Bin Pulls pretty reasonably and the two Cast Brass Cupboard Latches for a total of $142, both from House of Antique Hardware.

House of Antique Hardware, bin pulls and cabinet latches

They made such a difference. Aren’t they just gorgeous?

A few notes on installation: the pulls came with screws instead of two sided hardware. No way were we risking that accident-waiting-to-happen with our fifty kids, so I sent Rainman with one of the pulls down to the hardware store to hunt for a screw, washer, and nut that would work and go all the way through inside the drawer. Since we purchased them at Lowe’s our color options were limited. I haven’t decided whether I want to paint the hardware heads to match the pulls yet.

I originally intended to use one pre-drilled hole on each side but after we looked at the spacing we decided to straddle the existing holes and drill all new holes for each bin pull. They just looked better balanced.

The cabinet latches were a little more difficult because the pre drilled holes were too far back (toward the glass).

There is not a whole lot of wiggle room when installing these latches. I moved them down to a place I liked better visually and filled the old holes with a basic brushed brass Chicago screw. They have to go to the very edge to latch and the drilling has to be done very precisely.

Here are the Chicago Screws we used to cover the existing hardware holes.

I would love to see different ways you customize your own IKEA hacks! Thanks for joining our adventures!

Check out more of our projects here.

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16 Ways To Use Brick Veneer Inside Your Home

Posted on November 16, 2018March 14, 2019 by admin

When I’m perusing Pinterest late at night when I’m supposed to be sleeping (don’t tell me you’re not guilty), I find that I’m always attracted to images of older homes. Beautiful, preserved stone or brick walls that have either been re-exposed in a renovation or have been there the whole time. Stone mixed with plaster, crumbling/repaired brick, or even painted brick fireplaces… I love them all. One of the things I have chosen as a challenge for myself in transforming various projects is making them feel like they’ve always been there. Even if they’re new and modern, they should feel homey… like there’s history behind them.

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see full disclosure at the end of the post.

My new obsession is using accent walls of brick veneer to add some age and depth to different projects. It’s smart and it’s classic. Brick has been around in different forms since the dawn of time, and I LOVE it.

49077a92-a0e3-4d49-aa17-b3ec95960311 — Built in shelves, part of IKEA hack, with Castlegate Old Mill Brick Veneer, dressed with farmhouse candlesticks and preserved boxwood

Our first experiment with brick was a complete and total pain in the tail. I, of course, chose a super narrow space to install it, because I feel like Rainman really needs the additional challenge of working in a tight space on top of doing something he hasn’t done before. I’ll do a project tutorial soon, but I’m just not ready to relive that pain yet, nor do I have enough wine in the house to really delve into it.

Anyway, along the way, as I was researching different looks I found some fantastic applications for brick veneer in the house. I’ll share my favorites with you:

As an accent behind builtins or shelves:

6b89b47e-8f76-468e-af7b-11afbb00f0de — Built in shelves, part of IKEA hack, with Castlegate Old Mill Brick Veneer, dressed with farmhouse candlesticks and preserved boxwood

This is our unfinished builtins project (IKEA hack) with the brick veneer behind the shelves. I love the effect. After researching multiple options, I finally decided on Old Mill, Castle Gate Brick Veneer. I always check a local distributor first, and although he was able to do it for 5 cents cheaper a brick, we had to buy an entire pallet and there was a six-week lead time. In any case, we really love how it turned out, and the Old Mill quality was excellent.

Here are some of the images that inspired me and continue to provide planning inspiration for possible future projects:

As an accent wall in the bathroom:

Image Source Unknown (Instagram Account Deleted)

So, this is a great space. I really like the vanity. But, honestly, without the brick accent wall this room would be pretty vanilla, right? It was a fantastic choice in this room.

In the bathroom with antique fireplace:

1e2609f7-9f2e-4283-8b21-ffcac3f66c41-1 — Image from Signature Hardware

There is a lot going on with this bathroom. I honestly don’t LOVE the shower, because I think the “modern” level is overdone and clashes with the other AMAZING elements. The preserved antique brick fireplace is incredible (minus the hearth in the modern tile). The clawfoot tub is equally fantastic. I also love that they refinished what appear to be original wide plank floors. If you look carefully you can see a chandelier in the shower glass reflection…. reinforcing my deep belief that no bathroom is truly complete without a sparkling chandelier. Bravo.

As a foyer accent wall:

This is such an amazing space. The combination of herringbone wood floors, the brick, the incredibly detailed wood moldings, the classic settee, and of course, the maps. This person might love Restoration Hardware. It’s a rich, warm, classic look and I just adore it.

As a kitchen accent wall:

The antique brick really adds interest to this space. I also dig the bank of apothecary drawers and the banquette seating.

For a more modern take on the kitchen with an antique wall:

The scale of this room is part of what makes it so cool (did you see how thick that table slab is???). Doing this wall in brick veneer would be a pricey undertaking.

Over the stove:

Sigh. Yes, the antique brick surround for the stove wall is happening and in our future kitchen renovation. For real. Don’t you love the beams and the lighting?

On the fireplace:

This is one of the coolest two-sided fireplaces ever. And I love the faux skin rug. I would’ve loved to see a wide plank, hand finished hard wood with this. It would have been epic.

A totally different take on a fireplace:

This fireplace inspires my inner Hobbit. So much movement, and paired with what appears to be heart pine… what more could one want?

As an accent on window walls:

I love brick accents around windows, especially if they are original, or made to appear to be the outer wall of the home. These are uniquely awesome because of their depth- they were able to incorporate a great panelled look on the inside. Really nicely done with superb depth.

The loft pictured here is incredibly well done all around. They really captured a moody ambiance.

As a column wrap:

My favorite part of this column wrap is that it appears to actually be an original home element. Very cool that they kept it.

As an archway wrap:

The difference in materials on the archway does a masterful job of separating living areas. The flow between spaces here is exquisite.

Isn’t this an awesome transition from foyer to living area?

In the dining room:

This is obviously a commercial space, but what a perfect combination of gray velvet tufted seating, antique mirrors, rustic wood floors, iron table bases, classic artwork, and of course, the brick.

On the basement wall:

Once again, realize this would be an expensive undertaking. But, the look is so unique. I love it paired here with medium tones in wood flooring and the bright white baseboards.

As a brick ceiling:

After a fairly frustrating installation of brick on a wall, I’m not totally sure how one would accomplish a ceiling installation. Nor do I think I know anyone with a marriage strong enough to survive a joint brick ceiling installation. But, if it was possible, the results are breathtaking.

Brick floor inlay:

Isn’t this amazing? I love combining the materials of deep wood tones with the whitewashed-look brick. It is really something special. They accomplished something very similar below.

Something interesting to note on the image above is that I believe this is new construction. This is varsity level use of different depths, textures, and finishes to make the house feel homey and not too new. There are three different styles of doors in one hallway and the mixed use of wood floors and brick is cool (though I’ll admit the antique-size brick would have been a visual and authentic improvement). Overall, really well done.

Master bedroom accent wall:

I really like the style of this entire space (it’s new/old), classic/eclectic, well done and homey. The heavy grout is very popular right now.

As a staircase brick accent wall:

If I ever walked into this space, it is truly “gasp” worthy. Unbelievably elegant and warm.

Have you used brick veneer interior applications?

Using brick inside offers an opportunity to completely transform the feel of a space. It creates warmth, texture, and depth. Are there other interior brick applications you love? I would love to see pictures in the comments section!

Thanks for joining us and check out more of our fabulous DIY and project blog here!

*Legal stuff:

I am honest about my experiences with different products and write because I enjoy it. I do however, have the opportunity to earn money for my writing, also.

Slavetodiy.com is also a VigLink affiliate advertiser which works similarly.

How To Preserve Roses

Posted on October 29, 2018February 17, 2021 by admin

I’m so excited. I got BEAUTIFUL roses for my birthday. I know we’ve all lied to our significant others at some point, and told them we didn’t like flowers, but if they were smart, they knew it was a lie and bought flowers anyway. Because there are significantly fewer tears that way.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see the full disclosure at the bottom of the post.

We won’t talk about that time that I cried like a little girl because, even though I had dropped copious hints, I didn’t get flowers for my birthday. We’re complicated creatures, women. Poor Rainman.

Yeah, I’m that girl. (If you are in the dog house, and need to buy flowers, this is a great service).

Ugh, they’re just gorgeous from every angle. But, I have a secret. These are in the process of “preserving”. Did you know that you can prevent those gorgeous roses from keeling over on you?

There are two really good methods for doing this and I’ll go through both!

Method One (best for roses that you want to use in arrangements later… more finicky than method two):

This is pre-preservation. I always love the arrangement from our local florist, although I don’t love their choice of cheapo vases. Even the “budget” line shouldn’t be a throw away. Anyhoo, when I get to the preserving phase, I’m really only interested in the roses. I love them at Christmas for their deep red and am looking forward to bringing them back out.

You really only need a couple of things to do this:

Your preserving vase (mine is an antique but I have these also, which are super cute and very reasonable)

Vegetable Glycerin

Florist shears/ scissors (as you can see, I was using the poultry shears instead of going to get my nice florist shears which drives Rainman totally NUTS)

Small hammer

Fill your vase with about 1.5 – 2 inches of glycerin.

I start with the longer roses in the arrangement. Holding the vase next to the edge of the counter and the rose stem next to it, I eyeball where I want the cut. Snip! Take your little hammer and flatten the end of the stem. Roll it and flatten again. Mash it up so it opens up (this helps the glycerin get into the stem).

I do the center (long pieces) first, then fill in around the edge with the shorter stems. For mine, I remove all of the leaves and toss everything other than the roses.

Move them to a location out of the sun to start the preserving process.

Preserving Roses: Red rose bouquet, beginning preservation.

I have to be honest: I adore how these are turning out. They will be gorgeous for my Christmas scenes. These can possibly last years if handled carefully and are such a better option than silk!

Tip: Make sure to add glycerin over several weeks until the stems stop absorbing, then dump out any excess (the glycerin will start gelling on the petals and getting goopy if you leave it).

Method 2 (My Favorite):

This is the PERFECT preserved roses in a hatbox method!

You’ll need:

Floral Shears
Activa Silica Gel for Flowers
Hat boxes
Gallon/2 gallon ziploc (depending on your number of flowers)
Roses

Step One: Snip off the leaves

Step Two: measure how long to cut your roses! Then cut them at that height at an angle (check your height by putting it in the box).

Step three: Remove the three outermost petals on your roses.

Step four: Put your roses into the bag and pour the silica beads over it. Gently shake it to completely cover and get it inside the petals. Once they are covered, put them into a cool dark place for about a week. (Don’t worry about using all of your silica, you can re-use it!)

Step Five: Once all of the petals are preserved, shake the silica off carefully, and place them gently into your hatbox. These can last more than a year if you preserve them correctly!

Thanks for checking out our little tutorial! Feel free to comment and ask questions below and check out more of our great projects here! Cheers!

*Affiliate Disclosure:

I am honest about my experiences with different products and write because I enjoy it. I do however, have the opportunity to earn money for my writing, also.

Slavetodiy.com is also a VigLink affiliate advertiser which works similarly.

DIY Custom White Board and Batten Wainscoting and Crown Molding

Posted on October 25, 2018March 14, 2019 by admin

The beautiful thing about this particular renovation, is that our house flooded. Yes, I said the GOOD thing. Bear with me. Hang on. I’ll explain.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see the full disclosure at the bottom of the post.

Before

I’m so embarrassed. This is the living room before the flood:

We had lived in our old house for several years and, aside from the fact that we were packed in there like sardines, we didn’t have the time or energy to get to some of the upgrades on our ever-growing-wish-list. We have a STUFF problem. As in, we have too much of it. Without builtins, there was stuff everywhere, with no rhyme or reason, just looking cluttered and awful. For me, this creates stress, and no matter how clean the house was, I never felt settled.

So, then the clouds parted, and the rain came. Well, not actual rain. The hot water supply line under the master bedroom sink broke in the middle of the night (directly above the living room) and completely destroyed the living room and most of the contents.

The Flood

Imagine waking up in the middle of the night to a hot, steamy room. “Is the shower on?” Nope. No shower. But, I stepped down into ankle deep water to investigate, UPSTAIRS. Not good.

Wet living room ceiling from bathroom flood upstairs.

This offered up an opportunity for a few things, since we have fantastic homeowners insurance. I’d like to take a moment to give a shout out to my homies at USAA who made the insurance claims process painless. The contractors were so relieved when we said we had USAA. That was enough to solidify my belief in their awesomeness.

Demolition

The first thing that happened was the ripping out of the all of the sheetrock and flooring in the living room. Which made it look really weird. But, also awesome. Why? Two words: Popcorn ceilings. Even one room without those would be amazing and it was on my list of stuff to make happen.

Ceiling Sheetrock removed from living room ceiling.

A week and a half of industrial blowers and dehumidifiers later, the living room was dry and ready for REconstruction.

Reconstruction

So, honestly, the hardest part of a renovation is getting started. My favorite way to kickstart the process is to walk into a room with a crowbar or a sledgehammer and start swinging. Then Rainman sighs, and says, “so, that’s the next project, then?” But, in this case, we HAD to do the renovation, because it flooded. YAY!

So, demolition complete, the living room was ready to start rebuilding. Keep in mind, I knew this was not our forever home, so I took some design chances I probably wouldn’t duplicate now.

Sheetrock

The crew came in and put in sheetrock (we paid an additional $250 to have the ceiling flat finished instead of popcorn which felt a lot like extortion, but it was worth it).

Tips: When we were “interviewing” contractors we asked if we could make changes to the insurance-approved punchlist after the fact to make sure they were on board. Many contractors will work with you, using the existing insurance payout, plus your add ons, to do upgrades. They will also give you credit for things you do yourself to help pay for some of the upgrades. Why not do upgrades when you have free labor? For instance, in order to put up the sheetrock the fan had to come down first. After the sheetrock was installed, the fan had to go back up. There was a $150 charge approved by the insurance company for an electrician to take it down, and another $150 to put it back up. Rainman installed the damn fan in the first place. We arranged to do that (and several other things) and applied the credit to the upgrades we were having done elsewhere.

This inspiration post is JUST for the wainscoting and molding, although we did install builtins, completely redo the fireplace and surround, and install beautiful flooring. I’ll cover the others separately.

Customizing

I painted my accent color first after Rainman drew me straight lines based upon where I pointed. That way I was sure I liked the height. I also wanted to make sure my awesome industrial airplane canvas fit where I wanted it mounted (I am notorious for prematurely hanging things on walls still under construction and dressing un-finished builtins).

130520e1-9acf-450b-9cd6-d2f181df85bd — Roughing in paint before wainscoting and hanging the airplane art.

Designing the Board and Batten Layout

The artwork fit perfectly, so I was able to give him the go-ahead to draw out the grid for the boards. Now, here’s the customization part: depending on the scale of your space (we were dealing with standard eight foot ceiling height) you may want a tighter grid, or something more spaced out. You may want wider or thinner boards. We drew out our boards and I liked the look. We used 1″x6″ pine boards for a majority of the grid.

2bf89612-aee2-4d36-a341-4ae16374cd74 — Crown molding going up on one wall to make sure we like the width of the crown “stripe.” If you look closely, you can see the grid for the board and batten penciled in.

We tried really hard to avoid going over light switches or outlets, but we did hit a few. Because the outlet was in an area that would be covered, we just did a cut out for it. Ditto for the dual light switch.

5b991d44-9f77-43d1-aab6-253c81c07259 — Board and batten grid going in. Before paint and finish work.

The grids were installed using finish nails, via a finish nailer and compressor. My husband got these Bostich nailers and compressor as a gift from his father like 15 years ago and they all still work great. We ran the vertical boards against the door frames and in the corners first, then the top and bottom horizontal boards (we used a wider baseboard), then the verticals (between the top and bottom), then the boards in between the verticals.

ce0e4edb-b5be-449f-a5a5-0f054916e861 — First round of caulk and paint.

We did quarter round to cap the wainscoting and a white quarterround to finish it out against the flooring, also.

3f87f224-d0e4-4322-a9d8-7d6c80c90ce0 — Board and batten grid on the long wall.

I apologize for the grainy photos (these are pre-blogging days and were on my phone). You can see the grid before we started the finish work. Above, the first layer of crown molding has gone up.

Finishing Touches, Crown Molding, and Engineered Brazilian Hardwood Flooring

The additional white quarter round against the flooring really set off the deep color in the gorgeous engineered Brazilian Cherry Hardwood. I absolutely love the contrast of white against wood.

This shot shows the second detail layer below the crown and how the wainscoting looked. This is not a crown molding installation how-to. There’s a fantastic tutorial available from the Familyhandyman.com if you’re new at this. Rainman’s tool of choice on this (that we’ve used over and over) is The Dewalt Compound Sliding Miter Saw. We’ve used it to do an entire house of molding (at the old house) and it still does EVERYTHING we need at the new house.

So, this is an awful, grainy photo again. But, it shows how we continued the trim against the builtins. The top of the builtins was open. We capped the builtins with crown (so it continued around the room) and the detail piece tied it in beautifully.

30c72f3c-323a-4944-8880-ed4434b24a2e — Two pieces of molding really add depth to the ceiling.

Here’s the final crown stack up, with only two pieces.

9f26fa06-3667-4286-b708-24880e493b22 — Crown molding stack-up.

And them labelled, for guidance.

The finish work was time intensive once all of the crown and wainscoting was up. All of the molding took two layers of caulk (around every edge of the grid and to fill nail holes) to really be finished and THREE layers of gloss white paint. But, it turned out beautifully.

The Finished Product

Beautiful new ceiling, builtins, fireplace, tile surround, new brazilian cherry engineered wood, wainscoting, and crown molding.

This was one of the listing photos of the living room. The white wainscoting and molding REALLY punch up the color contrast and finish the room beautifully. See the finished Old House Tour for more great makeovers.

Check out more of our DIY projects here. Thanks for stopping by!

*Legal stuff:

I am honest about my experiences with different products and write because I enjoy it. I do however, have the opportunity to earn money for my writing, also.

Slavetodiy.com is also a VigLink affiliate advertiser which works similarly.

Taking A Stand On Fake Book Decor

Posted on October 6, 2018March 12, 2019 by admin

Okay. I briefly considered titling this blog post, “the death of all that is good and Holy,” or “things that make you want to start drinking before 5 PM.” But, I thought it might isolate some readers. This isn’t something I would normally do, but I feel the need to take a stand AGAINST a trend. I started seeing things pop up on my Pinterest feed with books in bookcases BACKWARD. “What in the world?” I thought to myself. So, I looked it up.

Books turned around backward for preferable “style” in Atlanta Homes Magazine

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see the full disclosure at the bottom of the post.

It turns out, if people’s books don’t match their decor, or the book jackets are too colorful, PEOPLE ARE TURNING THEM AROUND TO MAKE THEM LOOK NICER. And people are like, “yeah, that’s so AWESOME, what a great idea.” I’m going to stop right now. I’m taking a deep breath. I’m going to my happy place.

I’m finding tutorials on how to turn YOUR books around and tales of designers conquering their client’s ugly book collections by doing so.

This one from houseofpictures.com is especially stark.

Let me take a step back. I understand the need to have a nicely styled bookcase. I GET IT. My bookshelves in common areas are grouped in muted color families and they look fantastic (if I do say so myself). I have some really NEAT books. I have collected them over the years. I have a true vintage/antique book collection. I love it when people ask me about them or where I picked them up. I’m proud of my collection. We might be the only freaks left in the country with bookcases that hold real, actual books.

Please excuse the unfinished bookshelves.

But, I have to be honest: it actually makes me ANGRY to see books reduced to shelf decor. I see ads everywhere all of the sudden for FAKE BOOK SETS. Yes, I said FAKE BOOK SETS. Restoration Hardware (which I normally love) has entire collections of blank-paged books which you can get for the bargain price of hundreds of dollars. Are you freaking kidding me? Books filled with blank pages. That people buy. To look like they have real books. This feels really, really fraudulent. WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE? ARE THEY WALKING AMONG US?

Can you imagine going to a friend’s house and seeing your favorite book on a shelf only to find it’s empty? As you pick it up and open it, you exclaim, “I had no idea you were a Jane Austen fan! I just love her, don’t you?… What the…” The pensive, confused, awkward silence that followed would be embarrassing for everyone involved.

Look, in the event you absolutely have to have some “book decor,” I have an idea: Go to a damn used bookstore and pick out some books! You don’t even have to read them, just pick out titles that seem interesting to you. That way, in case of apocalypse, or GOD FORBID the wi-fi goes down, you can leaf through something interesting. Used books are WAY cheaper than buying these ridiculous blank page book sets and they inspire far less anger in people like me. I know I’m responsible for my own emotional stability, but for the love of all that is holy, have a heart.

Carefully selected titles, in a warm rhinoceros sandwich.

How in the world are people supposed to judge you by your books if they’re backward in your bookcase? How are they supposed to know what kind of person you are if they can’t see your carefully selected and displayed titles?

What if they opened one of your books and found the pages blank?

Don’t let your visitors find out that you’re 1) Intellectually void or 2) As empty and soul-less as the blank books masquerading on your shelves.

I’m being a little cheeky here, but, seriously… It makes me sad. I was a bookworm as a kid and I’ll admit I’d probably be bingewatching netflix on my smartphone like every other teenager if I were young today. But, it makes me sad. It makes me scared for our future as a society if books are just something we dress builtins with and dust once a week.

Please, please don’t do it.

Isn’t this the coolest? Also, real, actual books.

If I may, and you’re feeling REALLY uncreative, here are some options that won’t make your Academic-Snob friends cringe quite so much:

Book sets for built ins that look like antique books but actually have hidden storage inside. There are a gazillion options on Amazon and Hobby Lobby to name a few.
Actual vintage book sets, such as Harvard Classics in monochrome sets.
Lord of The Rings series hardcover box set.
Shakespeare, the Yale forty volume set (which comes in a nice faded blue).
Charles Dickens box set, if you’re really trying to impress someone.
Or just explore sets on discount book sites.

But seriously, you really should take an afternoon, find a book shop and pick out some neat books. Smell the dust. Take your kids’ smartphones away and drag them with you! Experience the thrill of the hunt! The satisfaction of the kill! Get out. Discover. Explore. Read. I highly recommend it.

Aaaaaaaand, I’m off my soapbox.

Thanks for stopping by! Feel free to leave comments below and check out more of our fun blog posts here.

*Legal stuff:

I am honest about my experiences with different products and write because I enjoy it. I do however, have the opportunity to earn money for my writing, also.

Slavetodiy.com is also a VigLink affiliate advertiser which works similarly.

The Ultimate Pre-showing Checklist for Selling Your Home Fast!

Posted on October 3, 2018March 24, 2020 by admin

This is not a staging checklist. It’s a showing checklist. So if your house isn’t staged yet, this article isn’t for you. There are a bazillion staging tutorials out there, but once you’re staged you’re ready for your first showing, and that’s where I come in.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see the full disclosure at the bottom of the post.

So you get the call from your realtor. Hooray! Showing in the morning! So what now? Panic? No. Pop a bottle of wine? Maybe. Later. But, first…

So, how would I know how to do a fantastic showing anyway? When we sold our house two years ago we got top dollar and had multiple offers. Both times we were under contract in less than a week from the time the house was listed (our original buyers backed out when their co-signer changed their mind). I think that makes me an expert. Or a rockstar. Or possibly just experienced.

The Ultimate Pre-showing Checklist for Selling Your Home Fast!

I did a bunch of research and compiled a checklist to use so I wouldn’t stress out on showing days. The second time around we had multiple showings per day. Was I under pressure? Yes. But, cool as a cucumber. I had my list. And I really, actually used it.

Our feedback from the showing agents was overwhelmingly positive. It got a little ridiculous to be perfectly honest. Realtors started showing up with buyers that couldn’t afford it but just wanted to see it. Cause it was really cool inside. So, we became a temporary tourist attraction. Sigh. It’s hard to be so popular sometimes.

The point is, my list worked. And lucky for you, I’m willing to share with you so you can be a calm, popular seller, too. Sit back and wait for the offers to start pouring in.

Printable: The Ultimate Home Showing Checklist.

So here’s the bottom line: You’re selling a lifestyle, not just a house. The buyers are looking at a house, but they’re really taking a peek at your lives. If they want your life, they’ll want your house. Your job is to seduce them into picturing themselves living there, and living your groovy life. You can do it.

Decide what the coolest parts of your house are and tell a story about them. Control the flow of the house by luring buyers from space to space. If you have great entertaining spaces, set up a party scene. If you have an art studio, make it immaculate and inviting with a blank canvas set up. If you have an awesome movie/media room cue up a Nat Geo HD film that show off the awesomeness of the room and equipment. Here are the basics:

So some of the items on my list are not original. They’re common sense. I’m assuming things are basically clean (I hired maids to come weekly while we were on the market, and I whole-heartedly recommend it). Clean:

Make beds. I took the opportunity to get new sets during staging. Overstock usually has some nice, reasonable ones. It’s a lot of bang for the buck. If you really want to outdo yourself, shop (or just look at) the Pottery Barn bedding to get ideas for a well staged bed. Especially in the master bedroom, the retreat feel is important. (I am astounded by the number of beds I see in real estate photos with straightened-ish blankets and not so much as a bed skirt to cover the metal legs. Apparently these people are in no rush to sell the place.) The cool thing is… you can take new bedding with you, so go for it.

Pick up. Nothing screams stress to most people more than an untidy house that looks like there isn’t enough organization/storage space. And remember, you’re selling a relaxing, organized, and clean house.

Do the dishes. It’s okay if they’re sitting in the dishwasher.

Sweep & vacuum. Seriously, leave the lines in the carpet. It screams, “we keep this place clean and well cared for.”

Wipe and clear the kitchen counters. Make them shine.

Check bathrooms. The smell of cleaner is okay.

Mow lawn. Pull weeds. (Never leave anything that says, “I’m work waiting for you to do when you move in here.”)

Specialty items:

Hang fresh towels in the bathrooms. Get bright white, new towels. White towels make your baths feel like a Spa. I got new towels for staging/showings and threatened everyone in the family about not using them until after the house was sold. They don’t have to be soft, just new and white. I bought some reasonable ones here.

Temperature: 70. Crank that AC in the summer. Make it toasty in the winter. It should feel refreshing. It gives buyers a sense that the heat/cooling systems are in good working order. This is a great time to check your air filters to make sure it doesn’t sound like the system is struggling when it cycles. I use 3m filtrete filters that last three months. Yes, you can buy them on Amazon, but they’re cheaper from Lowe’s.

Fireplace. Turn it on low. Even in the summer. It creates a nice ambiance and it shows the buyers the fireplace works.

Set the table (Pinterest some cool table scapes and copy them). Even if the dining room isn’t great, people remember it being “inviting” because the table is set. It looks like the house is ready to do some entertaining. Once again, you can take this stuff with you. World Market always carries some reasonable, stylish sets.

Open the drapes. All the way. Open the blinds flat and pull them halfway up the window. Make sure they’re straight and not lopsided.

Lights. Blazing. Turn them all on and open all of the interior doors. Don’t let potential buyers fumble for light switches or door handles. They should be able to walk through and simply enjoy. (I left a note for the realtors telling them we’d turn the lights off when we got home). This is not the time to be stingy about the light bill.

Case in point, there are three different lights in this room and no windows. It is a cave with no lights on- pitch black. There is a lightswitch for the built in bed over by the bed. There is a lamp on the dresser. With the door open and all the lights on this is a showcase. Every kid in the world wants this room. Fumbling for the lights and trying to see it in the dark would leave the proper “showing” of this room to chance. Turning the lights on in advance let’s you control the showing.

Pictures (okay, this is a staging item, but I feel strongly about it. I also apparently disagree with every HGTV host, ever). Only take your family pictures down if they’re in lousy frames and/or you have ugly kids. Be honest with yourself here. People realize that someone lives in the house… isn’t that why companies use models to sell clothing? Think of your family photos as “happy family home” models. I had a cool wall with black and white canvasses full of family pictures. We left those pictures up. They just screamed “we’re one big happy family in our happy family home.” It’s also a wall-staging item. Without those our staircase would be empty.

Music. Low volume smooth jazz. If you have cable there are usually music channels included in your package so we had several TVs on with smooth jazz going. That is professional level ambiance.

Garbage disposal. Run a lemon or orange through it right before the showing. The citrus hides any lingering smells you might have missed. If you don’t keep citrus on-hand, you can get a bag of forty garbage disposal bombs from Bed, Bath & Beyond for about ten bucks.

Cinnamon apple glade. A can per showing in a 2000sf house. No kidding. I did a ton of research and apple pie or cinnamon apple apparently puts people in a “this is the one” mindset. I don’t question it. It worked. Buy it here.

Pool, gardens, and specialty areas should be freshly staged. Wet your decks, exterior pavers, and mulch with a garden hose. They look nicer darker and like you’ve given them fresh attention. If you ever watch hgtv outdoor transformations shows, pay attention next time. Everything is soaked when they do “the reveal”. Get new pool towels and roll them up on your deck chairs/chaise lounges. Open your pool umbrella if you have one and put out the cushions. It needs to feel inviting.

Take your animals with you. Hide evidence of them existing. Seriously. Cat litter boxes, beds… etc. Put them in your car when you leave. Nothing deters a buyer with cat allergies more than telltale signs of pets. I was bitten by a jack Russell once during a showing. You have no idea what your pets will do when you’re not there. Nothing like getting sued by someone you were hoping would buy your house because Snooki bit them trying to get into the master bedroom (and no, I didnt’ sue. I just gave them a heads up they might want to take the dog with them next time). Potential buyers may also let your indoor cats outside or your circus dog out.

Make sure evidence of animals is gone. Hit areas with telltale hair with tape or a lint roller.

Kitchen. Clear counters except your nice knife block. A bottle of wine with a few glasses for later is a nice touch. (Who’s in the mood to celebrate buying a house???)

Remember, you ultimately only need ONE buyer. It’s going to be the one that falls in love with your life. Prepare accordingly.

Do you have any niche showing tips that you recommend? I would love to see your tips and questions in the comments section! Thanks for reading and you can find more great DIY articles here.

Cheers and happy selling!

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