See the “before” and “after” of this Longwood home – Realtor (R) Harif Hazera from BHHS Florida Realty was looking to give his nicely renovated listing in the Wekiva area the competitive edge. See how the open floor plan now makes sense and shows its full potential. Before the transformation the large tile floor offered little definition to the space. With the comfortable furnishings it shows an example how the room could be used and give the large room some scale and perspective.
Tag Archives: flip
Why you should not buy a whole room at once
Why you should not buy a whole room at once – Furniture stores want to make shopping easy. They often advertise a whole room for sale. “8 Pieces for the price of 5”, says the ad. The designer sees this like the screeching sound of chalk on a blackboard. A bedroom set with its big four poster king bed, matching night stands, dresser, a highboy and all in the same shape, wood and color. Your room will look exactly like the furniture catalog and that is a look that can be very boring and predictable. Just because the furniture manufacturer offers any possible type of furniture piece with the same design, no one dictates you have to have them all. Designers almost never take a so called “bedroom suite” and stuff it in a room. They mostly take time and judgment and select single pieces that they combine for a visual interesting look. The reason those professionally designed rooms look so great is that the designer takes inspiration from a myriad of shapes, colors and textures and select the pieces that tell a story and set a mood. Consider a basic rule. The items you pair should unite in either of the following ways. Select them by color or material choice. You also can combine items by similar shape. If you go with something wooden, see if you can find another piece with a similar color and texture of the wood grain. If your elements have metal, seek similar metals. So if your bed has chrome feet you may want to find similar metals and perhaps don’t use nightstands with aged bronze hardware. Or you can group a number of vases that are made of different materials but show a similar shape. The elements in the space have to reference each other enough to form a somewhat coherent design without being matchy matchy. Even your nightstands can be of different shape if they are made of the same material or vice versa. It is a bit tricky and if you are not sure consult a designer to assist you with the choices. Last not least, keep in mind that if you think of buying all of the available matching options from the store, you have to have a bedroom the size of the furniture showroom. Chances are your space is not all that big. If the room is overstuffed with a huge bed, enormous nightstands and three large dressers and you live in a tiny apartment, your bedroom will be so full that there is hardly any space left to feel relaxed and welcome. Make sure you leave room to live your life. This is the space that you and your loved ones will occupy. Your house is not a museum, but a space that surrounds you and that should cater to your very own needs. One of the most important things to consider in your interior design is the room you leave open. It is essential and it is easily overlooked. No one likes a room that does not leave enough space for their own being.
A Winter Park remodel shows its flashy side
Older houses are dated and boring, right? This is not always true, and especially not in this house on Ivy Ct in Winter Park. This 4 bedroom 3 bath home in a great Seminole county school district is proof that existing homes can pack a punch. This house underwent a full renovation with new roof, windows, kitchen, bathrooms, floors, AC system and more. So essentially we are looking at a pretty much new home with an existing shell. The interior offers two master suites and a very open layout that gives this spacious 1866 sq ft a very livable floor plan. The different areas flow nicely together to create a fabulous entertainment area that will offer accommodations for large family gatherings, dinner parties or simply a relaxing afternoon at home. The staging by interior designer Helene Bonello-Strauss shows a comfortable but elegant side of this great home. Her vision of the house is a place where people congregate, in an welcoming and warm space wrapped around a fabulous kitchen. “It is not about the 4 walls but the way we interact in the space.” according to Helene. She views her work as a way to “anticipate the people who will occupy the house and create an environment that will make it the perfect home.” This one may come very close to that loft goal. It just came on the market at an affordable budget of $ 255k. All its missing is the new lucky owner to enjoy it and to make it home.
See what makes Winter Park home unique
What can a seller or real estate agent do to make a house stand out in a crowd of other listings? See what happened to this house in Winter park. This 3 bedroom, 2 bath pool home seems like many others from the outside. However, the inside reveals a fully decorated showhome with features like a barn door to the master bath, designer wallpaper accents and beautiful trim and fixtures. This investor flip is a good example of how the average can become something stunning. The interior designer Helene Bonello-Strauss had her crew transformed this distressed property to a stylish but comfortable home. The style is transitional with some modern aspects but mostly traditional appeal. “This mix is something that a lot of people react positively to,” so the design professional. “We had great success with this kind of design language, as it is appealing to a broad audience of different ages and creed.” While December is known as the slow season in Central Florida real estate, we think it is a great opportunity to stand out from the crowd. The few buyers that are actively looking this time of the year are typically quite serious. So Helene will be busy before Christmas to dress up at least one but possibly two more homes before the man in the red suit calls for a break. By the way, the house with a Winter Park address is located in a great school district and just got listed for sale. The asking price is $ 246,800 and it is available for showings right now. MLS O5408988 – 5441 Justine Way, Winter Park 32792. If you want to get your house or listing ready for the new year feel free to contact Helene at www.idesigntosell.com
How HGTV is screwing up the sale of your house
“Why?” You ask. The real estate interested buyer has seen on countless TV shows on channels like HGTV, DIY Network and a half dozen others what an army of contractors, designers, and stagers do to properties to make them more salable. They are willing to pay a good price for their next home but they know exactly what they want. They want updated floor plans. They want nice upgraded features. They look for granite counters, stainless steel appliances, nice wood floors, updated light fixtures and most of all a designers vision of what the property could look like. They want to be wowed, they want to be impressed. They have seen dozens of homes on TV that look like a million dollars, and some that are actually worth much more than a million dollars. You, as a potential home seller, are not only competing with your neighbors who are selling their homes, you are competing with the vision buyers have on how their new home should look like. They have seen bathrooms they like, they have seen kitchens to die for, and they already have a laundry list of items they are searching for. Unfortunately the faded wallpaper from the time your house was built did not make that list; Nor does the worn laminate countertops or the beige carpet in your living room. If your house looks in the buyers mind anything less than perfect they will not make an offer or at least deduct a considerable amount of money on the price they are willing to pay for the property. If you do not create a vision on how the property should look like and how buyers would see themselves living in the house your chances of a sale drop significantly. The new generation is all about individuality and the expression of their lifestyle. It is a generation that is used to have instant gratification. It is not the generation that saved up for a decade or two to buy a house. They want it now! They don’t want to go through a long drawn out process of renovating a house but rather have a turn key property ready to move in. Buyers today have certain expectations in life. They have an idea how their lifestyle should be, and how their house will help them achieve that goal. They have a vision that they look to make a reality. They have seen it on TV. The endless shows of fixer uppers, flipping, decorating and contracting might not have schooled them on how to achieve the results themselves, but it certainly has taught them what they are looking for in your house. If you are hoping for a top dollar sales price you better ‘up’ the game and get ready to deliver. You should seriously consider having a design professional on your team. Remember, your buyers are listening to professional designers for years.
Orlando Bungalow sold after redesign
Orlando Bungalow sold after redesign – This 1920’s bungalow sold after a complete rehab. The transformation took a full year after a few setbacks and changes in the architectural plans. The old garage/workshop was transformed into a guesthouse and the main house underwent a full transformation. The staging was set up to show the elegant side of this charming home and give the property some sophistication to attract the younger city dwellers. With a 3 bedroom and 2 full baths in the main house and a self contained guest house with its own bath and kitchen facilities, this house would cater to a family as much as to a couple or a single person. The Orlando interior designer Helene Bonello-Strauss wanted to make sure she has the property set up to speak to a large audience. A house, that is close to a hundred years old, was in itself something special in the central Florida market. With that age it had to show its modern side while maintaining an architectural integrity that would fit a traditional bungalow. The kitchen and bathrooms were gut remodeled and received all new fixtures. While giving the house up to date functionality it was important to the Designer to maintain some classical design elements and materials. The tile are mostly classic white marble with a band of mosaic in the middle of the tub surround. The tub is a freestanding tub with simplified lines that reminds one of the claw foot tub of yesterday. Here Helene wanted to keep a similar form while updating it at the same time. The master received a walk in shower with glass enclosure and a modern multi-jet fixture. The wall tile are also the white marble accented with black glass mosaic inlay. The vanity in the master has quite a traditional appeal with traditional woodwork and a marble sink. New fixtures can be updated but show a homage to traditions at the same time. It is a designers tightrope walk that will be risky. No one wants to spend a small fortune to end up with a dated design. At the same time it may be a mistake to bring in design elements that are in contrast with the architectural integrity of the structure. The ideal solution is to enhance the architecture and take design elements from that same style and era and fuse them to a new identity. If the viewer has the feeling that the design solution is one that was meant to be for the house, the quest was successful. It is not always easy to bring the past into the presence and create something that looks authentic and intentional. Sometimes it needs a bit of imagination and the willingness to look back. In design there is no one-size-fits-all. Good interior design is not only the task of designing for a client or a target audience, but also designing for a specific style. Speaking the same design language as the architect who drew up the plans decades ago, while rejuvenating the appeal can create tremendous value in the eye of the potential purchaser. Don’t hide the style of the house. Take it in and embrace it for a great result. Let the house show its heritage with pride. There is a story hidden in those walls. Listen to the whisper of past decades and bring your version of that story to the surface. You will find that in re-imagining the story of an old house you will uncover many facets of yourself.
Cute two bedroom home sold
Cute two bedroom home sold – This nicely remodeled two bedroom home underwent a full renovation. This house is proof that with the right furnishings and updates an older house can look great. Fantastic design is not always a matter of size but more a question how the space is utilized. This house has 1200 sq ft living space and presents itself as a very livable home. The fit and finishes are a far cry from the typical run down rentals in the area and speak to a buyer who wants a bit more than the bare minimum. A sophisticated living space like this in another location could be quite costly. Here in West Volusia County a house like this can be owned a very attractive pricing. In this case just under $ 100k was the budget to own it. Nice wood floors and a brand new open kitchen give a spacious appearance to the living area. We chose furniture that has a slim scale. The sofa is a contemporary 3 seater with slim armrests so it takes up less room as traditional roll arm sofa would. The contrasting chairs deliver a pop of color. The yellow accent color is continued with accessories and accent cushions on the sofa and the pendant lights over the kitchen counter. Carrying one or two accent colors throughout the room helps to unify the space and create a seamless design. Especially in an open living room it is important to show a buyer how the space can be utilized. For the dining room we chose a contemporary glass table and slim leather parson chairs as the side chairs. We paired them with chrome end chairs. The chrome mesh leaves them looking light and fresh while the black seat ties in with the other chairs in the set. Not everything has to match in order to look coherent. It often creates some visual interest if the pieces are carefully chosen and have some aspect that ties them together. The overall theme has more of a contemporary vibe. We use a fresher urban design language to contrast the 60’s age of the house. It supports the new renovation and lets the house compete with new construction homes in the area. Despite having only a carport, two bedrooms and one and a half baths, this house sold a hair under asking price. This is truly a small house with a big attitude.
Here a video of the property:
Staging of a 4 bedroom renovation flip – sold in a weekend
This newer home was despite its young age in severe cosmetic neglect. Two bathrooms and the kitchen were gut remodeled to give the house a new life. The staging brought the whole transformation together. The texture and patterns in the family room united the whole look into one unified design. The neutral pallet is composed of light grays and accented with a chevron pattern in the breakfast nook. The curtains with its irregular stripes create strong visuals and repeat its colors in the rug in the family room. The kitchen design with its dark walnut cabinetry boasts a beautiful backsplash that showcase glass mosaic tile with stainless steel accents. Here the pallet of greys is repeated so that the whole room functions as a coherent unit while preserving plenty of its visual interest. The darker accent wall to the back centers the view while the neutral almond paste color on the other walls make the room light and airy. One way to create a focal point is the use of an accent color. Here the TV wall seemed the obvious candidate to use a contrasting color to set the light furniture off. This house located in the gated community in Twin Lakes in Deltona drew quite a crowd when opened for showings and sold within the first weekend on the market. The first family viewing the house made an offer and the investor accepted. The superb renovation did half the job. The professional staging by idesigntosell.com completed the vision. Please see the video below for a full impression of the ‘before’ and ‘after’ of this project.