Great recommendation!

LinkedIn Recommendations
David Kinder has endorsed your work as Owner at Home Stylers Ltd

Details of the Recommendation: "We contacted Lynn after meeting her at a business network meeting the previous year. We were very impressed with her knowledge of makeovers that when we decided to move office this year we knew there was only one person to contact.

We requested to know what Lynn's fee would be and after receiving it we decided to get her on board.

We asked Lynn to visit our new office and give advice on layout, how to give good impressions, clutter management as well as a number of other things.

Lynn arrived on time, discussed our thoughts, visited the new office and detailed her ideas to us which we thought were great.

Upon leaving, Lynn promised to forward a plan layout of the office with all the ideas she had provided us with and this arrived by e-mail within an hour.

We put all of Lynn's ideas in place and our office looks great.

We would recommend Lynn to anyone."
Service Category: Office Makeover
Year first hired: 2012
Top Qualities: Great Results, Expert, Creative

Ten "Makeover Mistakes" to avoid

I'm often asked about common mistakes made when homeowners do their own makeovers - whether they are selling, or simply updating their home. Here's ten really common ones:


1) Clashing colours - they change the colour scheme and 'conveniently' forget items that still have to be in the rooms, so they clash - for example: Stained glass windows, carpets and tiles.

2) Mixed metals - Choose brass, gold, shiny chome or satin chrome - but not all together.

3) Sofa too large for the room - just because they 'loved it in the shop!!'

4) Leave bed bases showing - always hide with a valence

5) No colour theme through house - house feels disjointed

6) Not enough storage, so items are left out on show that don't blend with the colour scheme

7) Leave paint on light switches and sockets

8) Keep old plants or new saplings in prominent positions - buy new ones!!

9) Don't add the final touches - often the homeowner is exhausted with all the decorating decisions they have had to make, and leave the accessorising "for later" - but it never gets done!

10) Leave a bed without a headboard - the room always looks unfinished and student flat-like!!

Sell a lifestyle

When you're selling your home, show-off everything - sell a lifestyle.  Ensure the Estate Agent's photographs include everything that drew you to the house in the first place. In the house below, opening the patio doors wide shows how inviting the patio space is, and everyone imagines the BBQ's and parties they can have there.  It was actually raining most of the day I was finishing this house, but we just had a moment of sun, so I whipped the camera out quick!!

Before

After

Hotel-style bathrooms sell homes

When you're selling your home, the bathroom needs to be pristine. Spotlessly clean and tidy.  No toothpaste, no children's toys or potties, no wet towels! Try to add a plant, a few expensive, matching toiletries, fluffy new towels (just put them out for viewings), and put the lights on for photographs. Imagine it's a beautiful hotel bathroom!

Before

After

The 'Spare' Room debate

Spare rooms are great for storage, office space, gym, occasional bedroom, sewing room, photography studio - and often a combination of several of these uses!  But when you're selling, they always, always need to be a bedroom. I've had this confirmed by numerous Estate Agents - they all agree that this adds the most value. 

Before

After

TEN most common suggestions I make in a Consultation

During my Home Staging Consultations, there seem to be some recurring themes! Here are ten of the suggestions I find I am repeating on a regular basis.

1.  Declutter
2.  Re-paint brightly coloured wall colours with more neutral colours
3.  Hang some artwork 
4.  Put blinds on bathroom windows
5.  Replace broken fittings 
6.  Iron the bedding for that 'show home' feel
7.  Add some plants
8.  Add some relevant accessories
9.  Clean the kitchen and bathroom thoroughly
10.Tidy up the garden

Please post any comments or questions below.

Get the colours right

This house needed to be prepared for sale. All the curtains were made from one fabric, which was a golden colour. Similarly, the carpets were golden. There was no reason to change these expensive items, so this set the scheme for the entire house. Some of the grey-based purple paint in a couple of rooms clashed with the gold, so I recommended re-painting the bedroom and hallway. It's vital that the colour scheme flows through the house.

 Before

 After

Make an entrance

I'm told that buyers decide if they like a home within 30 seconds of walking through the door, so the entrance to your home must appeal to everyone.  No strong, dark colours and no shoes or coats in the way. It must 'set the scene' for the rest of the house, so make sure the colour and style flows into the other rooms.

 Before

 After

Don't let your TV take over...

If a television plays a huge part in your lives, and you have given it a really prominent position in your living room, that's fine, but you may have to re-think your ideas when you're trying to sell your home. Not everyone is a TV addict, and others may have different ideas about how the main social area in a home should be used.  

 Before

The room above obviously suited the family's needs, but they realised their cinema-style room wouldn't appeal to everyone, and it also made the room look small. I removed the storage unit in the window, brought down the matching chair from upstairs, and added another decorative chair, to show how easily a lot more seating would fit into the room. 

 After

Don't forget the outdoor spaces

When you're selling a house, the outdoor space is equally as important as the indoor.  Just finish it all off nicely.  This home was staged last week, and even though it was a fairly wet day, we arranged the new pots and positioned the table, and I kept my eye on the weather, and the moment the sun appeared, I put the cushions out and took the photos quick!!

  Before

 After

Grand Designs

Guess who's been invited to talk in the Interiors Theatre at Grand Designs this year?? Me!!
I've got 45 minutes on stage, and will discuss "Home Makeovers on a Budget!"  Come along and ask some questions - I'd prefer it to be interactive!!

See the link:
http://www.granddesignslive.com/experts/home-stylers/

Moving in to first home

This lovely couple were moving in to their first home. It was fun discovering the right style and colours for them. They didn't want to change any of the wall colours yet, so I added warmth in the accessories.