Jill Vegas, New York City Home Staging
AUTHOR AND STAGER JILL VEGAS TALKS SPEED DECORATING
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5. Light. Lighting is the key to having an inviting home or a gloomy home. washing the light fixtures can be one way to brighten up a room. Or even easier, how about opening the window treatments to let the natural light flood right in?! Dimmer switches are great because you can change the mood in the room so easily. Dim for a dinner party or crank it up for a rainy overcast day.
6. Color and texture. It’s time to banish beige and inject a fun dose of color into a blah room. Color dramatically changes the mood of any room. Warm colors such as reds and oranges bring a fiery energy to a room while color tones such as blues and greens have a soothing effect. Color comes in all sorts of fun shapes and sizes: paint, wallpaper, pillows, vases, trays, rugs, etc. Have fun with color! And layer on the textures with throws, pillows, rugs, and plants.
7. Details. Accessories and art are the finishing details that complete a room. These items can easily be swapped out to match a mood (festive) or season (cashmere throw for winter, light cotton throw for summer). Attention to the small details create a big change.
Q.: What do you feel is the biggest obstacle homeowners have to speed decorating?
A.: Beginning! So many clients have told me they’ve been thinking about doing this or that but years have passed and they’re still “thinking!” it’s time to just begin!
Q.: In this economy, what is the best thing a homeowner can do to begin his or her own speed decorating?
A.: Pick a room or a project and go for it!
Q.: What can someone do in a weekend to have some impact on a room?
A.: In the living room for example, you can begin by decluttering. That is get rid of anything that you don’t love. From there you can assess what you need to complete the room: a rug or new sofa. You could go shopping and buy these items and by Sunday night you could be lounging on your new sofa watching “60 Minutes” and eating a bowl of popcorn!
