Since we know kitchens are such an important room in the home for selling, updating the kitchen is critical to the sale of the home. We know that renovations can cost a fortune…and at times it makes sense only to do some home improvements rather than renovations. Clients sometimes decide that after all that investing they would rather stay and enjoy their new renos!

For home improvements I usually recommend at the least changing the hardware. You really need to know what you are doing when you paint cabinets as you will see in the video. Putting in linoleum flooring is a good investment as is painting the kitchen. Replacing the sink and/or faucet can be a necessary improvement. Counter tops are not hugely expensive and there are lots of options out there that look great from home hardware stores.

This kitchen needs some home improvements which to me should include painting the cupboards and changing the hardware. As stagers though we know that many clients run out of time, money and energy. If clients really can’t do the home improvements then at the least clear the clutter and put a nice bowl of appetizing fruit on the counter to add some colour!

Click on this link to watch an absolutely fabulous You Tube video of HOW TO PAINT KITCHEN CABINETS. It is about 5 minutes long but well worth watching if you or your client is contemplating painting the cabinets. Louise Henry of Pair Home Design and a PRES member found this on You Tube and even though she is fantastic at this type of work, she said this video is really, really excellent.

Louise Henry, of Pair Home Design, shares her recent success:

In the living room, the present furniture was out of proportion for the existing space. Louise wanted to update the look to feel more modern while using as much of the client’s furniture as possible. She brought in the small chaise-type seating from the office, used one of the client’s reclining chairs, and added a leather chair of her own. Pair Design also provided an accessory package which used metallic art to bring some of the colder tones together.
The existing ‘frilly’ curtains were removed and by editing much of the furniture, she created space and spaciousness in the condo.

Before - Living Room

After - Living Room

In the bedroom, the colors were far too heavy and quite masculine. The client was open to bringing in some of Louise’s own inventory to create a softer and lighter feeling to the room. Louise moved the dresser to the far wall to create a sense of spaciousness and lighter feeling. She also incorporated some elements of feng shui – adding things in two’s for ‘togetherness’. Pictures were used to pick up some tones from the wall.

Before - Bedroom

After - Bedroom