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Cathy Hobbs Blog: Design Recipes (Do-It-Yourself Interior Design Solutions, Approachable Design and Home Staging Techniques) www.design-recipes.com

~ Hi there! On HGTV's Hit Reality TV Show DESIGN STAR, I sewed, painted & sawed my way through some pretty tough challenges, but design doesn't have to be hard! I believe in combining simple, timeless design ingredients to create what I call "Design Recipes". I hope you find this to be a truly awesome resource. www.design-recipes.com contains design tips, articles, podcasts, how-to videos and of course design recipes galore! I invented Design Recipes simply because I love sharing my ideas! For years I collected design magazines, tagged and clipped pages with inspirational images & did nothing! That's because I didn't have the resource information so I could purchase the beautiful furniture I was seeing on the pages of the magazines! With Design Recipes, I SHARE how the room was executed, giving you the basic design tools needed for you to recreate the same look on your own and best of all I give you all of the resource information! Enjoy!

Cathy Hobbs Blog: Design Recipes  (Do-It-Yourself Interior Design Solutions, Approachable Design and Home Staging Techniques) www.design-recipes.com

Monthly Archives: June 2012

Looking for Great Summer Children’s Bedroom Ideas? Celebrity Interior Designer Cathy Hobbs of Design Star Shares Tips With Sheknows.com!

21 Thursday Jun 2012

Posted by cathyhobbs in Affordable Design Ideas, affordable interior design, budget design ideas, kid friendly, kids rooms

≈ Comments Off on Looking for Great Summer Children’s Bedroom Ideas? Celebrity Interior Designer Cathy Hobbs of Design Star Shares Tips With Sheknows.com!

Tags

Cathy Hobbs, child friendly, child room ideas, Design Recipes, design star, hgtv, kid friendly, kid room ideas, kids friendly decorating, nautical themed rooms, sheknows, Sheknows.com, summer

From nautical themes to fun, bright colors, there are so many ideas one can use when it comes to decorating a children’s room this summer. The popular shelter site Sheknows.com recent asked a number of interior designers around the country including me to contribute to an article relating to nautical themes for a child’s bedroom. I personally love nautical themes, although some people may think they are only for a boy’s room, I actually believe they are gender neutral. I also believe that the colors used, red, white and blue are also timeless as well!

Link to article:
http://www.sheknows.com/home-and-gardening/articles/961059/decorating-a-nautical-kids-bedroom

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“Being Creative With Color”: Color Tips From Celebrity Interior Designer Cathy Hobbs

14 Thursday Jun 2012

Posted by cathyhobbs in Affordable Design Ideas, affordable interior design, budget design ideas, Cathy Hobbs, color tips

≈ Comments Off on “Being Creative With Color”: Color Tips From Celebrity Interior Designer Cathy Hobbs

Tags

affordable interior design, budget design, Cathy Hobbs, color ideas, color tips, design star, hgtv, Interior Design

“Being Creative With Color”

It’s no secret that painting is one of the most powerful tools in a designer’s tool box. Simply painting a room is not only a quick and easy refresher but its affordable too. Whether you are looking to add a “pick me up” to a tired space, wanting a change or looking for an affordable design tip, painting tops my list of affordable ways to add color to any space.

As an ASID/NCIDQ certified interior designer, I was trained to understand the various aspects of color and its properties. Whether you choose to use a color “full chroma” or its shade (achieved by adding black) or tint (achieved by adding white), you can make a powerful design statement simply by your use of color.

 

A Lesson in Color

In interior design school, you learn far more about color than the average person would need, but I do believe some of the basic principles of color are of particular interest to design enthusiasts.

The color wheel is a great place to start when looking for either interior design inspiration or guidance as far as using particular colors together.   As a general rule, colors that are adjacent or opposite on the color wheel work best.   Feel free to not only mix and match any of the colors, but don’t forget that you can also use a colors’ shade (achieved by adding black) or tint (achieved by adding white) to create a desired look.

Black and White

Black and white are two of the most popular colors when it comes to clothing apparel and the same holds true for home furnishings.  Black and white are often treated as throw away colors but I believe as a design technique they can simply “make” a space.

I call black and white “foundation” colors because you can pair them with nearly any contrasting accent color and create something truly unique and special.

Black in interior design is almost like “the little black dress” associated with fashion, quick, easy and superbly designed.   I also find black and white to be both elegant colors that add as sense of richness to a space.   In designing, I often pair black and white with gray.

Tone on Tone

Tone on tone is a wonderful way to design a monochromatic color scheme.  Tone on tone involves simply pairing similar or different shades, tones and tints of the same color in order to achieve a harmonious color scheme.  This technique can be done successfully with any color including white! I am sure we have all been amazed by how many different shades of white are on the market!

Accent Walls

When looking to design with color, creating an accent wall is such a wonderful use of color.  Accent walls not only add interest to a space, but is a creative way to add color and paint to a room without it feeling overwhelmed by color.

In making a statement with color, I believe you should use bold, rich colors that allow the room to feel warm and cheery but not overwhelmed. When deciding what color or colors to paint your interior walls, allow yourself to be inspired by the objects you love around you such as nature, fashion, music and your personal influences.  I believe color should be “seen and not heard” meaning it should set the tone of the entire space but it should not be overwhelming or distracting.

Affordable ways to add color

  • Accent walls
  • Toss pillows
  • Area rugs
  • Artwork

When it comes to color, have fun with it, embrace it!  And remember accent walls as well as colors like brown, black and white can often make your strongest design statement.

FOX Business Features Home Staging Tips By Celebrity Interior Designer Cathy Hobbs

14 Thursday Jun 2012

Posted by cathyhobbs in David Tutera, design star, IVANKA TRUMP, kid friendly bathroom

≈ Comments Off on FOX Business Features Home Staging Tips By Celebrity Interior Designer Cathy Hobbs

Three Steps to Staging Your Home to Get it Sold Faster

by Donna Fuscaldo

Published June 13, 2012

| FOXBusiness

As real estate markets claw their way out of the protracted downturn, homeowners are looking for ways to get their properties to sell quickly without slashing the price, and many are turning to staging techniques.

Most homeowners think they have the best decorating and ideal layouts, but experts say staging a home to appeal to a broad spectrum of tastes is important to attract more interested buyers. Staging a home involves decluttering, getting rid of personal decorations like pictures and wall art, and neutralizing the décor.

“Staging presents an enhanced marketing package,” says Cathy Hobbs, owner of Cathy Hobbs Design Recipes. “It’s styling the property so it appeals to the potential buyer.”

In today’s buyers’ market, staging is even more important because buyers typically judge a home within seconds of seeing it. “Most potential buyers make a decision in the first three minutes,” says Hobbs. “When you have a property staged properly, it’s presented well right out of the gate.”

While Hobbs says professional stagers can charge anywhere from $75 to $250 an hour, there are steps every homeowner can take on their own, they just have to keep in mind three main rules: neutralize, depersonalize and declutter.

Neutralize

“Often times paint color and certain furnishing are very specific to your own style,” says Hobbs. “When you know you’re selling your home, you want to neutralize it with traditional and historical colors.”

Homesellers should swap out any bold colors for more calming choices like gray and taupe and eliminate any colorful or busy wallpaper or borders. Replacing old and bright area rugs with clean, more toned down ones can make a space feel more fresh and open.

Sellers should also neutralize the outside of their house: Potential buyers will make a snap judgment about a property before even stepping out on the curb from their car. If a house lacks curb appeal, they might not even check out the inside. Hobbs suggests changing color-specific front doors to a more neutral color, and replace red mulch with black mulch and change outdoor fixtures to ones with a black or dark finish.

Depersonalize

A house swarming of personal items like trophies, vacation and baby pictures, and spoon collections can easily scare off potential buyers.

“When someone comes into the home they need to feel this can be their home,” says Hobbs. “All of those personal items are very distracting to a potential buyer.” When showing a home the ultimate goal should be getting buyers to notice the space–not wedding pictures.

While many people have an emotional attachment to their home and balk at removing their grandchildren’s pictures from the walls, Hobbs recommends approaching the task as a business transaction. “When you put your property on the market it’s no longer your home, It’s essentially a product on the market that is going to be compared to other products on the market.”

Declutter

A potential buyer doesn’t want to walk into a home and see it crammed with furniture, work materials and everyday clutter. They want to see large rooms with just the right amount of furniture and decorations so they can picture their belongings in the space.

However, decluttering doesn’t mean moving excess belongings to the garage. “When people have so much clutter it makes the home look smaller,” says Hobbs. “You want to make sure the potential buyer sees a large and spacious home.”

Read more: http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2012/06/13/three-steps-to-staging-your-home-to-get-it-sold-faster/print#ixzz1xjlZDhDZ

Celebrity Interior Designer Cathy Hobbs Shares Tips On Hosting The Perfect Open House

08 Friday Jun 2012

Posted by cathyhobbs in Affordable Design Ideas, affordable interior design, entertaining ideas, Home Staging, Selling Real Estate

≈ Comments Off on Celebrity Interior Designer Cathy Hobbs Shares Tips On Hosting The Perfect Open House

Tags

Affordable Design, Cathy Hobbs, entertaining ideas, hosting an open house, how to sell your home, selling real estate

Hosting The Perfect Open House

 As an ASID interior designer and host of dozens of my own soirees and events, I am often called upon to create the décor for parties and events.  During this Spring/Summer real estate selling season, one of the most prominent opportunities that comes to mind is the all important “Open House”.  As much of my interior design work is geared toward the real estate industry I wanted to dedicate this column to creative, enticing and affordable ideas for how to “Host The Perfect Open House.”

Creating An Atmosphere

First and foremost, an Open House is an entertaining opportunity and like any other event that one may host in their home, an Open House is an opportunity for the home seller to showcase and make a statement about their own style and taste.

First Impressions

It is important for a home seller at the all important Open House to create a “moment” for a potential buyer the second they walk in the door.  The reality is most buyers make a decision about a property within the first three minutes, whether positive or negative, so it is critical that the first impression is strong.

Design ideas for each room of the home

ENTRY

  • SMALL BOWL OF APPLES—fruit is not only affordable but creates instant color, other ideas include a bowl of artichokes, lemons or limes.
  • TALL VASE WITH STEMS – from a single stem in a tall slim face to a handful of fresh cut flowers, flowers instantly say “welcome” to potential buyers.
  • SHORT FLOWERS IN SMALL PITCHERS OR VASES –flowers don’t have to be in traditional vases, you can also place them in decorative water pitchers or apothecary jars.

 

LIVING ROOM

  • AFFORDABLE TOSS PILLOWS – toss pillows are relatively affordable and the right pattern and or color can really add impact to a space. If you want a budget, craft friendly idea, why not make toss pillows from affordable scarves.

CENTERPIECES/ACCENTS  (centerpieces for coffee and dining tables as well as accents throughout the home)

  • GLASS HURRICANE/CANDLE ON A BIRCH COIN—a simple birch coin can add an instant organic element to your décor and with a simple candle and glass hurricane on top can be an elegant centerpiece for a coffee or dining table.
  • CARVED OUT APPLE WITH A TAPER CANDLE- whether it’s an artichoke or apple, carving out fruits and vegetables and inserting a tall taper candle can add instant appeal.
  • SUCCULENTS IN MOSS AND SAND – tiny succulents are hearty enough to be around for lots of open houses! Pair them with sand, moss or river rocks in a glass jar or vessel and you have a beautiful accent piece.
  • PHOTO COASTERS WITH A PHOTO/THEME OR FLOOR PLAN—imagine how this will appeal to potential buyers! All a home seller needs to do is print their floor plan out on a piece of colored paper and then mount it onto a piece of cork or stiff cardboard in order to create beautiful floor plan coasters.

“Stage your home” for Sale for the Open House

When it comes time to sell your home it is important for home sellers to remember that it is no longer their home, but a product on the market that will be compared to other products.  “Staging” is a proven technique in which a home is “styled” and prepared for sale.  Here are some of Cathy’s tips for how one can “Stage for the Open House”.

Dining rooms – whether setting the table or using table top items, setting the table can go a long way, as does creating interesting vignettes.

    • WINE GLASSES
    • DECORATIVE TRAYS
    • INTERESTING COASTERS
    • CREATIVE CENTERPIECE

Bedrooms

I always say to my clients, if you don’t have attractive, appealing, bedding, purchase some! You don’t have to spend a lot of money, but a bedroom, especially a master bedroom should really look and feel like a sensuous retreat.

Kitchen

  • BOWL OF FRESH LEMONS OR LIMES
  • A CUTTING BOARD WITH A BEAUTIFUL COOKBOOK ON TOP
  • FILL BEAUTIFUL TALL CONTAINERS WITH COLORFUL PASTA

Bathrooms—don’t forget the bathrooms! Many potential buyers still buy property based on their impressions of the kitchen and bathrooms.

  • USE LOTS OF CANDLES (VERY AFFORDABLE)—candles are affordable and create instant glamour!
  • NAPKINS DRESSED WITH A SIMPLE SHELL  –if you choose to “stage” the dining area by setting the table, one idea is to place simple shell on the napkin as an elegant touch
  • USE ELEGANT TOUCHES LIKE FRAGRANT FRESH DECORATIVE SOAP

Remember an Open House is the perfect opportunity to entertain as well as entice potential buyers.

Celebrity Interior Designer Cathy Hobbs of HGTV Design Star To Teach Home Staging Certification Course In Los Angeles! June 22-24th

08 Friday Jun 2012

Posted by cathyhobbs in become a home stager, Cathy Hobbs, CERTIFIED STAGING PROFESSIONAL, Home Staging, home staging class, home staging courses

≈ Comments Off on Celebrity Interior Designer Cathy Hobbs of HGTV Design Star To Teach Home Staging Certification Course In Los Angeles! June 22-24th

Tags

California, Cathy Hobbs, Home Staging, HOME STAGING CERTIFICATE, HOME STAGING CLASS, Home Staging Course, interior design course, la, LOS ANGELES, orange county, Real Estate, real estate broker

It is only fitting that I have been booked to teach the prestigious 3-Day Certified Staging Professionals Course in Los Angeles.  After all, California is perhaps THE biggest market for home staging in the country.  Staging isn’t an option when it comes to selling a home, it is simply a must! While, I teach the 3-Day CSP Certification course across the country, I am especially thrilled to be teaching in Los Angeles, where I also attended college and have so many dear friends.  All of my friends tell me how vibrant the real estate market is in Los Angeles right now..so what better time to re-invent yourself, launch or start a new career as a home stager?!

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