How to pick a Color Palette for your House

After looking at ways to work through paint-color procrastination and how to find color inspiration all around you, we are ready to tackle the last, and possibly most challenging, part of our color series: the whole-house paint palette.

If picking one paint color is tricky, how on earth do you find colors for an entire house? How can you know they will go together? Where do you even begin? Join us as we navigate the process of selecting colors for a whole house, and gather inspiration (and maybe a little courage) to tackle your own walls.

Note which rooms are visible to one another. Walk through your house and note which spaces you can see from each room. Use a floor plan (a rough sketch is fine) to keep track.

Adjoining rooms are part of this, but you may be able to see quite a bit farther — down a hall and into the kitchen, for instance. These notes will form the basis of your whole-house color plan, so keep them close at hand.

Start by picking a color for the biggest, most centrally located room.This will most likely be your living room or kitchen, and it’s a great place to start working on your whole-house palette.

If picking colors has been stressing you out, choosing a soft, neutral hue for the main room will make picking the other colors easier. And you really can’t go wrong with white.

Or start with the room you want to paint the boldest color. If you love color and have a certain hue in mind for a specific room, you can start there instead. Looking out from the bold-hued room, choose a softer, more subdued color for the next rooms. You can, of course, put bold colors next to eachothebut that does carry more risk — painter, beware!

Build your palette with shades of the same hue. Once you have a paint color picked for your first room, one simple way to move on is to choose shades of the same hue for adjacent rooms or walls. You can choose a hue from a nearby paint chip, pick the next color up or down on the same paint chip, or even have the same color mixed at the paint store with white added to make a lighter version.

The beauty of this method is that, while it will give your home interest and depth, you also can rest assured that the colors will go well together.

Have a strategy when picking colors for an open space. When much of the house is visible at once, as in the open plan space shown here, picking colors that work together is especially important. Using shades or tints (shades are darker; tints are lighter) of the same hue can work well in this type of space.

Another approach is to use an environment as inspiration for the whole space — we touched on this concept in part two of this series, using the beach as an example. The colors that go well together in nature will also work as paint colors.

Work on upstairs and downstairs spaces separately. If there is a true separation between floors, you can easily create a different mood in the upstairs versus downstairs, rooted in the colors you choose. Plus, focusing on one floor at a time can help keep the task feeling more manageable.

Consider keeping connecting spaces neutral. White, beige, greige and the like are fairly foolproof choices for halls and landings, and they give the eye a place to rest between areas of more saturated color.On the other hand, if you have decided to stick with white or soft neutrals in your rooms, the halls and landings can be a great place to experiment with a richer hue. It doesn’t need to be a big departure from the other colors you are using — just a shade or two darker is enough to make an impact.

By forbes.com
Information courtesy of Habitat Real Estate Group 

Habitat Real Estate Group - Priority Realty Partners
3 SW 129 Street Suite 20 0Pembroke Pines, Florida  (305) 798-7620  lorenatello@habitatreg.com

Modern Kitchen Islands

 

Sleek surfaces, dramatic contrasts and bursts of color make modern kitchen islands both fashion-forward and fun.

 

 

 

 

 

Sleek surfaces, clean-lined cabinets, brushed-metal (or hidden) drawer pulls—these are some of the tell-tale signs of a modern kitchen island. But don't let these contemporary design elements limit your imagination.

One of the easiest ways to add modern flair to the kitchen island: choose a signature color (think tangerine orange or lipstick red) to distinguish the space.

Whether or not that color is repeated in another kitchen design element is up to you—there's no rule that says an island's counter (or color) needs to match its counterparts on the perimeter of the kitchen.

Employing a monochromatic palette, such as a white-on-white, all-black or warm wood, is another way to add contemporary character to the kitchen island. If a monochromatic style feels too dramatic for your space, there are plenty of high-contrast ways to incorporate modern touches. Think polished wood or stainless steel used as an accent on the base of the island or in place of trim.

By HGTV.com
Information courtesy of Habitat Real Estate Group

 

Habitat Real Estate Group
3 SW 129 Street Suite 200
Pembroke Pines, Florida
(305) 798-7620
tellolorena2@gmail.com

10 Interior Design Trends That Turn Off Home Buyers

                            

You want your home to look its best, and maybe you’ve been inspired by the interior design trends you’ve seen in magazines, on TV or on design websites.
But following some of the hottest home remodeling and interior design trends can backfire when it comes time to sell your home.
Buyers want to picture themselves in a home, and highly individualistic touches can get in the way of that.
When you’re ready to sell your home, it’s best to put things in pristine, move-in condition and remove all of the individual touches that made your house a home.
After all, your goal is to get potential buyers to picture themselves in the home—and they won’t be able to do that if your decorating style still dominates.
Check out the caveats that go along with these home interior design trends.

1. Boldly Painted Walls

Decorators often tout black or another bold paint color as the perfect backdrop to metallic accessories or appliances in modern home design.
The reality is that people prefer the exterior and interior walls of a home to be neutral. Even though repainting is cheap and relatively easy to do, it’s still a pain and buyers might not want to bother.
When decorating, your best bet is to stick to an appeasing hue for the walls and use accessories to provide pops of color.

2. Wallpaper

Bold, graphic patterns increasingly are being incorporated into interior design, often in the form of wallpaper.
But wallpaper—even if it’s only on one wall—is an extremely personal choice and time-consuming to remove if it doesn’t appeal to the buyer
Consider replacing wallpaper with a neutral paint for broader appeal.

3. Lavish Light Fixtures

While potential buyers want rooms that seem airy and bright, beware of installing a showpiece light fixture that is too modern or ornate.

Fixtures should enhance your home—not steal the spotlight.

4. Gleaming Gold

Designers may be mixing silver and gold to give homes star quality, but it might be wise to change out fixtures if they have the wrong metallic sheen.
Gold can give a home an outdated, ’80s feel. Switching out the faucet and door handles with a more appealing finish—such as brushed nickel—is relatively inexpensive and can help make your home appear sleek rather than out of style.

5. Converted Garages

People want a covered parking space so that they have a safe place for their car—especially in areas where street parking is at a premium. Additionally, people often use their garage as storage space.
If you convert your garage into a space tailored your specific needs, such as a music practice room, it may not suit your potential buyers.

6. Converted Bedrooms

Like with the garage, people want rooms built for their original purpose.
If you’ve converted an unused bedroom to an office, walk-in closet, or a game room, make sure you can easily convert it back to a bedroom when you’re ready to sell.

7. Carpets

While designers love to play with the texture of shag carpeting as it feels soft underfoot, the majority of home buyers prefer hardwood floors.
People assume carpets trap dirt, germs and odors, and they don’t want to go through the hassle of steam cleaning their home before they can move in. Potential buyers also don’t want to spend time removing carpet to expose hardwood floors.
If someone really loves carpet, it’s much easier for them to add it themselves—after the purchase.

8. Too-Lush Landscaping

The “outdoor living room” is all the rage, and you may be tempted to build out your backyard into a lavish wilderness of flowers.
But potential buyers may be hesitant to buy a home with an overly landscaped property requiring a lot of maintenance.
Focus on creating or maintaining a nice and neat outdoor space that people can enjoy without too much fuss.

9. Pools and Hot Tubs

A pool may seem like a luxurious feature, but it can be a big turnoff for buyers.
Pools are perceived to be expensive to maintain and potential safety hazards, especially for families with children. Above-ground pools are eyesores and can leave a dead spot in the backyard.
These sentiments extend to hot tubs, too. Many people see hot tubs as breeding grounds for bacteria, and they are not a feature easily removed from the deck or back yard.

10. Fancy (or Not) Pet Products

Sales of pet products are expected to increase nearly $3 billion from last year, and there’s an increasing market for luxury pet items.
But even animal lovers don’t want to see another family’s pet paraphernalia in a potential home. Even if your home is immaculate, the presence of pet-related items will give the impression that it’s dirty.
Be sure to remove all traces of your pet—including toys, food dishes and photos—before listing your home for sale.


By Realtor.com
Information courtesy of Habitat Real Estate Group

 

Habitat Real Estate Group
3 SW 129 Street Suite 200
Pembroke Pines, Florida
(305) 798-7620
tellolorena2@gmail.com

The 5 Best Things to Buy in August

Ah, August. This hectic month is jam-packed with back-to-school obligations and last-minute barbecue invitations. But did you know it’s also a great time to save some cash?

Sure, school supplies are on sale this month, but August is full of awesome deals for the home, too!

Here are five things you can buy on the cheap this month:

1. Outdoor gear. Stores make it a high priority to get rid of outdoor gear before the temperatures drop, and this includes everything from patio furniture to grills to lawn mowers.Tip: It’s best to wait until the end of August to purchase outdoor furniture. Retailers like Sears and Home Depot will discount patio sets by as much as 90 percent!

2. Storage containers. Stores tend to cater to the new college crowd during August. That means they’ll mark down the value of dorm supplies, especially storage containers and organizers. In the market for some new under-the-bed storage drawers or maybe some space-saving bins for your bathroom? Now is the time to buy.

3. Linens. If you’re looking to restock your linen closet, August is the best time to do it! Not only are college kids shopping for new bed linens, many shops are also trying to purge their summer sheets to make room for heavier fall and winter gear. You can expect to find linens, duvets, pillows and blankets at a discount price.

4. Kids clothing. If your little one’s jeans have seen one-too-many grass stains this summer, jump on the back-to-school bandwagon! Clothing retailers have widespread sales on kids clothing during August with markdowns as much as 40-70 percent off!

5. Office supplies. They may be under the label of “school supplies,” but don’t be fooled! Grown-ups need pens and pencils, too. If you have a home office (or just need some new envelopes) stock up on these supplies while you can. Tip: Need a new desk for your home office? Computer desks often fall into the “dorm items” category, so they’ll be cheaper this month, too. 

By Brightnest

Information courtesy of Habitat Real Estate Group

 

Habitat Real Estate Group
3 SW 129 Street Suite 200
Pembroke Pines, Florida
(305) 798-7620
tellolorena2@gmail.com