alt="Redecorating Infographic">Instylemodern Infographic

We are excited to now offer a new series of workshops - 'Julea's Stylist Lessons'. Do you love to decorate, just can't get enough of HGTV, and wish you could get a how-to guide to styling your home? Get ready for a home decorating and staging educational series, created specifically to cater to the design passionate homeowner – YOU!


Home Accessory Workshop

If you love to decorate and want the inside scoop on styling your home - Join Interior Stylist Julea Joseph as she addresses accessorizing your home. Let’s kick off the summer season with an informative and fun workshop on creating fresh updates for your home using accessories - Both inside and out. From making a mantle fabulous, dressing your el fresco table, to Julea’s top 10 accessory ‘musts’ for every abode. This workshop will not only inspire, but show you the fundamental rules of good design.


FEE: $25.00. (Light refreshments served).
Date: Wednesday, June 5th 6:30pm-8:30pm.
Location: ‘Mitchell’s Flowers & Events’ 14309 Beacon Ave - Located in the lovely Orland Park Historical District. Shop in their designer studio and receive an event discount. Space is limited. R.S.V.P. 708.448.7500 Julea@Julea.com. To register click on my EVENTS link: 

It’s my business to make homes better. As an interior stylist, I’m the new generation of designer that can seamlessly progress from a home staging professional to interior design consultant (always on a budget.) My job is to celebrate your home and make it beautiful no matter what chapter you may be on in it. From when you 1st move in, to when you sell - I’m there to make your home better.



My business philosophy is to spend it where you need to, and fill in the blanks with chic, yet cheap finds – The perfect mix of Rich with Poor. Like I always say …“If you keep your big mouth shut, they’ll never know…”

So… it’s almost spring.

Whether you are going or staying, the induction of spring seems to be the cue for home makeovers. Just like the longing for a fresh breeze through open windows, homeowners are ready for change. From simple updates like a fresh new paint palette, to the restless rustlings of bigger remodeling projects; this season seems to burst forth home makeover needs like the crocuses popping up in your lawn.

In this series of three articles, I’ll be offering insight on how to go about a home makeover project. The 1st of the series is “Where to Begin,” followed by two other articles “Style & Details Defined” and “Current Trending & Savvy Shopping Sources.” Hopefully, your makeover needs will be more defined, and if not, I’ll be getting a call (708.448.7500.)

Where to Begin?

The 1st step to home makeover projects is to define your room goals, create a plan, and be realistic of a budget. Unlike the makeover shows you watch on TV, unless you had stock options for an Internet IPO, any home project will cost you more than the materials you purchase.

DEFINE YOUR ROOM GOALS. Is it that darn lack luster living room in need of a décor boost and a color correction? Is it your kitschy out-dated kitchen that will never appeal to the 30-somethings that will be the ideal buyer for your home in need of an overhaul? By sketching out your goals, you’ll start defining the steps you’ll needs to complete the makeover.

When I work with my clients, my 1st step in defining your goals is to use adjective packed sentences to describe how you want to define the space. As an example:

“I want my lackluster living room to feel warm and inviting - a cozy place to curl-up on the couch to read a book, or engage in the latest news with my favorite neighbor. Buttery tones, soft, tea-washed fabrics, with simple, yet sophisticated French flea market inspired accents will fill this space.”

Or, “I want to update and redefine my kitschy out-dated kitchen, complete with duck-with-bows wall border into a turn-key ready, for a family of four, with smart, shiny new appliances, envy-evoking, trend forward cabinets and irresistible, yet no-fuss quartz countertops – so that the kitchen appeals to the target buyer of my home.”

CREATE A PLAN. Create a workable outline of all the projects you’ll need to do to complete your makeover. From wallpaper stripping, to accessory shopping, define, outline and calendar your plan. The best and most effective way of succeeding in this plan - is to take a hard look of what you are and are not capable of. Please, just because you once read in a magazine “3 Easy Steps on how you can reface your cabinets in a weekend with Contact® paper,” doesn’t make a saleable worthy kitchen remodel. Consider your time restraints, knowledge and expertise in all project details, and understand that if you really want to get this done in a timely matter, you’ll need to seek professional help in certain areas.

ATTACH A REALISTIC BUDGET. Once your goals have been described, a plan has been defined you can now attach budget estimates to each of the projects. By attaching a budget to each of the projects, you’ll get a realistic view of your financial investment. By far, the most faulted area of any home makeover is not being realistic of the costs to complete it. It is not an educated guess that your new complete furnishing dreams for your living room will cost $399.00 because that’s what the price quoted on the HGTV show. News alert, a side table for your living room is around $399.00 – Just the side table! Be smart, weed through catalogs and jot down home décor pricing, scour over Sunday newspaper flyers and the internet, and get estimates by referred professionals for deeded work.

Once you’ve established your budget projection, completed your goals and plan - you can proceed to “Style & Details Defined” step of your home makeover. This style definition exercise will help you understand the psychology of the home makeover, understand your home and your lifestyle - which will help you choose color, materials and the overall look of the makeover.

Since 1999, interior stylist Julea Joseph has owned Chicago area based interior design and home staging business - Reinventing Space.  Your can see her work on HGTVor in the news giving homeowners expert insight on how to refresh, style and celebrate their space -Whether prepping their home to go on the market, just settling in, or just in need of a change.  Julea also offers her expertise with certification training and mentoring  offerings to Realtors and Home Stagers in the industry. Visit her site, JULEA.com more information oe email her at Julea@Julea.com.

Any flat surface is a great area to seasonally dress. Here are a few tips on making the vignette look fabulous:

• Room's purpose and style - Fancy in the fancy areas, casual in the casual areas.
• Room's function - A large arrangement on a family room cocktail table isn't going to work if you're room's function is TV viewing...
• Scale and Proportion - Whatever the area, make sure that the "stuff" is in scale to the surface or area your putting it.  For example, a large mantle needs large accessories.
• Create highs and lows - Use books, cake stands, easels, hurricanes, apothecary's to create highs and lows in your display.
• Group collections in odd numbers.
• Try to break your symmetry - Don't be matchy matchy. 
• Add something unexpected in the mix - Create a conversation.
• Don't get lazy - Hang what needs to be hung, use a measuring tape when needed, take the extra step...
• Bang for the Buck - One spectacular pieces, with knock-offs around it - makes the knockoffs spectacular too.
• Don't go over board - Too much of a good thing, isn't good...

7:00 am. Before

Sometimes it takes a fresh set of eyes, some creative juices and a bit of expertise to make things come together. My client on Saturday, moved in over a year ago - A sofa here, a tread mill there, a few thing hung, but she struggled with placement and making the home her own. Lovely pieces, family heirlooms (such as the Armoire right,) great accessories, treasured photos, just not in the right spots.

10am. After!

Although her room is long, the space is narrow.  We established three living areas in one space.

1. We swapped the large sofa for a love seat, allowing for a dining area to emerge and banished the treadmill as well.. The buffet was repositioned to it's rightful home from the entry area, creating not only a sense of a dining room - but a perfect platform for collections and a serving area.
2. The TV spot was recreated by a simple tweak in furniture positioning.

Since that room is long and narrow, keeping big pieces on the long plane makes for visual volume in the room. Too, take advantage of extra space such as the bay window to steal a bit of floor space, by sliding that over sized chair into the space.

I try not to tip toe around certain situations, so when I met with a new client last week, with a bad case of color - I had to give it to her straight.


She was so excited, having just moved from the busy city to the blissful 'burbs - Enjoying the wide open spaces and oodles of trees that her new mature folks, golf community boasted. But as I drove the winding roads of the Oak Hills golf community, my mind wandered – “What is delightful for one homeowner is disastrous to another – Beauty is truly in the eyes of the beholder.” After narrowly missing a caravan of golf carts, I pulled up the house. I gathered my thoughts, briefcase and color fan decks and knocked, not knowing what I was walking into…


My business, Interior Styling, my M.O. “Let’s start with what you have and move on from that. “ I’m the clever decorating sleuth that homeowners bring when they need home help – Got a decorating dilemma – Give me a jingle, I’m your gal.

Before...

She called me in because she had a problem – PINK.  Like the last sticky bite of an over spun cotton candy cone, the previous owner had sugar coated the place in pink. Pink tiles on the kitchen floors, pink Formica on the counters, pink walls, pink carpet – I will not tell you what’s in the baths….

After casing the joint, asking pertinent questions and feeling like I had just took a dip in a big bottle of Pepto Bismol, we sat down and got to business.


"Pink can be chic if used in moderation, after all it’s just the tint of red" I said.  She then stated that she needed to keep some of it, can you make it work I've got a budget. I can make pink work, but we need to resolve it a bit...So how does she fix the prior owner's Pink rampage without spending a bundle? With infusing new COLOR of course! From wall color to accents we’ll create a new palette.

And Here's How -

Her furniture was great, nice modern dark sage sofa, two red leather accent chairs, plenty of accent tables and lamps, nice dining room pieces. We repositioned the furniture into a cohesive arrangement, which cleared the path for color options.



Taking cues from her existing stuff, I created a new palette for her. With a flick of my wrist the fan deck unfurled. I chose a warm putty color as her overall hue to give her a harmonious back drop. She just installed some oak flooring, so a touch of herbal greens as secondary colors will fix the fire place mishap, be used as an accent wall color to define and balance the spaces. We'll incorporate pops of red and pink, from the chairs, existing art and use the pink, instead of fighting it – We’ll make it work.



- Main Color: Ben Moore, Abingdon Putty HC-99


- Fireplace Brick Color: Ben Moore, Hampshire Gray HC-101


- Dining Room Accent Wall: Ben Moore, Gloucester Sage HC-100


(The greens will play well with her new oak floors, existing oak trim and cabinet material. Green too is the compliment of red, making for a nice juxtaposition.)





We “shopped” her home and I made suggestions on what to hang where, what she needed to shop retail for and what needed to be repurposed and renewed (i.e. Lamp shades, etc…) She had some great art pieces with thread of reds that will be just the ticket to bringing all the colors together, allowing her to fall in love with her stuff all over again and giving her old stuff a new lease on life.



We chatted about a future reinvention her window treatments, keeping the sheer panels, but replacing the pinch pleat valance (Ugh..)  with some eye lifting cornice boards, furthering her decorating makeover.



She scribed her projects, and I put away my decks.  Is the case complete, nope, but, we’re done with the 1st step, and off to a good start. Once the place is painted, and shopping done, I’ll be back for the rest, so stay tuned…

Reinventing Space is offering a "Summer Entertaining Special."  Is your home party ready? If your spaces are looking a bit hum drum, allow Reinventing Space to sweep on through and make them summer entertaining fabulous in a day. I'll rearrange, accessorize and reposition your spaces to make your home just stunning for your up coming summer soiree. - $350.00

What clients are saying.... "I loved working with you .. you do have a skill like no one I have ever met ... Thank you so much for making my house become a home ... once again, just love it! - Heather, St. Charles

What is it about Model homes that make them so appealing? Is it the freshness of all new; is it the sassy paint colors, the perfectly placed furniture, art and accessories or the beautiful groomed backyard that makes you want to plop right down on that comfy club chair, or light the grill on the patio? Well…. Yes to all the above. A builder hold hosts to an array of skilled professionals to make that Model beautiful. From blue print to drawer pulls that Model home is meticulously planned.

Beyond the nicely placed furniture, Model homes are the current reflection of the home environment needs of the target market of the Builder. They are a turn-key product, designed & packaged for the desires of perfect buyer.

Models homes are lovely because they have the latest and the greatest, are fresh and new and are meticulously detailed. Psychology, more than decorating is applied to makes them look so fabulous. From architecture to floral arrangements, Model homes are planned with “YOU” in mind.

So how can you the Realtor make your next listing as appealing as a Model Home? – Here are 10 ways.

1.) Clean. Those nice angled vacuum lines, gleaming windows, and perfectly manicured lawns in Model homes speak to a potential buyer – You don’t have to do a thing. A Realtor can translate that into - A little elbow grease goes a long way. A super clean home says “turn-key” to the potential buyer. Have every inch of the home, blind slats to porch light glass, super clean and perfectly coiffed. According to a national 2009 survey done by Home Gain (www.homegain.com,) a $100-$200 cleaning investment gives an 872% return!

2.) Fresh & Smells Good. People buy homes on emotion, and your 5 senses are a direct path to your brain. If a home smells and looks “funky,” “doggy,” “smoky,” or if the stove is coated with cooking gone bad – The home is off their list. Just like you would detail your car to sell, invest in clean and spotless carpets, patched, repaired and freshly painted walls and new appliances if the old have seen better days. Be wary to skip this step and take the low road with room refreshers, candles and stove burner covers – Potential buyers are not fooled.

3.) Color. Any advertising executive will tell you color is key to properly packaging a product; and a listed home is just that, a product. Throw away the off-white manta of old school home staging rules – Welcome to the era of HGTV. Using color is a powerful and inexpensive way of making that home stand out from the rest, and with so many decorating TV shows boasting the benefits of color, you better get hip to hues. From 1st Web impressions to curb-appeal, color is a strong emotional tug for the potential buyer. Update yourself on the latest color trends in wall color, appliance, fixtures, etc… and apply it to your target buyer. For home staging, use earthy, calm tones for the bigger areas such as wall color and add pops of saturated colors in the details; such front doors, accessories or annuals.

4.) Make Space. The joy of a Model home is the acres and acres of unused storage space & beautifully organized closets. Reduce, organize, upscale and edit all the home’s spaces when it comes to closets and storage areas. If the home’s price point dictates, upscale the closets with custom organizing options.

5.) Clear a Path. Consider that many people with be walking through the home. Make sure traffic patterns, entrances and exits are well established. Too much furniture, undefined entrances and awkward walkways confuse and discourage buyers from moving about the property. Follow a Model Home’s lead and create a concise walking pattern for potential buyers starting a curbside to back fence.

6.) Lovely Layouts. From the landscape to furniture placement, take a clue from Models homes that continuity and flow make for a good mix. Create curb appeal with nicely maintained landscaping, added annuals and perennials, an inviting stoop and well groomed walk and driveways. Inside, make sure each room depicts what its function is, enhances the highlights of the room (i.e. fireplaces or upgrades,) and allows the buyer to envision themselves in the space.

7.) Set the Mood. Create ambiance and character in the home with well thought out placement of sensory and lifestyle components. Soft music, lighting on dimmers, candles lit, and fresh floral are all great ideas for Broker or Open houses. If you have concern about candles, battery operated candles that even have timers built in are now readily available. Stage the dining room table tastefully, or set the stage in a back yard with a detailed patio retreat. Offering helpful lifestyle hints has always been in the Model Home arsenal and always a huge hit.

8.) K.I.S.S. On the opposite note, don’t over accessorize, go over-board with the lifestyle tips or create “store bought theme” rooms (i.e. Chef-with-a-Hat Kitchen or Anniversary Bathtub area complete with Champagne bottle.)

9.) Appeal to a Target Buyer. Consider "WHO” the ideal buyer is that will be interested in the property, and market the property accordingly. From advertising photos to furniture, consider who will find this appealing and desirable.

10.) Market, Market, Market. Model Homes have great marketing incentives inside and out. From clear address markers, great signs, to small exit giveaways, to survey - market that listing to the fullest.

Martie & Greg were in a tough spot with their Dining Room and Living Room.  With the rest of the house complete, they just couldn't make these two spaces work. 
With a new view on style, it was hard to meld their more contemporary new view (see light fixture,) with the old school (old house,) pieces in the living room. 
They too struggled with choosing a paint color and what to do with those windows.

We 1st picked out a new paint palette using the rest of the completed home as our guide, we choose rich toffees and herbal greens.  We then addressed that living room, and decided to keep the tables but replace the couch and side chair.  The large red recliner moved to the master, as well as the side chair.  She had just purchased a dining room table and 2 black parsons chairs.  We did a search within the home and found a lovely mirror and an additional, more scale suited chair in the master.


The side chair, although wonderful in scale, didn't have wonderful fabric on it.  As we discussed window treatment ideas, Martie excitedly said she had some fabric yardage she bought and just didn't know what to do with.  Ironically, when she pulled it out, stunningly the colors were the same I had chosen for her paint palette. 






With a plan in progression, I suggested she have the chair reinvented, with the floral motif fabric.  To keep the more clean lines of her new style, she should have silver nail heads added to the chair. The other fabric was a stripe, which I then drew a plan for the window treatments, gave her a shopping list for furniture, accessories and additional fabric yardage for window treatments - And here are the results.

Spring is here and like me, I bet you're ready to refresh and revitalize your rooms!  Why not try some new hues?
Why Color? Because it’s the easiest way to infuse excitement into a room. With a simple color change, whether it is wall color, accessories or window treatments, colors makes an impact. Painting a room is the simplest DYI project and can be done in a weekend for around $50.00. A bit of smart shopping, you can get some key accessories for around $150.00.

Here are some expert advice, tips, & ideas on how you can make a change in your space with color -

• Never redo a room with a color theme! Instead, add to your existing color palette a new POP color, or change out your colors for your ENTIRE home. The biggest decorating faux pas you can make is to have your home chopped into mini-color themes.

• Primer is your friend. They even have paints now with the primer mixed in.

• If you’re a bit color-shy, start with an accessory swap or an accent wall – That will get you going.

• If you’re ready to make the leap without professional advice, ask me to order some 8x10” color chips or paint a poster board and live with it in the room for a day or two. See how the light plays, or how room’s color sidles next to the sister space.

• Watch the Sheen – If you have bad walls, stick with flat, eggshell is my favorite for most projects. Try a higher sheen for an accent wall, door or below the chair rail.

• Remember your room’s Personality and Purpose – Blue makes you not eat, so not the best for Kitchens or Dining Rooms. But, Blue is relaxing and restful in Sitting Rooms and Bedrooms.

• Try Something New – Just like your new found love of avocados, you’ll find, a new color has taken your fancy. Give it a shot in a powder room, in accents or in a secondary furniture piece – Like a chair, ottoman or painted wood piece.

• POP Colors are RED, YELLOW, BLUE, GREEN, BLACK, WHITE.

• A Gallon of paint usually covers about 350ft. – So one can is just right for a small room.

We started filming a new show for Channel 4 as a spin-off to The Easy Gourmet - The Easy Decorator.  The 1st Segment will be a series of shows about a newlywed couple and their quest to make their new home their own!

Purchased this summer, Liz and Hector's house has great bones, a wonderful color palette and new furnishings. The problem is putting their stamp on the spaces.
We'll start in the Living Room - Their goal is to make this space a comfortable, inviting room for conversation and entertaining.  The furniture and rug were recently purchased and the tables gifted hand-me-downs. Not much on the accessory home front, with the exception of the footed hurricane vase (on cocktail table.)






The other issue they have is their large picture window spanning one wall of the entire room. In order to make the space inviting, I suggested window treatments in a red silk which will soften the hard ines of the walls, add color and make the space cozy and inviting. Window treatments can be expensive; a real concern for the recently married couple.







Another recent purchase was this lovely entry table, mirror and lamp suite - Both would love that this grouping be an inspiration for their decorating style launching pad. The style is classic, yet the paint technique is eclectic and casual and the lamp has lots of character with its funky shade and accent beading.  They also like the oiled bronze of the metal.












So, let's get started:
Rather than toss the gift tables because they are not quite to their taste, I suggested they get a makeover.  Paint the tables to match the inspirational piece, or just a nice black - A spray can will do it!  Add 4 window hardware finials to the bottom of the legs of the cocktail table to give it some height, and if they can find it -A thift store glass table topper to make it bigger. For the side table, paint and new hardware.

Purchase another side table to be placed on the other side of the sofa. (http://www.homedecorators.com/)

Two Lamps for the Side Tables inspired by the entry table lamp, but making sure the height is in scale to the couch, and the base width too.  Most people have a tendency to buy the wrong height lighting! Look for lamps in the 25" and up range.

Purchase a nice large piece of art for over the sofa (http://www.art.com/,) keeping in mind we've got a BIG window and a long couch.  If you can't find one big piece, a series or 2 or 3 will make up the space.

Just got word that another of my series of interior design work for HGTV's "My First Place will be airing  - HMFP-1209, is scheduled to premiere Tuesday, January 12th at 8:00 pm ET (7:00 pm central).


 
Filmed in Wrigleyville, this fabulous flat's 2nd bedroom had some decorating challenges!  Take an akward 9'x15' space with one big Honkin' window from Manly Minimal to Lady Executive Chic!  Too... Work within a budget shopping from furniture to flowers and style it in 1/2 a day.  Oh yeah, in the parking poor city of Chicago on Saturday!!!  Man I used all those sassy Home Staging skills. It was a BLAST - Tune in to see the results.
 

See what Julea does for an empty space, for new homeowners on My First Place.

Re-Air Times December 8th and December 22nd. 7:00 pm CST! http://www.hgtv.com/my-first-place/picky-and-plugging-away/index.html

The 2nd home in a series of 4 - From furniture selection to finishing touches, see how Julea takes a space from plain and empty to elegant & entertainment ready!

1. USE IT: Most of us over the years have acuminated things, whether bought, inherited, or found, we have stuff. If you take a hard look at your stuff; I guarantee there is treasure galore within your inventory. Can you repaint, upholster, and update it? In another room, would it look better or have better use? Your old stuff is your legacy, it defines who you are, and if it doesn’t, I’ll let you know. As an educated professional, my talent is to be able to identify what can be used or not when it comes to making your spaces beautiful. Although, most would not cast me to appear on “Antiques Road show,” I’m pretty good at knowing what’s worthy, and really good at using it if it fits into the grand plan.
   Whether it’s a couch, painting or lamp, I’ll let you know if it will work, or if it’s an undiscovered treasure that we can use “as is,” or is worthy of a reinvention. I did a staging recently and came upon a signed Leroy Neiman print that the homeowner had picked up at a garage sale. They were going to toss it because the matting was ragged and damaged and the print was falling out of its frame. After a quick look over and a suggested run to a framing store for a re-mat & tune-up - They’ll have a pretty snazzy “real” piece of showcase art!


2. SPEND IT: O.K., even though I’m supposed to be the budget decorator, you just have to sometimes SPEND IT! Love that vintage French one-of-a-kind-kind; will be perfect for my awkwardly sized foyer- Entry Table? – Go get it. It will become the showcase to your home. You’ll love looking at it every day and it will define the style of your place. There has to be expensive in the mix – and there will be a times that spending the big bucks is a worthwhile or part of the grand plan. That stuff may be pricey, but you can fill in the blanks with less expensive or fabulous finds.
   The other piece of SPEND IT has to do with the quality of things. Sometimes you can’t get it for less; sometimes the workmanship upstages the price point. Your inherited Grandma’s dining room set can be broken or made by the SPEND IT choice you make. Pair her set with off-the-rack Target window treatments and rods and her set is reduced to a “tired pass-down.” Pair her set with custom one-of-kind window treatments and the set is upgrade to “antique heirloom.”


3. LOOK FOR LESS: Getting the LOOK FOR LESS is a two- fold feat. The 1st feat is to see if you can find the expensive, SPEND IT item for less (you still have to pay $$$ for it though.) And the 2nd feat is to be to make choices at discount store, and have the eye for inexpensive items that LOOK expensive. Shopping expensive is easy; anyone can walk into the Mart and find fabulous stuff, expensively priced. Finding its identical twin or a knock-off for a fraction of the price takes talent and an eye. Getting that look for less, filling in those blanks makes for that perfect “mix.”

• Say you’ve got a few lovely Sterling silver pieces. Pair those with a few more in silver-plate, and the plate becomes instantly “Sterling” by association… The end result is a beautiful mix…

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