It's Official! We're on the Market!

So for those of you who follow me on social media (Facebook), I know I teased about sharing the staging process I went through to prepare my own home for sale. Well, today is officially the day our house of 12+ years goes on the market!

First, let me start off by saying that staging your own home (as a professional or not) is an emotional process. I have always understood this when working with clients, and this time I experienced it first-hand.

The entire practice of staging is based on the premise that if you de-personalize your home it will look like a universally appealing product. This is true. But unfortunately, the act of taking everything personal out of your home, is kind of sad in a way. Don't get me wrong, I want to move. We have wanted to move for some time but it was still bittersweet taking my first home apart. Packing up the wedding picture, covering up the shrine to my beautiful babies, and hiding the weapons (just kidding). But don't worry, I'll spare you the details on the crying stints and bottles of wine that got me through the process....lol. It just entailed lots of packing, de-cluttering and throwing things away!!

 

Somee cards

Secondly, let me also state that sharing my home for all to see leaves me in a very vulnerable position. As an Interior Designer, the second comment I always hear is "Your house must look amazing!" (by the way, the first is "I wish you could come to my house"...and by the way...I can...its my job!).

Not to say that I'm not "House Proud" as Nate Berkus used to call it- I am. It's just that when you have a son who loves Legos, a daughter who loves crafting and hoarding, a dog and a husband with very large shoes, my dream home will always be a bit of a dream. Plus, we have contemplated moving for years so we never took on the larger renovations as we would have if this was our "forever home". So we did our best to make our dream "real" home. The home that hosts many kids, lots of toys, two business an active family and lots of love. That's what I'm going to share with you.

Without further ado, I'll share the photos...the process will be a different post later in the week!

Someecards

Introducing Our Home:

Front

Exterior

 

Living Room

 Open Floor Plan

Dining Room

First Floor View

Kitchen

Master Bedroom

Master Bedroom

 Den View #1

Den View #2

Den View #3

 

Office

 Deck

Backyard

I'll share the kids' rooms in the next post where I detail the process! 

I just want to take a moment to thank the people who made this all possible. My husband for not getting in my "creative" way and totally supporting my insanity through the process. 

I'd like to thank my Real Estate Agent and amazing brother-in-law Matthew Palumbo for also supporting my insanity and helping us through this very long process of both finding a new home and selling the old. He's not only amazing at what he does but he's an amazing BIL, too!

I'd also like to thank my wonderfully talented photographer, Kristen DeCola for bring my home to life! Looking forward to having her photograph many other projects!

Ok, they're playing the music...gotta get off the stage...but there are so many other people I'd like to thank!! You know who you are:)

For more information on this home, please contact:

 Matthew Palumbo, 

Associate Broker

Weichert Realtors

 Phone: 845-896-7042.

A new furniture baby is born: Birch Lane

Have you ever known an uber-cool couple who each have their own vibe, their own style and they are power-houses in their own rights....and then you find out they are having a baby and you're like.....what?? How cool is that kid going to be?

"Carlos" from The Hangover via Daily Mail UK

Well, that's what happened when I heard that furniture giants Wayfair and Christiane Lemieux, founder of DwellStudio (and now creative director of Wayfair) birthed their very own furniture baby in just six months! If you haven't gotten the catalog yet...you should get yourself on that mailing list! It is Birch Lane!

Here are my 7 designer must-haves from this new favorite go-to of mine....starting with a chair I put in one of my client's homes!

#1- Stratton Arm Chair Blue Paisley $349...I know....seriously.... it is just as beautiful in person, too!!

#2  Colton Framed Prints (set of 2).....$129.....I know....you must need your glasses...this style at these prices...must be a misprint.....and I am a lover of architectural prints....

#3- Hexa Wall Mirror- $299 gorgeous any way you hang it!

 

#4 Vanessa Table Lamp- $129 on sale! Remember all that mercury glass we were seeing at NY Now...here is another way to do it...a lamp!

 

#5 Madison Mirrored Chest- $599- now mirrored furniture has been around for some time (and I've loved every second of it!) but what is unique about this piece is that the top and sides are done in a beautiful hand-painted silver gray so you can put it in your entryway and still throw your keys down with some attitude! You can use this piece anywhere- in a bedroom, entry, hall, living room- it's a piece you'll never tire of!

#6 Terryton Wall Clock- $199- I am just a sucker for a square! I think this clock would look really cool mixed in with a photo collage on a grand wall. The square would balance out other round or rectangular frames and the details are so simple and classic!

 

#7- Barton End-of-Bed Bench $699. I love the band of nail head trim detailing the edge and I especially love how the seat part is separated from the sides...adds to the beauty and style. And while it is called the "End-of-the-Bed" bench, it can go in an entryway, hall, living room, kids room, den...unlimited possibilities!

Next time your trolling the internet for some new pieces for your home to zhush up a space- add Birch Lane to your list of sites to check....and, no, this post was not sponsored by anyone...it's just little ol' me with a big opinion! Let me know if you've ordered anything from Birch Lane- I've only ordered one item so far but loved it!!

Also, don't forget to enter my giveaway for a free copy of HGTV Magazine the September issue... I know it isn't an expensive giveaway but free is free, right?
To enter just follow me on Twitter here or Facebook here or subscribe to the blog. Then leave a comment on this post telling me what you did to enter. The winner will be selected randomly. You have until 9/10 to enter.

NY Now Re-cap Part 1..Plus a giveaway!

So it took a week (or two) but I'm finally back at my computer to do some re-caps of NY Now: the Market for Home + Lifestyle. It was a great market filled with amazing vendors and products- in fact there is just too much to highlight in one post so I am going to share some of my favorite finds over the course of the week(s)!

 

Javits Center NYC

Since I arrived in the city a little early, I decided to walk across town to the Javits Center. I cut right through the Fashion District, where I spent a lot of time while studying at FIT, so it was nice to wander around those streets for a little while. There is such great energy there- you can feel the creative juices flowing all around...and you just never know what you're going to see there!

 And you thought you would only see this in the 80's...but in NYC nothing is a surprise!

One of my first stops at the Javits was to the Go Home Ltd. booth. I just love this company- they have such unique products. I feel like their style is a great blend of rustic, industrial and sophisticated all rolled into one!

Go Home Ltd. Display at NY Now

 Thank you Go Home Ltd. for this Mercury Glass deliciousness!

What can I say....Gorgeous Go Home Ltd!

My second must-see was the Dash & Albert booth. I just can't get enough of these rugs and have used them on so many projects. Their colors are spot-on...their patterns are current yet classic and the quality and workmanship is just amazing. In fact, they  have some rugs that can be hosed down and bleached! These are great for my clients with homes filled with kids and dogs.

Sorry, I didn't get great shots of the rugs  (visit their site for that www.dashandalbert.com) ...but I did snag a shot of this new product (can you tell they are a dog-friendly company?) called the WAMP. Its an amazing ramp for doggies! Must get one for Fergie so she doesn't hurt her knee getting on and off our high bed!

Now this I wouldn't mind next to my bed!

Then off to Two's Company. The Two's Company booth is like the mecca for accessories. Their booth was so unique- it just seemed to draw a crowd...plus they were giving away free tote bags and everybody loves freebies:) Their product and displays were stunning.

Two's Company

Do I spy more mercury glass? And look at the back wall- that is so achievable on any budget! You don't have to spend tons of money on a large mirror- buy less expensive small ones and group them together. Love.

Brilliant.

Next week I'll share some of my great vendor finds from NY Now- companies that I just discovered for the first time. And there were lots of them!

After NY Now, I walked over the the HGTV Magazine's Blogger's Block Party. This was an all-day event dedicated to blogging, tweeting and crafting. There were some great crafting projects going on, and some amazing refreshments, too! Thank you HGTV for always supporting us bloggers when we are out in the trenches!

Loved their display of front doors...for those of you who read HGTV Mag you know that they feature a front door every month in the magazine- unique colors, numbers, styles, etc...one of my favorite regulars because it shows how creative you can be in the details of your home! (For those of you who don't read HGTV Magazine, I'm done speaking with you until you get yourself a subscription! And HGTV is not sponsoring this post...just love the mag:)

While there were presentations going on all day, I was there for the Kitchen Art DIY presentation. Sara Peterson (my BFF in my head...you know when you feel like you know someone- but you don't- and you feel like you could be BFFs if only you did know each other..well, Sara Peterson, the Editor-in-Chief at HGTV Magazine is one of those BFFs in my head.)

Anyway, Sara, along with one of her fabulous craft editors, demonstrated three different DIY projects to create your own kitchen art. Here is a picture of my favorite art created at the event but you can find all the deets in the September issue of HGTV Magazine. Can you believe this is just an Ikea frame, some wooden spoons painted with craft paint and some linen fabric glued to the mat! GENIOUS!! Love this one! But be sure to go to the September issue-its all about kitchens!

Blurry iPhone photo of my girl, Sara Peterson showing off some DIY kitchen art!

There is another great piece they demonstrated using a blank canvas, some paper napkins and stencils on their site. Very cool stuff!

You can check out step-by-step at HGTV Mag.

If you've made it all the way here to the end...I commend you. I think you should get a prize or something. Maybe I'll give away a copy of the September issue of HGTV magazine! To enter just follow me on Twitter here or Facebook here or subscribe to the blog. Then leave a comment on this post telling me what you did to enter. The winner will be selected randomly. You have until 9/10 to enter. I believe this is the longest post I've ever written....thanks for staying with me...more to come on NY Now once I've recovered from writing this monster post!