Shh…don’t tell but my guilty pleasure is watching HGTV’s Design Star. Like its sister show, "Next Food Network Star", the show casts off people until the one left gets their own TV show.
For me, Sunday night Design Star is appointment television. Do you watch it?
Tonight is the finale when they reveal the audience choice on the next HGTV Design star.
Who did you vote for? Was the final person the best choice?
Personally I think many the challenges throughout the series are very tough to execute for the time frames they give. Do you have a favorite challenge?
Do you know one of the reasons why you NEED to stage your house when it is on the market? Because HGTV shows about real estate are very popular.
Potential buyers have been watching TV. They are expecting houses to look great. They are expecting that you have put some time and money into preparing your house to sell. Disappointed buyers don’t buy houses.
One recent article states:
HGTV had its highest prime-time ratings ever in January. Nine of its top 10 series deal with the housing market, including “ House Hunters,” “My First Place,” “Hidden Potential,” “Buy Me” and “Design to Sell.” The network did a special Feb. 29 theme day of “taking the big leap,” or investing in that first house.
“What’s driving interest right now is that people are worried about it — `what’s the value of my home? How can I increase interest in my home?’” said Jim Samples, HGTV president. “And then there’s the `life goes on’ factor. People are still changing jobs, families are still getting bigger. If anything, they tend to nest in this environment.”
If you would like to read more of this article: Real estate cold; real estate TV hot.
The Home Stylist can help you prepare and stage your home. I can help buyers be delighted not disappointed.
There is a new HGTV show that I absolutely LOVE. It is called ‘Find Your Style’.
It is not a surprise-them show nor a push-the-limits-of-good-taste show. you will learn practical interior decorating advice.
Here is an article from the HGTV site that gives you more pointers:
Multiples. Do you have multiple items of the same color, shape, or style around your house? This is one big “tell” I look for as I look through clients’ home. A kilim rug in the front hall, a kilim rug in the bedroom, another one in the living room? That means that you like Kilim rugs! It sounds way too simple to be that easy, but most people stop seeing their style even when it’s right in front of them.
Form over function. Do you work on a desk that is too small, but can’t bear to replace it? Have a couch that is crazy uncomfortable, but it’s still in you living room after all these years? That broken clock that’s still up on the wall? Take a good long look, because this is a dead giveaway to your personal style. There is something you love so much about this piece that you have chosen its form over your need for function.
Where you shop. Do you browse the same store all the time, even when you’re not looking to buy? Does a good flea market make you heart pound with excitement? Where you look for your furnishings speaks volumes about your style. New, used, found, handed down from family; where your furniture comes from represents your style!
Art. What you have chosen to hang on your walls says something about you. Art is purely personal, not tied to function or need and therefore is usually the best indication of your style. A vintage movie poster means you probably like classic lines in furniture, while an abstract lithograph likely means that modern design is your bag. Flea market oil painting of someone else’s relative? Eclectic is your style.
Most recent purchase. A French country dish towel that caught your eye in the store, or an impulse buy of a Tiffany-style lamp that you thought you’d never like, but do. The last thing you bought for your home is a fantastic indicator of what your style is, especially if it is design departure for you.
What unites your stuff? Do you have terra-cottas, rusts and warm yellows all around your house? These are the sun-kissed colors of Mediterranean design, so you should look for rough-hewn wood tables, terra-cotta lamps and vases to polish up your style. Does all your furniture have lean, sharp lines, and you don’t have a single thing on your mantel? Your style is thoroughly modern. Whether it’s color, scale, shape or era, the uniting element in your home is the best place to start when looking for your style.
What’s your favorite hotel? This is my secret weapon in finding a client’s design style! Always stay in cozy country B&Bs? Like the modern city high-rise hotel? Or do you go more for the traditionally furnished places? Hotels have clear design styles, so use them to help you find YOUR style.
Best room in the house. What’s your most fave room in your home? Look to your best design work and repeat it! There is nothing wrong with having all your rooms designed similarly. In fact, it can bring a calm and serene feel to your house.
Be sure to check this show out – even TiVo it!
A New year often brings new goals. What is your goal this year?For a few people this year a goal will be getting your house ready to sell.
If you doubt that thoroughly preparing your home for selling is optional, just take a look at Nielson ratings on HGTV shows.
The top 10 HGTV shows are:
1. House Hunters
2. Design on a Dime
3. My house is worth what?
4. Designed to Sell
5. House Hunters International
6. National Open House
7. Hidden Potential
8. Designer’s Challenge
9. Buy me
10. Divine Design.
With 7 out of 10 shows centered on real estate, the public expects to see your house in its best possible light.
Home staging is no longer an option.What are you watching?
