Love Where You Live: Natural Elements
Posted March 3, 2018 in Real Estate Trends
As a Realtor and Home Stager, I help clients prepare their homes for sale. Often, after we get the place all spruced up, the seller steps back and realizes, “This place looks great! I should have done this years ago!” So why not do those things now? We can all use a little “home refresh” every now and then to help us love where we live.
As spring approaches, let’s talk about ways to bring the outdoors in. I am a big fan of Midcentury Modern architecture, and one of the key principles of MCM is incorporating outdoor elements into the interior design. You don’t have to live in a 1964 ranch home to appreciate the calming effect of bringing in some soothing natural elements.
Fresh flowers: Gussy up a $10 grocery store bouquet by adding in items from your own backyard: greenery, fern leaves, plant trimmings and even sticks can turn your grocery bouquet into a work of art. One $10 bouquet can produce two or three lovely fresh flower arrangements when you add in your own elements.
Houseplants and succulents: I have had pretty bad luck keeping houseplants alive. But I have found success recently with succulents in my kitchen window. And a $19 corn plant from Ikea that apparently can survive anything. Succulents are super trendy right now, so you’ll not only be adding a natural element to your décor, you’ll be showing how hip you are.
Rock and stone: A handful of smooth stones in your bathroom sink gives you an instant spa effect. And if you’re doing any countertop replacement, consider quartz. It’s durable, beautiful, adds a nice natural element and is great for resale value.
Enjoy the view: Fussy window treatments are out. Go for a clean, modern look that obstructs as little of the window as possible. If you don’t have a nice view? Create one by dealing with that problem from the outside. Put up a trellis, screen or divider and grow a climbing vine or use hanging baskets. It will be something lovely to look at from the inside and improve your curb appeal as well.
Want to see photo examples of these ideas? Visit Facebook.com/LoveHomeWithShana and check out the Natural Elements photo album. And stay tuned for my next article in this series on April 1st.
Shana O’Brien
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices NW
Realtor & Home Stager, WA and OR licensed • Author • LiveInVancouverUSA.com
360-904-8497