Archive for July, 2009
Home Staging in Portland Pearl District & South Waterfront Lofts & Condos
Thursday, July 30th, 2009
My favorite jobs are the ones providing home staging in Portland’s Pearl District and South Waterfront Lofts, Condos & Penthouses.
I love these condos and lofts for their floor to ceiling windows and open floor plans. If you saw my post about “Little Boxes on the Hillside”, then you already know that one of the challenges to selling these lofts and condos is making them stand out from their competition.
When you are ready to list your loft or condo in the Pearl District or South Waterfront, look at the other listings already in your building.
- ** Are they vacant or occupied?
- ** Are they re-sales or still new?
- ** How do they compare in amenities? Floor plan? Upgrades to finishes? Their view?
This is your competition. All of the buyers wanting to purchase a loft or condo in the Pearl District or South Waterfront know that there are many to choose from and they are comparing your listing with all the others available. Did you know that over 84% of people looking for homes will look at properties on the internet before they ever call their broker to go look? They have a list of properties they want to see ready before they ever get in their car — or on the MAX — to go look. If you are in a high-rise condo, there are no “FOR SALE” signs outside your place attracting interest, so what is going to get them to come look in the first place? It’s your listing photos. It is essential to professionally stage your condo or loft in the Pearl District and South Waterfront and have professional quality photos taken in order to stand out from all the other condos on the market in your area. In these two sets of before & after photos, which condo would you take the time to go see if you were shopping?
Speak with your broker and find out who is in your “target market”.
- ** Are they younger and single?
- ** First time buyers?
- ** Do they work out of their homes?
- ** Have children?
- ** Older and more established?
- ** Is this likely to be a second vacation home?
Hire a home stager who offers the right look and feel for the Pearl District or South Waterfront. A stager who understands the tastes and needs of your target market will do a better job of tailoring the staging to appeal to potential buyers. They will determine if the condo or loft needs a fresh contemporary look for younger buyers with an office set up for live/work, or a more transitional and upscale look for buyers who are more established. In the photos below:
- ** The first before and after are of a studio condo in the Portland South Park Blocks staged to appeal to young, first time buyers.
- ** The second before and after photos are of a professionally staged, Pearl District penthouse loft appealing to high-end buyers and it fits the upscale, contemporary architecture of the property.
- ** The third set of before & after photos is of a high-end studio loft in Portland’s South Waterfront John Ross Condominiums with home staging geared toward buyers of vacation or second homes.
Finally, hire a professional stager who is familiar with the special rules and regulations for staging work in condos. Parking and elevator use restrictions require knowledge and careful planning.
Pangaea Interior Design specializes in home staging for Portland’s Pearl District, Downtown, Cultural District, South Waterfront and North Waterfront Condos, Lofts and Penthouses. We have the right inventory for everything from starter properties to high end luxury penthouses. For expert help with vacant and occupied properties, call today for your free, no-obligation home staging proposal. 503.816.4394
Tags: Home Staging, Lofts, Pearl District, penthouse, South Waterfront, staging condos, staging lofts, staging luxury homes
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Art & Architecture: Blurring the Line
Wednesday, July 29th, 2009
This is just about the coolest intersection of art & architecture I have ever seen by Urbanscreen. Okay, so this is “exterior design” rather than interior design … but I would love one of these screens for a wall inside the house. I’ve been a fan of video art ever since seeing a Bill Viola installation at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Hope you enjoy this as much as I did. Just click on the words below.
Tags: a dreaming house, architecture, Art, Bill Viola, Urbanscreen
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Sustainable Style: The Feel of Felt
Monday, July 27th, 2009
Felt may be the oldest form of fabric, dating back over 5000 years, but there’s nothing ‘old’ about Mickus Projects’ futuristic take on this sustainable fabric. Their Relief Chair is made from medium density wool felt sheets adhered to each other with non-toxic, water based adhesives and sleeved over an internal steel frame. Part of their Solid/Surface/Series collection, the digitally cut, sleek contours are sculptural, while the wool felt lends tactile and visual warmth.
The Peacock Chair by Cappellini is about as sensual as a chair can be, made from a softly ruffled single sheet of wool felt. I can imagine curling up in this beautiful soft chair. Felt is such a wonderful, tactile fabric, soft against your skin.
And who can resist the classic style of the Bertoia Bird Lounge chair? It is available in Knoll Wool Felt. All KnollStudio seating is GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certified® for low emitting products.
So, there you have three wonderful, eco-friendly options for modern design choices with incomparable style!
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Tags: cappellini, chair, felt, Greenguard, Interior Design, knoll, Knoll Felt, knollstudio, mickus projects, modern design, Pangaea, peacock chair, relief chair, Seating, sustainable materials, sustainable style, upholstery, wool felt
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Mixing the “High” With the “Low”: A Strategy for Maximizing Your Design Dollars
Thursday, July 23rd, 2009
I have yet to meet a client who is not interested in getting the best look they can for their home while keeping an eye on the total budget. So, this month’s design tip is all about maximizing your design dollars by mixing the “high” with the “low”. So, what do I mean by that? Simply this: By including a few well chosen, beautifully designed, high quality pieces in your décor, you will elevate the look of the whole room even though less expensive, “lower end” pieces are also in the room. Here are a few tips on how to do this successfully.
Put your money into the items that receive the most wear and tear. Seating pieces such as your sofa get lots of active, physical use compared to accent tables, so invest in high quality, good looking seating pieces and save on the accent pieces.
Choose higher end pieces for anything you personally touch a lot such as bedding fabrics. Beautiful, good quality fabrics will dress up a simple bed and feel wonderful to you. Excellent quality hardware such as cabinet knobs and drawer pulls feel great in your hands and instantly make the most basic cabinetry appear ‘upscale’.
If you find something that is absolutely beautiful, and you decide to splurge, then keep the other pieces in the room simple to showcase that remarkable item. It might be a great piece of art, or a sumptuous area rug.
If going high-end on larger pieces is not in your budget, you can still use this strategy. Use accessories like “jewelry” to dress up more basic pieces. Throw pillows made from high-end designer fabrics don’t cost much because they are so small and they can make the most basic sofas or chairs look magnificent! Accents of designer tile mixed with less expensive field tiles enrich the entire look in bathrooms and kitchens.
Just a few really good pieces in a room will give the entire room a richer feel while helping you stay on budget.
Tags: accent table, cabinet hardware, Design Dollars, Design Tips, drawer pulls, fabrics, Interior Design, Seating, throw pillows
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Window Treatments & Floor to Ceiling Windows
Thursday, July 23rd, 2009
So, you have floor to ceiling windows and a wonderful view, but unfortunately, so do your neighbors across the street … and they are looking right at YOU! How do you afford yourself some privacy when you need it without giving up your light and your view? Here are a couple of ideas that I absolutely LOVE!!
In this first photo of a bedroom in the Belmont Street Lofts in Portland’s Belmont District, my client wanted some privacy while still being able to enjoy light and the view of those awesome leaves even when he was in bed. Look carefully at the windows. There are roller shades installed at the top of the windows where you would expect to see them … but he also has a roller shade installed on the crossbar above the LOWER window. That way he can pull that one down, but leave the upper ones open while he is lying in bed.
These lovely drapes in the Streetcar Lofts in Portland’s Pearl District are hung on rods fixed on one end that can be swung open or closed without having to pull the drapes back and forth. There is a sheer drape and an opaque silk drape. Both can be gathered together at the center with a fabric holder that snaps, thereby exposing the view softened with the fabric, or the sheer can be left hanging down with just the silk portion gathered, which gives some privacy while admitting light. If both the sheer and silk drapes are down, they have total privacy, or the rods can be swung away from the windows opening up the view entirely. Quite a bit of versatility!
Another type of window treatment I love for contemporary spaces are the sliding window panels. These are high-end Chilewich brand panels. They can be slid independently to close or open as much of your window as you like. Perfect for sliding glass doors!
Below are shades that slide either up or down. These come in varying styles, both translucent and opaque. A set of these combined with opaque drapes would give you all sorts of options to block out whatever portion of your window you like.
So, there are great options for every need. Call me today to find the perfect solution for your windows and glass doors.
Tags: Belmont District, blinds, curtains, Design Tips, drapes, Hawthorne District, Interior Design, Lofts, Pearl District, solar shades, Window Treatments, windows
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Defining Space, Not Dividing Space – Interior Design Tips for Lofts & Open Plan Homes
Wednesday, July 15th, 2009
Lofts, lofts LOFTS! If you know me, you know I love those wonderful urban spaces, with their feeling of spaciousness and unique architectural interest. They have become popular with people who are looking for creative, open, multi purpose spaces. However, they do have their special challenges, and require the ultimate in creative thinking. Although these wide open spaces feel great, and even the smallest lofts feel large due to the lack of walls, they can leave you in a real dilemma with furniture placement. How do you make things feel cozy and warm? How do you give yourself some privacy without blocking light and views and without reducing the feeling of spaciousness you loved in the first place? If your office is in your home, how can you separate work and private life with no walls? Here are a few tips:
Create furniture groupings:
Create groupings of furniture according to activity – living – dining – sleeping – working. Avoid lining everything up along the walls.
Area rugs serve to visually pull together a space so that it feels more like a cohesive “room” whether that is a living area, sleeping area or dining area.They can be mixed or matched as long as they all look good in the same room. Keep the furniture away from the walls if possible, and arrange it in a tight enough group that conversation is comfortable when everyone is seated. The close grouping of furniture gives that feeling of coziness that can be difficult to get in a loft. Consider using swivel chairs so that you can turn one way to enjoy conversation and another to enjoy the view … or the TV … or a fireplace. The grouping of furniture in the photo below is clustered around the coffee table to allow for comfortable conversation. Note that all the furniture is away from the walls so people can walk around the area and enjoy the view.
Select furniture pieces attractive from all sides:
If you choose pieces of furniture that look good from every side, you can “float” them away from the walls to create groupings without having an unattractive side facing you. The good looking back of this sofa still makes a good impression when seen from the kitchen, which is ‘behind’ it. Using free standing open shelving pieces like the one below allows you to separate activity areas without losing the feeling of open space.
Use and Choose Room Dividers Wisely:
Room dividers will allow you to define spaces such as work areas or give privacy for sleeping areas. The best choices still allow light to pass through and are either low enough to see over, or are mobile and can be moved out of the way when desired. This sliding glass wall by Contstructavision uses frosted glass which gives privacy when pulled into place while allowing light to pass through. The cast glass room divider separating the office from the rest of this penthouse loft obscures the view of the office from the entryway and is a beautiful focal point in its own right.
For additional tips on design ideas for lofts or open plan homes check out my other blog posting on:
Soaring Ceilings: What On Earth To Do With Them?!
Tags: Design Tips, furniture arrangement, Interior Design, Lofts, room dividers, Space Planning
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Two Cool Ways to Go Green: Sustainable Options for Outdoor Furniture
Wednesday, July 1st, 2009
Ever searching for cool ways to GO GREEN, I have come across two options for you to relax in style while being sustainable at the same time.
This classic Adirondack style chair is being made in a totally new and sustainable way by Loll. Made from 100% recycled post consumer “high density polyethylene” which is a plastic resin made from recycled items such as milk jugs, margarine tubs, detergent bottles and so on. I am pretty impressed with the sustainable practices of this company. They send 90% of their manufacturing waste to recycling plants. All of the furniture they make is 100% recyclable — not that it’s likely to wear out any time soon, and with these classic styles they won’t ever look out of date. Their line includes many other chair styles, chaises and tables.
While I love the leaf green shown here, they make these in seven gorgeous colors shown in the thumbnails below. It’s made in the USA and also comes as a rocker … now that really ROCKS!!
Even your DOG can have sustainable options with the products from Loll. Look at this great raised dog bowl set made from the same recycled material! Too cool!
This gets a “4-Paws-Up” rating from Shirley and Izzy! They want the Apple Red.
Loll products can be found locally at Design Within Reach and the Adirondack chair is currently on sale as of this writing — July 1, 2009. They can also be ordered directly from Loll on their website at Loll Designs.
If you prefer wood to plastic, it’s tough to beat this combination of reclaimed wood and manufacture within 15 miles of Portland, Oregon. I found a local craftsman making classic Adirondack chairs out of 100% reclaimed wood from industrial construction pallets. If you request it he will seal it with a non-toxic sealer. At $239 for a pair of chairs with a small side table, it is definitely an affordable choice.
His email is jessealvey@yahoo.com. I found him on Craigslist and have not purchased from him myself, so you’ll need to do your own due diligence as with all Craigslist vendors.
Tags: adirondack chairs, green design, Interior Design, Loll, modern design, Outdoor Furniture, Seating, sustainable style
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