Decorating to sell

olly300

Apple green fine, black skirting boards NO!

Mrs_Imp

I get put off by blandified neutral houses and laminate flooring. We discounted many houses because of the hassle of having to remove the laminate from the whole of the downstairs.

Your colour scheme sounds nice, even the black skirting sounds like it would work with the room.

Edwardia

Thanks for all the replies !

Wilkinson is doing a 'Wilde' range now, inspired by Oscar I guess and I think it's aimed at teenagers, students and goths ?? Lots of black and white with things like skull paperweights and sticky notes for example. So even if you're thinking OMG now you might find black getting more mainstream later.

As a teenager I voted for my parents to buy a converted watermill just because the bedroom which would be mine had a purple carpet and the kitchen had an Aga so who knows if a Goth teenager turns up.. sold :rotfl: I wouldn't discount a house because it had purple carpet, but it wouldn't sell me on a house now though !

Our house definitely isn't feminine in the sense of frilly anything, no pink whatsoever and my husband manages to restrain my thing for cushions. I like to blend colours in one family rather than contrast (except for my own space) and use natural stuff eg silk, shell, rush, leather, wicker, linen, wood, metal, velvet.

I have to say I think the whole stencil thing is zzz and our vendors were into it all over the place.. angel wings in the bathroom, pirate ship in one bedroom, bay tree in the hall, words on the landing.. I think it will head the way of avocado bathrooms (my parents bought a house with one eww), pine cladding, Welsh dressers, crazy paving and decking..

I have to say I never even looked at photos, I disregarded it and tried to look at things like fireplaces, doors, windows, and just the room sizes.

phoebe1989seb

Edwardia wrote: »

I have to say I never even looked at photos, I disregarded it and tried to look at things like fireplaces, doors, windows, and just the room sizes.

I quite agree Edwardia - we've always found it far better to concentrate on the actual *features* of a house (and overall size too), especially as we're gluttons for anything original/period Unfortunately our current (Georgian) house had much of the character ripped out by the previous owner in the course of attempting to rid it of damp and woodworm etc, although to be fair I think much of it (such as fireplaces, original staircase and some windows) had already been lost by the time he took ownership in 1991 as a succession of unsympathetic owners had gradually stripped it bare.....

We're on a mission to restore it and hopefully - if we ever sell - it will look authentic with a nod to both past and present.......the modern being in the shape of our new kitchen extension

Just took a look at that Wilko's Wilde range as I'm an Oscar fan - I saw the yummy Rupert Everett in The Judas Kiss in March The whole range has quite a Steampunk feel too I guess so covers a few bases, LOL!

lessonlearned

Edwardia wrote: »

I dunno what studenty is really.

" Define Studenty" - I take it you don't have teenagers or kids old enough to be an uni. It's hard to describe but easy to spot. Once seen never forgotten......

Student pads just seem to have a look and feel and yes smell!!!. Last night's curry tends to feature quite heavily;).

They often feel damp and smell musty because students tend not use the heating much, the windows are rarely opened, often the curtains and blinds remain closed all day. They will be dusty, untidy and very cluttered because there is usually no storage for all their stuff. Bikes in the lounge, sports equipment everywhere, posters. books, clothes, cheap broken mismatched furniture. You get the idea.

My eldest son is "relatively" tidy and after 10 years of student houses and house shares he's had enough and is desperate for his own place.

Anyway Edwardia - you ideas sound great. Like the bathroom plans.

I think you are wise to add some gentle colour. Like a lot of people I am sick to death of "beige blandness". I've always referred to magnolia as "builder's beige".

You can use pastels without resorting to magnolia!!!!. And if used carefully I love to see a splash of vibrant colour.

As you might be aware I am currently living in a rental whilst I house hunt. It's a nice enough house, nice big windows and sunny rooms, but it has contract mink coloured carpeting and magnolia throughout. Yes it's a blank canvas and un-offensive but it is boring.

I have put up loads of artwork, throws cushions plants etc but I do find that on dark days the magnolia makes the rooms look dark. A creamy warm white would look much better.

I think most of the posters on here are perfectly capable of looking past superficial decoration and will examine a property more closely ie room sizes and layouts, quality of fixtures and fittings.

However, as I think most of us on here are aware, a lot of viewers cannot visualise how a house could look and cannot "see" themselves in the property.

This is where careful decorating and a bit of staging really does help. We just have to spell it out for some viewers.:D

Edwardia - I think you will do just fine. Good luck and keep us posted.

Edwardia

phoebe1989seb ooh lurve Georgian houses they're just so elegant ! Have you heard of LASSCO it's upscale house scrap recycling really

lessonlearned er no I've never lived student-style even when I was a student but on the other hand I'm very familiar with almost live-in builders, I've got my own hard hat, paintbrushes and detail sander too

I know just what you mean about contract magnolia having lived in rented houses with OH. I think maybe it's a good thing in a way because it made me long for something bolder. I've used F&B 'Hay' 'Dorset Cream' 'Straw', 'Rectory Red' and 'Lichen' before now and really love F&B. The colours seem really clear, regardless of shade. I think some paints can look sort of murky if that makes sense.

Getting quite excited abt bathroom.. I'm a sad case.. the marble looks lovely.

Callie22

phoebe1989seb wrote: »

One thing I totally loathe is those *word signs* - 'love', 'bathe', 'relax' etc dotted about everywhere, although curiously long before these became popular I hand-painted a Latin inscription in an old hallway

God, I absolutely hate those. Really, if you're that much of an idiot that you need to be told to 'wash' in the bathroom, 'sleep' in the bedroom and 'eat' in the kitchen then you really shouldn't be let out alone.

Edwardia

I guess at some point someone thought they were ironic ? I was looking for light pulls and saw one today which had Light on it in fancy script <rolls eyes>

OH is doing fairly well on the bathroom, all the wood is stripped, the old radiator has gone and OH took the opportunity to remove a load of old copper central heating pipes from the landing too. Was worth doing as he got £37 for them at scrappies which very nearly paid for the new chrome towel radiator which was 33% off at Screwfix

I have been nosing around online and I've cracked the bathroom fittings (chrome from John Lewis), the loo brush holder (slate actually), the floor (marble), the paint (lavender and grey), and possible re-use of my Bourgeat champagne polished aluminum ice bucket as bathroom waste bin..

The loo brush holder was bothering me.. I really hate them but OH feels they are a necessary evil.. they were all either naff chrome or plastic but chrome and slate I think will be OK.

lessonlearned

Bathroom sounds lovely....love the idea of the champagne bucket as waste bin. With you on the toilet brush holder, horrible things. I tend to tuck mine away as far as possible behind the loo pedestal ifysim and then I have a nice fern plant on the floor to hide said offensive holder. (Ferns love bathrooms - they like the steam).

Don't know what kind of accessories you like but I have collected old crystal decanters and bowls. I put my bath oils and gels, cotton wool balls in them.

Real crystal looks gorgeous if you place it somewhere where the sun can shine "through" it - it sends rainbows of colour through the room - sort of stained glass reflection effect.

Good point about the scrappies, both buying and selling.

I am so looking forward to "our" new house. Technically it will be DS1's although DS2 and I going are going to live there too for a while whilst we continue our own house-hunting. (Help DS1 with living costs for a while and also means I save on rent). Win-win:rotfl:

It will be like the Waltons......

DS1 and I are going to have a serious declutter and do some car boot sales over the summer - this will all go into the "Paint Pot" - the decorating materials fund.

Looking forward to cracking open the F&B and scouring the junk shops for furniture to upcycle, although I do have er hem a "few":rotfl::rotfl: bits lurking in the garage just waiting for their revamp. Not decided colour schemes yet.

I can't wait to get started.....

katepnlo

I think you should share pics All sounds good. Would need to see teh black skirting though...that is the only thing that would concern me. The idea of prep-ping and painting those would not be great..
But then I bought a pit of a house (disgustingly dirty and wrecked) as soon as I walked in I knew what it could be and fell in love.
35k later and it is becoming stunning! all problems fixed and it is looking beautiful. 2 bathrooms are being done at the mo, then it is only outside space/gutters etc and a garage that's left to go.

Some people see the tiniest bit of work as a deterrent though. You will never please everyone
I love character, restored or decorated with a modern twist.

Just never go bland sometimes people will want to redecorate what ever you have done to it. As long as the decorating has been done properly that is all that would mater to me