Real Estate Blog - Decorating & Design

Decorating With White

The color white is making a major comeback. 

As more people embrace minimalism and seek naturally-lit spaces, white has become the perfect color to accent design and keep rooms bright all year round. Pinterest and Instagram are dominated by photos featuring a white, luminous aesthetic. In many new homes, white cabinets, countertops and walls reign. If you look through the brand new infill homes for sale we have listed, you will see that home designers are embracing the color  white and using it to craft modern, minimalist, high-end homes. 

While white has become a hot trend in design, using it as not as simple as buying a can of pure eggshell-white paint. All-white everything is not a good idea. Even minimalist spaces need a touch of color and…

948 Views, 0 Comments

Spring Decor Staging

March 20th was the first official day of spring. Crazy, right? Since then we have had a number of snowstorms and cloudy skies, most notably yesterday when it snowed all day long. The good news? The snow was wet and heavy, and the heat of the sunshine today has already begun to melt it. While Mother Nature seems to want to keep winter around, the sun is on our side. Thank goodness!

Regardless of how high our snow piles still are, the beautiful reality is that it is, in fact, spring. Around this time is when our homes transition out of winter. We begin to pack away our snow pants and mittens (with a knock on wood), any remaining Christmas lights get taken down, moody blues and rich reds are replaced with pastels, and we decide to force spring into…

1322 Views, 0 Comments

Turning Your Backyard Into An Oasis

Outdoor living is both limited and limitless in Calgary. It is limited because our summers are so short here and we truly never know when winter will strike. It is limitless because Calgary protects its greenspaces and home-builders have made sure that backyards are bountiful. With the later in mind, we are on a mission to make outdoor living time count.

Backyards can either become an oasis of happiness and peace, or they can quickly become second only to a junkyard. While Calgary has strict bylaws about the condition of properties, many fail to utilize their outdoor space to its fullest potential.  

If you’ve been staring out the kitchen window wondering what on earth to do with your backyard this summer, look no further; we are here to help.

…

1073 Views, 0 Comments

The Psychology Of Smells

A quick drive through any neighbourhood reveals that there is lots on the market right now. If you are one of those people with a sign on your lawn hoping to sell your home, we are here to help you. Although it can be difficult to sell a home in this market, there are lots of little things you can do to give your property an advantage.

One of the things that is most neglected when people stage their homes and prepare to show it to potential buyers is how the home smells. People get so used to the smell of their homes that it never occurs to them to amp it up in preparation for the viewing. But, did you know there is a psychology to smells? That’s right: smells can trigger emotions, memories and leave a lasting impression.

Do you want your home to…

1170 Views, 0 Comments

DIY Indoor Herb Garden

What is the hottest trend for this spring and summer? Do-it-yourself indoor herb gardens. One need not look far on Pinterest or in home decorating magazines to see that the herb garden craze is blowing up this season. Why? Because herb gardens are useful in every single way imaginable.

First off, herb gardens are extremely cheap to make. Later on in this article we will walk you through how to make your own. Herb gardens are extra cost effective because it will prevent you from ever having to purchase herbs from the store. Furthermore, indoor herb gardens make homes look fresh, the liven up bland living spaces and they make the room they are in smell amazing.

There are so many benefits to making your own indoor herb garden! So, here is how you can…

1065 Views, 0 Comments

Productive Work Spaces

There is something euphoric about starting a brand new day timer, rearranging furniture to make space for a new desk and getting to start fresh with fresh supplies. Studies have shown time and time again that purchasing new organizational tools is not only good motivation, but enables people to stay organized for longer. With science backing this up, why wouldn’t you want to give it a try?

Organization is great when done well and horrible when done wrong, which can then lead to even more backsliding and disorganization. So, here are our tips for reorganizing your workspace in a way that will help rather than hinder:

De-Clutter: Do yourself a favour and buy a paper shredder. Now, shred EVERYTHING that you don’t need. This includes old bills, notes to…

1093 Views, 0 Comments

The Perfect Patio

Imagine it is summertime. It’s not hard to, right? The birds are chirping, the sun is out, and Calgary is finally seeing the end of cold, snowy days. Imagine a cold drink in your hand, a bowl of fruit and good book at your side, and those shorts you’ve had buried under jackets and scarves all winter long. You can smell ribs on the barbecue, and George Strait is playing on the radio. Where are you? Outside on the patio! You don’t have a functioning patio? Well, here’s how you can make one.

Step One: Measure the area you want to cover and buy enough supplies to cover the space. We recommend using pegs to map it out beforehand so you get a good idea of how much space it will take up.

Step Two: Your patio should be elevated off the ground, or else the…

925 Views, 0 Comments

De-Cluttering

Many people have tuned in to watch TLC’s “Hoarding: Buried Alive.” We watch the show in complete astonishment at the clutter people live in. We watch the show all high and mighty, as if we have never held onto something a little longer than necessary. What is that saying about shaming the sliver in someones eye when a plank sticks out of your own?

The reality is, it has become nearly impossible to completely reject a life of consumerism when we are socialized to be materialistic beings. All of us have gone through periods where we have had way too much stuff. Whether you should be on “Hoarding: Buried Alive,” or you have subscribed to a life of minimalism, everyone has things that they don’t need. Some of us have things that we don’t even want.

What…

1124 Views, 0 Comments