Happy Friday everyone! I must confess, I meant to publish this post last Friday but I missed my own deadline. I have a good excuse, I was on a girl's trip to Phoenix (more about that to come) and we ended up doing a beautiful day trip to Sedona last Friday. It's a 2 hour drive from Phoenix and I highly recommend visiting if you get the chance, it is a stunning spot. It is so unique and gorgeous it almost doesn't feel real-like it's the backdrop for a movie or the Cars ride at Disneyland!
Notice my double jacket situation - it was pretty cold the day we visited!
No. 1
Home Staging Project
This past week I helped a previous client stage their home for sale. They fell in love with a home, had their offer accepted and had to list their home as quickly as possible. During our initial meeting, we went through each room of their home and came up with a plan for what needed to be done. The bulk of the to-do list was de-cluttering and purging which is the name of the game for any home staging project. The homeowners had a running list of what they needed to do, and I had my list of things I was responsible for. My list consisted of shopping and sourcing, then styling several key areas before the photo shoot. My shopping list consisted of things like throw pillows, some side tables, art pieces and shelf styling items. I was able to find these items plus a few extra gems from Homesense. The listing is now live and you can check it out here. I am sharing a few photos from the listing that showcase the areas that I helped to stage!
No. 2
Digital Prints
The home I was staging had a lovely family photo gallery wall in the living room. One of the staging tricks that I implemented was to swap out personal family photos for some generic prints,. Sourcing tip: look for a set of prints that have already been curated by the seller. In this case I purchased this set of local black and white photography from Etsy. Once my purchase was complete, I downloaded the photos to my laptop using the link provided, then I uploaded the files to a photo lab (I use London Drugs) I printed the photos to fit the existing frames and then re-hung the gallery. I love the way it turned out and the homeowners did to. They said they are excited to display these prints in their new home! We didn't have to patch any holes in the wall or buy new artwork, this was a really quick fix that looked great.
No.3
Doug's Winter Party
I learned of this phenomenon today and found it so touching I had to share. "An 87-year-old man has plans to party at his house until the cops show up on the Saturday after Valentine’s Day, and he invited his neighbors to join". You can read the story here, but essentially Doug decided to host an informal gathering at his house and hand delivered homemade invitations to his neighbors.
One of the neighbors he delivered an invitation to captured their exchange on her Ring doorbell and shared it on instagram. It went viral, and people all over the world took part. Even Michael Buble got in on the fun, if only to promote his whiskey, but still!
Some takeaways from Doug and his winter party:
don't underestimate the power of human connection and in-person gestures -this went viral and peiple hosted their own Doug's Winter Party celebrations across the world!
keep it simple - and 'Simplify" is my 2025 word of the year! I am pretty sure that Doug didn't overthink things - he provided a place to gather, some food and drinks.
No.4
Trip to Scottsdale
Last week I travelled to Scottsdale on a girls trip with 5 other ladies, we are celebrating our milestone 50th birthdays! The house we rented was adorable, with a lovely backyard and pool situation.
The goal was to go on some hikes, eat some yummy food and chill by the pool with our books. Unfortunately the weather didn't totally cooperate so there was a little less pool time than we had hoped.
We visited Old Scottsdale and toured around. We had the most amazing lunch at "The Mission" I could have made a meal out of the tableside guacamole itself! The cocktails were also delicious!
As I mentioned, on the Friday we made a day trip to Sedona, a hiking and mountain biking destination with lots of shops and restaurants. We had lunch at Wildflower, hiked to the Devil's Bridge and back, and had dinner at The Hudson. The hike was stunning, despite the spontaneous hail storm. Both restaurants we visited were amazing-extensive menus with something for everyone! I took so many photos of our hike in Sedona, it was a photographers dream!
No.5
Office Space Reveal on Insta
Late last Fall, I was hired by a Clinical Counsellor to help transform her downtown office space. Before switching career paths and becoming an Interior Stylist, I was an Art Therapist and I worked with women and children at a local shelter. This previous experience as a Therapist myself gave me a unique lens while working on this project. I met with Kira for a consultation and she showed me her branding colors as well as an art piece she had commissioned. Those two things were the jumping off point to creating this Design Plan: With 3 different iterations:
While I was away last week, Kira shared a video tour of her office space on Instagram and talked abbout how much she loved the makeover. I will hopefully be sharing a full reveal of this space soon! You can see the video link on instagram here.
That's a Wrap
Well, I am giving myself a gold star for getting my Friday Five publlished on a Friday. Now I am off to enjoy a hot bath and a cozy movie night with my family! I hope you have a fabulous weekend and thanks so much for reading!
xo, Kerri
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