Katchart-Tips on how to stage your home



		To see excerpts of KGP's products. click here Scroll For Tips* on: Lighting Closets Flowers For staging, defining, or redefining property *Tips are subject to update/change.
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Ambient Lighting

Accent Lighting

Task Lighting

How it works

Ambient light is the overall light in your room or area. This light can be direct or indirect sunlight from a door window or skylight. It also includes overhead lighting.

Accent lighting is warm, soft lighting that sets the mood for the room. It can also be dramatic when lighting pictures and decorative art.

Task lighting assists the performance of daily activities. They are specific to a location, often brighter than ambient light and provide an extra layer of light to the room or area.

Styles

Pendant lights hang from the ceiling and cast light downward. They come in many shapes and decorative styles.
Recessed lights, also called can lights, are mounted flush to the ceiling and cast light downward.
Suspended lights, or uplights, are mounted to the ceiling. These cast light upward.
Torchieres, resembling floor lamps, cast soft light upwards.

Candles provide soft light that warms a room or area.
Chandeliers hang from the ceiling, are decorative and often dimmers to adjust the level of light.
Picture lights are small, low wattage lights mounted above a picture or piece of art to draw attention to the piece or picture.
Track lighting is mounted to the ceiling or high wall and can be directed to most any object.

Floor lamps cast upward or downward to light a specific activity.
Sconces are often mounted beside beds and behind sofas for a well-lit reading area.
Table lamps and Swing-arm lamps come in a variety of styles and sizes. They are available with 3-way bulb capacity.

Usage

All rooms

Living/Family room, Dining room, Master bedroom

Kitchen, Office and Studies, Bedrooms, Family room

Lighting
For Staging

1. It might be mood lighting to you, but if you're trying to sell your property, keep it bright! Dimly lit rooms tend to look small and dingy - especially during the day.

2. However, a room can be too bright to the point of glaring. In this case, dim it somewhat but keep it bright.

3. Remember, clean windows let in more light and look newer. Hire a service if you have to - it's worth the investment.

4. If you have a particularly dark room, consider investing in a floor lamp that will bounce light off the ceiling.

5. If your walls are so dark that they are absorbing all the light, consider repainting. You can even buy a small can of a lighter shade of your wall color, mix it with glaze and rub it onto the wall. It will reflect light and give the room a more open feeling. This approach saves much of the preparation and clean up involved in repainting.

Lighting

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Presentation

	How To Stage Your Closets

1. Pick one closet or area at a time so the task isn't as overwhelming. Look at every item with a very critical eye and ask yourself why you're keeping it. 2. If you’re not a garage sale person, forget about hanging onto items for a garage sale. Pick your favorite charity and donate it. You paid for these things long ago, why not just give them away to others who REALLY need them? 3. You'll probably have to go through the same closets a number of times to really get them down to the "essentials". If rooms and closets still look cramped, rent a storage space. 4 Now that you are preparing for a move, this is the time to start packing, labeling and storing all of the excess that you don’t need anymore that is cluttering up the house. You might find it necessary to keep some of these important things boxed but where you can access it easily. It is very Important to secure all weapons and valuables. 5. Remove out-of-season clothing, boots, coats, comforters, blankets, pillows, extra sheets., books, nick-knacks, large pots and pans, DVD’s., CD’s, videos, and games.		6. As your packing away the large toys, stuffed animals, books, this is a good time to talk to your children about a reward system for helping stage and keep the house staged. 7. Clean and organize from the floor up. Look at your closet like a retail clothing boutique whether a small or large closet. 8. Do not over-crowd your staged closet. 9. Try to keep the floor of the closet as minimal as possible to help enhance the closet and make it appear larger. 10. Leave space between hanging clothing, color coordinate and group together pants, blouses, suits, etc. The shelves should be kept to a minimum. Fold, then very neatly place on shelves, leaving space on each side of the clothes. 11. Keep your closets smelling fresh by using cedar chips or dryer sheets. 12. Clean out entry closets and put a few hangers in there so the buyers can visualize their coats in it.
	We recommend this for Definition and Redefinition projects as well.


		HELP YOUR FLOWERS LAST LONGER
		Remove the leaves that will be under the water line and thin out the others above. When those sit in the water they give out a gas that shortens the life of the blooms. Measure the length you will need and remember to cut the stalks at an angle while holding it under running water. This will help the lifespan of the arrangement by getting water into the stalk immediately rather than air. Always add a preservative to your vase. You can pick one up when you buy your flowers. You can make your own by adding one-forth cup of carbonated, non-diet soda that contains lemon and sugar. This lowers the ph and the sugar gives it glucose plus it keeps the bacteria down. Change the water every other day, each time be sure to add the preservative each time. Keep your fresh arrangement out of the sun or out of cold drafts.