Pretty in Pink

(clearly my iphone takes smaller pictures than my blogger is used to, so click on image to enlarge!)
If you've been following my twists and turns in design over the past few years, I'm sure you've observed the shift from traditional design projects to staging homes for the real estate market. While that wouldn't necessarily be my choice of focus, the reality is I drive a gas-guzzling SUV that needs filling once a week, Chase and Citibank want to get paid every month and, on occasion, I'd like to eat. In other words, if I want to get paid for what I do, I have to adjust to the market and for the last several years fewer and fewer people are hiring Interior Designers to pick out the perfect wallpaper for a powder room, instead I'm editing and "fluffing" their homes so they can get as much money as possible out of them. If your living room looks like the lobby of Applebees or Fridays, chances are you need a little editing. In today's market buyers are more picky than ever, where a few years ago potential buyers often narrowed down the big purchase to a few favorites, today they're often looking at at least a dozen. Anything...a loud paint color, questionable artwork, political items or religious paraphernalia...can turn off a buyer. Also, little tweaks can result in huge returns on your investment. Take this temporary wallpaper I've featured before (I used it in my vintage trailer in a teal color), sells on Amazon or www.urbanoutfitters.com, goes on like shelf paper and will NOT pull off drywall or make you nuts like regular wallpaper when you go to remove it. Create a dramatic twist in an entry, a half bath or back splash in a kitchen. The little things are what count these days, so don't miss a beat!
TIME TO COMPLETE TASK: Amazon can deliver the next day. Installation is quick and as easy as wrapping a present. Just measure, cut and apply (can be re-applied several times for perfect alignment)
COST: Ranges from $65 for 100 square feet on www.urbanoutfitters.com and lower on Amazon.
STRESS LEVEL: Creating a cute space for little moolah: LOW