It’s important that living, dining and family rooms feel warm and inviting— whether you’re trying to sell your home or decorating it to live in.

Here a tiny dining room, that was barely more than a hallway from the front of the house to the kitchen in the back was, given a dramatic face lift.

Old wood chairs were re-painted and an inexpensive wrought iron Ikea fixture is dressed up with beaded red shades.

As one might expect in a home from the early 1900s, the old plaster walls were less than smooth. To visually minimize this issue and save money, the walls were repainted and then a wash of a second deeper color mixed with glaze was added over top. This textured look gave depth to the room while making the bumpy walls no longer an issue.

To complete this unique look, original art and a table runner from the Debra Gould Home Collection were added.

Design and color expert Debra Gould is president of Six Elements Inc. She creates environments that are warm and welcoming while reflecting the spirit of the people living there.

Many of us live in older homes that have layers of wallpaper that have been there for years. The thought of removing it becomes a roadblock to redecorating because we’re afraid of all the plastering work that will be needed if we take it down.

This is particularly true when you live in a home with plaster and lath construction, which was popular through to the 1950s when drywall was introduced in the US and Canada. If you’re not sure what type of walls you have, try hanging a picture. The nail will go smoothly into drywall, not so with plaster and lath that will crumble with age sometimes turning what was supposed to be a tiny nail hole into a quarter inch diameter mess!

If you’ve run into this problem just hanging pictures, it’s not hard to scare yourself out of removing layers of old wallpaper that may indeed be holding those old walls together. This doesn’t have to stop you from radically changing the look of your room with a new color of paint.

With proper priming you can paint over wallpaper!

Granted, this isn’t considered the “right” way to do things, but does it really matter if the alternative is living in a depressing space that you hate, or losing money trying to sell a lack-luster home?

Need help with your decorating or color project?

With a minimum two hour consultation in your home, we will tell you everything that needs to be done in your home (room by room and outside too). Contact us to learn more or arrange an appointment.

> Read more about our color consulting, interior redesign and home staging services.

Feel free to add your comments to this story. Have you ever tried to take down wallpaper before painting?

Home staging expert Debra Gould is president of Six Elements Inc. She has staged millions of dollars worth of real estate, including seven of her own homes. Debra has gained international recognition and has been featured in major media in the US and Canada including: HGTV, CNN Money, CBC National News, CBS Radio, GlobalTV, CityTV, The Wall Street Journal, Woman’s Day, Reader’s Digest and more.

I redesigned this kitchen with paint and accessories instead of ripping out cabinets and putting in new counters. It was even featured in Woman's Day Magazine! Runner on the counter is from the Debra Gould Home Collection

Many families don’t have tens of thousands to spend on a new kitchen, or they don’t want to live through the significant inconvenience of ripping out this critical room and waiting for it to be rebuilt from scratch.

I did it once on my second property and it was a nightmare. The day after I moved in with my toddler I had the kitchen ripped out so that I’d have better cupboard space and a spot for a dishwasher. It took over two months to complete and in the meantime we lived in a construction zone with all the dust, noise and danger that entails.

I managed to set up the fridge, microwave and toaster oven in the living room, but every time I turned on the microwave we’d blow a fuse. Let’s just say it was one of THE most stressful periods of my life. From then on I vowed to never buy a house that didn’t already have a dishwasher built in or a space that I could use a portable one.

If your biggest problem is that your kitchen is just plain ugly, before you go spending tens of thousands of dollars tearing out cabinets and counters, putting in expensive tiles and back splashes, etc., consider the magic that can be achieved with well chosen paint and accessories! You’ll be amazed at the new look you can get with a cheap kitchen makeover.

Need help with your own kitchen makeover project?

With a two to three hour consultation in your home, I will give you new colors to consider and suggest many other changes that will transform your kitchen at minimal cost. Contact me to learn more.

If you’re outside the Toronto area, I can still help you by phone working from photos you email me. Learn more about this virtual consultation service.

Design and color expert Debra Gould is president of Six Elements Inc. She creates environments that are warm and welcoming while reflecting the spirit of the people living there.

Whether you are decorating your house to sell, or planning on staying where you are, this before and after story will help you see the potential that waits in the next room.

Studies have shown that renovating the main bathroom in a home has an estimated payback of 60% to 65% when the home is resold. But it can cost well over $5000 to complete, not to mention the significant inconvenience.

Before calling a contractor, consider whether cosmetic changes will be enough to get the look you need for resale, or better yet, for you to enjoy until it’s time to sell.

Many bathrooms look ugly or tired but the expensive items are basically there. This was the case in this weekend bathroom makeover example:

What Six Elements Did

If you are selling your home, buy your new towels, mat and shower curtain before you move. You can use them to prop your house while it’s on the market and then enjoy them when you move to your new home.

The old plastic towel bar was replaced with a brushed metal one with matching glass shelf over the sink and toilet roll holder.

The white melamine cabinet was replaced by a shorter trolley (which could be painted to match). The top is used to display an art object and vase of dogwood branches or seasonal flowers, instead of general bathroom clutter which is now hidden in the baskets below.

The medicine cabinet was painted to match the walls and the 1970′s vanity light (not shown) was replaced by a brushed metal halogen fixture. It provides more general light than the original fixture, matches the other new hardware and contributes greatly to the fresh modern feel of the “new” bathroom.

So, whether you are moving or not, why not consider how your bathroom can be enhanced with paint and accessories? You will appreciate it every morning and make it your refuge at the end of a long day.

What it Cost (materials only)

NOTE:

If this house were sold, all that would be left behind is the $195 spent on paint, light fixture and hardware. All the other items can be used in the next home! Considering how important bathrooms are to home buyers, this is a very insignificant investment.

Before contacting your real estate agent, or even a house fluffer if you decide to use one, there are simple steps you can take on your own, like decluttering, to improve the overall look of your home. Be sure to approach the task with a highly critical eye. It can be hard to see your own home objectively after living in it for so long.

Not Planning on Moving Any Time Soon?

Then what are you waiting for? It’s time to freshen up that bathroom you’ve always hated with a whole new look. “It’s really sad to see how many of my clients suddenly realize they could have enjoyed living this way for years when I come in to stage, or decorate their homes to sell. Spend some money now so that at least you’ll get to enjoy the results before selling it to someone else,” says Debra Gould Toronto’s leading home stager, or house fluffer as she’s also called.

Not in Toronto, and Need Help?

Through her Home Staging Coaching Service Debra Gould offers advice by phone and email to clients all over the US and Canada.

“Virtual Staging,” as this is also called, is an excellent way to have your questions answered by a home staging pro as you need help. Learn more about how you can get home staging and decorating help by phone.

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Very sensitive to the subtleties of color and how each hue is effected by those around it, Debra Gould was dubbed "as color conscious as Matisse" in a magazine cover story.

A house is just an empty shell until we make it a home by filling it with color, furnishings, art and special objects that have meaning for us.

Through thoughtful placement of these, we build an environment that enriches us, provides sanctuary and also one that is welcoming to others. They feel it as soon as they enter our space.

I’ll be sharing a number of books with you that I have found helpful in learning about design and color— more importantly they inspired me to think about interiors in a new way.

I have all of the books I’ll be recommending in my own library and I hope you will find them as inspiring as I have.

I welcome your feedback and any recommendations you have for similar finds. You can also send me your color and design questions for me to answer in an upcoming issue of Six Elements News.

Whenever you’re looking for an inspiring book, just click on the category “Decorating and Color Books” in the column on the right and you’ll see a list of posts on each book in the collection. When you click on any title you can read my summary, see a cover design and find links to order online from amazon.com and amazon.ca.

Debra Gould, President Six Elements Inc.

Internationally recognized home staging expert Debra Gould is President of Six Elements Inc. and creator of the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program. An entrepreneur for 20 years and author of several guides, Debra has staged millions of dollars worth of real estate and uses her expertise to train others worldwide.