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Hello! Welcome to the first edition of our Calgary home staging and interior design report. Here you will find what is new, and what is happening within the interiors, home staging and real estate world. Follow us here to find out how to style, stage and market your home whether you are dwelling or selling here in Calgary, Alberta!
NEW IN INTERIOR DESIGN:
With all the media and political noise of the last few years, the Home Is Your Sanctuary mantra is stronger than ever. Politics, wildfires, disasters have dominated the last year and into 2020, and people are now wanting more than ever to protect their homes and moods from the`noise` we are exposed to every day on social media, television, etc. Technology surrounds us at all times now, and everyone needs to discover how to buffer themselves from this buzz and turn our homes into sacred, quieter, protected environments to come home to.
Paint colours are getting deeper and more nostalgic, as are furnishings these last few years. Colour is richer, patterns are more vibrant (maximalism!), flooring, walls and light fixtures are more striking. We all have a favourite restaurant that we love to appreciate the decor in, and now homeowners and dwellers are wanting to bring that experience into their properties. For many years, things like crockery, utensils, paint, and furniture were utilitarian, serving a functional purpose. But now, we crave textures, like velvet, to run our hands over, evoking feelings of enjoyment of our pieces. Crockery has become artistic, in both pattern and feel, as has cutlery. Whereas our impressive crockery was only pulled out at special occasions for wow factor, we are now more than ever buying dish sets that are beautiful enough to use every day as well as be Instagram foodie-photo worthy.
The internet has made us aware far more about styling, not only of ourselves but our interiors. We no longer just buy furniture to sit on, we buy furnishings pieces to impress ourselves when we are on our own, but also when company comes over. Sofa sets are a thing of the past, nothing is `matchy-matchy` anymore, and our spaces are now meant to look curated, or carefully chosen.
How do we create a sanctuary? Stay tuned to our blog post on this topic coming soon…
HOME STAGING
While home staging or property styling may still seem like a new concept to some homeowners and realtors, it actually is a field that has been around for some time now. Unfortunately, there are many homeowners and real estate professionals though that view this as a `trade` service or something to be bartered down or negotiated, where the only important factor is the price. There is an old saying in the home staging world `Bad Staging Isn’t Good, and Good Staging Isn’t Cheap`. This is so true! Did you know that there are people who market themselves as home stagers who have no formal training, no insurance and are not registered? Would you hire a plumber, electrician or architect with NO TRAINING? Of course not, so you should only hire a home stager that has qualifications and has a professional portfolio, not cheap recycled materials randomly put into your home to make it look like there is furniture present! So key for 2020 is hiring the right qualified stager so that your home sits on the market for less time. Only good quality, proper staging will sell the home for you!
REAL ESTATE MARKET IN CALGARY
Home sales were higher than anticipated in 2019. While affordable housing under $575,000.00 is still the most noticeably selling sector, there continues to be sluggishness and excess inventory in the higher-priced homes sector. Despite this, sales conditions are expected to improve by 2% in 2020. Job losses in Calgary and Alberta were still impacting the real estate market in 2019, and will still play a part in how 2020 sales go. To read the full 2020 CREB FORECAST SUMMARY click here
As we continue into 2020, we here at Homes Beautifully Design & Staging Calgary will continue to bring you the latest in design, home staging and real estate news for the Calgary market. Thanks for reading!
Monique Shaw,
Lead Designer and Property Stylist
As Seen On Homes And Lifestyles and Style In the City programs
Did you see our last blog post on Calgary Renovation Nightmares? Read It Here