Styling on a Shoestring!

Dining Room credenza & a selection of existing objects

Fresh Flowers - usually in white, make a big difference.

Clutter free table top surfaces make for a fresh clean approach.

Flowers don't always have to be store bought - these verigated camellias are fresh from the garden.

Vintage pieces - cleaned up and newly presented.

Art work when hung over an area is best left if filling & painting cannot be done - a quick clean of frames and the works, and a small gallery is had.

Fabulous paintings - these work well because the imagery is themed [subconsciously] around foliage, landscape and flora.

A quick was of existing cushion covers and repositioning can make them come alive again.

De cluttering is the key word - allow people who are viewing your home to imagine where they would like to mentally put their things.

Vintage & timber furniture requires polishing - use good furniture oil with a soft cloth, some furniture will drink it up if it hasn't been polished in a while.

[Vintage] Photos in well maintained frames add a small touch of personality, and familiarityy.

When it comes to selling & moving house sometimes the budget just won't stretch far enough to accommodate a pre-sale makeover that includes paint, new carpet or hiring furniture - so what to do? In this this home I helped my grandmother-in-law make sure the auction sale of her home went as far as it could.

Here's How....

• De clutter - store all unnecessary furniture and objects - the more you can move out of your home (within reason) the more the potential buyers can see the entirety of the space
  sort out what you have - 3 rules toss - keep and undecided
  the undecided pile can't exceed the the keep pile and must be dealt with at the end of all three piles
  from the the toss pile if these items are saleable think about eBay, or trading post, or your giving to your local charity or church sale to help them out. Remember just because you don't want it think if does have another life elsewhere if not throw it out to the bin!
• If you can't paint then clean - some sugar soap, warm water, white vinegar, bicarb soda and vanilla essence with some elbow grease can go a long way.
• Using what you've got - after decluttering & packing away pick key pieces that are worthy to display - this doesn't mean knick knacks or porcelain figurines, or the fake flowers that still need dusting! This means a beautiful vase; glass objects or objects from overseas travels - themed if possible i.e Asian or African artifacts - not your Mickey ears from Disney land! Or working clocks that also double as standalone objects; 1 or 2 photographs - not the glamour ones or the family pixie photos, any desirable framed art work - not the Metallica poster still blue tacked!
  but do not clutter!

Lastly the one thing I would spend money on when getting your home ready to sale (other than professional advice such as this!) is fresh flowers. depending on the home and the targeted potential buyer sometimes a mixture of freshly picked garden flowers & foliage combined with store bought flowers can be successful as in these images. But if you don't have garden and are not too confident with flowers in general then you will always win with White Flowers - mostly Oriental Lilies, or Peonies, or Tea Roses - no quirky supermarket or petrol station mixes!

Images by Verandah Home & Garden Living Solutions