Let There Be Light

I wanted to sink my teeth into a good, juicy design post today! (pun intended ... I'm still recovering from turkey day).  I thought I'd share some GREAT lighting sources with you in today's post.

Lighting, as I've learned, can make or break a room. Whether you're trying to illuminate a space functionally or make a statement with standout fixtures - the way you light a room can really impact the mood and feel of  it. A lot of us, myself included, have made the mistake of under lighting a room!

There's so many great-looking and well-priced options on the market today. Here's a  round up of a few of my favorites! From  Shades of Light,  Pottery Barn, West Elm, Schoolhouse Electric, 1800Lighting, LampsPlus & a couple more.  While I love ALL of them, I'm definitely crushing on the pendants from Schoolhouse Electric (7,  11),  and the very fetching ribbed & gourd-shaped table lamps (3, 10) right now  - they're effortlessly stylish, available in a variety of colors, and they never go out of style!

Enjoy!

1 / 2 / 3 ( gourd lamps are an absolute favorite of mine right now - they are effortlessly stylish, available in a ton of colors & never go out of style!) /  4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18

Some News! + A Design Tip For Renters

I have some happy news to share with ya'll!  Over the next few months, I'm working with a fantastic interior design firm in San Francisco, Marsh & Clark Design. They primarily do residential design. And they've done the offices of the fabulous Chairish - a design & decor site I love for its curated collections. I'm excited to be there and to be working on projects this Fall, while continuing to share fresh ideas, schemes and resources with you here as I expand my design horizons! 

Coming to today's post - one of you lovely readers recently asked me if I had any decorating tips for renters.  When you're renting, you don't want to spend a whole bunch of money up front, but you still want to bring style into a space.  Here's an idea I like to share with people - Invest in things that are easy to carry over from one space to another.  For instance, getting some cute side/end tables.  

End tables are not a big ticket item, they're easy to move around, and they're versatile. Today they could be in your living room, a few years from now, in a bedroom. Compared to rugs, or curtains - which are pretty specific to a space, a good end table can be worked into a lot of different spaces! 

2 cute end tables under $100

1 / 2

I love this two-tiered glass table at All Modern. It spells glamour & style. 

A pair of these would look oh so elegant in a living room. 

I pulled together this look  with a very similar table in gold. Layer with flowers and books to bring in the color. And I added gold/brass tones with the deer head and an industrial floor lamp - they tie in well with the table!

A similar style table would look just as beautiful in a bedroom...

Garden stools make for GREAT end tables & give an airy feel to a room.

1 /  2 /  3 / 4

You could create a cozy nook in the living room or the bedroom like the one I've created below. A space to lounge, read a book or just relax it out!

I love sourcing on Etsy too for off the radar finds.

How fun is this Queen Anne end table!  It could get a new life with some paint - perhaps a light grey with antique white drawer fronts, like these ones

These wicker tables would make for a great alternative to a coffee table in a room that's going for a boho / beachy vibe. Soften with a linen throw and a tray.

And that's a wrap! If you're looking for stylish additions to your home, keep an eye out for end tables. Go with something that's really calling out to you - you'll end up using it in different ways over the years.

And lastly, if you have a specific question or a problem area in your home that's bothering you, I want to hear about it! Tell me in the comments.  I'll be glad to pull in my decorating and resourcing prowess to help you out!

From Inspiration to Design

I came across this fantastic Better Homes & Gardens cover not too long ago (it's from the archives, a couple years old!) But this room is still so fresh and relevant,  I thought I'd use this as an inspiration image and show how to take inspiration from a room - maybe you like the overall scheme or certain elements  - and bring it into your own space.

For instance, with this room -

design by Erin Gates / Elements of Style

I love the clean lines of the bedding and found a similar bordered sheet set in porcelain blue. To capture the navy / orangey-coral scheme, I added on these bright orange throw pillows. The brown faux fur blanket is reminiscent of the the warmer tones in the room, as is the jute rug. These fantastic white night stands seen on Ebay have curved legs similar to their inspiration. I took the fun leopard print from the bench and extended that out to accent frames. Punching in some color with a statement hot pink pillow (that also has a fabulous hand-painted leopard - two birds one stone! ).  

It's fun to look at a room, analyze why you like it and then go pick out your inspirations!

headboard / sheets / pillows / night stand / jute rug /  faux fur throw blanket / ivory throw / table lamp / accent chair / Dana Gibson leopard pillow - pink / mirror / leopard frames / palm leaf candle holders / flowers - current crush - hydrangeas!

What do you think? :)

Inspired Outdoor Dining

This week's post is all about taking it outside!  

Going back in time a little... picnics were a HUGE part of my childhood. Every couple months, we'd go on one big, glorious, family picnic (we were about 30 of us!). We lived in Dubai, a city that is insanely hot in summer (too hot to be outside) but super beautiful in fall / winter / early spring.  It was sort of a reverse picnicking season!

My favorite park to go to was the Dubai Creek Park with it's sprawling lawns and huge shady trees. And my favorite food was barbecued chicken and this delicious French Toast (we'd call it "slices" for some reason) that one of my uncles made for us kids.  

You'd see many families sitting around enjoying the breeze, playing board games or just chatting up. But inevitably, we'd be the loudest, most boisterous of the lot. 

You could hear us laughing, arguing, pontificating and backslapping from a mile away! Food was being passed around, an angsty toddler or two was on the lose, some kid somewhere just got struck by a ball and another one was climbing the jungle gym like there was no tomorrow! It was mayhem. A wonderful kind of mayhem :) The parents had a hard time keeping track of who was where, but the sun would set and somehow, magically, we'd all end up as a whole again, trotting tiredly back to our cars. It was a glooooorious time. 

Tis being the season for outdoor entertaining, picnicking and the likes,  I was very inspired to pull together a couple of formal and informal tablescapes for anyone taking it outside & making some equally glorious memories with your family & friends this summer!  I've discovered some really good looking and budget-friendly disposables for the season and there's lotsa fun (and not to mention, kid-friendly) melamine out there as well. Creating an inviting outdoor setting has never been easier! :)  

Breezy & Beachy

I liked this seaside, beachy tablescape I saw at the mall the other day... I liked that the simple white dinnerware was combined with a whole lot of texture (rattan, wood, mesh etc.)

You could create a beachy casual setting of your own, but maybe with a little more color?  

I started with this beautiful coral dinner plate (it's melamine) and added some texture with a mesh table cover, rattan chargers and wood flatware.  

Hints of gold & these neat table lanterns "pick up"  the setting. I especially LOVE the small gold tea light holders - spread 'em across a table and they'll create a perfect ambiance for an outdoor setting. Bringing in a a hint of blue with these cracked teal glasses. 

coral dinner plate / natural rattan charger  / nautical net table throw  /  beachwood flatware / starfish place card holders (too cute! from Etsy)  / linen striped napkins /  gorgeous table lanterns (love these to bring some height into the setting) /  cracked teal stem glasses teal / gold tea light holders /  tropical stargazer lillies in a vase as centerpieces

Pretty & Posh

These rose plates by Caspari instantly caught my eye. They're elegant & fun, and they're disposable people!  

Quite perfect for a semi-formal setting..

Throw on a white tablecloth and line with this fancy-looking (but totally disposable!) place settings - lime green and white dinner plates, paired with the rose dessert plates, and some fancy gold flatware.

Scatter chartreuse tea light holders across the table, and add on a beautiful peony centerpiece to  play up the plates. I LOVE this  "First Come First Served" acrylic pitcher by Kate Spade! It's such a classic & so fun.  Perfect for keeping you guests glasses topped with lemonade.

white tablecloth /  burlap pleated table runner /  green dinner plates (disposable),  rose dessert plates (disposable), gold flatware (disposable), paper cups, paper napkins,  Kate Spade acrylic pitcher,    chateruse tealight holder

Classic Blue & White

I came across this beautiful indoor blue-and-white setting and fell instantly in love with it. This table is so stunning, as is the place setting, and the yellow flowers. This could easily be something you take outside!

I was very inspired to do some blue & white for a picnic :) Yet still keeping it classic...

A CLASSIC Picnic

blue & white dessert plates, dinner plates, stem glasses, napkins, S'well bottle,  flatware, soft blue cotton throw,  picnic basket

2 easy tips for outdoor entertaining

Here's a couple tips I've picked up from the first lady of Southern design and decor (the wonderful Bunny Williams), on how to take even the most casual setting up a notch and make your guests feel a little extra special...

The Napkin Fold.  Make a quick fold towards the inside at the top of the napkin, then flip the ends to the outside. It's super easy to do and makes for a great finishing touch even for some casual dining.

Floral Centerpieces  x  Hurricanes.  I love this idea for adding some pzzaz to your outdoor table. Arrange a floral centerpiece with seasonal flowers/plants. Flank by hurricanes. The hurricanes should be tall enough that people can still see each other across the table. Etsy has a bunch of  nice vintage hurricane choices!

Image Credits: Graham & Green, Bunny Williams Home, Ballard Designs,  Decoration Trend

Things you've always wanted to ask a realtor

Today's post comes in collaboration with my wonderful friend Laila.

Laila is an extremely warm person and someone who is GREAT at sharing her knowledge. A quality I love!  From tips on how she maintains her gorgeous hair to putting together outfits for her kids - she has always shared little tidbits very generously.

I thought it'd be GREAT to ask her about an area she has expertise in - buying a home!

Laila is a realtor with J Rockliff  and I asked her if she could give us the lowdown on all those burning questions every new home buyer (newbies raise your hands!) wants to ask their realtor. Even the ones that get awkward or you feel kinda lame asking about.

I am psyched to share what we talked about with you. There's some GREAT info in here and I hope it's useful for ya'll!  

So here goes. No filters! Straight from the horse's mouth.  Laila tells all. Let's get into it :P

Where do I start in the house hunting process? What are some good websites to check out? 

There's a ton of apps and websites out there and it can get overwhelming! Start with websites like Redfin, Zillow & Realtor.com  Zillow might be a little iffy because it's not always up to date, but the other two are.

Also, look for Open House signs in your neighborhood. It's a good way to get a sense of what's out there on the market. Some of these websites have an option to filter by "Open House" (Redfin has this) so you can look for them that way too.

Cool, and at what point do I reach out to an agent? 

People tend to go to open houses before they reach out to a realtor, and that's totally fine. But I would say reach out to a realtor sooner rather than later. We have access to A LOT of information that you won't have access to on public sites.

For instance, I'm connected through the Bay East Association for Realtors and I have access to...

... ALL listings in an area

... Comparable sales numbers (i.e. sale prices of homes that recently sold in an area )

... Rent-to-owner ratios. (If you're buying a home as a property investment, you want to know if it's easily rent-able. Or maybe you want to know what it's like to live in a specific neighborhood - is there going to be a high turnover of people living there? Will your neighbors keep changing? )

... let's say you want to live in a specific neighborhood or even on a specific street, we can zoom in at that level and look for listings for you!

... we have easy access to insurance, mortgage & title companies, things that become important further down.

There's a lot of jargon involved when you're first buying a home. A good realtor can break it down for you upfront.

My friends have had different experiences when buying their first home - some say it's been great, others say it was really stressful. They said a lot of depends on who your agent is. How do I find a good agent to work with?

Asking friends and family is a great way. If they've had a good experience and can recommend someone then nothing like it.

Another thing that's really effective is: go to Open Houses!  Figure out how much you can afford for a house (use a free calculator like this one on Redfin)  and start going to open houses within that range.

Often times we'll fill in as the host for an Open House that we are not the listing agent for. Under 10%  of people coming to an open house are coming for that specific house. So it's a great place for us (realtors) to meet leads!  And a great place for you to meet realtors.

A friend of mine was looking for a home and we went to A LOT of open houses. In the end, we met an agent who was so informative and so nice.  We spoke to him for an hour. That’s the kind of realtor you want!  When we (my husband and I) were buying a home, we also found our agent at an open house. We felt comfortable talking to her and we exchanged phone numbers. 

I'd definitely recommend a bit of an interview process. You can check out their reviews on Yelp, but mostly it’s the personal touch :)

Entry to a beach bungalow, changoandco

How long does it typically take from start to finish, when you're buying a home?

You want to give yourself 6-8 months at least.  Start 6 months to a year ahead.

If you're renting a place and your lease is going to end, and  you're looking to buy a home soon, realize that it still takes 1-2 months to close the deal once you've finalized a home (closing costs, inspections, other formalities). So keep that buffer. Let's say your lease is ending in June, you want to start looking by December at the latest.

Makes sense. Do house prices vary seasonally. What's a good time of the year to buy? 

Summer is peak season obviously - prices are high then. 

If you start to look at homes in winter & spring, you may not find a lot of variety but you'll have more negotiation power. People are eager to sell.  

Right after New Year's, prices are at a plateau. You could time it such that you're starting to look for houses around then. By summer they start popping up like weeds! You'll have much more choices, but the prices will be higher too. 

Ok, what are the first few things you look at when you're searching for a home? 

First and foremost - the area.   Then if you're a parent, you're looking at school district. You can look up schools in a particular zip code on sites like GreatSchools.org. Check their scores and zoning rules (does your house fall into a particular school's zone or is it at the border?).  And finally, look at the crime rate in the area. We give you a resource package with the contact info of the local police and they can give you details too.

Ok, so let's say I'm a newbie and I've decided to work with you as my realtor. Can you walk me through, step by step, what we'll be doing? 

First, we'll start with your Budget.  You'll go get qualified or pre-qualified for a loan from a bank. How much is the loan amount you qualify for? (this is based on your earnings, your debts). What value of a home can you afford?   If you're serious about buying, you don't want to waste your time looking at homes that are outside your budget!

Keep that budget realistic. We'll use a monthly mortgage calculator to figure out your monthly payments. This depends on how many years you're taking the loan for as well ... 15 years, 20, 30.  

Okay great, once we've sorted out my budget, what's the next step?

Then we'll look at your Wishlist.  What's your ideal square footage? How many bedrooms? Yard or no yard? If you want to live closer to family or friends, we'll factor that in as well. I've seen that people can be quite specific on where they want to live!  We'll start to narrow down listings based on these specifications.

Having said that, I've seen that buyers start with a wishlist and then sometimes they change their requirements altogether! So a realtor has to be acceptable to change along the way.  

Another thing, a good realtor will watch out for if how your wishlist is playing out with your budget. Sometimes people get excited when they start seeing homes & they overstretch. You don’t want your client to end up “house poor”!   I've learned to first build a relationship with my clients, understand their needs. That way I'm being responsible. With finances comes lots of emotions... a good realtor becomes almost like your therapist! 

A blue & white living room with flair, elledecor

Hah! That actually makes a lot of sense. It seems like you really need to build a relationship and trust each other.

Definitely. The  next step is I'll start showing you homes. Even here I like to give my clients space and don't follow them everywhere. Once they've looked through the home, I get their feedback.  

I'll also start sending you email drips. I'll create a search based on your criteria and send you emails with listings, and get your feedback. 

I like to take my clients around an area, give them a feel of the place. And I like to cultivate a relationship with them, meet them for coffee, learn about their needs and keep getting their feedback.

I like that personal touch!  Okay, so let's say after months of searching, we've found that perfect home. What's next? How are we closing the deal? 

First we'll get a comparative market analysis of that property. What are the prices of other homes in the area? That way we'll have a better idea of how much you should be paying. 

Sometimes a seller might actively price a house slightly lower than market price. I've seen established realtors do this - they start low to attract buyers, and that leads to a bidding war.

When you're making an offer, you have to court a seller! A seller looks at family and things of that nature. I would write out an offer letter representing my client - take a snapshot of the family & present it well. Depending on how many offers they have, they may or may not respond to you. At this point you'll need to start negotiating or up your bid.

How quickly a house gets sold depends on how hot that property is. For instance, I saw this open house on Saturday and by Monday it was gone! If it's a good school district, and a prime location, it goes pretty quickly.  If it's an older home... let's say there are issues listed in the disclosure... that might slow things down.

A serene guest room in a 19th century farmhouse, elledecor

What are some red flags to watch out for when you're doing your due diligence?

Sometimes it's simple things like, checking out the neighbors. Just be present and analyze the neighborhood.

Pay attention to the Disclosure Statement that the seller sends you. Look out for things like - if they've built an additional room, is it up to standard and does it meet house regulations? Has it been authorized by the proper authorities? 

Pay attention to what's close by. Say a train station or other noise-generating aspects. Your agent may tell you the windows are sound proof...great, make sure you test it out. You're going to be the one living here!

There are certain cultural things that, as agents, we need to be sensitive about. For instance, people from certain Asian cultures won't buy even the most beautiful house if it's near a cemetery.We just need to be aware of things culturally as well.

What’s the relationship like between the listing agent (aka the seller's agent)  & the buyer's agent? 

The listing agent is representing the seller. And the buyer's agent represents YOU. 

Sometimes people choose not to work with a buying agent and go directly to the listing agent. Then the listing agent becomes a dual agent, representing both you and the seller. In such cases, sometimes they may be working in the best interest of the seller.  

With a buying agent you get special treatment because they are only representing YOU.

The way the finances work is that the seller is paying a commission to the agents. If the house sells, the total commission, usually about 5%, is split between both agents.  So we (buyer's agent) get a 2.5 to 3% commission if you buy the house.  But honestly, as an agent you're not going to lose the trust of your buyer to get a few hundred dollars more in commission!  A good agent will work in YOUR best interest when negotiating a price on the home. 

Got it. I wondered about that!  Alright, back to the closing process, how does that play out?

The seller sends you a Disclosure Statement on the house. You make an offer, negotiate on terms and price, they may make a counter offer. Finally they accept your offer. Great!

Now you want to get an inspection done. Let's say you find a particular problem and you want it fixed - write it down. Make it known to the seller.

Once the seller and you are in agreement, then we bring in the insurance and mortgage companies. You fill out paperwork for the Title etc. You'll also select a warranty package at this point, if it's an older home. Newer homes already have warranties that come with it.

That's about it. Then it's a done deal!

An upbeat bedroom, elledecor

Do realtors specialize in certain areas and neighborhoods? 

Yes, you can ask your realtor if they know a neighborhood well. For instance, I am very familiar with Dublin, Livermore, Pleasanton. I interact with families in these neighborhoods. 

Sometimes a realtor might mention it in their bio. Occasionally, if they aren't familiar with an area, they may point you to someone else and get a referral fee for it. But this is rare. 

What's the Bay Area market like right now? Are homes selling quickly? Are they selling at asking price, higher, lower?

The market is hot right now. Houses are selling quickly, and usually for higher than asking. At times, with just one Open House weekend, a house goes into "sale pending".

And finally, why do you like selling homes? :)

I love homes! I love looking at homes. I’m into home decor. And I love talking and interacting with people :)  Buying your first home is an experience you will never forget! It has a lot of emotions attached to it. I get to be with people at such an important point in their life - it means a lot to me. I'm still in touch with my agent!

I've learned that you have to be good with people and very patient to do this job. 

What's one piece of advice you'd give to a serious home buyer?

Sort out your finances first. Then write out your wishlist. The finances will dictate a lot of things.

Thanks for all this AMAZING information!!! It's so super helpful.

A couple 1:1 questions for you :)

What's a spot in your home you absolutely love?!

I like the outdoors and I love sitting in my backyard. It’s always breezy. I have a lovely veranda too, with a nice sofa set & some flowering pots. I have my breakfast here and if I want to do something peaceful, it's my go to. 

What's something in your home you consider a prized possession you'd never part with?

I like my rugs! They are handmade Persian / Pakistani rugs. They really bring some warmth into my home. And I don't think it would be the same without them.

If you have questions on any of this, drop us a line in the comments!

Image Credits:  House Beautiful (featured image), Chango & Co, Elle Decor, Laila