Home stager Sinéad Considine offers some expert interiors advice. For more info on Sinéad and UpStage visit www.upstage.ie
What most people don't know:
Colour is the single most important design element in creating spaces, the use of colour can also greatly affect your mood. In autumn it’s time to get out of dark colours and get rid of heavy and mixed patterns since they can make you feel bluesy and dejected. Stimulant colours such as red can be added for excitement, especially coming into the festive season. Add some bright cushions and throws. I recommend rugs for bare floors as they will look and feel warmer. Lighting has a huge impact on your frame of mind and is very powerful in making an atmosphere. Introduce mood lighting, use lights with dimmers and have lots of candles. Fresh flowers are also a great pick-me-up during the day.
My style:
I live in an exceptionally bright apartment which is fantastic especially as the days are getting shorter. I have my office here also so it’s important to have a welcoming room to escape to in the evenings. I keep my furniture quite neutral as I find having a neutral base makes it easy to add details later on as your mood takes you.
Tips for you:
During autumn I tend to stay with creams and browns – keeping earthy - neutral colours. I will be adding reds and more accessories coming into winter. Come spring/summer I will introduce really bright cushions, throws and paintings. As an interior designer/ home stager I am constantly on the lookout for new ideas and trends, this season it is lamps and candles. At the moment my favourites are candelabra lamps with shades around them. I love our huge comfy modular sofa. Once you sit down you cannot get up.
Furnishing your home:
Take away garish patterns or dark colours and then find out which colour best suits your personality and try to lighten it up a little. Again- brighten it up with throws, cushions and flowers. If finances permit repaint and re-carpet. It is worth investing in a Colour Wheel (available from most art or paint shops) to help you see how colours sit with each other. Introduce candles, flowers to make your home more romantic.
What we do:
The cost of our service depends on what service you are looking for. If it is simply to offer advice on saving your house from the blues and some general deign tips a half day consultation would cost about €350. In addition to this we offer a range of services including staging your home for sale which may be as simple as providing advice on decluttering the home, rearranging existing furniture, and putting any excess pieces into storage. At the next level which is to actually stage a home we provide a full range of rental furniture and accessories for hire for the duration of your sales campaign. We have an extensive range of furniture to suit all homes, whether it’s a period style property or an ultra-modern home.
Finally, we offer a total renovation and makeover service, working with professional painters, carpenters and gardeners, giving your property a room-by-room transformation. Our service includes one or all of the following options: consultation, decluttering, furniture removal and storage solutions, furniture and accessory hire, professional painting, sanding and carpeting, professional gardening service, professional cleaning service, designer furniture sales, interior design service.
