Spring is one of my favorite seasons for design inspiration. Not only do I love the colors of spring, I also love the refreshing feeling the change of season brings as the days grow longer and the world wakes up from winter. As my first guest blog for Homegoods, I am excited to share my ideas of how you can renew and revitalize your home this season and look forward to your ideas for making your home more inviting.
One thing you can do to change the look of your home is introduce a few accent items of color. This spring I am excited about adding jewel tones of yellowy gold, rich ruby and cobalt blue to my décor. I think they add a more of a surprising strike of color than the typical pastels we think of for spring.
Looking for ways to add these rich hues to your home?
I start with the rule of three: to make an impact in a space you need to add a color in three places on three different levels, otherwise the change you make will not be dramatic enough and get lost in the room.
The family room above illustrates the rule of 3
1. Start with the floor since it is the lowest level and the largest surface in the room. Switch out your wool area rug and add a new sisal or natural fiber rug with a colored border for a clean, fresh look. If you want a more formal look, opt for a woven rug with a striped or graphic pattern with the color you want to introduce.
2. Next add some color to the center level of your room. Switch out the pillows that came with your sofa and add some new pillows for a pop of color or pattern. This season I love global batik prints, animal prints and fun textures. If you do not want to dress up your sofa select a new accent for your coffee table or dining table. Ceramic urns and bowls are a wonderful way to add an accent color without breaking the bank.
3. Finally add the new look to the highest level or eye-height level of the room to balance the other areas you have changed. Add some painted ceramic urns to a mantle and fill them with curly willow branches to bring the look of nature inside. Coordinate the global look of the new pillows with a metal or wood wall scroll that adds large architectural impact on a budget. I adore these metal wall hangings and use them for instant impact on a staging job and in my own home.
Adding color to your home does not have to mean painting walls and redoing an entire room. With a few decorative touches you can really change the look of a space. The rule of three is just one of my design tips and ideas.
What strategies do you use when you are transforming the look of your home?
Back
Do you LOVE IT? 
Loading ...
1. Hello Kate:
Being a realtor here in Michigan I cannot agree with you more on the least expensive way of refreshing your home is adding punches of color in accessories. I find that sellers are reluctant to add tons of money into a home they are selling, especially in our economy here in Michigan. By doing the rule of three’s with vibrant colors, you completley transfor any room. And it not only revitalizes a room – it revitalizes You!!!!! HAPPY SPRING…..THINK COLORS.
JACQUI
by Jacqui — 3/13/08 at 11:58 am #
2. Kate, your use of the sage green was amazing. You got me to thinking what spring color will I use this year to redo my home? Last year it was a pastel yellow.
by Marci [...] — 3/13/08 at 12:03 pm #
3. Kate,
This is some really great advice!! Your rule of 3 is so easy to follow and works for living day to day in your home and also for selling property.
I am so inspired by this I think I am going to change the look of my home with a new color. I am so glad I have Home Goods in my area!!
by Shell [...] — 3/13/08 at 12:27 pm #
4. Great post Kate,
I loved your ideas! I felt like I wanted to head downstairs and get busy . . .
Thanks, Deb
by Deb — 3/13/08 at 12:56 pm #
5. What a great blog. I am an interior designer and a stager. Most of the time my clients have no clue how to transform from season to season. They go into a panick about cost. The rule of three is perfect for design clients and for us stagers to freshen up a staging inexpensively. I will pass this tip on to everyone and they need to shop Home Goods for the best buys.
Thanks Sharon [...]
SMARTStagers
by Sharon [...] — 3/13/08 at 1:09 pm #
6. It’s wonderful Home Goods has a Home Staging presence!! Thank you Home Goods for recognizing the industry and for providing quality home accessories. Kate Hart is a great champion of our industry and is perfect for an “advice column” on the subject. She is committed to raising the standards for us. I look forward to reading Kate’s informative blog – is a ’staging discount’ on the horizon??
by Jane [...] — 3/13/08 at 1:26 pm #
7. Kate,
Thank you for this wonderful advice. I love your Rule of Three concept. I can see how it creates a visual flow and a large but not overdone color impact at the same time! I can’t wait to apply this to all my Home Staging jobs. Nicely done!
by Janice [...] — 3/13/08 at 3:09 pm #
8. Kate
Beautiful room, very helpful advice. I am very excited to have home staging featured by Homegoods. I know, from experience, that most home owners need help in decorating their homes. Your advice and Homegoods selection and great prices will make their decisions less stressful.
by Sharon [...]NH Home Stager — 3/13/08 at 4:25 pm #
9. Hi All,
Thanks for your wonderful comments and for supporting my first guest blog! I love the rule of three and use it a lot when I work with clients because it is an easy concept for them to grasp and can be used to enhance any space.
Jacqui- You are right. Adding accessories is a great way to give a new look to a room whether you are living in the home or selling.
Marci- Glad to see you here! Please share some photos of how you transform your home this spring. I am glad you liked the green. I find that green adds a soothing feel to any space.
Shell- Thanks for your comment. The great thing about HomeGoods is that they have stores all over the country so we as home stagers have a resource to meet our needs no matter where our clients live. Please share what you decide to do with your home next.
Deb- thanks for commenting. I hope you enjoy my other posts.
Sharon- I am glad that you liked the post- adding color and the rule of three are easy for clients to follow. I use this for all my home staging and design consultations so they can complete the recommendations we make on their own.
Jane- Thanks for your support! I am glad that you liked the posts. Please check back for more advice in the next few days. HomeGoods’ already low, low prices make creating the looks we need affordable for both staging business owners and our clients.
Janice- Glad you liked the post. Thank you for stopping by. Please check back in the next few days for more design tips and ideas.
by Kate Hart — 3/13/08 at 10:50 pm #
10. I have only just discovered homegoods online and am needing desperately to have the ceramic frog you keep showing. I don’t suppose it is offered online. What is is it called? How big is it? There isn’t a store close to me.
Jan
by Jan — 3/14/08 at 12:46 am #
11. Hi:
I was at the Pompton Plains store today, wanted to buy red dinner plates.
Found one I really liked, it is called Flirt by RGB. I had them in my cart, but was not able to buy them because the back of the plates did not specify wether they are microwave and dishwasher safe.
Would you be able to inform me on this? I tried looking this item online without success.
Thanks,
Laura
by Laura [...] — 3/14/08 at 1:26 am #
12. Aha! So Home Goods is your secret! It’s mine, too, always such an adventure. You can’t beat the value, variety and fun of discovery; I never know what I’m going to find on the shelves there – hour to hour, day to day, week to week.
As you so well pointed out, Kate, thanks to Home Goods pricing, you can revel in indecisiveness. If you’re not sure what color to make your room(s), keep the walls in neutral tones and add accessories and art for color and texture. As the seasons change, so can your decor. How many of us have been given Mother’s Day pillows, Christmas pillows, etc. Enjoy them, I say. Look at Kate’s beauuuuutiful photograph – that room will look totally different with red accents, for example.
When I’m transforming a room, the hardest decision for me is not color so much as whether or not to be symmetrical or use the 3-5-7 technique. What you have shared here suggests using the “3″ in placement of level (high, medium, low) and then symmetresize (is that a word? ) the mantel. The mantel, done as you have with symmetrical vases and twigs, is very soothing on the eye… yet adds an a wisp of elegance.
You really have such a good feel for this stuff, Kate. I can’t wait to see what you’re going to do with all of Home Goods’ inventory at your disposal! They’re lucky to have you… and so are we, in the staging industry. As to you home sellers in Philly…call Kate today!
Are you going to do in-store demonstrations? Let me know when you’re coming to Jersey!
Juliet [...]
by Juliet [...] — 3/14/08 at 9:27 am #
13. Hi Ladies,
thanks for stopping by today.
Jan, I love the frog too! I have not seen it in person so I cannot answer your question about how large it is. I recommend that you contact your nearest HomeGoods and inquire if they carry the item and they may be able to answer your question. You can use the search bar at the top right corner of the screen to search for a store.
Laura,
I am not sure about those plates, however they sound lovely and would add a great pop of color. I will be writing about plates in one of my upcoming posts. As for whether or not they are dishwasher safe this info should be on the packaging the plates came in. I would check with the store manager and see if her or she can find out for you. Thanks for stopping in.
Juliet! Thank you for commenting on my post. It is wonderful to see another stager here. I too love asymetrical design but often when I want to punctuate a space I use symmetry to say “wow look at that fireplace or selling feature” You just gave me another great blogging topic! I will let you know if I will be visiting the HomeGoods in your area.
by Kate Hart — 3/14/08 at 5:21 pm #
14. Kate ~
Thank you for the wonderful reminder of the ‘rule of three’. The room looks great! I love the mantle. I am so glad to see you on this site and to see Home Goods recognize Home Stagers. My partner and I sometimes feel like we live at Home Goods! I look forward to reading many more informative posts from you.
by Tracy [...] — 3/14/08 at 7:07 pm #
15. Hi Kate,
It is great to see you Blogging here at Home Goods!
This photo and your explanation are a terrific example of how to turn a room from “blah” to “hoora” by shopping at Home Goods.
I love that Home Goods has affordable wall art in every size and shape and I am especially fond of their floor coverings. It’s fairly rare that I can’t find what I need at one of their stoes.
Jackie
by Jackie Peraza — 3/15/08 at 1:02 am #
16. Hi Jackie and Tracy!
Thanks for your comments.
Tracy- I love HomeGoods too. As a stager I really rely on HGs for high quality merchandise that is on trend with the looks today’s buyers prefer. It is an amazing resource.
Jackie- I agree the floor coverings are great. What ever the season I can always find an area rug that meets my client’s needs. I have almost 30 area rugs in my staging inventory and almost every one is from HGs. thanks for visiting
by Kate Hart — 3/15/08 at 5:45 pm #
17. I have only recently heard of Home Goods through recent commercials in my area. Our family is building a new home right now and are really starting from scratch with furniture and decor. Its very overwhelming! I have a neutral palate started, with the exception of the “foxy” walls in my kitchen & breakfast area. I have decided that I like traditional bones with contemporary styling. Any suggestions for what decor items I should invest in first?
Thanks so much! I look forward to being inspired by great posts to come.
Heather
by Heather [...] — 3/16/08 at 5:07 pm #
18. What a nice surprise to find you here Kate. Home Goods obviously sought and found the right person to represent Home Stagers from accross the country. Linda and I live in the Indianapolis area and we are lucky to have two Home Goods stores that we shop at for our Home Staging accessories. We really liked your thoughts on the rule of 3.
Can’t wait to read your next post. Thanks
Gary
by Gary [...] — 3/17/08 at 9:40 am #
19. Hi Jan,
Thanks for submitting a comment to Openhouse, the new HomeGoods blog.
We understand that you have been trying to locate the ceramic frog that is in our ad. As an off price retailer, we make every effort to keep our prices low, and our costs down, so that we can pass these savings on to our customers. For this reason, we do not provide a service of tracking merchandise, In addition, we do not have the privilege of ordering specific merchandise from our vendors. Unfortunatley, to locate the frog, you will need to check with the stores directly. We would be happy to provide you with store locations. If you would like a store list, please call our Customer Service Department directly at 1-800-888-0776.
Thank you,
Jessica
HomeGoods Customer Service
by HomeGoods Customer Service — 3/17/08 at 2:18 pm #
20. Hi Jane,
Thank you for your recent comment. At this time, we do not have plans of starting a home staging program, although we do share excitement in home staging as a growing industry.
Thanks again,
Jessica
HomeGoods Customer Service
by HomeGoods Customer Service — 3/17/08 at 2:21 pm #
21. Hi Laura,
Thank you for your recent inquiry.
We only indicate when dinnerware is NOT dishwasher/microwave safe, so if there is no notice you will not have a problem.
Thank you,
Jessica
HomeGoods Customer Service
by HomeGoods Customer Service — 3/17/08 at 2:24 pm #
22. Hi Laura,
Thank you for your inquiry.
If the dishes in our stores are not dishwasher or microwave safe then we will mark them as such. If there is no marking on them, then they are dishwasher and microwave safe.
We hope this helps!
Thank you,
Jessica
HomeGoods Customer Service
by HomeGoods Customer Service — 3/17/08 at 4:00 pm #
23. Hi All,
Thanks for commenting,
Heather- Congrats on your new home. I think wall decor is one of the easiest things to add when you are designing the space. The metal wall plaque in the photo above was the first thing I found and inspired the entire room- I then found the pillows, the urns and the other accent items. Wall art does not have to be only framed art- check out my other post about using plates or platters- this would look great in your kitchen. For a contemporary look in your traditional home try one of this season’s hot colors- cobalt blue, lime green, or yellow gold. Please keep me posted on what you decide to do.
Gary- Thanks for your comment. HomeGoods is a great resource- you are so lucky to have 2 locations!
by Kate Hart — 3/17/08 at 5:53 pm #
24. I recently visited Home Goods for the first time in Rhode Island….I was inspired by everything I saw. I have to drive about 45 minutes to the nearest Home Goods but plan to do so tomorrow to get started on building my own inventory for staging and my own personal home.
My quickest update and low budget recommendation is cabinet hardware and lighting fixtures. Where we live everything is standard track built housing! I encourage home owners to upgrade lighting and hardware for that much needed interest that is all too often missing in track housing!! Very inexpensive and most home owners can do without a professional.
Look forward to more tips!
by Holly — 3/18/08 at 9:59 pm #
25. enjoy your blog very much i guess that i am one of their biggest customers my home goods is so close i frequent it everyday some weeks people have asked me for help in my store oh well great ideas they have and great prices too love it thanks
by sarah [...] — 3/19/08 at 9:42 am #
26. Hi Holly- thanks for stopping by to read my posts. I completely agree with you about lighting and hardware. I always recommed to my resale home clients that they update these areas to make their home look younger and more on trend.
Sarah- I know exactly how you feel. I love it when people think I work there and ask for my help. You should see the look on their faces when I tell them that I am just shopping there! They are so surprised that I still take the time to help them.
by Kate Hart — 3/19/08 at 4:16 pm #