Patio Drapes: Super or Superfluous?

With so many great outdoor fabrics on the market, there's no reason not to bring textiles into your outdoor space. I think outdoor curtains are supremely chic. More importantly, they offer shade, as well as protection from breeze.

There are plenty of colors and patterns to choose from for your outdoor space. I think there's something really regal and sophisticated about solid white, though. It's so ethereal, and it's definitely a classic.

Have you considered hanging curtains outdoors?

We have a great promotion to help spruce up your backyard.Check out flyer below.

Staging to Sell~~Days on the Market Examples

Home staging is the one of the best proven methods of reducing the days on market. All too often I go into a property and the property is not "showcase" ready. There are personal use items spread out on the bathroom vanities, toys and lawn items carelessly left throughout the yard, overflowing closets, too much furniture, collectibles everywhere and laundry rooms full.  This is not putting your property's best foot forward.  You have about 6 seconds to make a good first impression and the first impression is the lasting impression.  As the potential home purchaser views your property, where do you suppose they are looking?  They can't help it, they are looking and thinking about your stuff and when they get home and begin talking about the properties they have seen that day, they will attach a descriptive phrase to remember your property.  What do you want that phrase to be?  Do you want them to say "you know the one with all the toys in the yard" or do you want them to say "you know the one with the great backyard?".  You live in your house one way, we all do, we market our property another way.  Home staging services whether they be in the form of a consultation or actual staging will help you to objectively prepare for a competitive housing market.  A professional home stagger will help you go from dweller to seller through organization, furniture  and accessory placement and in some cases recommend minor repairs or updating.  They may suggest painting to "freshen" up the presentation of the property. At Morrone Interiors our goals are clear:  keeping the cost as low as possible, reducing the days on market and most importantly A SALE.  Morrone Interiors looks forward to collaborating with you and your Real Estate Agent regarding preparing your property for sale. Here are some of our properties and their results from staging, To show you staging really does work. Remember, home staging typically will cost you less than your first price reduction.We have rooms starting at $99 including furniture,lighting and accessories, Plus $150 for Delivery, Set up and Pick up.  What do you have to lose?   

ZACHARY DR APOPKA, FL
Before and After Pictures

List Date: 4/11/2011

Contract Date: 4/18/2011

SOLD FOR OVER ASKING PRICE

Before

After

Before

After

N Greenleaf Ct WINTER SPRINGS,FL

Before and After Pictures

List Date: 5/24/2011

Contract Date: Pending Was on the Market for 46 days

Before

After

Before

After

Stages of Design

Last week as I was walking down the isle at Home Goods when I overheard a woman telling her friend that she loved a piece of art work that was on sale. Her friend asked her where she was going to hang it, the woman replied that she had no clue but it was such a good deal she could not pass it up, so she bought it. 

Think about it, how many times have you been to the store purchased an item only to find when you got home that you had no where to put it, than six months later you either sold it at a fraction of the cost or gave it away. 

Most people that hire designers to decorate their spaces most often end up saving money. The designers job is to work within your budget to create a design plan that you will love.

Below I have illustrated the stages of design so that you can see how a room comes together.

(The design below happens to be for a tween girls bedroom).

Stage 1- Space Planning
Designing the general arrangement and layout of the interior space.

Stage 2- Concept Design
A series of conceptual design options examining and proposing the overall look and feel of the interior.

Some of the examples will show color options, furniture options, flooring, lighting, and window treatments.

hmmm... is wood floors in the budget?

Stage 3- Material + Furniture Selection

The specification of materials and their finishes and the purchasing of products for the interior such as furniture, lighting and window treatments.

Normally once you agree to the space plan the designer will look for the furnishings. They than will show you a mood board with paint colors, fabrics, and furniture. This helps you see all of the items together and gives you a clear idea as to how the room will look. 

Stage 4- Detail Design

Accessories!!! Finding the right accessories that tie the room together is key. 

Stage 5- Design Management
The management and assurance of quality and design integrity during the install.

Tween Rooms

This past week I have been working on a design plan for a tween girls bedroom. 

When it comes to this age range room decor becomes pretty tricky, as a designer you don't want the room to look too grown up but you don't want it to look too child like either; see the challenge?

The room should be able to simply flow into the tween girls teenage years with little modification.

In researching tween rooms I found some adorable pictures that I wanted to share with you.

I love the built-ins, this room is fun and stylish!

I love pink and orange together!!! It just says Fun!!!

I love how relaxed yet elegant the room below is.

Great use of colors. I love the green nightstands!!!

Okay so this one is pushing the limit... more like a teenage room but i thought with some modifications we can take some of the elements and make it completely tween!

How can you go wrong with pink and blue. The built-ins are an extra added bonus. Love it!

Top Ten Benefits for Home Staging

The benefits of home staging are well-documented in both statistical and subjective evidence. They need to be. Home staging is a time-consuming process that needs to be done well to produce the intended results.

While home staging has not been popular for very long (mostly the last 20 years or so), it has become almost necessary in the current real estate environment. Buyers have so many houses to look at. Sellers need to make it easier for buyers to pick theirs and one way is by staging the home.

Our top ten benefits derived from home staging are:

1. Staging allows the visual appeal of the home to be readily apparent to the buyer.
2. The seller gets a quicker sale at a better price than without staging.
3. Buyers will spend more time in a home that is comfortable to be in allowing them time to "connect" with the home.
4. The staging process allows a home to get mostly "packed up" and readied for moving day.
5. Staging uncovers the original architectural design and charm of a home by exposing and highlighting selling features.
6. Staging gets more potential buyers in the door because agents know that a staged home has a better chance of selling so it is shown more often.
7. Staging takes some of the stress out of selling a house because no one has to worry about the "unknowns".
8. Staging saves the buyer money because the buyer knows that repairs and updates have already been done.
9. Staging saves the buyer time because there are no "little" repairs that will need doing when they move in....they can begin their new life in their new home without an extensive "honey do" list.
10. You will have the satisfaction of knowing you have done absolutely everything possible to affect a quick sale of your most valuable commodity and for top dollar! Chances are, you've gotten lots of your packing done too!

This means that you are maximizing your return on investment while minimizing the anxiety associated with one of life's more stressful experiences.  

The following illustrations demonstrate why you will find Morrone Interiors Staging services attractive. Please contact us today to set your appointment for a staging consultation with one of our professionals.

Custom Window Treatments vs. Store Bought Curtains

When selecting new window treatments for you home, one of the first decisions you must make is whether you want custom or store-bought. While store-bought treatments may be a faster, easier, and cheaper way to go, there are a few advantages to custom treatments that you may want to take into consideration.

Store-Bought Curtains

Custom Silk Grommet Panels Lined with Blackout

The first advantage is lining. Custom draperies are fully lined making them heavier and fuller. Most custom drapes weigh around 2lbs. per panel whereas unlined store-bought drapes usually weigh less than 1lb per panel. It is possible to find lined store bought curtains, but unfortunately they are usually lined with cotton percale fabric, which is thin with a low thread count and adds very little to the curtain. The thicker poly-cotton lining of custom curtains also helps block the sun as effectively as possible.

Another (and probably the most obvious) advantage of custom window treatments is that they are tailored to your needs. Store-bought curtains are designed to please the majority of consumers, but your windows may not be like the average consumer. If you have a window that is unusually large, for example, it would be very difficult to find that size if there was a specific color scheme that you were trying to match. Having your treatment custom-made gives you a wide variety of color, print, and size options that most store-bought treatments don't offer.

Triple Width Velvet Pinch Pleat Drapes

Finally choosing custom window treatments will ensure that they will last longer. this is because the quality of custom made treatments is better than that of store-bought curtains. Also if you have a treatment custom made, you are getting the look you want opposed to the look that is available. You will be happier with the window treatment for longer because it was exactly what you wanted for the room.

Custom London Shades

Custom London Shade

Custom Flat Roman Shades

Yes, having your window treatments custom-made will most likely cost you more money and take a bit longer. But, when you take these advantages into account, you'll find that it just may be worth the investment. There are many more reasons why custom is better than store-bought but the most important one of them is simply value. Custom window treatments pay for themselves all the years they gracefully cover your windows.

Upholstered Headboards

Upholstered Headboards are everywhere, and why not, they are classic and timeless. They add elegance and sophistication to any bedroom. They can be seen in the most traditional of rooms to the most modern.

Below are some of my favorites that I wanted to share with you.





I love the traditional lines of the bed below, the soft muted colors are both calming and relaxing.

The bed below has to be my favorite, I love the tufted look with the elegant trim.