Blinds and Curtains

Defining Your Living Spaces Beyond Your Front Door

Who says blinds & curtains are only meant for the interior of your home?

Blinds and curtains aren’t just for the living areas inside your home. Places like garages, outdoor patios and porches can also benefit from having window treatments. Curtains, valances or faux wood blinds can help give these spaces definition, and a feeling of being finished. Here are some ideas to consider when putting treatments in some of these unexpected areas.

Garages
It seems everyone uses their garage for different things beyond simply parking their cars. They can be workstations, a playroom for the kids or an honest-to-goodness extra living space. If your garage is a storage space bursting at the seams with “stuff,” it’s not a lost cause. Get the garage organized and cleaned up, and you could find a hidden gem of a functional space, ready for design details like window treatments.

If your garage space is a workstation full of tools and benches and half-finished projects, with a lot of sawdust or dirt and grime flying around at any given time, it’s probably not the best idea to hang fabric curtains in the vicinity. They will get dirty in a hurry, and they’re much more difficult to clean than mini blinds or faux wood blinds. Putting up mini blinds or faux wood blinds will give you a sense of privacy and also give the garage that finished look. Adding blinds can also help keep out harsh sunlight, and help to keep the garage cooler in the warm months and warmer in the cold, perhaps increasing productivity in your workspace.

If your garage doubles as a kids’ playroom, cordless blinds or window shades are a great way to ensure your children and their friends can play in privacy, while keeping them safe from dangling cords.

For a garage that is a fully functioning extra living space, curtains come into play. Adding a valance atop faux wood blinds gives these extra living spaces the same warm, comforting feel you have inside the home. Treat these garage living spaces like a second living room.

Outdoor Living Spaces
Adding curtains, shades or blinds to outdoor living spaces like patios and porches can be a great way to add style, but it can also be tricky. Curtains need to be covered year-round: Any direct rain or weather will ruin them in short order. However, if you have a covered patio that has an overhang to protect your curtains, these can be great in adding some color and some privacy. They also create an elegant look when they flow in the breeze.

When you put your curtains up in your outdoor living space, make sure your choice is mold- and mildew-resistant. In colder climates, you will also want to take them down in the winter, and launder them before putting them back up in the spring.

Faux wood blinds or retractable shades are the way to go if you have windows in your outdoor living area, such as a screened-in or three-season porch. Using real wood blinds won’t work due to the natural moisture of the outdoors, and mini blinds won’t last through even the faintest of windstorms or weather changes. When it comes to shade outside, porch or patio enclosure shades that roll up and down, either through a remote control system or a pulley, are a great bet. These provide continuous shade and protect your outdoor furniture from fading and being damaged by the elements.

When adding design features to you home, don’t stop at the front door. Take functional and stylish elements like window treatments outside, and extend your home’s comfort and livability.

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Kitchen Pop

5 Backsplash Ideas to Make Your Kitchen Pop

This often overlooked kitchen design element can make a big splash.

VICTORIA KEICHINGERTODAY

There are so many design elements that make up a kitchen: flooring, cabinetry, appliances, hardware, counter tops. But, one element that is sometimes overlooked is backsplash, or a panel or tile that protects the wall behind a sink, stove or counter top. While it serves a utilitarian purpose, it can also bring style and pizzazz to a kitchen or bathroom. Here are 5 backsplash design inspirations from Coldwell Banker listings.

French Country

1799 Oakville Grade Rd in Oakville, CA listed by Cyd Greer with Coldwell Banker Brokers of the Valley
Don’t be afraid to use backsplash as a canvas. The French country scene depicted behind the stove makes a strong statement about the design theme of the room. It’s also rumored that the symbol of a rooster brings good luck, and we can all use some of that in our cooking endeavors.

Stone

891 14th Street, Denver, CO listed by Mark Callaghan with Coldwell Banker Devonshire
Using natural materials like Quartzite Sandstone give this otherwise modern Denver kitchen a rustic feel.

Marble

78 Chestnut St, Weston, MA listed by Diana Chaplin with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage
There are few materials that give a room more polish than marble. And it is no different with this Weston, MA kitchen.  Together with the deep gray cabinetry, this butler’s pantry is all shades of right.

Textured

20 & 40 Waterstone Way, Woody Creek, CO listed by Kim Coates with Coldwell Banker Mason Morse Real Estate

Who says that backsplash has to be flat? This textured pattern in deep gray makes the kitchen feel updated without making a bold statement.

Matching Counter Top

104 Cascade Key, Bellevue, WA listed by The Jen Harper Team with Coldwell Banker BAIN
Continuing the counter top material up the wall like in this Bellevue, WA home, creates a seamless waterfall effect.

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Ideas for Your Bedroom

6 Revitalizing Update 

Transform your bedroom from drab to fab with these easy updates.

Article by Lindsay Listanski

Guest Post by Andrea Davis

How’s your bedroom looking these days? When was the last time you replaced the linens or thought about getting the carpet deep cleaned? Since we spend so much time in our bedrooms — where we begin and end every day — it’s important to keep things clean, comfortable and in the best shape possible. Instead of taking everything out and starting anew every few years, use these ideas keep your bedroom feeling fresh:

#1 Declutter

One way to keep your bedroom fresh is to get rid of the clutter. Whether it’s shoes, magazines, old clothes or the like, get rid of whatever you don’t need or don’t use often. It opens up floor space, closet space and other areas. Plus, there’s another bonus: if you clear a dreadfully cluttered floor, you reduce the risk of tripping and falling too.

#2 Add more lights

If your bedroom gets only a little natural light and looks shadowy the rest of the time, think about adding more lights — maybe standing or table lamps. You can also upgrade your fluorescent or incandescent lighting to their CFL or LED alternatives, which are more energy efficient and pay back in utility bill savings. A more expensive option is to replace the existing windows in the room with bigger, more energy efficient ones. This will probably involve expanding the space for the window, so keep that cost in mind.

#3 Paint the walls

Depending on the look and feel of your bedroom, painting the walls might be just the thing to revitalize the space. If you you’ve been living with a bright, pastel color that’s been there since you purchased the house, changing it might help renew the atmosphere of the room. The cost to paint a room varies depending on the paint you choose and the preparation involved. Usually, if you’re inexperienced and want to avoid carpet damage, you’ll call a painter. However, with some experience — or a lot of YouTube videos and trial and error — you can tackle this project over a weekend. Keep in mind that paint isn’t cheap; choose a shade that you’re willing to live with for five years, at least.

#4 Bring in natural elements

To add more oxygen and nature to your bedroom, think about adding houseplants. Houseplants helps remove toxins from the air, and many are very low maintenance. If you own pets, choose a variety that is not poisonous to them and that will still add to the overall aesthetic appeal of your bedroom. Just keep in mind if you do purchase a plant that requires watering, put down some kind of plastic catcher or rug in case of excess overflow.

#5 Hang a mirror

A mirror can be benefit a bedroom in many ways. For those who like to take the time and reflect on their image before work, it’s a handy accessory. For a bedroom that’s very small or narrow, it helps to add a feeling of more space and openness. If your bedroom is lacking in light, mirrors can be positioned to reflect natural or artificial light and cast it across the room to make it feel brighter. Plus, depending on the type of mirror you choose, it adds some extra appeal to the bedroom overall. Mirrors are relatively inexpensive to hang — about $270 depending on their size.

#6 Update the linens

If you’ve had the same linens since college, there’s a good chance it’s time to make an update. Think about how you can match the bedroom linens to those in your bathroom or complement the walls and carpeting. You might want to expand your color scheme in the bedroom, using the comforter as your centerpiece. You’ll want it to last for a while, so don’t invest in something that will tear or easily fall apart with repeated use. Think about an area rug if your flooring is prone to scratches, nicks or stains.

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Take your backyard s’mores

 

PARTIES

S’More Backyard Fun Please

Take your backyard s’mores creations to the next level with these tasty enhancements!

S’mores are an absolute summertime classic.  There are few things that exemplify summer more than hanging out in your home’s backyard with family and friends watching marshmallows brown on a skewer in a bonfire.  Everyone knows and loves the original recipe (unless your last name is Smalls).  So some may be hesitant to mess with the traditional, but I assure you, your adventurous side will come out after seeing these delicious alternatives!

Bacon:

We are going to lead off this list with bacon because, well, why not?  It’s bacon – the food that keeps on giving just gave us another excuse to eat more.

Photo Courtesy of Flickr User Eli Christman

Create candied bacon by sprinkling each strip with brown sugar.  Set your oven to between 375 – 400 °F and cook for 15-25 minutes until the bacon is crispy.  For those with a preference for the juxtaposed tastes of sweet and salty, use dark chocolate in your final creation.

Fruit:

Doctors are always recommending to eat more fruit.  Oblige them by adding your favorite fruit you your favorite backyard summertime treat!  Whether it is bananas, strawberries, blueberries or raspberries, it will be delicious.

Image via Flickr user Personal Creations

Do you have a bunch of fruit lying around waiting to be eaten?  Kick your S’mores up a notch by first roasting your ingredients for a caramelized fruit garnish.  It’s the doctor’s orders.

No Graham Crackers, No Problem:

Don’t feel like going out to the store to grab graham crackers?  No worries.  Many snacks and treats you may already have lying in your pantry will do the trick!

Photo via Flickr user vastateparksstaff

Instead of the traditional, go rogue by using chocolate chip cookies, Oreo’s, waffle cookies or Rice Krispies for the perfect marshmallow and chocolate conveyor.

This is Just the Veganning:

Have you not been able to enjoy a S’more in the years after you became vegan?  Don’t miss out anymore!

Photo via Flickr user Heather Katsoulis

You can still join the fun by substituting regular marshmallows for the vegan kind and milk chocolate for organic dark chocolate.

S’Mores Lasagna:

I’ve never gazed upon the rolling hills of Tuscany or traversed the watery, serpentine allies of Venice, but when I imagine Italy, I think of a place where layers of pasta, sauce and cheeses combine to make the entire country smell like my friend Giuseppe’s grandmother’s kitchen.  I also would like to imagine when they do dessert, it is in the lasagna mold.

Photo via Flickr user Joy

Start out by lining a base layer of graham crackers on the bottom of your tray.  Then, sprinkle chocolate chips and mini marshmallows (the small pieces will make it easier to layer) until you are satisfied.  Place another layer of graham crackers atop your chocolate and marshmallows and repeat!  Preheat your oven to 500°F and cook for about 6 minutes until browned and gooey!

Think Outside of the S’more:

Here is the section where things may get a little crazy.  The beauty of the S’more is that practically any combination of your favorite sweets and treats will taste amazing!  Love peanut butter or Nutella?  Spread some on each cracker while you are waiting for your mallow to brown.  Want to switch it up from the classic milk chocolate?  Use Milky Ways, Snickers, Kit Kat bars or anything else to make this traditional treat your very own!

No matter what your personal preference, the best thing about S’mores is spending time with loved ones on a beautiful summer night in a place you call home.

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How Home Sellers Have Changed

 Over the Past Decade Results of the Coldwell Banker Seller Survey

• 
 
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 Home

Today's home seller is notably different than the seller of 10 years ago. The recession not only changed the housing market, but it also changed the way home sellers approach the sale of their home. The Coldwell Banker Seller Survey looks at approximately 1,500 home sellers and analyzes trends from before and through the recession, as well as the initial recovery years and today:

• 2014-2015 - Recent Years (Sellers Today)
• 2010-2013 - Initial Recovery Years
• 2008-2009 - Recession
• 2006-2007 - Pre-Recession
• 2005 and Earlier

How Selling a Home Has Changed Over the Years

Since 2014, more than one in four home sellers sold their home in less than two weeks after 
putting it on the market.

Compared to the initial recovery years, more of today's sellers are receiving multiple offers.

The percentage of home sellers receiving offers above their asking price dipped during the 
recession, but has now bounced back to pre-recession levels.

During the recession and initial recovery years, significantly more sellers took the first offer 
on their home than are doing so today.

Today's sellers are nearly twice as likely to choose an offer based on emotion rather than
money alone, compared to pre-recession years.

Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States between April 27-29 & April 28-30, 2015 among 4,023 adults (aged 18 and over) among whom 1,545 are selling/ever sold a home by Harris Poll on behalf of the Coldwell Banker brand via its Quick Query omnibus product. Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, the words "margin of error" are avoided as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in our surveys. The data has been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in our panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

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Clever Storage for Your Home

How to Win at the Organization Game

Try one of these clever storage ideas to tackle sports equipment clutter and we’re sure you’ll come out a winner of the organization game!

VICTORIA LEE TODAY

We all love to root, root, root for the home team, but when the team’s equipment starts invading our homes, it can feel like we’ve struck out in the game of organization.  If your front hall or garage is cluttered with lacrosse sticks, hockey pads and baseball cleats, try one of these clever storage ideas and we’re sure you’ll come out a winner!

Bungee Storage

Add bungee cords to your garage storage for an easy way to bounce back into organized shape.  This organization system makes grabbing a basketball to shoot some hoops quick and easy, but clean-up even easier!

Garage Cubbies

The key to good garage storage is lots of shelving.  This great cubbie system creates space for everything from skates to bike helmets.

Hockey Pad Drying Rack

Anyone with a hockey player in their household knows that victory doesn’t always smell so sweet.  Fend off piles of stinky hockey pads by creating a drying rack that organizes gear for the next big game.

Pegboard Organization System

Anyone with growing athletes in their home knows that as passions grow, so too does the size of the sports equipment that comes along with it.  This pegboard organizational system is flexible enough to expand with your kid’s activity schedule.

Rollable Bins

For sports equipment that gets used frequently, this rollable storage bin is a great storage solution. Organize equipment into each compartment by sport (soccer, tennis, baseball, etc.).

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History of Housing

Coldwell Banker survey reveals the lessons we've learned

A financial crisis and recovery later, the housing market looks nothing like it did 20 years ago. A new survey fromColdwell Banker explained that the recession not only changed the housing market, but it also changed the way home sellers approach the sale of their home.

The survey looks at approximately 1,500 home sellers and analyzes trends from before and through the recession, as well as the initial recovery years and today.

Below are five charts that show just how much things have changed and the lessons we've learned from the past 20 years.

Homes are selling faster. As National Association of Relators’ Chief Economist Lawrence Yun recently said, “Homeowners throughout the country have enjoyed accumulating household wealth through the steady rise in home values in the past few years.”

Source: Coldwell Banker

“However, some homeowners are hesitant to move-up and sell because they aren’t confident they’ll find another home to buy. This trend – in addition to subpar homebuilding activity – is leading to the ongoing inventory shortages and subsequent run-up in prices seen in many markets,” Yun added.

Sellers are receiving more multiple offers. For cases like this, here are tips on how to win a bidding war.

Source: Coldwell Banker

As listed in the article mentioned above, money is a major factor in a seller’s decision, with more people offering full price or more. 

Source: Coldwell Banker

According a recent Redfin survey, 61% of offers written by Redfin agents faced competition from other buyers in March. While it is down slightly from 63% in March 2014, it’s up from 57% in February.

Source: Coldwell Banker

The number one answer from Redfin on how buyers are standing out is cover letters. Cover letters are becoming commonplace again, with 43% of winning offers using them in March, up 35% from last year.

Source: Coldwell Banker

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 Tree House in Hawaii

This unique dream-like home perched high a top Lanikai’s prestigious hillside is a must see.

GUSTAVO GONZALEZTODAY

This house has been such a haven and such a remarkable gift to the heart. And I wish that this transports directly to the new buyer.” – Designer & Homeowner Steve Au.

In our newest ‘Home of the Week‘ we move from a stately mansion in Greenwich to a four level open concept home in Kailua, Hawaii.

Famous Hawaiian architect Steve Au designed this unique home for his family and undoubtedly did a remarkable job. The $2,960,000 home sprawls across four-levels and offers up unobstructed views of turquoise blue ocean, lush tropical gardens and the Mokulua Islands.

There are an abundance of awe-inspiring nuances to this home, like a garden room that leads to bridge where you will find more 36,000 square feet of preservation land with your very own mango trees, ulu, avocado, guava, papaya and other tropical native plants.

I can go on about how special this dream-like home is, but luckily coldwellbanker.comlets sellers tell you in their own words, what makes living and raising a family in their home special. Here’s a sample of what the current homeowners had to say about living in this tree house that has been featured as the Wall Street Journal House of the day as well:

“After years of designing luxuriously spatial residences for other architects and finally for my own clients, I yearned to do something that put my own personal vision into a functional form. I wanted a home that fulfilled the basic, supremely simple human needs: a living environment that merged physical space with the nurturing of the human heart. I wanted a design that expressed the enthralling joy that comes with surprise, that exemplified the tranquility of the tropical Hawaiian lifestyle. What better avenue, I thought, than an elegant tree house with a view of the sunrise, the changing colors of the ocean below, and the twin islands beyond?

Over forty years the house has become a refuge for many, a hermitage for the spirit and a lighthouse perched on the hill high above the road’s turnaround below. At night the house glows like any veritable lighthouse. This house is Lanikai’s best kept secret. It has brought joy and discovery to those whose lives it has touched. It has mended many lives and the hearts of many more. And it has soared with laughter and delight with the presence of beloved friends from all over the world. Most of all, it has provided a lifetime of memories and experiences that we take with us as we leave … a new journey … a new chapter.

I was told by a wise old man in India that I would build a special kind of house that was in the country but in the city. For years I puzzled over this conundrum. But with the house overlooking the twin islands on the one side and anchored to the 400-foot mountain range at its back, enclosing and sequestering the small community below, I realize he was correct in every way.” 

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