How to tweak your space to make it (and you) shine
Being intentional in the way we organize, design and decorate lends itself to more ease, flow and beauty in our day-to-day life.
It is possible to have our environments be both super functional and lovely; laid out to assist in our success and striking to the eye at the same time. We just have to know what we’re doing.
And I know someone who can steer us that way.
Her name is Taylor Spellman, and she’s the star of a new HGTV show currently airing on Discovery+, “One Week to Sell.”
Taylor is the ultimate resource in this area because she can offer practical tips and real-world examples — and she also happens to be my lifelong best friend.
We have been friends since we both launched into fake reporting the news in fifth grade. I distinctly remember another friend’s mom pulling out her massive 1980s video camera and the two of us slowly turning toward each other as we realized that we were both “reporting live from the scene,” fixated on the camera, fake microphones in hand and all.
I later went into local news reporting, but Taylor’s journey involved starting her own interior design and staging firm in New York and ultimately, starring in her own show.
In “One Week to Sell,” she is given five days and a moderate budget to spruce up a house that’s stalled out on the market.
But she does so much more than make it pretty.
You can see it happen in each episode: She enters the space and gets a feel for it. She takes a deeper look and gauges the story of the home. What kind of person would be best served by it? How would they use the space? What would they want and need?
She taps into the soul of the space and expertly puts it on display. It’s both art and science, all aimed at drawing in the ideal owner with a bold, fresh design that helps them see the potential of the space and easily envision themselves living there.
I can’t recommend this show enough. Yes, Taylor and her right-hand woman, Kate Dickens, are my dear lifelong friends, but I promise, this isn’t the only reason. It’s a great show and a fabulous exhibition of the following tips, which are starting points for us all to make our homes smarter and more stylish.
Whether you want to live in it or sell it, here are a few ways to help your space (and you) shine:
1. Less is more when it comes to your bedroom.
“I’m a big advocate for creating the calmest space possible for your bedroom,” Taylor says. “White tones, cream colors, anything that incites peace. I suggest having no TV and keeping closet doors closed to minimize visual and literal noise.
“You create this space knowing you are walking into your sanctuary — your safe space where you can rest and restore.”
2. Have a “command center.”
She says, “In the crazy speed of life, we’re frequently running around and there’s always so much stuff. To manage the chaos, it helps for everything to have a home within your home, especially the extraneous little things that often litter your space and easily get lost — keys, sunglasses, headphones, ChapStick, your wallet, etc.”
Taylor’s command center is a tray near the front door that houses all the things she typically needs before heading out.
3. Be bold.
Outside of your bedroom, don’t be afraid to use bold color. Taylor is brave in this department, and there are some great examples of how that can pay off in the show.
Color has a way of drawing people in. In one episode, Spellman paints an entire room black. That home, which had previously been lingering on the market for months, went into a bidding war and sold for $26,000 more than asking price. In another house, she turned the whole dining room dark purple. The house also drew multiple offers over the asking price.
The key is to avoid overdoing it. Taylor suggests picking one room or wall as an accent and tying back to that shade with small pieces of décor in adjacent rooms. That purple dining room, for example, was beside a more muted gray-toned living room that had a purple pillow on the couch and a splash of purple in the wall art, too.
But be careful choosing your colors, Taylor warns.
“Yellow and orange are tough ones,” she says. “It takes the perfect tone to make these work, so take your time and really consult on fan favorites if you are determined to go in this direction. And for a fail-safe, remember that blue is always your friend.”
4. Reflect on what you love and how you live.
She says this should be the starting point for setting up your space.
“What are you always running for?” she asked me at my house. Based on my answer, we moved some of my kids’ stuff around and added shelf risers so I could store it all better.
But beyond the practical, making your space reflect what you love is a worthy cause. If you’re a music buff and you have various instruments or old albums, she suggests picking one wall to hang them up. If you love books, put them on display.
Consider what you collect or like to do and experiment with showing it off. It may take a bit of trial and error, but it can be fun and rewarding.
But of course, if you aren’t sure, take a break and watch some TV…
“One Week to Sell” is now streaming new episodes every Wednesday on the Discovery+ app (Discoveryplus.com).