Tips on Accessorizing Your Home

When you think about interior design, you most likely think about furniture choices.  Choosing the right color furniture and the right size to fit your rooms as well as the right fabric and the correctly placing it so that it looks aesthetically pleasing.  In reality, interior design also includes a lot of other things like paint and, of course, accessories. There are many ways to complete a design with accessories and many types of accessories that you can use to do something like balance out a space, fill an empty space or bring a pop of color to a room.  What you might not think about is that accessories are also a cost-effective way to design.  They can be used to bring a luxury, finished look to your home while not breaking the bank.

Plants and Artwork

House plants are a great touch to bring life and color into your design.  Whether they are artificial or live, remember that they’re a great accent but don’t over do it.  You want to use them to bring a freshness into this room but not make it look like a jungle.  A little goes a long way when it comes to plants.  Use different heights to give the impression that a space is taller and different breeds for dimension. When it comes to artwork, less is also more.  You want to use artwork for similar reasons as plants, to bring color and dimension to a space and to tie your furniture colors together with paint colors, etc.  But don’t fill every single wall with a painting or mirror.  That will only give your house a cluttered look and take away from what you’re trying to achieve.

Accent Tables and Chachkas

Small tables in various shapes help to finish off your design.  They give your furniture a completed look and, once again, fill spaces.  And you don’t have to spend a fortune on them.  Some of the neatest looking tables can be repurposed from an estate sale or at your local thrift store.  I love a good table refinishing project.  It gives you lots of satisfaction in a weekend project that doesn’t take too long.  And what’s a chachka?  It’s a small inexpensive item that gives you an expensive look.  A vase for example can give you the color and sparkle you need for your design and they come is many different sizes and shapes.  Another example might be a bowl or and urn or a floral center piece. 

Curtains, Pillows, and linens…oh my!

The best way to complete a window is to put some curtains up.  There are so many fabrics to choose from.  Use heavier ones in the winder and lighter weight ones in the warmer months to give your room a seasonal feel that matches the time of year.  My favorite is velvet in the winter and it’s practical, helping to keep the cold air out and insulate the windows.  And don’t forget patterns.  You don’t want to over do it with patterns on your windows but don’t be afraid of it either.  Pillows and linens also make for a great seasonal décor if used in the same way as your curtains.  Change out your pillows and your bathroom, bedroom, and kitchen linens to match your décor or even for a holiday.  Linens in general, soften a room and fill up empty spaces as well.

Littles

I call them littles.  I’m referring to items like old books, photo frames, bowls, vases, and other random finds.  There are tons of choices when it comes to littles.  You can find them at your local home décor store, and you never know what they will be.  Using things in unique ways can bring a splash of interesting to your home.  It can be things like recycled barn wood, old tile or and old wood ladder for hanging throws on.  Just use your imagination or do like I do…check out the internet for ideas.

For more design ideas or to find out how we can help stage your home, click here to learn more about the Priority Group and Sallie Elliott.

Lauritzen Gardens

Lauritzen Gardens is a living museum of unique four-season plant displays, maintained to the highest standards consistent with environmental stewardship. It provides memorable educational and aesthetic experiences for all.

Escape to an urban oasis of beauty and tranquility to experience the glory of the garden. Discover a hidden sanctuary in the heart of the city. Relax while cultivating your mind in this living plant museum, conveniently located in the beautiful riverfront hills.

Lauritzen Gardens has several educational programs and tours as well as a summer camp and you can have a birthday party of wedding there.  Become a member and get special perks.

Arboretum and Bird Sanctuary

The arboretum and Oberman Bird Sanctuary is a four-acre site with seven regional plant communities: prairie, savannah, oak hickory forest, maple linden forest, farmstead windbreak, marsh and flood plain river margin.

The word arboretum literally means “garden of trees.” In this area, they planted many different species of trees and shrubs appropriate for a Nebraska landscape. They used both native trees and shrubs as well as plants which have the ability to adapt to our harsh environment. It will take many years for this garden area to mature due to the slow growth habit of the plants. The site, however, is a relaxing place to stroll and enjoy the young trees and the beautiful vistas to be seen from this vantage point. This area along the Missouri River corridor is a natural flyway for migratory birds. There are feeders and nest boxes located throughout the sanctuary so the arboretum provides a unique area to observe the birds.

In the spring, keep your eyes and ears peeled for polliwogs, tadpoles and frogs in the marsh area!

“End of Day” Sculpture

The arboretum and bird sanctuary is the perfect setting for this bronze sculpture of sand hill cranes. Artist Dee Clements, a member of the National Sculptors’ Guild, captured the grace of these magnificent native birds. He was commissioned to design this original sculpture for Lauritzen Gardens from his studio in Loveland, Colo.

“Sunflowers, Snowbirds & Lizards” Sculpture

This round bronze sculpture near the arboretum and bird sanctuary entrance beautifully depicts snowbirds as they prepare to dine on the seeds of sunflowers. It was sculpted by Sharles for the city of Palm Desert, Calif. His deep appreciation for birds, fish and reptiles is reflected in his art.

Children's Garden

No other garden better illustrates their educational focus than the children's garden. It is the site of many of the children's activities including school tours, youth organization projects, and garden children’s programs.

Children have the opportunity to engage in hands-on gardening as well as receive a formal tour and presentation by education staff. Children are involved in the planning, planting, maintaining and harvesting of this garden area.

Adults enjoy visiting the garden as well to see bright colors, unique artwork and unusual plants not found elsewhere at Lauritzen Gardens.

“Dina”

Ronald Weise, a welder from Dunlap, Iowa, created this friendly dinosaur, “Dina,” using scrap metal and old farm equipment parts. Dina has an oil-pan head and antique hay rake tine ribs.

English Perennial Border

Opened in 2006, the English perennial border is located between the Victorian garden and Garden in the Glen. The English perennial border is a plantsman’s dream come true. More than 300 different plant species and cultivars are displayed amongst the thousands of individual sun and shade-loving perennials. They all are organized as a traditional English border would be.

English gardens are known for their masses of colorful plants and informal design style. Early English gardeners were plant enthusiasts and collectors. They enjoyed filling their gardens with as many different plants as possible.

For more information on Lauritzen Gardens click here.  For more information about the Priority Group or Sallie Elliott click here.

2021 Real Estate Market Check In

2021 Real Estate Market Check In

Well, the new year is well underway and 2021 is showing signs of becoming an even stronger real estate market than 2020. In addition to design work, I help my clients buy, sell, and build homes in Douglas county all the time and it’s a good benchmark county to compare to for the Nebraska metro area. The median household income for Douglas County is $67,133 and the average age is 35. Overall median closed prices for homes have steadily increased since 2011. To put it shortly, Douglas county is a thriving county in Nebraska.

New Construction

Closed sales for new homes are up throughout Douglas County compared to last year February year to date with an increase of 33.3% which means that people are building more this year at this time compared to last year. Additionally, the average closed price February year to date this year is up 15.5% compared to last year with a price of $384,351 this year over last year’s $332,740. Inventory for new homes is 185 this year compared to last year’s 366 which is up 49.5%. That means that demand is much higher than supply. With existing home sales being so competitive, more people are building and builders don’t have as much in inventory. In other words, they’re being sold as quickly as builders can build them.

Existing Homes

Closed sales for existing homes are down 4.7% February year to date this year versus last year. Days on the market for a home in February 2021 is 14 and in 2020 it was 25. Homes are selling faster. The average closed price of a home at the same point in this year compared to last year to date is up 13.8% for an average price of $245,830 and list price received is 100%. In my experience, homes sales have been extremely competitive and selling about 20 – 30K above listing. This February we have 290 existing homes in inventory compared to February 2020 when we had 672 home in inventory. That’s a decrease of 60% which is impressive. So…demand here is also much higher than supply.

The saving grace is that mortgage rates are still low which is giving buyers the ability to afford a more expensive home and they can afford to compete in this market. The challenge is finding a house to buy. Incredibly important to being successful when you’re a buyer is finding a real estate agent that has been in the business long enough to have a strong network of other real estate agents and can find you a home before it is on the market.

Ask us how the Priority Group can help. Reach out to us at www.omahaprioritygroup.com or call Sallie Elliott at (402) 630-5953.

Mortgage Update with Jack Shotbolt from Shotbolt Mortgage

A few weeks ago, we had an opportunity to interview our preferred mortgage brokerage, Shotbolt Mortgage. In fact, we were lucky enough to interview Jack Shotbolt himself. Overall, the real estate market, from a mortgage standpoint, is expected to stay largely the same in 2021 as it was in 2020 which is positive. Specifically, here’s what Jack had to say.

Rates are great!

There’s always a lot of political noise in an election year so you’re hearing a lot of it since it’s the beginning of the year and a new president has taken office. The stock and bond markets don’t like unrest so very early in the year, when the new president was about to take office, we saw a lot of uncertainty in the markets. The new presidency will calm things down. Overall, rates should stay low through 2022. We’ll have a good interest rate environment especially for home buyers. The bond market effects interest rates because they are the retreat from the stock market when it’s too risky for many participants. Bonds, mortgage-backed securities, and treasuries are all in the classification. Janet Yellen, the new United States Secretary of the Treasury shouldn’t make much of a difference in terms of being newly appointed. She’ll want to keep things the same given that the new administration is largely in favor of low interest rates. Not a lot of negative impact expected.

What does that mean?

Purchasers will continue to have more buying power. You’ll be able to buy more home than you previously might have been able to. Consequently, the inventory of home for sale in the real estate market continues to be low however if you’re looking to be a competitive buyer, then you will need the extra buying power that low interest rates will afford you. 2021 will be a strong year in real estate and more so if you are a seller. As a realtor, I’m looking forward to it.

Check out our video with Jack and see for yourself what he has to say. To see available homes in the greater Omaha area, go to https://omahaprioritygroup.com/buying and search for a property. I’m happy to answer any questions. Contact Sallie Elliott at 402-630-5953.