Selling a home? Design tips to close the deal

Wrenda Goodwyn • special to the Fort Myers News-Press/USA Today Network August 5, 2023

The weather and real estate seem to be the current hot topics in Southwest Florida.

With many homeowners preparing to sell or buy, even in this uncertain market, everyone wants to sell fast and that means doing a little work to make homes attractive to buyers. And to get top dollar.

Candice Olson-designed living room is neutral, uncluttered and allows buyers to visualize living in the space. Shown: Denison chairs, Deal sofa, Cuddle Up ottomans, Jemson coffee table. Photo: Candice Olson for Kravet

As a Bonita Springs-based interior decorator, I work with sellers all over our area to prepare their homes for resale. This involves ensuring that from the moment a prospective buyer enters the front door, they can envision their life in your home. To say that you only get one chance to make a first impression is an understatement when it comes to capturing a buyer’s attention.

Whether you’re selling now or in the future. Or if you just want to refresh your home until you do sell it down the road, you may find a few of these tips useful.

My go-to real estate professional, Gina Goodrich with Cypress Realty, has 24 years of experience working with clients to get their homes ready to sell. And she has a unique approach. I asked her to share her thoughts from a realtor’s perspective.

Goodrich suggests that you tour your exterior and interior as a buyer would and ask yourself: If you were the buyer, what do you see? A few of her questions to ask yourself:

Make sure to style a beautiful and inviting entry that says “welcome home” to buyers who preview your home. Photo: Pottery Barn.

• Is it clean, maintained, updated, neutral and spacious?

• Make sure garbage, trash, pet foods and refrigerator are all free of odors. Don't mask odors with air fresheners. Buyers will notice. Clean with fresh scents.

• Is it tidy, organized and functional in all rooms and spaces? A buyer should easily be able to navigate through the home and evaluate their potential lifestyle becoming reality.

• Less is more. Clear counters and floors. Take up throw rugs, excess towels, furnishings, knick-knacks, photos, collections and any unnecessary items. Remove trash cans, pet bowls and waste receptacles.

• Clean the garage. Not fun but they will look.

• When they pull up to your home you want them to be excited versus hesitating with disappointment. This feeling should continue as they enter each room. The longer they linger, the more likely they are considering. And that’s the goal!

When helping a client prepare a home for resale, I use a checklist that includes the following:

• Clean the house like company is coming (it is). And wash the windows. Inside and out. As Gina Goodrich says, “Make it sparkle.”

• Declutter. You will be moving anyway. Do it now. Clear out as much space as possible. This includes closets and cabinets! And clear everything off the kitchen counters except for a bouquet of fresh flowers.

• Put the toilet seats down. This should not have to be said, but it happens all the time.

• Depersonalize the house. The animal heads hanging on the walls from a safari may have special meaning to a homeowner but may offend a possible buyer. Remember: the buyer wants to visualize their own stuff in your space and this is easier to do if yours is not taking up space.

• Remember how it feels to walk into a model home? You can visualize your furniture, in the space because it's not stuffed. If you have too much furniture or it is too heavy and bulky, you may want to put some in storage or even style the main living areas with pieces that show off the space.

• Lighten up. Say goodbye to the heavy window treatments. Let the buyer see your home by bringing in light. At the least, if your drapes are heavy and dated, just take them down.

• Paint baseboards and window sills. Get rid of scuff marks and give the room a fresh look. Something good to do even if you are staying in your home.

• Faux finishes and murals may be great for your tastes but the thought of redoing these may make the buyer run the other way.

• Make sure the baths are squeaky clean. There is nothing worse than looking at a home with dated bathrooms. And this is the room that you may need to repaint. If the tub and shower are looking a little dated, hang a bright new shower curtain and invest in new rugs and towels.

• Tuscan is out. It’s worth the investment to have a designer help you with ways to minimize this outdated look that is no longer popular.

• Remove all fake plants and replace with a few real ones. Or at least remove all fake plants. Please.

Wrenda Goodwyn is an ASID associate and gold member of the Interior Redecorators Network. She helps homeowners throughout Southwest Florida with timeless, affordable ways to create beautiful spaces and solve decorating problems. Her articles appear the first Saturday of each month. For more information, visit her website at spectacularspaces.com. Call her at 239-850-5800 or e-mail wrenda@spectacularspaces.com. For more decorating tips, articles and photos, visit her blog at spectacularspaces.com/blog

Spring decorating: a breath of fresh air

Wrenda Goodwyn • special to the Fort Myers News-Press/USA Today Network May 2023

My favorite season is spring. May is a breath of fresh air. A time to soak up the outdoors and beautiful days before the heat and humidity hit. And I am happy to say, color is back!

This island green is our latest color crush for spring with Majorelle wallcovering, Spring, by Brunschwig & Fils. Available at Kravet to the Trade. Photo: Kravet.

After three years of getting through a pandemic and then finding ourselves in recovery mode from a hurricane, neutrals and beiges are giving way to beautiful island greens, blues, yellows, creams and pink/purples. It’s as though we have crawled out into the light and want to create happy spaces with beautiful color again. Sofas, rugs, window treatments, accessories…they all cry out for color.

As a Bonita Springs-based interior decorator working throughout Southwest Florida, I see many homeowners looking for a refresh this spring that also updates their homes. And most of all, they want comfort. Pretty and comfortable. You can do a little or a lot depending upon your budget. Here are a few suggestions and new ideas:

• We are living in color again! Clients are brave and not afraid to try something new. Greens are hugely popular along with the return of yellow (proceed with caution).

• Rooms are being decluttered and heavy furnishings being swapped out for something lighter.

• Rattan continues to be popular especially in accent chairs, lighting and daybeds.

Key Haven, by Winfield Thybony Design, is a pretty, peaceful background for an island look. Wallcovering available at Kravet to the Trade. Photo: Kravet.

• Old rugs are being replaced for new and bold in jute and sisal.

• Lavender is finding its way into décor. Think: Benjamin Moore’s Raspberry Ice.

• Freestanding bathtubs are being incorporated into master baths again. Whether most really use them or not, they look great.

• If your artwork is looking tired and faded, or just doesn’t work anymore, shop for something new.

Before you put a spring refresh plan together and think about new purchases, consider some things that keep your home from having a fresh, updated look:

• Patterned sofas. Go solid and save the patterns for chairs, window treatments and pillows.

• Trends. Let’s face it, trends are fun and we love to find some version of a new trend for our clients. But there is a reason that white cabinets are a timeless, classic choice. Before you go too far off the deep end with a trend, ask yourself: “Will I still love it in five years?”

• Tile countertops. The time has passed for these and who wants to clean grout every day?

• Cheap paint. You don’t need to buy the most expensive on the market but something in a middle range will go on better, clean easier. Worth a few extra dollars.

• Vertical blinds. These never looked good and there are options.

• Don’t cover every wall with family photos. This really dates a home and makes it look old. Pick a few and frame them in identical frames and display them on a table, desk, piano or on one wall for your family gallery.

• Wall to wall carpet. Just don’t.

• Old fixtures and drawer pulls. Things change and updating these will give your space a new look.

• Popcorn ceilings. Whatever you have to do to remove these, it’s worth it.

• Old wallpaper. Old as in more than five years old. I know, you paid a lot but it’s dated and needs to come down. Try a beautiful paint color for an option.

• Wood paneling. Paint it.

• Matchy, matchy anything. Don’t buy an entire room of furniture that matches. Unless it’s for a rental property. Otherwise, use some imagination and find some pieces that you love. Matchy matchy says, I just don’t care. And I know you do.

• Honey-stained oak cabinets. These were the rage but now, nothing dates a home more than this look. If they are in good shape, have them painted. It’s worth the investment.

• Fake plants. Please, just don’t.

Wrenda Goodwyn is a Southwest Florida interior decorator, A.S.I.D. associate and gold member of the Interior Redecorators Network. She helps homeowners throughout Southwest Florida with timeless, affordable ways to create beautiful spaces and solve decorating problems. Her articles appear the first Saturday of each month. For more information, visit her website at spectacularspaces.com. Call her at 239-850-5800 or e-mail wrenda@spectacularspaces.com. For more decorating tips, articles and photos, visit her blog at spectacularspaces.com/blog

After the storm: making home feel like home again

Wrenda Goodwyn • special to the Fort Myers News-Press/USA Today Network • Nov. 5, 2022

Honestly, this was a difficult article to write. I’ve been thinking about it since Hurricane Ian tore through our area and left a trail of unimaginable devastation. Like everyone else, the damage to our tropical paradise left me heartbroken and shaken to my core.

We learned that we live in a world where we have very little control when it comes to nature. We live in a beautiful but fragile area. Our homes did their best to stand tall against this storm and they did so until they just couldn’t any longer. And now, we have to do our best to put them back together.

Our homes are our sanctuary. The place that serves as our retreat from everything the world throws at us. And whether you had a little damage or lost your home or had no damage and are feeling crushed by what has happened in Southwest Florida, everyone has been impacted. It has left all of us knocked off our center. It will take a while to regain our balance.

But we will. Because our home means everything. Whether rebuilding, relocating, or renting, it’s human nature to want to establish a home again. It may be different. Something you never imagined or expected. But it will be home.

As a resident and interior decorator in Southwest Florida for the past 22 years (and three major hurricanes), I wondered what I could possibly say to my readers and clients that would help. I’ve met with several in the past weeks. Longtime clients that I helped pick out everything in their home from paint color to flooring to furnishings, to new kitchens. They, like so many, are trying to recover and find the energy to move forward. Emotions go back and forth between sorrow and determination. And hope. Lots of hope.

The common thread I have found is that everyone is looking for two things: comfort and simplicity in their space, no matter what state their home is in. If you keep those two ideas in mind, it really clarifies the direction in which to proceed.

So, while I did not think it was appropriate to talk about the usual design topics (time for that later), I instead have a few tips that everyone can use for a fresh, simple, uncomplicated home. And because we are a few weeks away from Thanksgiving, it’s also a good time to give thanks. Thanks for every house that we have ever called home and for the happiness, peace and shelter that home gives us.

Simple and uncomplicated steps to restore calm and peace:

• Uncertain times leave us fearful and feeling empty. What you want in our home may have changed. Priorities may have shifted. Take some time to reevaluate without judgment. Adjust your space to reflect those changes.

• Whether it’s new drywall, paint, cabinets, flooring, or fixtures, this may offer an opportunity to create a fresh and new environment instead of trying to replicate exactly what was there.

• Turn off the news and social media.

• Plant a tree in the yard to mark new life and new beginnings.

• Take an inventory of your house one room at a time. Make a plan.

• Say goodbye to items that no longer serve you. Remove anything from the past that causes stress.

• Shop at local furniture showrooms that are able to get a few basic pieces immediately OR order online with ready-to-ship offerings.

• Set aside a space that provides comfort. Maybe a nook for reading with a comfortable chair and a lamp.

Wrenda Goodwyn is a Southwest Florida interior decorator, A.S.I.D. associate and gold member of the Interior Redecorators Network. She helps homeowners throughout Southwest Florida with timeless, affordable ways to create beautiful spaces and solve decorating problems. Her articles appear the first Saturday of each month. For more information, visit her website at spectacularspaces.com. Call her at 239-850-5800 or e-mail wrenda@spectacularspaces.com.

Tips for finding comfort at home for fall

Wrenda Goodwyn • special to the Fort Myers News-Press/USA Today Network • Oct. 2, 2021

Fall arrived quietly a few days ago and in Southwest Florida and we’re anxiously awaiting a cool morning breeze, an evening that makes us look through our closet for a jacket and any signs that a new season has arrived.

And while our northern neighbors are covering the pool and bringing in the patio furniture, we’re looking forward to heading outdoors after a long, sizzling summer. And it only takes a few news reports of snow storms to realize again, how lucky we are to live in this tropical paradise.

But until then, we dream of fall.

As the sun is sets on summer, there are lots of color palettes and ideas from Kravet to welcome the fall season to your home. Photo: Kravet

Just as the trees shed their beautiful leaves, we’re reminded that it’s important to let go of what no longer serves us or supports us. And that’s what fall is all about. Letting go. Hope. Comfort. Change. In our lives and especially in our homes.

And even though there are only subtle changes, it’s important to acknowledge the season. Especially now as we continue to navigate through challenging times.

As a Fort Myers Interior decorator, I believe adding little things that give us comfort in our homes and making small changes to mark the coming season. Some of my favorites include:

• Start with a good decluttering. Say goodbye to anything that no longer makes you happy or supports your lifestyle.

• Go to your closet, bring the long sleeves and jackets and boots to the front.

• In the pantry, clean out all of the old spices and make room for the new as we get ready for the coming holidays.

• Visit fall art shows and flea markets to invest in a new piece of art or an accent piece.

• With shorter days, now is a good time to take a look at your lighting and perhaps add a new lamp or two.

• The change in seasons is a perfect time to invest in new linens, towels, throws, blankets.

• Freshen up a room or outdoor space by adding a new rug.

• For an outdoor space, add string lights. They are cheerful and add atmosphere to an outdoor dinner.

• Change your fireplace mantel or tablescape with creamy neutrals accented with seasonal tones, gourds, pumpkins, leaves, baskets, accents.

• As you spend more time outdoors, add some new pillows and throws (for chilly nights) to your chairs.

• Start at the front door with mums, a new welcome mat, wreath and faux pumpkins (Tip: spray paint the pumpkins to reflect your color scheme).

• While you’re at the front door, consider giving it a fresh coat of paint. Think about some yummy seasonal colors from Benjamin Moore: Peach Cider, Caramel Apple, Pumpkin Seeds, Autumn Cover and Witching Hour. Check here for tips on painting a front door.

• On the first cool morning: open all of the windows and let the fresh air into your home and breathe it in.

Happy fall!

Wrenda Goodwyn is a Southwest Florida interior decorator, A.S.I.D. associate and gold member of the Interior Redecorators Network. She helps homeowners throughout Southwest Florida with timeless, affordable ways to create beautiful spaces and solves decorating problems. Her articles appear the first Saturday of each month. For more information, visit her website at spectacularspaces.com. Call her at 239-850-5800 or e-mail wrenda@spectacularspaces.com. For more decorating tips, articles and photos, visit spectacularspaces.com/blog

Inspiration for creating a beautiful home

It’s summertime in Southwest Florida and if you are running a little low on inspiration for your home, a vision board with some of your favorite things is a good place to start. Photos, paint color, textures, samples of wall coverings and fabric samples and anything else that you love, help when deciding how you want your home to feel when you walk in the door. Photo and inspiration board are from one of my favorite places to go to go for inspiration, Kravet. Check out this to- the-trade source at Karvet.com. Photo: Kravet.

Wrenda Goodwyn • special to the Fort Myers News-Press/USA Today Network • July 3, 2021

A couple of months ago a client asked me to walk through her home and give her tips on how she could “make it look like something out of a magazine.”

Before I booked a designer for a day consultation, I talked with her at length on the phone about her home and what I could do to help her. She told me that she no idea what she wanted. Had no strong likes or dislikes. Her home was not really any particular style. Did not have any color preferences. Was clear that she had no design style. She just knew that she wanted it to look great. And she thought she would know what she wanted when she saw it.

As a Fort Myers interior decorator, I can tell you this is not all that rare. I’ve found that many homeowners, especially post COVID, want to change their homes but are lacking clear ideas about what they want. Not a problem!

This is where inspiration comes in. And maybe we are all feeling a little uninspired and disconnected after the past year.

Making changes

One solution is to call a decorator or designer. We are full of ideas. But before you make that phone call, it’s really important to gather some thoughts about what makes you happy and how you would like for your home to feel when you walk in the door. After all, it’s your home.

Maybe you’re making a fresh start in a new home. Downsizing to a smaller space. Looking for a new look after a life-changing event. Feeling the need to restore balance to your home and life. Or maybe you are just plain bored and want something different.

Set the stage

Decide how you want your home to feel when you walk in the door. Everything you do will relate to this feeling. I always tell my clients I don’t need to know details about how they want it to look. That comes later. But tell me the feeling that you want your home to reflect and I will help get you there.

I have some thoughts that I share with my clients on finding your inspiration and you may find them helpful.

Home inspiration and where to find it

Design books

Magazines

Pinterest

Instagram

Design blogs

Hotels

Restaurants

Nature

Travel

Fabric

Fashion

Antique markets

Art

Furniture showrooms

Model homes

If you love to travel or just enjoy dreaming about faraway places, be inspired with this World Traveler wallpaper from Ballard Designs. With whimsical maps of favorite cities, it’s perfect for a powder room or office. www.ballarddesigns.com. Photo: Ballard Designs.

Transform your home like a professional

• Make it your own. Ideas from magazines and Instagram are great inspiration starters but it’s your home and should reflect you.

• Order samples of paint, wallpaper, fabric, tile.

• Make your own vision board. There are free programs online or you can create one on Pinterest.

• When working on a room, I like to lay everything out on a white tray: fabric sample, paint swatches, tiles, bits of inspiration like shells and other objects found in nature, photos, etc.

• Keep it simple and remember: trends are fun but they come and go. Look for classic style that is never outdated.

• Remember to have fun and don’t overthink things.

This month:

• Review your hurricane plan and stock up non-perishable supplies. www.leegov.com/publicsafety/emergencymanagement/plan

• With 175 days until Christmas, it’s time to think about holiday decorations. Put a plan together and order what you need. This is also a good month to review what you have and eliminate old decorations that you no longer use. Donate them to a charity. Now you can forget about the holidays until November!

Wrenda Goodwyn is a Southwest Florida interior decorator, A.S.I.D. associate and gold member of the Interior Redecorators Network. She helps homeowners throughout Southwest Florida with timeless, affordable ways to create beautiful spaces and solves decorating problems. Her articles appear the first Saturday of each month. For more information visit her website at spectacularspaces.com. Call her at 239-850-5800 or e-mail wrenda@spectacularspaces.com. For more decorating tips, articles and photos, visit spectacularspaces.com/blog

Summertime and the living is hot!

Wrenda Goodwyn • special to the Fort Myers News-Press • July 4, 2020

Kravet’s Breezy collection says summer with names like fruit punch, tango mandarin and clover. Your designer or decorator can help you with selections of indoor/outdoor fabric from Kravet’s to-the-trade options. Photo: Kravet.

When I was growing up in Virginia summer meant a new straw purse and a pair of sandals. Staying outside late into the evening. Beach days. Family road trips. Going barefoot. Swimming off the neighborhood pier. Catching blue crabs for dinner. Evenings sitting outside on the porch.

The "porch" was where the family headed after dinner. I can hear my mother saying, "Help me finish the dishes and let's go out on the porch." It was where all important discussions and decisions took place. It was the place where we retreated at the end of the day.

As a Southwest Florida interior decorator, I have had many "porches" since those days. Small apartment balconies barely large enough for two chairs, screened porches with comfortable wicker furniture, large lanais' with summer kitchens surrounding a pool and filled with friends. But to me, they are all "porches." A place to unwind, relax and think. A sanctuary.

We're in those lazy, hot, humid days of summer but if you are at home on this Fourth of July weekend, chances are that you will end up on a porch someplace relaxing or cooking out.

Spending more time at home, our outdoor space has never been more important. I always like to start my mornings with coffee and catching up on some reading and maybe some computer work on my porch before it gets too uncomfortable. And end my day there reading or just taking some time to destress. It helps to be outside even if it’s just for a short time.

So, if in these hot days of July, you find your porch in need of a little makeover, I have some tips to give your space, no matter what the size, a bit of refreshing to make it an extension of the home's living area or as a separate retreat. No matter what the size or budget.

Furniture

This is important because after all, it is going to be outside. For Southwest Florida, that means nonstop sun, rain, wind, dust. Make sure you purchase furniture made for outdoors. And if you love wicker, it just won’t hold up to moisture. Instead, buy resin wicker and it will hold up to all of the elements. Make sure your furniture is heavy enough to withstand wind.

Outdoor fans. Who doesn’t love sitting under a fan on a porch? Add a good book, a cold drink and it’s just about perfect. A restful retreat.

Fabric

This is my favorite because you can recover any outdoor pieces and make them new again. And today’s outdoor fabrics work indoors as well. Lots of choices including chenilles, linens and velvets. Beautiful. Have an outdoor umbrella or outdoor drapery done in the same or a contrasting fabric. My go-to for indoor/outdoor is Kravet to the Trade. Check out the Breezy line in the photo at www.kravet.com/breezy-indoor-outdoor

Add a porch swing

What could be better than dozing in a porch swing at the end of the day? A porch swing just cries out, "Stop what you are doing and come and relax for a while." And if you find a vintage swing that just will not hold up to much weight, hang it any way and fill it with plants.

Don’t crowd your space

Decide what is most important. Dining? Relaxing? TV area? And plan the space accordingly with the appropriate sized furnishings.

Anchor your seating area with an outdoor rug

Even on a tiny balcony this works and adds color to the space.

Lighting for atmosphere

If there is space, add an outdoor lamp, twinkly lights, a few lanterns. And a chandelier over the dining space.

Add a bar cart

Yes, it's great for a party but you can also use it for storage...liquid refreshments, cups, stirrers, coasters, books, magazines, speakers, and anything else necessary for a relaxing retreat.

Go vertical

Hang a piece of artwork or sign on a wall. This makes it feel like part of your living space.

Accessories

Fill your furniture with colorful pillows. Add plants, candles (flameless), lanterns, a bowl of shells and colorful sea glass.

Tiny space?

No problem! Bistro table and chairs may be all that you need. No room for furniture? Fill your tiny balcony with plants and let the outdoors inside.

Wrenda Goodwyn is a Southwest Florida interior decorator, A.S.I.D. Associate and gold member of the Interior Redecorators Network. She helps homeowners throughout Southwest Florida with timeless, affordable ways to create beautiful spaces and solves decorating problems. Her articles appear the first Saturday of each month. For more information visit her website at spectacularspaces.com. Call her at 949-1808 or e-mail wrenda@spectacularspaces.com. For more decorating tips, articles and photos, visit spectacularspaces.com/blog