KATIE'S HOME EDIT
NO. 01
There’s something about this time of year that makes us all start looking around our homes a little differently.
Maybe you’re hosting Thanksgiving this year. Maybe family is coming into town for Christmas. Or maybe the cooler weather just has you spending more time at home and suddenly noticing all of the little things you’ve been meaning to change.
The good news? I don’t think you need to completely redecorate your house or spend a fortune to make it feel more finished.
Between renovating homes, staging and preparing my listings for market, and walking through homes with sellers across North Augusta, I’ve learned that it’s usually the smaller details that make a house feel really well done.
So, if I were walking through your house with you before the holidays, these are the things I’d focus on first.
01. Start with the lighting
If there is one thing that can completely change the feeling of a room, it’s lighting.
I’m always drawn to warm lighting that creates a mood rather than one bright overhead light illuminating the entire room. Lamps, sconces and dimmers are some of my favorite ways to get that designer look without spending a fortune.
If you have overhead fixtures, putting them on dimmers is such a simple upgrade. And if you have a blank wall that could use something, consider adding a pair of sconces.
I personally prefer having an electrician hardwire sconces into a switch rather than using the remote operated LED versions. It feels much more intentional, and you have more control over choosing a warm bulb that gives you the right light.
Think less bright white showroom and more warm glow at dinner.
THE EDIT: AFFORDABLE LIGHTING
Globe Electric Allison Matte Brass Wall Sconce
I love the combination of the matte brass and ribbed glass, especially at this price point. A pair would be beautiful flanking a fireplace, artwork, a console table or even a bed.
Katie’s tip: Pay attention to the bulb just as much as the fixture. A beautiful light fixture with a harsh, cool bulb can completely change the way your paint, furniture and finishes look.
02. Change the cabinet hardware before you change the cabinets
Hardware really is the jewelry of a kitchen.
Two finishes I’m especially loving right now are unlacquered brass and polished nickel, and I tend to prefer a longer pull because I think it instantly gives cabinetry a more custom, elevated look.
There’s actually a little bit of math behind choosing the right size.
A good starting point is choosing a pull around one third of the width of your drawer front. So, on a 24 inch drawer, for example, something around an 8 inch pull gives you a good place to start.
And you absolutely do not have to use the exact same size throughout the entire kitchen.
Longer pulls on wider drawers paired with appropriately scaled hardware on smaller cabinetry can make the entire kitchen look much more custom than putting one small pull everywhere.
Before ordering an entire kitchen’s worth, buy one sample and hold it against your actual cabinets.
Sometimes the difference between hardware looking builder grade and custom is simply scale.
03. Layer your window treatments
One of my favorite window combinations is a Roman shade with curtains layered over it.
It adds softness, dimension and makes a room feel so much more finished.
I love TWOPAGES for window treatments, but regardless of where you buy them, how you hang your curtains matters almost as much as the curtains themselves.
One of the biggest mistakes I see is hanging the curtain rod directly above the window and stopping it right at the window frame.
Instead, take the rod higher and wider.
As a starting point, extend the rod several inches beyond the window frame on each side and hang it above the top of the window rather than directly against it. It draws your eye upward, allows more of the window to show when the curtains are open, and can make both the windows and the room itself feel larger.
For length, I usually want the curtain to kiss the floor.
You don't want several inches of fabric awkwardly hovering above it, and you don't necessarily need piles of fabric puddling on the floor either.
Done correctly, your windows suddenly feel taller and the entire room feels more expensive.
04. Don't underestimate what paint can do
Fresh paint is probably one of the first things I notice when I walk into a house.
If you want something timeless throughout the majority of your home, I love a warm white. Sherwin Williams Alabaster is one of my favorites.
And instead of introducing several slightly different whites throughout the house, I love carrying the same color throughout and adjusting the sheen depending on the surface.
Think Alabaster throughout the walls, trim and ceiling, with the finish adjusted for each application. You might use a flatter finish overhead, a more durable wall finish, and a semi gloss on the trim.
The result feels cohesive and intentional instead of having several different whites competing against each other.
But neutral does NOT mean every room in your house has to be white.
I also love a good color drench.
An office, dining room, sitting room or another separate space is the perfect place to let yourself have a little more fun. Instead of stopping the color at the walls, carry a rich, moody shade throughout the room for a much more enveloping look.
Think deep greens, muddy blues, burgundy, chocolate brown and other colors with some depth to them.
A few I’m loving for inspiration:
Benjamin Moore Silhouette AF-655
A rich brown with charcoal undertones.
Benjamin Moore Narragansett Green HC-157
A beautiful deep blue green.
Sherwin Williams Rosemary
A sophisticated muted green.
Sherwin Williams Pewter Green
A moody green that gives you drama without feeling too trendy.
I wouldn't color drench your entire house.
Pick the room that deserves to have its own personality and let that room be the moment.
05. Before you buy more décor, remove some
This might be the Realtor in me, but one of the quickest ways to make a house feel more expensive is actually to have less stuff in it.
Homes naturally accumulate things.
We have kids. We have mail. We have Amazon boxes. We have vacuums, toys and paperwork. We have twenty things sitting on the kitchen counter because that's real life.
But when I'm preparing a house for photos or walking through one with a seller, one of the first things I'm looking at is what we can take away.
Put the vacuum in the closet.
Clear the paperwork off the counter.
Find a home for the toys.
Remove some of the little knickknacks.
Minimize the family photos.
Clear out the corners where things tend to accumulate.
Then look at your bigger pieces.
Sometimes you don't need a new sofa or chairs at all. You simply need to rearrange what you already own so the room flows better and feels larger.
Before you go shopping for more décor, try taking 20% of what's already in the room away.
You might be surprised by how much better it feels.
06. Add something living... or at least something that looks like it is
Fresh greenery and flowers are one of my favorite finishing touches before people come over.
And it doesn't need to be a giant floral arrangement.
A beautiful vase with simple greenery on the kitchen island, a few branches on a dining table or even a small stem in the bathroom can be enough.
And I'm completely fine with faux greenery if it looks convincing.
The key word there is convincing.
Skip the super bright, overly saturated artificial flowers and look for stems with softer, more natural colors and shapes that actually resemble something you'd bring inside from outdoors.
Add a candle or a very light diffuser nearby and you're done.
I also love having quiet music playing when people walk into a home. Even something as simple as instrumental music or the sound of a crackling fireplace creates atmosphere.
I actually recommend this to my sellers sometimes before showings.
A completely silent house can feel strangely uncomfortable. A little background music can make it feel warm, lived in and welcoming.
07. If I gave you $100 before Thanksgiving...
I'd tell you to start at the front door.
This is the first thing your guests see, and you can make a surprisingly big difference without spending much.
Clean up the landscaping.
Add a fresh doormat.
Hang a simple wreath.
Trim the bushes.
Add a couple of planters or seasonal pots on either side of the door.
Keep it natural, warm and inviting rather than feeling like you need to cover every surface in holiday décor.
Then I'd take whatever money is left and put it toward the room where everyone will actually gather.
Refresh a couple of throw pillows. Add a good throw. Pick up a simple vase and some natural looking stems. Add a subtle home fragrance.
You do not need to replace your furniture.
And you definitely don't need to spend hundreds of dollars on Thanksgiving specific serving pieces you'll use once and put in a cabinet for the next eleven months.
Use what you have and fill in the gaps inexpensively. Target, HomeGoods and Amazon are honestly some of my favorite places for exactly this reason.
Spend your money on the things that change how your home feels every day, not just what it looks like for one dinner.
So, what actually makes a house feel expensive?
When I walk into a home for the first time, the houses that immediately feel well done aren't necessarily the ones with the most expensive furniture.
Usually, they're the ones where everything feels intentional.
Fresh paint.
Clean trim.
Warm lighting.
Properly scaled window treatments.
Beautiful hardware.
Clear countertops.
Furniture arranged so the rooms can breathe.
Neutral, layered décor instead of a lot of little things competing for attention.
Those details matter when you're hosting your family for Thanksgiving, but they're also some of the exact things I pay attention to when I'm preparing a home to sell.
You don't always need a major renovation to make your home feel better.
Sometimes you just need to edit it.
Thinking about making some updates before you sell?
This is genuinely one of my favorite parts of the listing process.
Before my listings hit the market, I walk through the home with my sellers and help prioritize what I think is worth changing, what isn't worth the money, and where we can make the biggest impact before buyers ever walk through the door.
If selling your North Augusta home is somewhere on your radar, even if you're still months away, fill out my new client intake form and I'll be in touch.
Katie Collins
North Augusta Realtor®
Licensed in South Carolina + Georgia
