Blog - Celia Dunn Sotheby's International Realty

Home Improvements Real Estate Residential

12 Hot Ideas for Fireplace Facing

I love a good fireplace. If you are a member of the always-cold club, you know what I’m talking about. Sitting in front of a roaring fire is my idea of cozy. Whether you love the smell and crackle of a wood-burning fireplace or the ease of a gas-burning one, choosing the right facing is a big decision. With fireplace season upon us, you might be thinking about updating an old fireplace or building a new one. There are so many choices for facing a fireplace that picking one can be challenging. Style, cost and installation are a few of the considerations you’ll likely have. Here are some options for you to consider; which one lights your fire? [caption id="attachment_410" align="aligncenter" width="500"]...

I love a good fireplace. If yo...

February 27, 2017

Home Ideas Home Improvements Residential Selling

How to get started decluttering for the new year

Here are a few tips on decluttering … so it’s not your resolution the next new year: • If your house is going on the market, you already have a huge incentive – a faster sale because your house looks bigger and better with less stuff. If you aren’t selling your house, invent an incentive. Plan to have a party two weeks after you want to be done decluttering, or treat yourself to a professional deep clean once your extra stuff is gone. [caption id="attachment_392" align="alignnone" width="1800"] 24 Duck Hawk Road[/caption] • Jot down a plan – areas and categories of items you want to tackle in order of priority, plus a timeline. Post it on your fridge and check it once a...

Here are a few tips on declutt...

January 4, 2017

Home Ideas Home Improvements Real Estate Tips Residential Selling

Refresh Your Home With 10 Updates That Won’t Break the Bank

Take advantage of the days leading up to the new year to hit the reset button and look for ways to refresh both your home and your state of mind. To get you started, here are a dozen straightforward and cost-effective ways to bring new life to your home — including how to repurpose holiday decorations and the easiest way to enliven a room with just one purchase. 1. Add plants. Freshen up an indoor space with living plants. Bringing in even a single potted specimen, like a fiddleleaf fig (Ficus lyrata, seen here), will give your living room new life and a welcome hit of green in winter. Most popular indoor plants — such as ficus, ferns and philodendrons —...

Take advantage of the days lea...

December 27, 2016

PANTONE-Color-of-the-Year-2017-Greenery-15-0343-leaves-2732x2048-1200x900

Home Ideas Home Improvements Market Trends

Pantone names 2017 Color of the Year

Color company Pantone has knighted the color Greenery as the 2017 Color of the Year. It’s a “fresh and zesty yellow-green shade that evokes the first days of Spring,” Pantone explains. The shade has a softness that makes it calming, but enough body to make it interesting and give it presence. Greenery works well with many palettes, from soft pastels to bright or deep colors to earth tones and more. Pantone calls Greenery “nature’s neutral.” The company has compiled 10 dramatically different palettes for Greenery, each with at least 10 colors, to show its range. The corporation’s proprietary color matching system is used in many industries. Pantone tries to capture the zeitgeist with its Color of the Year, and it draws from...

Color company Pantone has knig...

December 12, 2016

Home Ideas Home Improvements Landscaping Residential

Timeless Appeal of a Garden That’s All White and Green

Some garden trends come and go — one year, chartreuse may be the “it” color for foliage or flowers; then a few years later, everyone is embracing purple. Trends aside, there’s something timeless and sophisticated about gardens with lush green foliage and white blossoms. Although most commonly associated with traditional landscapes, white-and-green color palettes look fresh in a range of styles from classic to contemporary. Here are nine ways to get the look in your own garden. Photo by Deborah Cerbone Associates, Inc. - Search traditional landscape pictures 1. Traditional New England-style garden. White-flowering hydrangea and snowy carpet rose blossoms seem to float in the green landscape of this country home in New York state. To emulate this classic New England planting...

Some garden trends come and go...

December 5, 2016

Home Ideas Real Estate Residential Selling

How to Decorate for the Holidays When Your Home Is for Sale

Some folks think they have to stifle the spirit and eschew traditions entirely if their house is on the market in November and December. Not true. You can celebrate the season and still make your home attractive to potential buyers. Here’s how. 1. Clean and declutter before you decorate. If your house is already full of knickknacks and furniture, piling on the holiday decor and plopping a blinking, tinsel-laden tree in the middle is a sure way to turn a potential buyer into Scrooge. The cardinal rules of home staging apply, no matter when you list your home. So give your house a good, deep clean and pack up those everyday tchotchkes before you haul out the holiday bins. 2. Less is...

Some folks think they have to ...

November 11, 2016

Home Ideas Real Estate Residential

A creative, flexible idea for a downtown Savannah home’s outdoor space

Outdoor space for downtown Savannah homes is a rare and precious commodity. This beautiful home in the heart of Savannah’s Landmark Historic District has a fascinating take on outdoor space. The home’s creative and flexible approach to outdoor space makes the area constantly useful. The enclosed courtyard has Savannah gray brick in a herringbone pattern as flooring and is ringed by lovely landscaping in more Savannah gray brick raised beds and extra seating as well as a koi pond and fire pit. The space comfortably seats 14 with classic wrought-iron chairs and tables, and can easily hold another 10. An outdoor kitchen features a marble counter, a sink and a grill. That cabinetry was designed to match – and here’s the truly creative...

Outdoor space for downtown...

November 10, 2016

Real Estate Real Estate Tips Residential Selling

What to do when you have pets and have your house for sale

When you have a pet and are putting your home on the market, you have an extra set of things to consider. But by talking with your Realtor and a little planning, showings can be easier than you feared. First, talk with your Realtor to hear his or her thoughts about showings with your particular home in your neighborhood. Your Realtor may identify a small area of your home that would be a great space for your pet. Work out a plan based on his or her suggestions and expertise that will work for your pet’s personality. The very best solution is to have your pet go for an extended visit with a friend. It removes the headaches of where to put...

When you have a pet and are pu...

October 26, 2016

Home Ideas Home Improvements

101 Ways With a Mirror at the Entry

Here is the top 10 Mirrors at the entry. Visit the link to view all 101 pictures. View all 101 Ways from Houz People file past the entryway. They toss their keys. They hang up their coats. But add a mirror, and all of a sudden people will stop and look. Here’s a collection of some of our favorite entryway mirrors that will have you reflecting on your entry’s style and function. Click the first image to enlarge the photo, then use the right arrow to see the photos in slideshow format. Flip through and then tell us which mirrored entry you would like to see inside your front door. 1. A modern zigzag mirror draws guests right into this contemporary entry, designed...

Here is the top 10 Mirrors at ...

October 13, 2016

Home Ideas Home Improvements

What to do with that big TV

One of you wants a big TV (or maybe both of you), but one of you doesn’t want to see it in the room constantly, a big rectangular unattractive focal point. And during football season, one of you may even be dreaming of a bigger one. This is one of the few times in life when you can have it both ways: a big TV that you don’t have to see all the time. Art can cover a big screen TV beautifully. A panel can be designed so the art slides away to reveal the TV with a push of the remote. A simpler, low-tech version is to hinge the sides of the art (or mirror, or cabinet doors) and open...

One of you wants a big TV (or ...

September 1, 2016