Archive for the 'Furnishings' Category
West End Weekend
Won’t you visit my neighborhood in the West End of Hartford this weekend? We’re having a host of activities and surely there will be something to make everyone smile.
Kick off your weekend yummy-style Friday on your way home from work. Stop by the United Methodist Church at the corner of South Whitney and Farmington Avenue from 4-7 for the season’s first West End Farmer’s Market. Partake in the (free) Strawberry Shortcake Festival and support some local farmers by purchasing produce, breads, and meats for your weekend meals.
On Saturday, from 9-2, be on the lookout for bargains and come to our first annual West End Neighborhood Tag Sale. Tons of families will be participating. You’ll be sure to find some treasures, and it’s a great opportunity to admire some of the fine architecture in the West End. Kyle and I will be selling some of our stuff, so cruise down Oxford Street and try to find us.
Free items for you if you say “I read your blog!”
On Saturday and/or Sunday, stop by Elizabeth Park for the Annual Rose Weekend Festival. It’s running both days from 11-4. Check out the rose gardens, perennial gardens, annual gardens, arts and crafts, and other activities. Just don’t feed the ducks!
Making Your Home Your Own
I ran into a neighbor the other day and our conversation went along the lines of this:
Neighbor: Hey, I have a real estate question for you. Now, I’m not looking to sell my home, but I’ve heard that having a lot of books is bad. Is that true?
[Side note: many of my neighbors and friends preface their real estate questions with "I'm not looking to sell my home" whenever they ask me a question. Really folks, I am not some idiotic, blood sucking agent. I don't mind giving advice or my opinion without forcing you to sign your home away. See this blog? I just like talking about real estate, no strings attached. Back to the story...]
Amy: A lot of books are bad? You’ll have to expand a little more. Reading is generally a good thing.
Neighbor: Well, I have this friend and an agent told them that having a lot of books is generally frowned upon.
Amy: Uh, are the books of an unacceptable nature or something along those lines? Is their house entirely cluttered with books?
Neighbor: I’m not sure. It’s just that my wife and I are thinking about turning one of our bedrooms into a library. You know how these [West End] houses are, they have 5 bedrooms. We’d like to fill one of them with bookshelves and books. But then my wife heard that having a lot of books is not good.
Amy: Ah, okay. Now I understand. Here’s the deal, if you’re selling your house, it’s best to declutter as much as possible. You want buyers to focus on your house, not your stuff. The agent was probably telling your friend that a lot of books are bad because they may become a distraction to a buyer or they’ve lost the purpose of a room that they should be displaying in another way.
Neighbor: So making a library room in our house would be okay?
Amy: Yes, you’re perfectly fine making one of your bedrooms into a library. It’s your house. You live there. Enjoy it and use it however you want. If you decide you eventually want to sell your house, you may need to pack up your books and return the room to its original purpose. But for now, live in your house however you like and use the space in a way that fits your lifestyle. Make sense?
Neighbor: Great, thanks for the advice.
Amy: You’re welcome. Enjoy the day.
I am a fan of staging, but if you’re living in your house with no intention of selling, live in your house. Heck, I have an extra bedroom in my house that’s used as my closet because our master bedroom has inadequate closet space. Would I leave it that way if I were selling my house? Heck no! But I live in my house and that’s its highest and best use right now.
Don’t become paralyzed by HGTV perfection. Enjoy your home and live in it in a way that suits your lifestyle!
Crate & Barrel- A Friend's Review
This is my friend Grant. He is a West Hartford resident and likes the whole Blue Back Square concept. A lot. So, when Grant approached me about being a guest writer and reviewing the new Crate & Barrel at Blue Back Square, I said “Sweet! I can take a day off!” And without further ado, here are Grant’s ramblings…
The newest addition to West Hartford Center has arrived…say hello to Crate & Barrel. As one of the anchor tenants of the highly anticipated Blue Back Square, Crate & Barrel opened last week amidst much fan-fair and excitement. For those of you expecting a small retail shop similar to Pottery Barn or Restoration Hardware, perhaps typical for a smaller metropolitan area, be prepared to be pleasantly disappointed. Crate & Barrel’s West Hartford store is every bit as impressive as their New York and Boston locations. The West Hartford store has approximately 22 thousand square feet of show space and another 10 thousand square feet of warehouse space. The store has a Madison Avenue feel complete with multiple levels, escalators, and elevators.
If you like high quality, stylized furniture with both a contemporary and traditional feel you will be in heaven at Crate & Barrel’s West Hartford store. The upper level is dedicated to fine furniture and fabrics, while the lower level contains housewares and some less expensive ready-to-assemble furniture.
From a pricing standpoint, Crate & Barrel is in line with Restoration Hardware and perhaps slightly more expensive than Pottery Barn. I was really impressed by the store’s layout with high ceilings and great lighting. Architecturally it is very impressive and bodes of great things to come for the rest of Blue Back Square. So, if you’re ready to update the living room, Crate & Barrel’s West Hartford store is well worth a look.
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Thanks Grant! And what Grant doesn’t know is that next Monday I get to go to a sneak preview lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. I’m helping to test out the wait staff with a group of other agents from my office. Be on the lookout for my inside report before it officially opens…
