HGTV’s Buy Me Series

Well Dress Homes Tapes Segment for HGTV’s Buy Me Series
04-13-2007

RALEIGH, N.C. – Raleigh-based Home Staging and interior decorating business, Well Dressed Homes, LLC recently completed taping a segment for the HGTV series Buy Me. The segment is scheduled to nationally at a future date after completion of editing.

Janine Varney, Accredited Staging Professional and owner of Well Dress Homes, LLC met with Realtor® Sharyn Fuller of Fonville Morrisey and homeowners Bob and Marji Maarschalkerweerd to evaluate the home’s interior and exterior and determine what areas would benefit from Staging strategies.

“My role is to help homeowners understand that living in a home and selling a home are two different things,” explains Varney. “Not every buyer is able to envision how to make every room inviting. The 3,400 square foot house was full of personal mementos and treasures from the couples’ interesting lifestyle, including a history of their life in South Africa, but it needed to be neutralized to create broader appeal.”

Varney dedicated over 30 hours to the project, and was proud to share her accomplishment with the HGTV producers of Buy Me. The first step was to de-clutter the house to get it ready for the hands-on Staging. The owners invested in new granite and fixtures for their kitchen, had the interior and exterior painted and enhanced the landscaping—all recommendations made by their Stager Janine Varney. In addition, Varney glazed a dining room wall; rearranged furniture, pictures and accessories; and added finishing touches to create a “model home” effect.

“We used what the homeowner had to accessorize and Stage the rooms showing them to their best advantage. Then we purchased small items like new towels and rugs for the bathroom—little things that make a big difference.”

Within 48 hours of being on the listed in the local market, the owners had received an offer. The final sales price was over $20,000 of the realtors’ estimated market value, based on the average appreciation rate of comparable homes in the area. According to Varney, national statistics show that Staged homes show a substantial return on investment. Staged homes have a “days on market” range of about 65% less than a non-staged home and that the sale price is anywhere from 5% to 20% higher than a non-staged home. Simply stated, ASP staged homes sell faster for more money than those that aren’t staged. Real Estate Agent Fuller is convinced Varney’s Staging expertise was “key to the success this sale. I am not exaggerating when I say I was blown away by the transformation. She turned my client’s tasteful but highly personal (and very cluttered) home into a beautiful MODEL “.

The first segment of filming in Raleigh was so successful that HGTV has already begun working with Varney on filming a second segment of Buy Me.

Varney is an active member of the International Association of Home Staging Professionals, and she currently serves on the Board of Directors as Ambassador of the Raleigh Chapter. For information, visit www.welldressedhomes.com email j9varney@nc.rr.com, or call (919) 624-3460.

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Style Guru Connects Fashion With Interior Design

Filicia Touts New Style Network Reality Show
By Sheba R. Wheeler
04/06/2007

If the mere thought of design is paralyzing, look no further then your closet for inspiration.

All of the information needed to forge the cornerstones of good design is there – hiding in a wrinkle-free business suit, in those jeans with the knees torn out, or in that pair of trendy Manolo Blahniks.

In his new Style Network show, “Dress My Nest,” design guru Thom Filicia of “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” fame uses fashion to complete a total room makeover. Filicia recently spoke with Room about his new television endeavor.

Q: How did you come up with the idea to use a person’s favorite outfit to inspire their decor?

A: It’s a concept that I’ve talked about in lectures. I run across people all the time who don’t have a handle on interior design, but are confident about the way they dress, the cars they drive, the artwork and music that they prefer. If you open up someone’s closet door, you get a lot of information about that person – their sense of style, favorite color palettes, whether they are conservative or avant garde.

Q: Why is interior design so much harder to grasp – even a style-savvy person?

A: We all get up every day and get dressed, but people don’t decorate their homes very often. Mannequins explain how to dress, or if we need help, we can turn to a friend. When it comes to furniture and decorating, it’s harder to find people who are really comfortable and confident about it. It may be the first time that someone is thinking about purchasing a sofa, for instance. If you don’t have a reference, it can be a little daunting.

Some will argue that there are more resources available to us than ever before regarding interior design. The number of home stores and networks on decorating that have turned up on the scene in the last 10 years proves that this is an ever growing industry. People are interested in design more so than ever in the past and that’s great. But now, along with interest (should come an) understanding of how to make it work for you.

Q: How does the show flush out that taste connection?

A: It’s a great way to communicate with someone who isn’t really interior design savvy. It makes it personal. We take that inspiration from a favorite outfit, which represents this person the most. That way, the design is coming from something that is very close to her. This isn’t some designer arbitrarily coming in and saying, “This is a great color. Go with it.” The idea is coming from something you love, something from within you.

If my closet is full of solids, or bright colors mixed with very casual items, maybe I’m more informal. If I’m usually dressed in jeans, a nice shirt and a good pair of shoes, I’m more easygoing. If someone says her inspirational outfit is a kimono while someone else says likes wearing a bathing suit, you begin to get an idea of who that person is and how that can be reflected in interior design.

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Karastan Teams Up with Thom Filicia

MARCH 22, 2007 — Karastan, part of Dalton, Ga.-based Mohawk Industries, is taking its “Decorating From the Floor Up” (DFFU) in-store consumer event and putting it on the road with help from interior designer and TV personality Thom Filicia. Karastan has signed on Filicia and is creating an added component for its DFFU program, which brings decorating experts to participating retailers to conduct interactive seminars focusing on flooring solutions. “We are enormously enthusiastic to team with Thom Filicia and add a whole new dimension to Decorating From The Floor Up,” said David Duncan, vice president of marketing for Karastan. “Thom’s boundless talent as an interior designer plus his magnetic personality make him irresistibly appealing to a broad range of consumers. Our plan is to amplify the concept of DFFU and continue to offer our retailers and their clientele a service that no other floorcovering manufacturer can match.” The initial plan calls for visits in 2007 to several major markets, such as Boston and Chicago. Rather than appearing in-store, however, Filicia will headline events staged in local venues where several hundred consumers can attend. A Karastan gallery will be incorporated, as will an incentive to drive consumers into an authorized brand retailer following the event. A significant advertising campaign, including a mix of newspaper, spot TV and radio, and even regional buys of national magazines, will support this venture. And, to give it even greater traction, there are plans to offer a personal “meet-and-greet” with Filicia to individuals who make a contribution of $100 or more to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. The charity, which funds education and research for breast cancer, has a longstanding partnership with Mohawk Industries.

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Dangers of Design TV: Keep It Real

By Karla Hollencamp Contributing Writer

Remodeling contractors report about one quarter of the jobs they are asked to estimate are do-it-yourself projects gone bad. They make it look so easy on TV, a whole room done in a day or two with just a little money. The next time you’re tempted to start a makeover inspired by something you’ve seen on a “reality” show, ask yourself these questions:

Do I have the time?

Any serious remodeling project takes more than a couple of weekends. You might get off to a great start, and, before you can finish, a distraction comes up. Can you do without your kitchen sink indefinitely? How about your toilet? What about an outer wall made of plastic? If the answer is no, seek professional help.

Do I have the tools?

Each of the design TV shows features a carpenter or two with elaborate workshops set up in the driveway. Do you have all the right tools for job? Mitre saw, jig saw, circular saw, wet saw for tile and on and on.

Do I have the talent?

Carpentry, electrical work and plumbing require special skills. Interior design isn’t just picking a paint color. Custom upholstery doesn’t just happen. These professions are a combination of knowledge and experience. The design shows have a fleet of crafts people working, instructing and supervising on the “homeowner” projects. Can you wear all those hats? Can you get others to help you?

Do I have the treasury?

Design shows are notorious for flinging about numbers like “under $500″ or “with just paint and $50.”

One of the prime motivators in doing it yourself is to save money. What they don’t tell you is that the labor of the carpenter, electrician, plumber, interior designer, painter, upholsterer and tile installer was not included in the cost.

What happens if you mess up?

Your mistakes will not only cost you time, they will cost you money. If you are trying to save money, this is frustrating.

There are many great ideas that you can manage at home with some simple tools and instructions from the helpful people at the big home stores. Just be realistic about remodeling jobs.

“You never know what you’re going to find behind the walls,” says Ray Bell, a certified remodeler working for Greater Dayton Building and Remodeling. “Even as professionals, we are often confronted with electrical, plumbing and structure issues when you open a wall. This is usually when the homeowner decides they need some help.”

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‘Queer Eye’ Takes On Home Decorating

By James Welsh
February 23 2007

Queer Eye for the Straight Guy interior design expert Thom Filicia will host a new home decorating show on Style Network starting on March 28.

Dress My Nest will take a woman’s favourite outfit and wardrobe style as the basis for a room makeover.

“The Style Network has always helped real women look and feel their best by offering simple ways to transform their personal appearance,” said Style Network executive VP Salaam Coleman Smith. “With interior design expert and TV personality Thom Filicia at the helm of our new series Dress My Nest, we will now be able to show viewers how fashion can be utilized not only to transform ones own image, but also to inspire the transformation of an entire rooms design.”

The half-hour show will air new episodes in an 11pm timeslot.

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John Gray Discloses HIV Status

‘Top’ designer tells housemates he has HIV
By Gary Strauss
2/6/2007

Tonight’s episode of Bravo’s new Top Design competition (10 ET/PT) offers a rare moment for reality TV: A cast member discloses that he is HIV-positive.

John Gray, whose temper-filled outbursts caused friction among the competing interior designers on Top Design’s debut last week, reveals his anger was fueled by medication used in his treatment.

“I just want everyone to know I’m HIV-positive,” Gray tells his fellow contestants. “I’m not making excuses or apologies.”

The burly Gray’s macho posturing and outbursts may have sparked tension last week on the show, which was Bravo’s highest-rated series premiere ever at 1.8 million viewers. But his comments tonight barely cause a reality-show ripple among the group, who share a dorm-style hotel for 10 weeks.

“Everyone was shocked by John’s behavior the first few days,” says rival Carisa-Perez Fuentes, 26.

After his disclosure, “there was some heightened understanding of his behavior. Relationships changed for the better. And he mellowed out.”

Gray, 40, is a homosexual who was diagnosed as HIV-positive in 1993. (Those who are infected with the human immunodeficiency virus, which causes AIDS, don’t necessarily have the disease.)

The late Pedro Zamora, an AIDS educator, was the only other reality-show contestant to reveal he was HIV-positive. That was on MTV’s The Real World: San Francisco in 1994, a time when misconceptions were pervasive. His status caused upheaval and angst among his housemates.

“Times have changed,” says Top Design executive producer Clay Newbill, who coincidentally was a Real World producer during Zamora’s season.

“Back then, society’s understanding was different. We saw it as an opportunity to educate people.”

Gray says he’s not on a similar mission: “I don’t want to be the new face for HIV or be on the cover of Out. I felt the cast was entitled to an explanation for my behavior.”

Still, advocacy groups applaud his move. Damon Romine of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation says, “This visibility is important in raising awareness that HIV is a major health issue.”

Gray told producers of his condition during casting; producers say there were no plans to disclose it.

“This isn’t a relationship show, so it wasn’t an issue,” Newbill says.

Gray says his anger was fueled by testosterone taken to counteract lower levels induced by HIV. His dosage was boosted 400% just before the show started because he wasn’t sure how long he’d be away from home. “After the first episode, I asked myself why I was so angry, and it was a light-bulb moment,” says Gray, a self-taught designer who operates Chicago-based Gray Consulting.

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Richardson Snags HGTV Decorating Show

Designer gets spot on HGTV
By Cathy Jett
February 3, 2007

Fredericksburg native Jaymes Richardson was expecting sympathy when he called HGTV to say a flash flood had ruined the kitchen he was working on for one of its “New Spaces” episodes.

“For me, it was a nightmare,” said Richardson, co-owner of Civility Design in Chicago. “This very high-end kitchen is under way, and the family is on vacation. I had to call them at 0-dark-30 in the Caribbean.”

But the “New Spaces” producers sensed a dramatic moment in the making, and dispatched a camera crew to the house in time to catch the strain on Heather and Charlie Schenck’s faces when they flew back to inspect the damage.

“It made for great television,” Richardson said.

The episode, “A Kitchen Reborn,” airs at 9 a.m. today on HGTV’s popular “New Spaces” show. And the room, which features antler chandeliers lacquered in Heather Schenck’s favorite shade of poppy, has won a Design in Excellence award from the American Society of Interior Designers.

Richardson, along with business partner and designer Don Raney, got involved with the project after the Schencks bought what had once been a single-room, 1920s summer cottage retreat 30 miles from Chicago. It didn’t even have heating or plumbing until the original kitchen was added in the 1950s.

Today, the house sits in the midst of a wildlife preserve. The new owners, urbanites, wanted to keep their new home’s cottage feel but give it an updated look.

Richardson and Raney came up with an airy space with white granite countertops, a forest-green tile backsplash, an apron-front sink, modern appliances and those eye-catching, poppy-orange antler chandeliers.

The green helps bring the outdoors in, as do the twin lighting fixtures. It’s not uncommon, Richardson said, to see deer through the large kitchen window.

He and Raney had already been hired to do the redesign when they were approached by HGTV about letting it be filmed for “New Spaces.”

“We had been working on another show that didn’t pan out,” Richardson said. “We got this second call. They said, ‘We saw your design with the orange chandeliers.’ I told them work was under way, and they said, ‘Perfect. We need to start filming now.’”

HGTV spent three months off and on capturing the transformation of the Schencks’ 40-year-old kitchen with outdated appliances into an up-to-date stunner Richardson and Raney dubbed “Cottage Couture.”

“It’s not what people think of as a classic kitchen,” Richardson said. “It’s a classic kitchen with a modern edge.”

The space was gutted, and then an imported tile floor was laid. Less than 24 hours later, flood waters started seeping in and ruined the still-soft grout.

“It all had to be ripped out,” Richardson said of the tile. “We had to start over.”

Luckily, the renovation was ahead of schedule at that point.

Richardson, 43, traces his interest in houses and design back his childhood. He used to help his father, builder James Richardson, renovate older homes on William Street in Fredericksburg.

“As a kid, I had a fascination with better living and home and how it all tied together,” he said.

His first job after graduating from Spotsylvania High School, however, was selling cell phones for Cellular One. But that turned out to be the launching pad for his career.

“I met the owner of one of the largest authorized dealers,” Richardson said. “He liked my creativity and let me design a series of wireless stores from Maine down to Georgia.”

Richardson did that for seven years, learning the ins and outs of commercial design along the way. Afterward, he moved to Indianapolis, met Raney and formed Civility Design in 2001.

“We believe in living the best life you can, no matter what your income or your status,” Richardson said. “A better home promotes better living.”

Gannett newspapers saw a project the company did, liked it and asked them to write about a dozen articles for the Better Living section of IntakeWeekly.com, its online magazine geared to Indianapolis’ 25-34 age group.

An article on different styles of beds generated so much work in the Chicago area that Civility Design eventually moved there. Next month, another of its kitchen designs will appear in an Elle Decor Magazine book called “European Style Kitchen Designs.” Richardson and Raney also recently became design editors of SIFT, a new lifestyle magazine.

Despite running a business that has projects under way from Las Vegas to Washington, Richardson comes back often to visit his father, who still lives in Fredericksburg, and his mother, Jeanne Miller, who recently moved to Colonial Beach.

It was his dad, he said, who instilled in him the entrepreneurial spirit that sparked his career.

“If you make the leap,” he said, “the net will appear.”

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Bravo’s Top Design

Bravo series stars interior designers
By Marisa Guthrie, New York Daily News
January 30, 2007

For those of us who are afraid to hang a picture, there are myriad shows offering lessons in interior decorating.

But Bravo’s new series “Top Design” is also instructive on what not to do.

Like the network’s “Project Runway” and “Top Chef,” “Top Design” tests contestants’ talent with weekly challenges. Judges Jonathan Adler and Kelly Wearstler, who are designers, and Elle Décor editor Margaret Russell decide who stays and who goes.

The winner gets a spread in Elle Décor and $100,000 in seed money to launch an interior design business.

“People lack confidence in making (decorating) decisions,” said host Todd Oldham.

But when we see professionals on “Top Design” make atrocious decisions, we don’t feel so bad about our own lack of flair.

In the first episode, at 11 p.m. Wednesday (moving to its regular 10 p.m. slot next week), contestants are paired to design a tranquil room for a busy celebrity.

The designers aren’t told who the celebrity is, but they’re shown several kitschy objects from the mystery celeb’s own collection — a moth in a shadow box, a large baby doll head, a miniature disco ball on a pedestal.

The teams have two days and a $50,000 budget. From their home base, Los Angeles’ Pacific Design Center, they have a cornucopia of dealers to buy from. But, of course, not all the designers work well with others.

Michael Adams, a Fashion Institute of Technology and Parsons the New School of Design graduate who has never picked up a paintbrush, is paired with John Gray, a self-made Chicagoan with a homophobic streak.

The pairings are arbitrary, swears Adler. “The drama was sort of a bonus.”

As with “American Idol,” the judges’ putdowns are part of the appeal.

When one team chooses an Asian theme with an ostentatious Chinese wedding bed, Russell says the room looks like “a Chinese restaurant.” The insults get nastier in later episodes: “hamburger shack,” “assisted living facility.”

“Our mission as judges was to be honest and not to really sugarcoat things,” said Adler. “The minute you commit to being honest, interesting things start to pop out of your mouth.”

As Adler tells one contestant: “If I had to live here, I would shoot myself.”

But he did concede that the designers are under tremendous pressure and, given more time, even the Chinese restaurant room could have been a success.

“They could have made it work. They could have Tim Gunn-ed it,” said Adler, referring to “Project Runway’s” resident adviser.

To promote the show, Bravo installed several interior vignettes at Grand Central Station’s Shuttle platform — designed by and featuring Adler’s designs. It will be open to the public through Feb. 6.

The goal, with the Grand Central installation as well as the show, is to make design accessible. “It’s empowering to be able to do something yourself,” said Oldham.

Even Adler has been inspired by the series’ designers.

“When I started doing the show, I really didn’t know what to expect,” he said. “Then I got there and over the course of the show, I became a fan of these designers. And I came away with some ideas.”

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