The Stars Align When You Sprinkle in Some Bling

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/obaz.production/uploads/product_image/image/4937/xlarge_img76o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/obaz.production/uploads/product_image/image/4937/xlarge_img76o.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i951.photobucket.com/albums/ad351/2painters/1-mercuryglass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i951.photobucket.com/albums/ad351/2painters/1-mercuryglass.jpg" width="325" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Aren't these contemporary Mercury glass vessels<br />from <a href="http://www.westelm.com/products/mercury-glass-cityscape-vases-c459/" target="_blank">West Elm</a> to die for? Here's my choice of the<br />best tutorial for <a href="http://lovelylittledetails.com/2011/04/07/guest-post-diy-mercury-glass-tutorial-kelley-maria/" target="_blank">hacking the Mercury glass look</a>.</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>Recently I blogged about decorators' best tips for home staging.<br /><br />This week I want to focus on just one of those: Using shine to bring a room to life.<br /><br />Here are my favorite sources for the kind of bling I am taking about.<br /><ul><li>Mirrors</li><li>Crystal and clear glass</li><li>Lucite and acrylic</li><li>Glass</li><li>Silver</li><li>Brass</li><li>Nickle</li><li>Chrome</li><li>Sequins, rhinestones, beads and other embellishments</li><li>Mercury glass</li><li>Glossy plastic and vinyl </li><li>Stainless steel</li></ul>You probably already own some of the bright objects listed here. Your assignment this week, if you will allow me, is to locate at least one large glistening item in each room.<br /><br />Bathrooms and kitchens will be an easy place to start your assignment. Stainless appliances and ceramic fixtures quality. Glassware is a natural in these rooms. I'm picturing a large clean glass bowl of lemons in the kitchen, and apothecary jars of spa goodies in the bath.<br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Bring on the Bevel</span></b><br /><br />My favorite way to make a room glisten is to add mirrors. At least one per room. Large or small, depending.  And my favorite mirrors are bevelled mirrors. Heck, you can pick up a 30 x 30-inch <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/Decor-Wall-Decor-Mirrors/h_d1/N-5yc1vZbve6/R-203024519/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&storeId=10051#.UDE_rKmPWNo" target="_blank">sunburst mirror at Home Depot </a>for about $35, or a 36 x 30-inch <a href="http://www.lowes.com/pd_308323-20531-72272_4294856763__?productId=3468697&Ns=p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1" target="_blank">wide-framed mirror from Lowe's </a>for $60. That's alot of bling for the buck.<br /><br />Along the same lines, glass-covered prints in mirrored frames add serious wow to any room. I see these in vintage styles as well as sleek, contemporary styles.<br /><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.houzz.com/photos/421752/Pleasant-Valley-contemporary-family-room-little-rock" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://st.houzz.com/simages/421752_0_8-3360-contemporary-family-room.jpg" /></a></div></div><div style="color: #444444;"><div style="text-align: center;"><small><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br /></i></span></small></div><div style="text-align: center;"><small><span style="font-size: small;"><i>These botanical images take on a modern vibe when they're placed in mirrored frames. </i></span></small></div><div style="text-align: center;"><small><span style="font-size: small;"><i>This <a href="http://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary/family-room" style="color: #444444; text-decoration: none;">contemporary family room was design</a>ed by <a href="http://www.houzz.com/professionals/interior-designer/little-rock" style="color: #444444; text-decoration: none;">Little Rock interior designer</a> <a href="http://www.houzz.com/pro/tobifairley/tobi-fairley-interior-design" style="color: #444444; text-decoration: none;">Tobi Fairley.  </a></i></span></small></div><small><br /></small></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.digsdigs.com/photos/inspiring-chandeliers-17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://www.digsdigs.com/photos/inspiring-chandeliers-17.jpg" width="499" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The bathroom chandelier, done right! There's lots of hard surfaces in this room -- </i></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>the tub, floor, window, tin backsplash, </i><i>chrome faucet, and glass vases, </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>that the wooden fireplace surround </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>and door are a welcome counterpoint. Photo: DigsDigs.com</i></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.meredith.com/content/dam/bhg/Images/2012/05/15/101422259.jpg.rendition.largest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://images.meredith.com/content/dam/bhg/Images/2012/05/15/101422259.jpg.rendition.largest.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Stainless appliances are still popular. Whatever your opinion of stainless, </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>it does add gleaming surfaces </i><i>to a kitchen, and in a dark or otherwise </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>slightly </i><i>dated kitchen, that's a plus. Photo: BHG</i><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.meredith.com/content/dam/bhg/Images/2012/07/20/101811684.jpg.rendition.largest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://images.meredith.com/content/dam/bhg/Images/2012/07/20/101811684.jpg.rendition.largest.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>A glass topped table and some clear seats almost disappear except for the shine </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>they bring to the eat-in nook. Chrome legs are sexy. No? Photo: BHG</i><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn.decorpad.com/photos/2012/05/27/24685a25cb6e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://cdn.decorpad.com/photos/2012/05/27/24685a25cb6e.jpg" width="467" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></i> <i><span style="font-size: small;">A chandelier is the ultimate bling thing. Look for a place where a fancy<br />light fixture might be a surprise, like a closet or bath. Photo: Traditional Home</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn.decorpad.com/photos/2012/08/30/a0d37705c0dd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://cdn.decorpad.com/photos/2012/08/30/a0d37705c0dd.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>This bedroom by Sarah Richardson is layered with subtle shine: the glass door knob, </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>ceramic lamp base, lacquered nightstand, mirror over the bed, nailhead trim </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>on the headboard, a metallic vase, and some pillow textiles with sheen. </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn.decorpad.com/photos/2008/04/15/71b28fea8534.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="506" src="http://cdn.decorpad.com/photos/2008/04/15/71b28fea8534.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>A patent leather headboard like this one is going to make a bed the </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>focal point of any room. </i><i>This House Beautiful bedroom also features </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>a mirror over </i><i>the headboard and some metallic Buddha lamps. </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;">Do your homework. Hunt your home for sources of shine. Make them part of your staging mix. And don't forget that the existing fixtures you have in your house -- the chrome faucets, the ceramic lamps, the bathroom mirrors, the stainless appliances  -- should sparkle because you've cleaned and polished them. Do these things, and your home on the market will outshine the competition. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Do you need more advice, inspiration and formulas for beautifully staging your home on the market? You need my <a href="http://diyhomestagingtips.blogspot.com/p/ebooks.html" target="_blank">eBook</a>, <i>DIY Home Staging Tips to Sell Your Home Fast and For Top Dollar</i>.  It's an instantly downloadable, 150+ page pdf guide to home staging, for only $5! You can't afford to e without it, and I guarantee you'll  be pleased or I will refund your money. <br />   </div></div></div></div>

The Stars Align When You Sprinkle in Some Bling

Aren't these contemporary Mercury glass vessels from West Elm  to die for? Here's my choice of the best tutorial for hacking the Mer...

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