Selling your home is never easy. It requires extra attention to cleanliness and tidiness and a willingness to let showings happen at the drop of a hat. Families often feel as though they are living in limbo wanting to be comfortable while knowing things must be kept nearly perfect at all times in order to sell the house. Well, if selling a house is stressful already, doing so at the holidays can be downright nerve racking. Here are a few tips to help you strike the careful balance between showing your home and keeping the family comfortable:

Most people don't have an empty spot waiting for the tree to arrive. No, bringing in the tree usually requires a shuffling of furniture to make room for this rather large yet temporary resident. As you rearrange your furniture, be mindful of the seating area you are creating. Are you maintaining an appropriate focal spot? The fireplace would be an ideal feature. Is there still plenty of space for traffic to flow around the room? You may need to put some pieces in storage so that you can maintain your visual square footage. Is the room evenly lit? If you don't have an overhead fixture, turn on the decorative lights and lamps to ensure there is even lighting throughout the room. Then, be sure to turn on your holiday lights for showings.


A fireplace is a great selling feature and also synonymous with the holidays. Please remember that it is the fireplace, not the decorations, that will be sold with the house. This is not the year to cover the mantle in a 6" thick blanket of garland, your entire Santa figurine collection, and spray the whole thing down with flocking. This is the year to go with a "less is more" approach. A lovely wreath over the fireplace adds to the decorations while also featuring your architecture. A pair of beautiful candlesticks or holiday hurricane lamps are plenty for the mantle. Also, be sure you don't hang so many stockings that your fireplace begins to look more like a closet than a fireplace. Be sure to light gas units for showings. If you have a wood burning unit, place an abundance of multi-height white pillar candles in the box and light them instead. This produces a warm glow without the hassle of hauling in wood and maintaining the fire.



If you have a formal dining room, an elegant centerpiece can go a long way in adding holiday decor and showing off your home's entertaining potential. The key is to keep it elegant. This can be achieved with a monochromatic display of well-placed ornaments or a few candles and some greenery. Again, keep it simple and elegant.





Keep outside decor simple and elegant. Please don't put the big plastic Santa sled and his reindeer on the roof or install any inflatable figures on the lawn. I'm sorry if this offends, but most people find such decorations tacky and they certainly take the eye away from the most important feature - the house. Simple white lights along the roof line or tastefully arranged on bushes and trees are enough. Another alternative is to hang simple green wreaths with lovely bows in the windows and then light the front of the house with a few well-placed spotlights. Notice I said "a few". We are not looking to be confused for an airport runway or be seen from outer space! Regardless of the yard decor you choose, it is definitely appropriate to place a beautiful wreath on the front door. Remember that buyers will be spending a bit of time at the entrance while their real estate agent unlocks the door. Be sure the paint on the door is in good condition, the windows nearby are clean, and the porch is swept and clean.

Bathrooms, bedrooms, kitchens, etc...leave them alone! Don't use the Rudolph toilet seat cover or Santa and his duckie shower curtain. Don't turn your guest room into the train set holiday village or your child's bedroom into the Land of Sweets. Don't line the tops of your cabinets with villages or strings of lights. Do keep these rooms clean and tidy and feature any exceptional selling points. If a potential buyer can't see the house for all the decor how will they know what they are buying?



The holidays are a prime time for accidents of all kinds. Keep your home and your potential buyers safe by considering the following tips:

1. Be cautious when placing scatter rugs about the house as they often cause trips and slips. Only use them where truly needed, such as entry doors, and use a slip resistant pad beneath them.

2. Many of us love to wrap our banisters in yards of garland, lights and ribbon however you are going to have a lot of visitors who are unfamiliar with your home. You don't want someone slipping on a step, reaching for the handrail, and falling down the stairs because they couldn't grasp the rail. If you can't hang simple decoration below the railing then skip the decoration completely. It's not worth losing a sale or, worse, being sued because someone injures themselves while visiting your home.

3. Except for candles placed in the firebox, don't leave candles burning unattended. You don't know if the potential buyer has children in tow who might burn themselves or someone could knock over a candle and start a fire.

4. Play soft, commercial holiday carols to add to the warm ambiance.

The holidays can be a great time to sell a home. As long as you remember the "less is more" mantra, there is nothing like the glow of a fire and twinkling lights to produce visions of happy family times. By keeping decorations in moderation, you can use the benefits of the holidays as well as the features of your home to really make a sale.

Hot New Discoveries!

We've just returned from NeoCon East, the premier design exposition and conference for the mid-Atlantic design community, and we are inspired! The expo presents the products and services for over 250 exhibitors and it's our opportunity to get a sneak peek at new products and to try them and test them on the spot. They also offer over 30 accredited seminars, forums and keynote speakers to further enhance our knowledge. Here are some of the Tribeca Design Studio highlights:

Best Keynote Speaker: Duff Goldman of Charm City Cakes and reality TV show "Ace of Cakes"

Duff inspired us in terms of thinking outside the box even more than in terms of design. He reminded us that we should do what we love and love what we do. He admitted that his motivation to move to Vail, CO when he left French Laundry in California was to hang out with friends and snowboard. He spent several weeks there and was having such a good time that his friends suggested he find a job and stay. He went to work as a pastry chef at a resort hotel and was introduced to baking competitions. He learned skills like ice sculpturing that he now uses in his cake decorating. His mentor helped him love baking again and these experiences were foundational to his current success.

He also taught us that rules don't always apply. Duff claims to have lost every baking or cake decorating competition he's ever been in. So why does he enter? For the challenge, not the title. He said he usually has the best cake there but he tends to break the rules and get disqualified. He really doesn't care because he gets to learn from the other decorators and create really off-the-wall cakes that he loves.

His final lesson was a reminder to see the potential in others and treat your employees well. Did you know that the sole baker at Charm City Cakes never baked a cake in his life until he came to work for Duff? Duff saw that he had the right attitude and spent 2 1/2 months teaching him how to bake his cakes. He sees the advantage that this baker didn't have to be "untaught" of previous recipes or bad habits. None of his other employees went to culinary or pastry school either. They are all art school kids and musicians. The important thing is that they are unbelievably creative and intelligent. It didn't take long for them to learn to put their painting or sculpting talents to work with cake and icing. Duff treats them exceptionally well and they are exceptionally loyal and hardworking. Who else gives their employees 2 months paid vacation that includes an all expenses paid 2 week staff vacation? He also invests 10% of his earnings outside the bakery and gives them a portion of that when their time comes to move on.

Best Low-Cost Chair: Parfait II by Leland

This was the most comfortable and stylish bentwood chair I've ever seen. It is highly flexible too with options to upholster the seat and back, arms or armless, and high density stacking or side chair. It also comes in bar and counter heights. It is simple in design, comfortable in function, and low in price. It doesn't get much better than that!

Best Task Chair: Squiq by Keilhauer

This chair is the result of a study with an Austrian design team that purposed "to create an intuitive task chair that would follow the human body's natural inclination for movement and postural variation." Basically, they studied the differences between the way men and women sit and work and created a chair that adjusts for both. With built in features like "Pelvic Balance Point Technology" and "T1-L5 Free Shoulders Thoracic Support" this is one comfortable task chair! However great design doesn't stop with function and Keilhauer didn't stop there either. They created discreet levers and buttons and have a variety of fabric colors and patterns to choose from. My favorite was the perforated white leather with a chrome frame. Beautiful!

Best Flooring: InterfaceFLOR

You may have seen FLOR tiles for residential use, but did you know they have a commercial division too? This company is revolutionary in the industry and really has a mind for being good to the Earth. For residential use the design options are endless and the ability to pull up one tile and wash it in the sink is so practical. The commercial options offer a range of colors, patterns and textures that are all beautiful, durable, and cost effective. InterfaceFLOR is on a mission to achieve zero environmental footprint by 2020. It's their mission and they are serious about it. They didn't just jump on the green band wagon either. They introduced their ReEntry plan back in 1994 as a way to recycle old carpet into new carpet and they have continued to improve the program ever since. Take a look at their website and see all the awards they've won and then look at all the designs they offer. A beautiful product that's kind to the environment and affordable too - now that's a winner!

Best Super Fabric: Crypton

Crypton fabric are the most amazing fabrics ever! They don't stain and come in a variety of colors, textures and patterns. A Crypton fabric is a specially engineered fabric in which the fibers are encapsulated with stain and germ protection before being given an integrated moisture barrier. Sounds plastic, right? But there not! You have probably seen, felt, and sat upon many Crypton fabrics without ever knowing it. It is breathable while having a moisture barrier at the same time. It's the perfect fabric for upholstered dining chairs, sofas, hotel applications, and now even carpets. It cleans up quickly and thoroughly and is highly durable. The next time you need a durable fabric that is soft and beautiful, ask for Crypton!

Well, that's enough of the "Best" for this month. With over 250 exhibitors each showing a plethora of products, the list could be endless. We are inspired by the creativity in design, function, and green thinking we found in these and many other products. If you have need for any of these or other products (wallpaper, case goods, etc.) give us a call at 302.526.4268 or send an email to info@TribecaDesignStudio.com and we'll be happy to help you find the best product for your project. If you just want to ask a question or make a comment about some of the products you've heard of, leave a comment and we'll do our best to respond quickly.