Good design makes your home look more valuable

I love the neighborhood of Atwater Village in Los Angeles. This neighborhood has scores of classic bungalows and cottages from the 1920's and 1930's. Often I'm asked how can you make small rooms, typical of this era, look great?

The answer is scale and color. Never fill a room with oversized furniture, and never use dark furniture against light walls as this gives contrast and condenses your room. Even though these rooms are often smaller-proportioned, the right kind of furniture can make your home look more "expensive" and more appealing to buyers.

Before and After - Craftsman Bungalow revealed!

Believe it or not, this one is just a really good paint job, furniture on the porch, and landscaping.  Nothing structural was added.  Look closely... all of those fantastic architectural details were there, they just needed contrast painting to show up and stand out!

Another example of what color can do...

Now, would you have recognized this house after the re-do?  You may think you're stuck with plain white, but most houses could use a dose of color.  Scared of darker colors?  Do as this family did, and leave part of it lighter (the stone facing).  Brighten it up with a third accent color (in this case, red).  Be adventurous!