By Susan Rivera, Design Consultant

 
For those who aren’t familiar with the term “pillow chopping,” it describes a way of shaping pillows. A chopped pillow is achieved by fluffing a feather or down pillow and using a karate chop motion to create an indentation in the top.
 
 
This debate has been going on for years now. Is karate chopping throw pillows a trend, or does it actually make pillows look better? Believe it or not…There is no right or wrong answer when making the decision whether not to chop or not chop? It’s simply a personal style preference. Truly, the secret to a nice-looking pillow has more to do with the fabric used to cover it as well as the quality of the insert. The higher the fill, the better your pillow will look — chopped or un-chopped.
 
If you have silky pillows or pillows with a sheen you can really show off the fabric with a slight chop. The soft dent enhances this luxurious fabric by creating shadows and allowing light to hit the pillow from different angles. Chopping can also make some prints look less uniform and bold as well as give you a more casual look. If that’s the look your going for?
 
 
The type of insert your pillow has may help you decide if you want to chop or not.  A feather or down insert with a high fill count will look full and plump with or without chopping. 

A foam insert is definitely not a good contender for a pillow chop. Pillows with foam filing tend to be more rigid and usually look good without frequent fluffing. If you over manipulate them, in fact, they can get lumpy.
 
Give it a try, plump up those pillows and give them a nice karate chop right through the center. If you like it, keep it. If you do not like it, just give it a shake and plump it right back up again.
 
Happy Chopping… or Not?
​

Quick and easy tips to staging on a budget.

Good or Bad... "A picture is worth a thousand words." I am sure you have heard this at least a thousand times. The pictures taken to represent your home need to create a story for potential buyers. A story that speaks to them, that invites them in. A story that allows them to create memories in their imagination of what life will be like when they are living, growing and experiencing life in their new home. The online listing is where home buyers will spend most of their time before ever setting foot into a showing.

So in reality, the online listing of your home is the homes' very first showing. Are your pictures helping potential home buyers to create imaginative stories of a memory filled future, or are your pictures quickly encouraging them to move on to the next listing?

Pictures are the portal. The homes' layout and design is the stage. A poorly staged or even an empty home can inhibit the home buyer from creating a story. Let me illustrate this point. Looking at an empty stage in a Broadway theater does not tickle our senses in the least. Fill that stage with professionally designed props, well rehearsed actors, crafted costumes, dynamic and enriching backdrops, mood setting lighting and a musical score, and we become captured in the story.

Is your home staged so that pictures are capturing our target audience, or are home buyers viewing our listings and feeling empty?

Today's market is competitive. To add to the sellers disadvantage, there is a surplus in home inventory. Home staging and real estate design have become essential in elevating your listing above the competition, moving your home from "sale" to "sold."

To get the very most for your home and to have it sell in the shortest possible time, utilize the services of a professional who can take your homes canvas and create a masterpiece. 

Gauge your senses as you take a few moments to view some before and after pictures of homes that were professionally staged by Set2Sell and let the pictures do the talking.