By Jan Galletta
Staff Writer
Drawn by their lot's location on a quiet cul-de-sac and the neighborhood's nearness to their work sites, Thomas and Rose Cole built a two-story Colonial-style home in Hurricane Creek 20 years ago.
With a son who was then in middle school, they designed the 1,900-square-foot house with a full basement, where he lifted weights, and a second-floor chute he used to drop laundry to the kitchen's fabric-care center. To promote pleasurable family hours, they put a pretty brick fireplace in the living room; outdoors, they added a screened porch, a covered patio and a backyard fire pit with benches.
As the pair's tastes changed over time, most of the dwelling's wallpaper bowed to vibrant shades of paint, accented by new crisp white crown moldings in every room. Hardwood floors replaced the carpet and vinyl treatments downstairs, and the kitchen got a chic makeover with sleek stainless-steel appliances, granite counters and a stylish cooking island with deep drawers and built-in storage aids.
But after two decades, the couple's evolving needs now drive a more dramatic residential change. As retirement draws near for the empty-nesters, the notion of downsizing is inviting, noted Ms. Cole, 53. She said, "We decided that now's the time to sell. We put the house up for sale April 1."
Recently, Donna and Shannon Freeman from HGTV's "Secrets that Sell" show toured the Coles' home to offer pointers on staging the house (which they said they'd seen on a Web site) to move it more quickly on the market. Crews filmed the visit for a future episode of the home-design program.
"They liked the landscaping and the front door's (eggplant) color," said Ms. Cole, referring to the TV decorating team. "But they told us to tone down the colors indoors and make it more neutral."
In lieu of the living room's deep red hue, a color that also appears in the entrance hall and stairwell, the Freemans suggested painting it taupe, according to Ms. Cole. She said they counseled her to remove knickknacks from its handsome fireplace mantel and built-in bookcases, which Mr. Cole built.
"Mostly, their suggestions were for decluttering," said Ms. Cole. "They said the space needed less."
Slated for storage at HGTV's recommendation are the living room's Windsor chair and reading lamp near the front door, a crescent-shape occasional table and a vintage desk at the room's west end.
"I said, 'That's where I pay bills,' and they said, 'Put a big live plant there instead,' " said Ms. Cole.
Featuring a bay window, brass pendant lamp and glossy parquet floor, the ocre-colored breakfast room passed muster with the staging-minded women, according to Ms. Cole. She said the adjoining kitchen's aqua-chocolate backsplash, earth-toned granite surfaces, golden oak cabinetry and tortoise-shell-like stained glass window "also got a reprieve," she said, referring to HGTV scrutiny.
The dining room's tray-panel wainscoting, sage tone and classic brass-and-glass chandelier escaped criticism, according to Ms. Cole. But she said the stagers advised her to get rid of the blue-plate collectibles that adorned its walls and the antique buffet where "I keep my china," she said.
"They asked me how often I used it, and when I told them 'at Christmas,' they said, 'Take it out.' "
The upstairs bathroom "is the room that needs to be bombed off the earth," quipped Ms. Cole, referring to the designers' recommendations. She said they panned its ruffled country-style curtains, its floral-pattern wallpaper, its marble-topped oak vanity and even the houseplant on its windowsill.
Also on the second floor, an airy guest bedroom and spacious office/den with contemporary track lighting earned the nod to remain as is from the "Secrets that Sell" experts, according to Ms. Cole.
But she said much about the master suite ran counter to the marketing pros' designing notions.
"They said it had too many big furniture pieces, too many patterns, too much going on," she said.
Dressed in complementary fabric patterns of houndstooth, toile and tartan, the handsome four-poster bed, in the designers' opinion, "was OK," according to Ms. Cole. But she said they told her to rid the skirted glass-topped night tables on its sides of everything but lamps, a clock and a phone.
Ditto, such furnishings as a wing chair, footboard bench and entertainment-center armoire, which the Freemans said blocked access to the adjoining master bathroom, Ms. Cole said. She said they even advised her to chuck her lingerie chest.
Should Ms. Cole act on all the designers tips, "I can't pay bills and can't watch TV," she said. "I'll have no place to store my china or my underwear."
But even if she doesn't make the changes HGTV suggested, Ms. Cole said getting the Freemans' evaluation was an agreeable experience. She said, "It worried me that it would hurt my feelings.
"But we did a lot of laughing and got silly," she said. "It was fun, but I told my son he might not want to tell people I'm his mother when the show airs. They said it would be three to four months."
E-mail Jan Galletta at jgalletta@timesfreepress.com
