Excerpts From: HOUSE CALLS Stained-glass door's fate hinges on move to Arizona
Phil and Sandra Johnston have a large extended family and friends who sometimes vacation in a house the couple owns in Phoenix.
The Johnstons, however, have not been able to find as much time as they would like to bask in Arizona's sunshine.
"Everybody is enjoying the house but us," said Phil.
They have a plan to remedy this situation. The Johnstons are putting their elegant graystone in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood on the market and are making a permanent move to Phoenix.
For advice on getting the four-bedroom house ready for market, the Johnstons wrote to House Calls. We invited John F. Kretchmar, the broker/owner of Re/Max Alliance Lakefront in Chicago to tour the property.
The graystone was built in 1926. The Johnstons bought it in 1997 and have renovated it from top to bottom with an updated kitchen, new windows throughout, a finished basement with a home office, a wine cellar and a two-car garage.
For additional suggestions on preparing the home for sale, Kretchmar brought along Julea Joseph, a real estate stager based in Palos Park and owner of thehousestager.com. (now julea.com)
Because the house will be on the market while the weather is still chilly, Joseph suggested dressing up the front with preserved topiary plants that would flank the home's Prairie-style stained-glass front door.
"They're like evergreens. They may be faux, but they won't get brown and die," she said.
She also recommended adding a mat for people to wipe their feet on and to make sure they feel welcome when they ring the doorbell.
"I'd put a welcome mat outside," she said. "It's all psychological. It says, `Welcome to my home.'
The stained-glass window on the front door, with green and yellow hues, was made by Sandra's brother. If the door fits in their Arizona home, the Johnstons plan to take it with them.
If the door will not be included in the sale, Kretchmar and Joseph agreed that the Johnstons should remove it before they show the home.
Although it is not original to the house, the stained-glass door has an historic, Prairie-style look that people interested in an older home would find appealing and want to keep.
"Someone is going to buy this house and say, "Ooh. Look at the door. I want it,'" said Joseph.
Kretchmar suggested replacing the door with one featuring etched glass or another of stained glass that would be in keeping with the home's age and look.
Although the walls of their house were all white when they moved in, the Johnstons have used some vibrant hues to decorate it. Their living room, for instance, has a couple of walls that are painted teal, which contrasts nicely with others that are beige.
The nearby powder room has a beige background, but also features a mural of bricks and colorful flowers painted around a window.
The Johnstons were wondering if they should neutralize their home's palette by painting the walls white again. Joseph nixed this idea, saying the colors and the mural are appealing. She said she would only consider painting the rooms if the Johnstons find they have difficulty selling the home.
The couple also have decorated their living room with Asian prints, Buddhas and other artifacts that that they have collected during trips to distant countries.
These items are intriguing, said Joseph, and that's a problem. Instead of appreciating the room's size and features, including wood molding and a fireplace, people will be drawn to look at the prints and artwork and even to consider the religious implications of, for instance, the Buddhas.
"Even if it's something completely close to your heart--remove it," said Joseph. "You're trying to create a neutrality that's appealing to all."
In the kitchen and family room, the walls are yellow with blue furnishings. Joseph suggested moving a couch and chair on opposite walls of the family room closer together.
Although people tend to put these furnishings against walls, Joseph said the Johnstons should not be afraid to experiment with angling the couch or placing it and the chair more towards the middle of the room.
"It would cozy up your arrangement," she said. "People would say, `Look. We can go from the kitchen [to the family room], and it's all cozy.'"
On a wall, Kretchmar spotted a heating vent with dust in it.
"Vacuum the grate," he said. "That's just a quick vacuum job."
The Johnstons have decorated a landing on the home's second floor with two chairs and a small table that creates a sitting area.
Phil said he was considering adding built-in bookshelves to the landing, but Kretchmar said it would make the space appear smaller. "That would bring the wall in," he said.
The sitting area is charming as it is.
"It's very comfortable," Kretchmar said. "And it is very in vogue."
In a guest room, the Johnstons have a closet with organizers. Although there are a few clothes and other items in it, Joseph suggested removing them.
"Here's an opportunity to have an empty closet--completely empty," she said. "You might just want to put some padded hangers in it."
She said people who open a closet in a guest room and find it empty will come away with the message that this house has plenty of storage.
"They'll appreciate that there's nothing in the guest closet and think, `Look how much space they have.'"
Opening a closet door in their 4-year-old son's room, Kretchmar suggested replacing an exposed electric bulb here with a globe light.
Although closets commonly are lit by exposed bulbs, Kretchmar said replacing it with a globe is an inexpensive way to improve and finish the room's look.
Copyright (c) 2005, Chicago Tribune
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