Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Taking the Deluxe Outta DeluxeVille

Room with a View
January is my go month. The month I start un-doing everything I've done to create a space that I've loved living in over the last 8 years. January is the month where my little house stops belonging just to me, but now belongs to the hungry home hunters on the prowl. And really, what do hungry home hunters want?? I doubt they want 1955! They want Pottery Barn 2011! What does MaryDeluxe want? She just wants to sell her house, get decent money for it, and go be with the Sgt! So, this gal knows she needs to pack up all the Deluxe-O-Rama crap and bring on the beige walls! It's not about DeluxeVille anymore it's all about PotteryBarnVille and that's what the buyer wants. I've been dreading this nasty little month of January. January the beginning of my future but the erasing of my past. Who knew a month could be so exciting but melancholy too? It's okay though...because as God as my witness, I'll have turquoise walls again....plus a hot guy in my bed that I will get to call husband.

IMG_3872

houseshot

goodbye

plants

June 12 2010

Someone better be careful

38 comments:

  1. How very sad, you'll rise again Scarlett O'Hara I've got no doubts about that :) Im looking forward to seeing this Atomic farmhouse style. I wish you and Sgt all the very best Mary D!

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  2. Sad to see it go but I can't wait to what you do to the Sgt's place!

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  3. Sigh....I think you should leave it as is so people can see how wonderful it looks and the potential for any type of design :-)

    It is sad that so sweet a living space is going to be gone :-( You will have a new nest to feather and your hot man to help! Good luck and I hope it sells fast :-)

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  4. Oh, what I would do to live in DeluxeVille!!! I hope another retro enthusiast finds it before you have to blah-ify it! If only I could pick up and leave, I'd be there in a heartbeat :)

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  5. If I were in the market and lived in your town, I would TOTALLY buy it as is... I wouldn't have to do a darn thing!

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  6. I say leave it as-is and see what happens! When we sold our last house almost 6 years ago we had bright yellow, chartreuse and orange walls and it sold within 2 weeks! Granted that was a different market back then, but see if you get any takers with the decor/paint like it is- if not you can totally beige it up. But if someone digs what it looks like now and buys it, you've saved yourself all that time and heartbreak of having to mask over your joyous place!Best of luck to you and the Sgt. :-)

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  7. Such an adorable home you've created, I'll miss seeing photo's of it! Although I'm sure your new place is going to be equally stunning!

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  8. its the end of an era!But your new place will be twice as fab I'm sure!

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  9. i second Mel's comment but alas california is a long way from pennsylvania! good luck on the de-renovation of Deluxville and renovation at Bachelorville, i'm sure we'll all be anxiously awaiting photos this year!

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  10. Your home is so beautiful... And it will indeed be interesting to see what you'll do to the Sgt's place!!!

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  11. It's too bad you have to beige-ify it! Such a beautiful place. I'm sure your new house will look great, and I can't wait to see it get a makeover, I just wish more people appreciated such awesome design!

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  12. Let them do their own renovation! It's perfect - sell it as it is and reserve your energy for the love nest.

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  13. I may prefer Deluxevlle in my wardrobe, I prefer Pottery Barn in my house. I can honestly say I don't think you need to do anything to the kitchen. To me, it looks classic enough to sell as-is. Good luck selling!

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  14. Oh how sad. Still, I'll look forward to seeing what you do to the new place x

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  15. Your place right now is gorgeous and I would buy it totally as is. That being said, my advice is to find the real estate agent you are going to use (if you are using one), and get them to assess the situation based on the local market. If you are not using one, look at home sale sites for your area and see who sells quickly. In our own case, we got the number one agent in our area to come out and assess our house as is--the verdict was not good with all of the vintage--we followed the instructions and de-vintaged (it hurt)& used neutral tones (both cool & warm) on the walls before listing and we had a sale contract at very, very close to asking price within a matter of days. This was in a very conservative midwest town that's seen better days. No one typically has success. The house next door was for sale before us and is still for sale now. We now live in a less conservative town and all my vintage is out of storage. Good luck to you & your mister.

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  16. What I would do to own such a cute house... I'm excited to see what you do with the new place!

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  17. i always get sad on design shows when people with cool houses have to make them simplified and boring. HOWEVER, sounds like a wise choice, and i'm sure it will still be fab! good luck!!

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  18. As much as it's no fun, I understand. My in-laws just went through the same thing when they sold their house. And while my FIL will argue the point, it did get their house sold in short order.

    That being the case, leave your kitchen the way it is! It is so cute and is just the right mix of modern/country and retro. In fact, I'll be using it as inspiration for my own place!

    Cheers!
    ~Paige

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  19. Deluxeville is truly inspiring and you were one of the first blogs I started following - purely for your amazing home and contents! If I were a buyer, I'd make you an offer for the lot - as is! ;)

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  20. So bittersweet. But I am so happy for you and the adventures that await! CAn't wait to see what your future house will look like with your skills and Sgt.'s combined!

    I hope to have a place of my own soon and you and Deluxeville will be my inspiration. If I was house-hunting in your area and walked into your pad pre-Pottery Barn-ville, I'd think it was meant to be and have to buy it!

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  21. Oh gosh, but it's so beautiful! I vote that you leave it just like it is. Before we bought our ranch, the realtor persuaded the Sellers to change some things that now can't be redone - and we would have LOVED them. You never know, someone with your style might just walk in and lose their mind like I would. Sometimes those books and shows about how to sell your house are wrong. Rage against beige! I know that the experts say to remove any signs of our own interests or personalities because buyers will be too distracted to see the house. But if you have AWESOME interests and personality, it might be nice to let them see it.

    If it's any incentive, when we sold our last house, we didn't paint over anything. We had all vivid, vintage inspired colors and the buyers still have those walls painted the same to this very day. And someone even wanted to buy some of our vintage stuff. There ARE buyers with fun taste.

    And good luck and much, much happiness in the newest chapter in the book of you life!

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  22. I always hated that homogenized home look that the real estate agent tells you that you must have. I really wonder if you shouldn't just let it on the market for a while as-is, then if there are not biters, then go ahead and take your stuff down. Who knows, it may just sell because you make it look like a "home" not a building. good Luck!

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  23. If I were the buyer of your house, I will take how it is right now, no white walls please. Im dying to see your new house. Good lock and a lot of hapiness with your new bus.

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  24. I love your home decor! I'm sure you'll make your new home as pretty as this one.

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  25. Ditto, ditto! You have great taste, and a wonderful eye for design. I'm very excited for you to start anew with a blank slate!

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  26. Does this mean you have to sell your vintage goodies? I am only an hour away......

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  27. Seriously- if Deluxville is having a sale, I'm coming over, cash in hand! Put the $ towards your new life with the Sarge!

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  28. :( reminds me that one day I will too have to turn all the walls neutral to appeal to the masses.

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  29. I'm with Eartha Kitsch! Keep it and see what happens before going all 'greige' with the joint. We just bought a '55 ranch, relatively untouched, but we learned from the previous owner of a number of modifications they made at the realtors suggestion. Things we would've have loved and were original to the house that we had to reverse back to original.

    There's bound to be someone who'll love the place as is and would be saddened to know how kick ass it was before you went all Home Depot boring on it.

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  30. Aw, it must be so hard to leave your adorable home, but it's adorable because of what you've done with it. The next could be even better, and sharing it with someone will make it even more fun. Congratulations!

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  31. Oh, it's so annoying when people don't appreciate the style of others. Best of luck selling and I hope you've found a swingin' new pad to call home!

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  32. oh such a shame! But we did exactly what you did, converted our fabulous home to as bland as possible, it would be lovely that people would buy it as is but in reality so many people have no imagination and think that they would have to have it like that even if it's not their taste!!

    I hate to see Deluxeville go, it breaks my heart but I know why you're making your decision, I would do that same and have!

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  33. Those silly modern home buyers just don't understand!
    Maybe you will get lucky and a lover of retro will walk thru. Then you won't have to change a thing.
    Good luck with your packing and more importantly un-packing!

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  34. What a beautiful living space you'll be saying goodbye to, I'm green with envy sitting here in my little condo! And such a shame to see it go bland, but I guess such is life in the buying/selling game. We're hoping to buy a small house at some point in the next couple of years and I know we'll have to repaint at the very least. Even though right now I'm really wanting to re-do our tiny bathroom in boudoir pink--probably the bathroom of most normal people's nightmares...! Anyway, I'm sure you'll make your new home just as wonderful, if not more so!

    p.s. I think we have the same round Hey Wake cocktail table. I'm still looking for The Perfect Item to sit on it that our cat won't send careening across the table onto the floor. Sadly I think your flamingo would be a goner in our home. ;)

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  35. Although it is how things should be, it is sad to see the end of Deluxville I. It is such a cool and swanky little pad, inside and out. I also believe that other than the removal of that which you will take with you to Deluxeville II, you probably do not need to do much to sell it. It is not as if the colors, the remodeling, and the exterior are so over the top sans furniture and decor. It has atmosphere, crispness, and color which all are a plus when trying to sell a smaller house. Imagine Deluxeville I without all of its furnishings and I think that you will see that you can put down the paint brush and relax a little.

    Touchofevil!

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  36. I recently purchased a home that had not been updated since the 40's (except for some 70's wallpaper). When we saw it...we knew it had to be ours and snapped it up that day. No one else had a chance. The walls, floors and everything was sticky with grease...it was filled with furniture from 1920's (which we purchased for a song). We love everything about this house. If I had been a looker at your house, I would have been green with envy that you were taking all of your things with you. Give it a try as is for a few weeks and see what happens. Screw what the damn real estate agents say. Ick on Pottery Barn..Granite...and the likes. Pooh!!! Can't Americans have some imagination?

    Now that we are moved in, people want to see our house. I have made it even more 1940's and most just don't know what to say (not in a good way). I want it to look like Grandma's house. Cozy, warm and inviting. I have a Youngstown kitchen sink unit which almost looks as good as the day they installed it in 1946.

    Get some imagination America...

    And best of luck with the Sgt. He looks adorable and you two will make the perfect home together very soon.

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  37. Those walls! Perfect shade of blue! Do you recall the paint color?

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  38. Those walls! The perfect shade of blue! Do you recall the paint color?

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