RESA Annual Convention
Photo - Flickr Justin Fain
Ilus Design is excited to announce that we will be at the Real Estate Staging Association's 2011 Convention in Las Vegas this January.

This is a sold out event where home stagers and industry related professionals have an opportunity to meet the staging business leaders and attend 2 full days of seminars in a variety of fascinating topics. The list of speakers includes Vancouver's own Matthew Finlason, Jackson West and a number of other staging industry experts.

I am excited to return with a wealth of information, tools and strategies that I plan on sharing with my clients, business alliances and partners.
City Stagers United
During this past year, I have been fortunate to be part of a group of Metro Vancouver home stagers who decided to form a group in order to share their experience and knowledge, to support each other and to promote greater awareness about the home staging industry.
Throughout this year, we have been having monthly meetings and right from the beginning we agreed that one of our goals is to give back to the community.
I personally feel blessed to have a job that makes me happy, two happy boys, wonderful supportive husband, great friends and a comfortable home to come back to at the end of the day.
I recognize that there are many people who are not so fortunate in this world and in this city so giving back in any way that is possible feels right.

Thanks to Heather Kleim, owner of Epic Empire home staging company, we found a perfect candidate for our community project. Sereena House - Vancouver downtown eastside women's shelter was in great need of updating. Our planning for this project started back in August and it was completed on December 6, 2010.

Special thanks go out to Benjamin Moore paint who donated 8 gallons of paint, painter Pierce O'Sullivan who spread the word and got together a number of painters to complete this job and Mira Flooring who donated and installed 1,500 sf of linoleum to replace the old and worn out flooring. Thanks to numerous people who donated furniture, dishes, art and Christmas decorations, Sereena House now has a warmer and more welcoming look and feel.

We hope that the 56 women who make it their home for now can feel a bit more comfortable this winter and the coming year.
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Home Office Redesign

Our living and working spaces have great influence on our productivity at work and how we feel and behave at home. It can make us feel comfortable and relaxed or uneasy and tired, inspired and energized or stressed and bored.


If there is a room in your home that doesn't live up to its full potential, take some time to think about how you would like that space to serve you and invest some time into careful planning before you go out and buy new furniture to change things up.


Recent home office redesign project offered some challenges:

  • Built in bookshelves and a fireplace offered potential for adding better organization, character and warmth to the room.
  • Work desk was facing a wall and didn't provide a creative and inspirational environment for work.
  • Sitting area with coffee table and chairs was too tight and hard to get around to.


With the right setup this space could have a motivational work area as well as comfortable sitting area for reading, relaxing and socializing.
As you can see below, the newly finished home office is much brighter, more spacious and multifunctional. It allows the client to use his workdesk, walk around while on the phone, read and relax in the sitting area. One of client's favourite features is the TV and soundbar above the fireplace. It lets him keep an eye on current news and markets while working and allows to watch a hockey game with buddies.
Signs that your home is a good candidate for a redesign:
  • You would like to get better use out of some of the rooms in your home but don't know where to start. Typically playrooms, family rooms, home offices and kids rooms can benefit from better planning and redesign.
  • You have been thinking about making a change but can't decide on paint colors, furniture selection and layout.
  • You are simply too busy to tackle a redesign project on your own.

Give us a call for a free consultation to get to know you and your home. Together we can decide how your home can serve you better.
Low-VOC and Zero-VOC Paints
If it has been a while since you tackled your last painting project, you might be happy to know that thanks to the new environmental regulations and consumer demand, the paint industry has come out with a whole variety of paints that are better for you and for the environment.
VOC's or volatile organic compounds are some of the most harmful chemicals found in the paint. They are unstable, carbon-containing compounds that vaporize into the air during and after painting.

Why are VOC's added to the paint?

VOC's keep the other components such as pigments, binders and resins in a liquid solution long enough for the paint to be applied. As the paint dries, these harmful chemicals are released into the air at high levels causing breathing problems, headaches, burning and watery eyes and nausea. Although VOC levels are highest during and right after painting, only 50% of VOC's are released during the first year and they continue to seeping into the air for several years.
Conventional paints also release other air born pollutants that are harmful to the environment. Those chemicals contribute to ground-level ozone and smog which is linked to crop losses, forest decimation and damaged ecosystems.

To qualify for low-VOC status, paints and stains must not contain more than 200 grams of VOC's per litre. Pigments add VOC's and toxins to the paint, so the deeper the hue, the more VOC's in the paint.

Zero VOC paints are suitable for people with chemical sensitivities, children and those with compromised immune systems.


Where to find them?


Most paint manufacturers now offer low-VOC and/or zero-VOC line of paints. Benjamin Moore, Cloverdale Paint, Rona and Home Depot all have a selection of such paints available. My personal favorite is the Benjamin Moore Natura line which offers zero-VOC's in both base and the colorant and can be tinted to match any color.



Real Estate Staging Association News
First ever International RESA (Real Estate Staging Association) Conference was held in Las Vegas between January 24th - 26th. Home stagers from the United States, Canada, UK, Australia and South Africa came to exchange information, share experiences and to learn new skills at the first ever home staging conference.
Next year's Conference is set for January 23, 24 and 25, 2011 in Las vegas, Nevada.

RESA exists to create unity amongst home stagers and to raise industry standards through supporting better business practices and by providing continuous training and education. It brings together home stagers regardless of their background or training affiliations.

RESA has recently created a new RESA-PRO designation for home stagers. This designation gives home stagers access to up to date continuing education and creates legitimacy in the home staging industry. RESA-PRO designees are required to take continuing education courses every two years to keep up with industry trends and the latest information. RESA-PRO designees have also agreed to the RESA-PRO code of ethics.