Splurge and Save with Krista Watterworth
This week Rich and I spoke with my good friend Krista Watterworth, designer/ host of HGTV’s Splurge and Save. Long time Real Estate Insight listeners will remember Krista’s lending her style and expertise on our show in the past, and from her other HGTV series including Save My Bath, You Should Live Here, and The Big Reveal.
Splurge and Save is a half hour design makeover series that shows homeowners how to get the biggest bang for their buck. Using her design secrets, Krista shows how to pull together any room, how to build the right budget for any room, and, of course, how to stretch every dollar. From furniture to rugs to window shades to accent tables, Krista pulls all the pieces of a room together on budget and in high style. High style doesn’t always have to be high cost; Using one or two really nice pieces as a focal point, and complementing them with more budget friendly options is a great way to stretch a dollar when designing One example from the show is when she put a designer chair next to a knock-off sofa or repainted an old end table and topped it off with a $500 vase.
And while she never did share the passion for cooking her big Italian influenced family had growing up, she did learn from watching them that attention to detail, balance of color and flavors, and careful selection of ingredients were the secret to all great recipes. These are the sensibilities that Krista brings to her website, RoomRecipes.com , a great blogging community about practical home design. Recent posts include Five Cool Room Updates for Under $20.10, and Organize the Kitchen.
This Week’s Real Estate Insight
For sellers, adding a little designer flair to a home could give you the advantage to stand out from your competition and get your house sold. Some studies suggest the ROI on staging can be over 300%, but even if you break even on your investment, if staging can make the difference between selling the house at all or languishing on the market for months, you are still way ahead of the game. Television shows like HGTV’s Splurge and Save can give great tips for the budget minded homeowner.