Style like a professional on Instagram
With one billion downloads and counting, love it, like it or lump it, Instagram is here to stay. Keep a curated feed and find inspiration from the arbiters of serious taste – we love A Beautiful Mess, Green and Mustard, Contemporary Life, Houzz and Plants in Decor. Appealing particularly to millennials, having an Insta-worthy house on the market is one of your greatest tools to making that sale. Here are our top tips to rank high on those hashtags. #interiorsinspo #homegoals #dreamhome
Love at First Book
Nailing an Insta-worthy aesthetic can be as simple as displaying some lavish table top tomes in your sitting room/bedroom. Eye-catching coffee-table books can tantalise in one single glance. This is the one time where the book should absolutely be judged by its cover. It’s the first thing your buyer will see, so keep it in line with your signature aesthetic. Accents of colour keep a room looking fresh and modern, while monochrome tones add definition and depth. We love Prestel, Rizzoli, Damiani and Taschen. Make it love at first book – you can find gorgeous books online. They can also be a great talking point. Here are four of our favourites.
Hiroshige (€63) by Matthi Forrer (Prestel)
Vogue: The Covers (€33.71) by Dodie Kazanjian (Abrams)
Really Good Dog Photography (€25.58) by Lucy Davies (Hoxton Mini Press)
David Bowie, The Man Who Fell to Earth (€13.79) by Paul Duncan (Taschen)
For tips on how to style your coffee table, see @silkreads, @lesielejulietstylist and @culturetripbooks’ dream-worthy feeds.
Shelf Life
Type the hashtag #shelfie into the Instagram search bar and over 929K posts will spring up – spot a trend? Shelves are a major focal point in any room so inject some interest with stylish ornaments, plants or art. Always start with the biggest item and style around them.
A catchy print or piece of art will catch your buyer’s eye. And you can always bring it to the new house. Strange but true, the eye will always be drawn towards arrangements in odd numbers. Style your books/plants/prints in 3s, 5s or 7s.
Layers are always good. Stack books horizontally or vertically or place photo frames on books. You don’t want it to look too organised. Vary height, material and colour for balance. Here’s our favourite shelfie worthy ornaments.
Jonathan Adler tray (€78) from Amara.com
Toucan statue/money box (€62) April and the Bear
Abigail Ahern book ends €72.83 at Amara
Fornasetti diffusing sphere (€350) at Net a Porter
Prepare to do some serious fawning over these shelfie-tastic accounts @bobettecarpenter, @ispydiy and @clustercluster.
Fine tune
Simple details make all the difference. A plush velvet throw, hand-woven basket on the kitchen table, a faux fur rug (white catches the light) – all these little details will draw in your customer. Adding some final touches to a room creates a cohesive, design-led space. Give a little love to a corner with a bar cart or a small stool. You can shop with your new house in mind and give that wow factor to your viewing. Here are some of our favourites.
Sheepskin rug (€89) at Michael Murphy Home Furnishings
Silver candle holder (€94) at Skultuna
Bar Cart (€475) at Oliver Bonas
Pols Potten woven stool (€273) at Amara
See how it’s done @elledecor, @vogueliving and @houzz
Plant Based
Even apartments and urban living can feel more natural with a plant. The scientific benefits are manifold and a centrepiece, air plant, pots of herbs or small succulent can make your house seem like a home. See how the experts do it – Janneke Luursema AKA @still______ pushes the boundaries of minimalism with refined palettes and pared back styling while @workspacegoals showcases some of the lushest home offices around the globe, many of which are littered with greenery.
Bring the outdoors indoors with these, our four favourites.
Lemon and orange tree (€21.95) at Gardens4you.ie
Cactus and Succulent mix tray of 20 plants (€24) at Johnstown Garden Centre
Calathea (€12.00) at Plantstore.ie
Spiralled olive tree (€67) at M&S
Being social media savvy can give your home that extra something something, so you can guarantee nobody’s scrolling past that feed. Communicate with your agent and highlights those areas of style – professional photos should include detail shots as well as the money ones. Millennials are a sucker for the minute details – hand it to them on a silver platter (or copper, whatevs).
Yours truly
