in-ter-i-or-i-ty com-plex, n.

in the fields of design psychology and décor analysis, an Interiority Complex is a feeling that one’s interior is inferior to others in some way. Such feelings can arise from an imagined or actual design-related inferiority in the afflicted room or space. An interiority complex is thought to drive afflicted individuals to over-decorate or under-decorate, resulting either in a less than spectacular achievement, extreme schizotypal decor, or both.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Our blog has moved

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FYI: We don't really use this blogging platform any more -- we switched over to Wordpress and our home page at www.myinterioritycomplex.com features our most recent blog entries and videos on Interiority Complex TV.

Monday, February 15, 2010

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Do you ever have the feeling that your interior is inferior?

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Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Conceptual staging WORKS!

Did you know that Interiority Complex offers Conceptual Staging for our clients? We are so lucky to have an amazing designer/stager who works with us in creating the lovely conceptually exquisite spaces to help prospects see the potential of a space...


For more information or pricing information on our conceptual staging services, click here.



For more home staging tips and hints that will help you sell YOUR home faster and for more money, be sure to sign up for our newsletter and join our Facebook Fan Page where we give away room makeovers, staging consultations, insider tips, sales and events and more!

Conceptual Staging -- Is this real or a designer rendering?

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Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Area Rugs 101: Cognitive Rug Therapy for the Decoratively Challenged

After reading an article on consumer trends for 2010 in one of my design industry trade publications, I learned that one of the most popular products for 2010 will be area rugs. This inspired me to create this next blog series Area Rugs: Cognitive Rug Therapy for the Decoratively Challenged.

Let's start the first entry off  by featuring one of my favorite type's of rugs: the Kilim rug. Kilims are flat tapestry-woven carpets or rugs produced from the Balkans to Pakistan. Kilims can be purely decorative or can function as prayer rugs.

According to Wikipedia, because kilims are cheaper than pile rugs, beginning carpet collectors often start with them. Despite what many perceive as their secondary (or inferior) status to pile carpets, kilims have become increasingly collectible in themselves over recent years, with quality pieces now commanding high prices.

What some sensed as inferiority was actually a different nature of rugs woven for indigenous use as opposed to rugs woven on a strictly commercial basis. Because kilims were not a major export article, there were no foreign market pressures changing the designs, as happened with pile carpets. Once collectors began to value authentic village weaving, kilims became popular.

Kilim rugs are great for those who tend towards the bohemian, eclectic, tribal or wordly look for their interiors. To see Kilim "in action" check out this Flickr slideshow below:



Designer's Note: Rugs are often a great source of inspiration for a color palette for your room or your entire home. If you're not sure where to begin in choosing a paint color, start with a rug and keep in mind the 60-30-10 Rule when choosing your hues.

For great deals and resources on Kilim rugs check out:

Geometric Kilim Runner from World Market

The Oliver Kilim Rug from Pottery Barn

Kilim Rugs on Overstock.com


If you've got a rug-related design dillemma, simply click here to Ask Dr. Dotty, Interiority Complex's very own resident Design Therapist!



Design therapy + Free Prizes + Sale Alerts + Designertainment =
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Monday, January 11, 2010

Curing Seasonal Curb Appeal Disorder: 5 Easy Steps to staging your exterior in the winter months - by Tara Wilt, Interiority Complex Certified Design Therapist

Study after study has shown the upgrading and properly tending to your landscaping when preparing a home for sale reaps a huge reward and provides close to a 100% return on investment. With that said, it's sometimes a challenge to dress up that exterior during these cold, harsh winter months. Here are a few tips and helpful links to provide you with cures which you can implement if you are suffering from "Seasonal Curb Appeal Disorder".


1) Trim and crop shrubs, trees and plants. Blow out beds to remove fallen or dead debris(leaves, sticks, dead plants and flowers).


2) Over seed the lawn with Winter Rye Grass, Winter rye grass is a fast growing, hardy grass that will keep the lawn green during the winter months and die back in the summer to give way to your existing lawn. http://landscaping.about.com/b/2007/10/10/winter-ryegrass-for-southern-lawns.htm





3) Mulch beds with a dark black mulch. Nothing makes landscaping look more crisp and new than a fresh coat of mulch! The dark black variety gives a nice crisp contrast to green lawns.





4) Add seasonal color-yes even in the winter. Your home will stand out against all the competition when you show color all year round. There a few hardy varieties that are ideal in fall and winter. If you want to keep flowers alive when it gets really cold-put them in pots and bring them in or cover them with landscaping blankets during a cold snap! http://www.iloveindia.com/garden/flowers-accents/annual-flowers-types.html



5) Last but not least-don't forget the front door and porch! This is where your prospects spend the most time in one place(waiting for the agent to open the door!). Be sure to repaint or restain the front door, replace old hardware and light fixtures. Power-wash to remove dust, spiderwebs, mud-dobbers, etc. Finish off the look with a shiny new doormat-the black rubber variety are the most neutral and easiest to maintain.


Tara Wilt joined Interiority Complex in 2008. She has an extensive background in Window Treatment Design, Merchandising and motivating and training others to sell. In 2009 she staged over 200 properties in the Austin area!! She has lived in several states and with each move became more of an expert at getting homes sold faster and for more money. She graduated from Colorado State University in 1992 with a degree in Merchandising where she took several Interior Design courses. From there, she gained vast experience in Merchandising and management working for May Company and then Clinique (a division of the Estee Lauder Corporation). After the birth of her second daughter she decided she’d had enough of the corporate grind and went into business for herself designing and creating custom window treatments. She has a broad portfolio and has many creative ideas for covering windows. She joined Interiority Complex because she wanted to get out of the workroom and spend more time connecting with the client. In her spare time she enjoys tennis, yoga, triathlons, live music and of course raising her two daughters.


For more home staging tips and hints that will help you sell YOUR home faster and for more money, be sure to sign up for our newsletter and join our Facebook Fan Page where we give away room makeovers, staging consultations, insider tips, sales and events and more!

Gee your house smells terrific!


Consumers today are using scent to decorate, adding an individual touch that represents their personality and tastes. Companies are branding scent to create an emotional connection with the brand, evoking a mood or memory, so why shouldn't homesellers do the same?


The decorative fragrance market has surged in recent years, and will grow to an estimated $7.2 billion by 2010, according to Euromonitor. According to Scent Technologies, LTD, the sense of smell is the most powerful human sense as it has a direct trigger to the brain invoking instant reaction. The Sense of Smell Institute recently conducted a study which indicated that pleasant odours do in fact increase lingering time in stores and museums, so of course, we would expect the same to hold true in a home!



According to our research the most popular scents are consistently:

  • Vanilla
  • Fresh Linen
  • Gingered Pumpkin
  • Pumpkin Spice
  • Lavender
  • Cinnamon
By the way, on a recent airing of The Brain in Love with Dr. Daniel Amen stated that studies show that women become more amorous when exposed to the scents of licorice, vanilla, lavender and pumpkin pie.


We also know that according to the National Association of Realtors, 61% of purchases are made by married couples, 21% by single women, 9% by single men, and 7% by unmarried couples.


Women make the household purchases in 80% of homes.


Moral of the story: Use scents to help women fall in love with your listings!

By the way, do you have a homeowner with a smelly pet, or pet evidence? If so, share this little factoid with them. According to The Humane Society of the United States:

  • 39% of U.S. households own at least one dog.
  • Nearly 34% of U.S. households own at least one cat.

This means that between 61-66% of homeowners do not own a cat or dog. Whether the reasons include allergies, aversions or other personal preferences, it's clear that a large portion of prospects viewing your listing with a household pet could turn off a potential buyer.

Try to encourage your sellers with pets to come up with creative solutions to keeping pets and their "pet evidence" out of sight when their home is on the market!

For more home staging tips and hints that will help you sell YOUR home faster and for more money, be sure to sign up for our newsletter and join our Facebook Fan Page where we give away room makeovers, staging consultations, insider tips, sales and events and more!