Why Doesn't MY house look like that?

When people look at home magazines, they always say, "Wow, my house doesn't look like THAT!"

Coming from the production side of these magazines, I have a secret to reveal to you. Are you ready? Lean in a little closer, I'll whisper it so none of my editors can hear: NO ONES house looks like that!

When we walk in to a house to photograph it, we can tell immediately what needs to be taken out. Lets think about your kitchen counter for example. Bread box, dish rack, dish soap, ugly toaster, toaster oven, coffee mugs, Mr. Coffee coffee maker: GONE. What about the bedroom? Alarm clock, box of tissues, old magazines: GONE. The list goes on and on. Often when we are shooting, there is an entire stockpile of items that we have pulled out of the shot, and when the home owner walks in they wonder, "Why doesn't my house always look like this?" Adding to the removal of unwanted items is the beauty of working with a stylist. They arrive at the photo shoot with an SUV chock full of perfect little red pillows, Simon Pearce vases, antique bowling pins, fresh flowers, red peppers, green apples, and the obligatory lemons and limes. (If you look at kitchen photographs closely, you would think that the only thing rich people eat are green apples and limes) Check out the photos that I took in the recent issue of Home Remodeling. The styling was done by Bernadette Pothier, and it was fantastic. The home which was built by Chris Childs and the team at Patriot Builders was newly remodeled, and the homeowner hadn't quite finished furnishing it. For the cover shoot, the homeowner did not own anything blue that was in the picture, which ended up being the color theme for the cover. It is amazing what a few bold accessories can do. Aside form hiring a professional stylist, the moral of the story is, if you are looking to make your home look like it is straight out of a magazine, don't look for what you can add, look for what you can take out! And a well placed bowl of limes in your kitchen can't hurt.