Tiffany Sowards

Interior designer Tiffany Sowards used three inexpensive screen doors and fabric for a homemade divider, used to screen an area at a client's restaurant.And while this project has a country feel, it can be adapted to any look simply by changing the fabric.

"They're a great alternative for room dividers.The hand-painted and iron screens are so popular, but they're so expensive," she said.

Sowards made this screen for under $100.Here's how she did it.

She started with three wooden screen doors.She paid about $20 each for the doors, but she suggested asking stores if they have any doors with ripped screens they're willing to sell for less.You might find a bargain.

The first thing she did was remove the screens.Then she used off-white craft paint on the wood, leaving some of it natural.She added some black paint with a dragging technique to give the doors an aged look.

(The distressed look remains popular in decorating, Sowards said."People look at stuff and say, 'It's beat up?I love it.' ")

Next, she looked for fabric.Check out discount tables at cloth stores selling small pieces.You'll need about 2 yards of continuous fabric for each door panel.
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Sowards used different material in each pane.But you could use all of the same, or some contrasting patterns.For example, she said, try a Waverly chintz paired with a floral and solid, or fabric showing a trellis of flowers combined with a solid and stripe.

Sowards attached the fabric with a staple gun.If you're feeling more ambitious, you could use small curtain rods at the top and bottom and gather the fabric at both ends.

She also bought six double action hinges and attached the tree doors together.

Sowards finished her project with chicken wire since she was going for a country look.That's not necessary, but if you use it, be careful.It's easy to cut your fingers.

"The garden look is really in, with people wanting to bring the outdoors in," she said."Or they can just be real whimsical. . . . Or shabby chic. . . . You could do a lot of different things for different looks."

Tiffany Sowards, an interior designer who is also a Realtor with Century 21 Bob Capes Realtors, said she stages every house she sells.

Her first advice for clients is to invest in a home inspection.That way, she knows if there are any structural, plumbing or electrical issues that need to be corrected.

After that, she starts with a plan designed to make sure potential buyers have a positive emotional response when they drive up to the home.

"The biggest mistake most people make is they overdo everything when they put their house on the market.They spend more than they have to and overlook the selling features," Sowards said.

Those features include the home's curb appeal, particularly the front door and the view as potential buyers walk through that door.She wants the house to be warm and inviting - changing wall colors, adding accessories, artwork and plants.
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Sowards sold a house at Lake Murray that was so large (7,000 square feet) that house hunters said they didn't know what to do with all that space.
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If your house is clean and attractive, "people assume you've taken care of the plumbing," Sowards said.
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Sowards said she spent $2,500 to stage a home in Hampton Trace that sold in four days for $197,000 - one of the highest prices per square foot in the area.The 7,000-square-foot Lake Murray home was on the market for two years before she staged it, adding warm colors and changing furniture placement.