A Staging Project

Just before Christmas, I completed a staging project for a family who was preparing their home to go on the market.  Normally,  I follow up the initial staging consultation with an email to the homeowners giving them a room-by-room checklist of suggested changes for each room.

For this project, the homeowners spent several days of hard work checking items from the list, and I returned to the home the following week to complete the staging.  We spent several hours moving furniture, hanging pictures, and accessorizing.  I brought some of my own artwork, lamps, bedding, and accessories to fill in where necessary.  Other than the things I brought from my own staging supplies, we were able to rearrange and repurpose what the homeowner already had.  The results were so dramatic that the homeowner had second thoughts about selling the home!  Just to give you an idea of the difference staging can make, here are a couple of before and after shots from the first two rooms you see upon entering the house:



                                    The Front Rooms Before Staging

Buyers would have been greeted with this small room that the homeowner used for a sewing room, 

and 

just beyond the sewing room was a "playroom" for the children.  Buyers would certainly have a difficult time imagining themselves in either of these rooms.



After Staging…..

We repurposed the sewing room to become an inviting sitting room by moving the old sewing table to the breakfast room and bringing in these two club chairs and side table from other rooms in the home.  The rug was moved in from the dining room, and I brought the lamp and all of the accessories from my own staging stash to complete this cozy look.  Now, buyers can imagine themselves sitting in this space enjoying a good book!

The old playroom becomes what it was intended to be!  The table and chairs along with the rug was relocated from the breakfast room.  The large piece of art, painted by the homeowner, was moved from the master bedroom and hung over a sideboard that was moved from the family room.  

Now, buyers can visualize the purpose of these rooms and imagine themselves moving right in here!

A Sneak Peek at a Recent Project

I am coming to the end of a big project that began several months ago, and I wanted to give you a sneak preview of some of the "before" and "after" shots.  Though it is hard to see in these poor-quality photos that were taken with my phone, the difference is pretty dramatic.  The biggest part of this project involved helping the client to downsize by getting rid of a lifetime of stuff and reorganizing what remained.  With the exception of a few newly purchased pieces of furniture, we were able to reuse much of what the client already owned.

The above "before" photo of the living/entry area features a very ornate sideboard from Paris that was  purchased by the client many years ago.  The client did not want to hang on to this piece any longer,  so we found an auction company who deals with fine antiques and art pieces to auction this piece off for the client.

This "after" photo shows the walls painted in Benjamin Moore's "Grant Beige" to highlight the client's extensive art collection from his travels around the world.  The large sideboard is gone and I purchased the large, round mirror from Mitchell and Gold to help open up the space.  Everything else you are seeing belonged to the client and was repurposed for this space.

The Library/TV room "before"

The two "before" shots of the Library/TV room give you some idea of the stuff we had to get rid of before we could even think about designing.  The red chair was picked up by a consignment store and the headboard and shelving units were sold on Craigslist.

After a lot of clearing out and organizing, we were able to turn this space into a comfortable and cozy spot for reading and watching television.  The client asked for this comfortable recliner where he could enjoy relaxing with a good book or watching TV.  The large art piece in the background is an Aborigine painting that was purchased by the client on a trip to Australia.

The main living area featured this beautiful bay window that was screaming to become a cozy sitting area!

The area is not quite finished.  I am waiting on two slipper chairs that will flank the sofa, and the phone photo is poor quality, but it already feels much cozier than before.

office "before"

The office pictures show a space that just needs a little organization.

We're getting there!

With just a few finishing touches left, (and some better photography), I will be back in a few weeks to post pictures of the final reveal!  As this project is coming to an end, the client and I are both happy with how the home is shaping up, and best of all, the client finally feels like he has a place he can call home.

  

A Junkroom Makeover!

Until just a few weeks ago, the room pictured below was so cluttered, I could barely open the door!  When I began staging homes a few months ago, I needed supplies, and I needed a place to store those supplies.  What my family calls the "blue" bedroom was the only room in our home that was unoccupied, so it became the "catch-all" room for all of my staging supplies (and anything else that needed to be hidden away)!

Recently, some of my dear friends, who are expecting a new baby soon, came by to get a rocker that I was giving them for their new nursery.  Unfortunately, the rocker was being stored in the "blue" bedroom, and we could barely push the door open to get into the room.  It was all I could do to make a path for us to get our hands on the  rocking chair!  It was just plain embarrassing to have a room that was so out of control!  As soon as my friends drove away with the rocker, I got busy clearing out and organizing the room.  (I sort of felt like the Little Engine that Could as I carried one item at a time out to the garage). Many of the items I used for decorating the "new" room were some of my staging items such as the adorable twin headboards that were beautifully handcrafted by my very talented seamstress, Kay!  She does such beautiful work!  She also made the drapery panels, that had previously been used in a bedroom with nine-foot ceilings, so they are going to have to be hemmed.  The brown and white striped rug is from Capel Rug Outlet in Blowing Rock, NC.  The wicker trunks are from Ikea.  The bedspreads were purchased from Pottery Barn about 15 years ago for my daughter's room!  I turned them to the reverse side for this room.  I purchased the small vanity that sits between the beds at an antique shop many years ago and painted it white.  The floral pillows are from Etsy.  The throws at the end of the bed were purchased from Eastern Accents on the final day of the Fall furniture market.  They were having a big sale, and I thought these were really cute for a great price.  They have a chevron pattern that you can't see in this picture.

I wish I had some "before" pictures of the space, but I never even thought about taking pictures of such a big mess.    Hard to believe it's the same room now!  My first thoughts when I look at these pictures is, "Whew! What a relief!"

Fall Furniture Market

 The International Home Furniture Market was just held in High Point, North Carolina last week.  I spent several days looking at furniture and accessories.  I thought I would share some of my favorites!

Really like these wall sconces from Robert Abbey!

The colors on these gourd lamps from Robert Abbey were so pretty!

More pretty colors!

We liked the plates on the wall in the Lily Pulitzer showroom.

Another Robert Abbey lamp.  Would like this one for my nightstand!

Legacy always has the most beautiful bedding.

I liked this sofa as well as the patriotic color combination.

Bernhardt had a beautiful showroom this market.  

I really like this framed photo!  I would like to have this one for my living room!

Handsome!

I took this photo for my youngest daughter who is thinking about pursuing a career in fashion design.

I like the two sofas flanking the fireplace arrangement in this vignette.  

Anyone who watched Season 7 of Design Star on HGTV recognize these ladies?  They were both contestants on the show!  We saw them in Surya Rugs and my daughters made me jump in there and have my picture made with them!  It was fun talking to them about their experiences of being on the show!

Parade of Homes

I recently completed a staging job for Windermere Condominiums in Burlington.  This two-bedroom apartment will be part of the Parade of Homes to be held the first two weekends of October.  My goal was the same as for every project that I have completed: Design a space that is cozy and comfortable, and beautiful.  The idea is for potential buyers to walk through and imagine themselves moving right in.

The following are some 'before' and 'after' photos of the apartment:

Living Room 'After'

Kitchen 'Before'

Kitchen "After"

Master Bedroom 'Before'

Master Bedroom "After"

Master Bedroom

Master Bath 'After'

Child's Bedroom 'Before'

Child's Bedroom 'After'

Dining Room 'Before'

Dining Room 'After'