Beaux R'eves

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Home Staging Week 5: Enjoy the Before and After

OK, I have to be honest 
and tell that I have been SO busy lately!  
I really want to keep these posts going 
for those of you that are thinking 
of selling this Spring.  
I wanted to post with a purpose!  
I wanted to talk about specific topics 
regarding home staging 
and not just show you 
Before and After shots.  
But this week 
that is just going to have to do 
until I can sit down 
and have more comprehensive thoughts 
to relay to you!  

I staged this house back in the winter of '11.  
The cutest little couple 
had a grown daughter 
with a congenital heart disease 
and they needed to downsize 
so that they could afford 
to pay for an apartment for her 
to foster her independence.  
They were really good people 
and I enjoyed working with them 
but they had a Living Room that gave me fits!
We'll start in the Entry.  
It was cluttered but it was a good space.  
I thought the entry table was a little small.  
I knew that once we took everything else out 
it would look tiny.  
So, I searched around 
for something else 
and I found this chest in the basement.
I liked the lines of it 
but not the color 
and it wasn't in the best shape.  
I took it home and spray painted it black 
and used gold on the inlaid part.
It was a quick fix! 
Sorry about the picture quality!  
 This was pre-blogging days!
This is the Living Room 
that is shaped like a bowling alley!  
You see it as soon as you walk into the house.  
Remember, I have to work with what I have...  
Piano was staying 
as was the large Armoire.  
It's almost like two rooms in one 
which makes it look cluttered 
no matter what you do.  
I know I must have rearranged 
the furniture a million times 
in my head and on paper 
before I went back to do the actual staging.  
This is what I came up with.  
By moving the sofa,
and angling, 
it invites you into the room 
and creates better traffic flow into the other room.  
I got rid of the two barrel chairs 
and brought in one of my occasional chairs.  
We removed the drapes 
to let more light into the room.  
Heavy drapes with lots of pattern 
are distracting to buyers.  
They were a little dated 
and this is a much cleaner look.  
Besides, if the homeowners 
really like them 
then they can move them to the new house!
The Dining Room 
right off of the Entry was a little crowded.  
There were two china cabinets 
on either side of the window.  
I suggested painting the green walls 
but it really wasn't in the budget.  
So, we do what we can 
and try to fool the eye.  
They did get an updated 
light fixture which really helped.  
We removed the china cabinets 
and kept the room really simple.  
This sun room was right off of the kitchen.  
There were so many sliders out to the deck 
that made furniture placement difficult.  
And you want to showcase the beautiful windows!
 I used this rug 
to break up all of the gray indoor-outdoor carpet 
and bring some pattern into the room.  
Angling the furniture 
again allows for better traffic flow.  
Kitchen:  You know what to do here...  
Declutter, declutter, declutter!  
Again, painting was not an option!
 Better right?  
And all we did was Declutter!

I can't say enough about Decluttering!
One of my secrets 
is to use green apples!  
They last a long time 
and always give a fresh look to a space.
And a little "Model Home" 
like staging never hurts!  
They had a long bar 
next to the kitchen table 
that I staged with a coffee or tea station.  
The office space.  
I did a switcheroo of some chairs and decluttered.  
Master Bedroom.  
She was a quilter 
and had made this beautiful quilt.  
She also made the drapes and cornice.  
I found the matching pillows 
in the basement along with the comforter.  
Here is the thing about staging... 
Nothing is off limits!  
I tell people that I will be foraging 
through their things 
so if there is anything 
that they don't want me to see 
they had better get rid of it 
before I come back to stage!  
And let me tell you, 
I have seen some stuff 
that I won't talk about! 
Adorable pillows! 
The Master Bath 
really needed to be updated.  
They had a groovy walk in tub 
or fall in tub you might say.  
But again, it was not in their budget 
and you have to respect that 
and stage around it.
I actually placed the basket with towels there 
because I didn't want people to accidentally 
fall into the bath!
This cabinet was to the left 
when you entered the bathroom.  
I wanted to remove the desk 
that they had in the bedroom 
so I created a little vanity area.
I liked having 
the vintage piece in the room.  
The sewing room.  
Very pink!  
I really loved the curtains!  
They got to stay!  
The only two rooms that were painted 
were this room and the room next to it.  
The other bedroom that you will see next 
had a king sized bed in it 
with two twin mattresses.  
We took them apart 
to make two twin beds, 
one for each room. 
Better?  
The room was painted in Sherwin Williams 
Patience-one of my favorite neutral colors.  
This is the "blue" room with the king bed.  
There was a cute little doll house 
that the grandkids played with when they visited.  
Doesn't she have some nice antique pieces?  
She said that they were all handed down 
in the family for generations.  
Maybe they could adopt me?
I used the dollhouse as a headboard!  
And, the kids could still play with it!  
OK, so no big lesson today 
just a Before and After.  
I hope you all enjoyed it!  

Until Next Time,
Beaux R'eves

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7 click here to Comment:

ℳartina @ Northern Nesting said...

I love seeing before and afters Cindy... and your afters look fabulous!

Daniela @Frugal Aint Cheap said...

love how you worked with what you/they had. ...but the tub? I don't think I have ever seen one of those, almost like a mini pool, and probably hard to get out of

Sarah said...

Cindy, you work wonders. The rooms look so much better once you work your magic.

Maureen Wyatt said...

As a stager, I have seen things no one would believe! You did a great job on a small budget.

Vikki said...

Your ideas are so helpful. Looking forward to when you teach us more.

This N That said...

So much to say, I forget half of it..That pink definitely had to go..Great job with the entry way cabinet..It looks great..The LR looks better but I don't know if I like sitting not facing the fireplace..It shows better your way for sure..
This house definitely needed to be decluttered..Big improvement..As always..good job Cindy

Lee Caroline - A World of Inspiration said...

I hopped over because of your blue and white bowl, I had just linked my living room at Savvy Southern style, my room is also blue and white. What a fantastic post this is, to see the before and after shots, you have such a talent when it comes to styling and have done a fabulous job of that home. De-cluttering I agree is one of the most important things. Last year I had to sell my mothers home after she sadly lost her battle with cancer the previous year. I put off selling it for quite some time and in the end I re-decorated and staged it. I did a couple of posts on one of the rooms, maybe I should do a similar post and show the before and afters as you have done. I think it most definitely inspires people and shows them how they can work with what they already have.

I will add myself as a follower as I really enjoyed this post.

Lee

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