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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