Best Occupied Home Staging Project
This is a house which the owners had lived in for about 20 years, with two children and a dog. They owned a lot of antique pieces and artwork, which I tried to use as much as possible in the staging.
I moved the red rug to the dining room, and brought in a new rug to add light to the space. I also changed the curtains from gold silk to sheer, and had the ceiling fan replaced with a light fixture. The pharmacy lamp was in the dining room.The owner's brown sofa looks totally different with new pillows!
The dining room is adjacent to the living room, and was pushed against the wall as they were about to begin painting. You can sort of see the original rug, which I replaced with the one from the living room to add more punch under the cherry table.
Painting the yellow walls white really made the space brighter and fresher. I also had a light fixture installed over the dining table, where there had been a simple flushmount before. All the furniture here, the rug, and artwork are the owner's. I styled the shelves with some of their objects & books and added to it with mine.
The main bedroom was lacking a headboard, which is fine, but I felt that the artwork was hung too high. The curtains were too heavy and made the room dark, and they needed new table lamps and matching bedside tables.
I added bedding to complement the artwork above the bed. The gold chair is a family heirloom piece belonging to the owner.
This is another bedroom, for one of the daughters. The bed was pushed against the wall, which I felt made the room look smaller. I also prefer floor length curtains. On the other side of the room there were two bookcases, a standing mirror and dresser. We kept the dresser, and brought in a chair from another room.
I centered the bed on the wall, added a large map for definition on the wall, and brought in a rug, new bedding, lamps, tree, sheer curtains and a nightstand. The bed, chair, dresser, desk (unseen), painting, and record player all belong to the owner.
The office is a large hallway room on the second floor. I kept two of the four bookcases, and the owner's family portrait, but changed the desk & chair and overhead light fixture.
This photo is shot from the opposite direction, but I think it shows you the "hallway as office."
A lovely bedroom that just needed a little uplift before the photoshoot. This one was a beauty from the beginning so my Job as a professional was to see What I could do to make the place sell.
A balanced and simple transformation created with bedding and pillows. I wanted to compliment the blue color and create a peaceful and simple color scheme. Just like most of The bedroom stagings this one just needed a little bit of structure and What better way to do it than with pillows. I prefer to use feather filled pillows that allow me to create The shape I want for them. I love The okra colored pillow and it was brought in to compliment the wall and to create a colour couple with the lamp shade. I’d say that the end result is almost like looking at a hotel room.
A bedroom that had a perfect black wall. I knew The bed needed something more so it wouldn't be left in The shadow of The wall.
First thing I did was that I created height and contrast with two large banana leafs. I love using dried leaves and flowers to bring something extra to the room.
When We make our beds they usually tend to be a bit flat. That is Why I feel it is Very important that while staging this doesn’t happen. I like The beds to be well structured even though the end result is relaxed. Using abundance of pillows I was able to bring volume and colours to match The wall.
This work station had a perfect spot but it was bare and felt a bit sad.
For this I only used what the customer had near by as I felt that it was all I needed. I found a steel chair and on top of it I put the sheepskin to bring softness next to a cold steel. I found a perfect painting to create height to The desk area and also give attention to the roof window.
The black chair and the black frame of the painting were a perfect match as the black gave depth to the whole but the forms were simple enough for it to still feel light. I lifted the boxes from The floor and onto the table so that there would be something to balance the black and also break the space between The chair and The painting. The work station became a space that felt welcoming.
This home was gorgeous and had this big round table in front of the kitchen area. I wanted to make sure that we present the beautiful area the best way possible.
I knew this area didn't need much. It was my Job to remove extra things and bring something that was just enough. I opted for a simple vase and a pistachio branch as green is always a good idea.
Next to it I put a set of plates and placed all of this on a wooden tray. I kept the background simple as I didn’t want to take away from the kitchen.
This beautiful flat is blessed with spectacular sea views. The historic property also contains a lot of original features, which were obscured in some rooms. My clients were keen to increase the wow-factor to boost viewings and I knew immediately that I needed to maximise the view and entice prospective buyers towards the huge floor-to- ceiling windows. This living space contained quite a few toys, which I explained would be distracting for buyers.
Following my staging, and after the photoshoot, where I styled alongside my photographer, I was delighted to receive a lovely testimonial: “We couldn’t have done it without Jane. It made a huge difference and we got a lot of interest in our place immediately. My husband wasn't sure about the idea of home staging initially but now he's a total convert!"
To maximise the sea view I removed the mismatched leather sofa in front of the window and moved a chair and coffee table next to the left-hand window, creating a cosy reading nook. I also took all the toys into the child’s bedroom to make it a more relaxed adult space, rearranged a couple of pictures on the wall and styled with plants and flowers.
For the photoshoot I styled a small table and chairs on the balcony with cushions, a pot of tea and plate of croissants – which the seagulls were very interested in! The only new items were the logs in the basket next to the fireplace and some navy blue velvet cushions to co-ordinate with the rugs.
Already painted a stylish colour, this guest bedroom lacked warmth and felt unfinished. I wanted to give the space a 'boutique hotel' look and feel in keeping with this grand property. The flat already has an office room so the desk was removed from here and the wooden chair went into the existing office, to replace a less attractive one.
The grey chair and cushions were simply moved from other rooms in the flat – I love to 'shop people’s homes' while staging, and my clients always love the fact that they get a fresh new look with little expenditure on new things. The new throw softens the hard edges of the bed and gives a more luxurious feel. This now feels like an attractive room for visitors to relax and sleep in.
All this stunning bathroom needed was a few simple staging and styling tweaks to make it look much more attractive to prospective buyers, sell a lifestyle and show off the impressive bath and walk-in shower.
I decluttered everywhere and kept the floor clear in here to make the room feel fresher and larger – removing the rugs and bin. The towels and large plant are new. The owner already had some attractive toiletries which I used to style the shower and basin. The splashes of pink connect this room to the main bedroom nextdoor.
The open-plan kitchen-dining space flows from the large living area. Together they are the heart of the home and a big selling point. I worked hard to get this beautiful room looking its best.
I decluttered, depersonalised and styled the surfaces, shelves and cupboards and removed the fridge magnets. A bowl of lemons and vase of eye-catching fresh flowers added colour and life to the professional photographs.
The blue duvet cover dominated the main bedroom and was replaced with a white one. I liked these contrasting pillowcases and decided to keep them in the design and pick up on the dusky pink colour.
Everything in these photos was achieved in one staging day, with some final styling on the shoot day. I ensure that my clients love the new soft furnishings and accessories I suggest, and will be happy to take them to their next home: all that is new in this room is the white duvet cover. The chair in the corner was moved from the bathroom next door. I found the contrasting framed picture in another part of the flat and brought in the sheepskin and vase of faux flowers for the photoshoot. Decluttering and styling this key room, along with white bedding, transformed it into a serene and luxurious space.
This primary bedroom was “out of balance” and did little to showcase the home’s special features. The tall pieces were mismatched in scale and style, and crowded the original brick fireplace (not pictured). The bed looked “lost” against the wall, and the room lacked the warmth and cohesive “feel” that characterized the rest of the home.
Because red doors and trim were featured throughout the home and painting was not an option, step one was to “work with the red.” We removed the dated window treatments to brighten the space, but also to have the lines of the window frames create geometric continuity with the lines of the door frames and base trim. We removed the solid rug and repositioned the Oriental to help showcase the original wide-width plank floors, and “ground” the bed.
To highlight the fireplace (not pictured; hearth visible) and further open up the space, we stored the modern dark armoire. We then substituted an upholstered chair and floor lamp from an adjacent room for the pine hutch (moved to the kids’ bonus room) to create an inviting reading corner and “soften” the space. The simple lines of the on-trend mirror and artwork frames were chosen to mimic the clean lines of the painted trim. We added accent pillows and a woven spread to repeat the “feel” of the rug and add color to “tie” the room together. Available crisp white bedding and simple surface accents completed the updated look.
The style of the high-end furniture and decor in this dining room, viewed directly upon entering this center-hall Colonial, were not a match for the home’s target buyer, and therefore not likely to trigger an ideal first impression. The challenge was to draw from the many beautiful items on hand to create an updated look using the room’s foundation pieces.
The sellers gave us a fresh, updated canvas to work with by agreeing to paint the walls – and wainscoting – a warm neutral. We removed the rug to showcase the hardwood floors and custom inlaid border, and the corner table and large urn to focus attention toward the center of the room. To lighten the “feel” of the sideboard, we substituted crystal lamps from another room and added an understated accent. The sellers agreed to have the brass sconces removed and capped so that we could add weight and interest on either side of the china cabinet with artwork.
Using items from throughout the home, we edited the contents of the china cabinet with attention to shape, scale and material to achieve a more modern, yet elegant display, and to repeat the blue tones in the artwork. We updated the “found” centerpiece by removing silk orchid stems and sticks, and added tall modern glass candlesticks to tie-in with the crystal buffet lamps.
Together, the candlesticks and grasses added height to help “correct” the fact that the chandelier was hung a bit high. For another simple update, we removed the silk shades from the chandelier. Finally, modern white end chairs were brought in to complete the updated look, and “wow” buyers upon entering the home.
This bedroom was the first of three spaces that made up a “buyers’ delight” primary suite, but was not dressed to impress. Items available in the home made a fitting makeover possible.
To set the tone for a sophisticated, updated look, we repurposed a pair of mirrored chests from the adjacent sitting room as nightstands. To supplement “found” bedding that had been packed away, we added height, dimension and interest with white Euros and patterned accent pillows. The scale and finish of the original dresser lamps - not needed with the TV - were a perfect bedside complement. We then removed the chest between the windows - not needed given the large walk-in closets - to focus attention on the windows and view, and to provide space for art hung vertically to complement the lines and pattern of the window panels. More modern seating completed the updated look.
To set the tone for a sophisticated, updated look, we repurposed a pair of mirrored chests from the adjacent sitting room as nightstands. To supplement “found” bedding that had been packed away, we added height, dimension and interest with white Euros and patterned accent pillows. The scale and finish of the original dresser lamps - not needed with the TV - were a perfect bedside complement. We then removed the chest between the windows - not needed given the large walk-in closets - to focus attention on the windows and view, and to provide space for art hung vertically to complement the lines and pattern of the window panels. Modern seating completed the updated look.
This space is the second room of a 2-room apartment with full kitchen in a home we staged. The room lacked cohesion and was underutilized. A few simple adjustments “uncovered” custom architectural details, and added function and an updated look designed to help buyers “see” the full potential of this bonus space.
For starters, we removed the window treatments to add natural light and reveal the custom quarter-circle windows. We then removed the rugs, TV table, sideboard and
one of the end tables to unify and open up the space. To enhance the room’s “livability,” we added a glass-topped table to provide a flexible dining/work/game space. In an effort to give the blue wall color, white leather seating and marble tables a more “transitional” feel, we chose to emphasize warm, neutral tones. We added wicker chairs and a “found” basket to complement the more modern lamp borrowed from an adjacent room, and to add texture.
We moved the artwork from above the fireplace to another wall in the room, borrowed candlesticks from the pantry to accent the mantel, and stored the ornate iron screen to contribute to a lighter overall feel. For a simple update, we replaced the gold silk pillows with on-trend patterns to complement the blue pillows and throw on hand. Accents and greenery from other spots in the home helped to complete the updated look.
Boy-oh-boy was this fun! The challenge was to create a "show-ready" space while respecting the seller’s needs while the house was on the market.
In order to better define the windows as a focal point while preserving a favorite reading spot, we repositioned the sectional and removed the folding table. We borrowed a rug from an adjacent room to add character and color. Using a combination of shopped items and staging inventory, we repeated the colors and youthful feel in the ladder bookcase and desk accents.
Because the bookcase could not be removed from the wall, a wicker hamper from the closet was used to balance the space with a light-hearted touch. We traded desk chairs and lamps with a sibling to achieve a lighter feel. Across the room, red and yellow accent pillows were combined with the blue pillow and throw on hand to “ground” the sectional and repeat colors used elsewhere in the space.
Finally, statement art – a large 3-D race car collage – was added on the solid wall above the long side of the sectional to add interest, and to balance the window on the opposite side of the room (i.e., above the desk).