Staging a Behind the Scenes Look

Tweet

When I tell people I’m a home stager, they say “What a fun job!”

I love my job, but there is so much more to it than arranging stuff in a house.

A typical staging job starts the moment a homeowner or Realtor calls. Step one is to go look at the property. Every property is unique, with distinct features. And each property will have a unique buying audience that we wish to target. This is why Stagers don’t prefer to estimate fees over the phone, site unseen. After careful consideration of the property’s needs, style, and demographics, a quote is prepared for the client within 24 hours.

Step Two: With the client approval and a date set, we move ahead with creating the design plan. After identifying the property’s needs, we head to the furniture store to pick out pieces for rental. We then source accessories, artwork, area rugs and anything else needed to complete the look. A full toolkit is essential too.

The pre-work is done. Step Three is staging day! Jessica from Fresh Moves and I meet at the property promptly at 9am with two full SUVs. The property is on the main level but down several looooong hallways. We unload our cars, piling everything in the lobby. The sight of beautiful accessories, furniture, and yes, a broom, makes passersby curious. We stop to chat with a few homeowners wondering if we are the new neighbours!

  

Shortly after, the large furniture pieces arrive. The moving men careful swivel the furniture into the condo. Andrei and Raymond of The Supermovers are simply awesome! Cheerful, skilled, and service-oriented, they really live up their name. We recommend them to anyone needing movers. They graciously help us move a pile of stuff from the lobby into the condo before heading off to the next job. Jessica and I are very thankful since each trip, that hallway gets a little looooooonger.

Now Jess and I are in full staging mode. Jessica starts to unpack accessories as I set up the beds in both bedrooms. We find it works best to put everything in the kitchen, but what a mess!                            

Starting in the bedrooms we first decide on the best layout, then choose the perfect pillows, artwork and accessories to complete the bedroom. We want to draw attention to the windows. This condo is nestled in Discovery Ridge and all the windows have a superb view of huge pine trees, your own private forest. In our opinion, an excellent selling feature! 

Now it’s time to tackle the main living area. Placing the furniture and art to highlight the focal points, dressing the sofa, mantle, and tables with just the right finishing touches – this is the art of staging that we love! A well-positioned mirror reflects the gorgeous kitchen and the wonderful view.

A few simple touches in the bathrooms takes them from empty-feeling to well-dressed and spa-like.

Now comes the steaming process! All bedding and towels are steamed so they are wrinkle-free, fresh and crisp. Time to tidy up and re-pack our cars with any extras floating around, plus the recycling.

Finally we snap a few shots for our portfolio and a quick phone call brings the homeowner running to the reveal. She is thrilled with the transformation! We’re thrilled that she’s thrilled. Another great day of staging complete!

For more information on having YOUR home transformed, contact Elysse at Simplystylishstaging@gmail.com; or Jessica@FreshMoves.ca.

To contact The Supermovers, call 403.437.MOVE (6683)

Staging Ideas For the Bathroom

Tweet

 I am sure that you have heard this before, kitchen and bathrooms sell homes. If your one of the many that will be listing your home this spring. You might want to take a look at your bathroom or consider staging to prepare for the market.

Cleaning should be the first thing you do prepare, but don’t stop there. You need to get the buyers to envision using your bathroom everyday. Spending a little money on updating, things like taps, mirror, handles and lighting fixture will greatly appeal to buyers. Money spent in the bathroom is money you recover in the list price.

Add luxury entices your buyers into the spa in your home, fresh white towels and candles are great accents in the bathroom. Baskets, tray and canisters are a great way to hide the everyday clutter. Add a little sparkle with a tray that matches the finish on the faucet.

If you have a larger bathrooms add a table or bench seat which can store towels or accessories. It’s always nice to have extra towel at arms reach. The table or bench will give off a high end feel buyers love.

Bathrooms are supposed to fell calm and cozy so ditch that plastic shower curtain. A fabric curtain will bring soft touches to the room. You will be amazed at the difference.

Stick to natural colors this helps bring out that spa feel, colors like soft grey or white works great. Bright colors tend to add visual clutter making the space seem small and busy.

A little time, effort and money and your bathroom is a spa oasis that will wow buyers one at a time. Check out our blog for more tips on preparing your home for the spring market.

Simply Stylish Staging

Elysse Bulloch

Create a New look with Redesign

It does not matter where you live over time you get bored with your surroundings. The same furniture and accessories become ordinary over time.  What can you do to freshen up your current space? A few small changes even on the smallest budget can breathe new life in to your space. These simple steps can be applied to any room in your house.

When I help a client with a redesign or staging, the first thing I address is clutter. We all have stuff and most of us have too much stuff. Overtime we don’t even realize that our stuff has accumulated. My rule is to remove any and all items that you have not used in the last few months. You will be surprised how much bigger and brighter your space will be when you edit your belongings.

Do your research; know which styles, textures and fabrics you like. When working with redesign clients I encourage them to go thought magazines and books to get an idea of what they like. I ask them to look for colors, pattern and textures they can see themselves living with.

 If you have not moved your furniture around in the last couple years, it’s probably because you don’t have any idea how else it could go or it won’t fit any other way. A good trick is to pull the furniture away from the wall by a foot or so. This allows the piece to breathe. You may also consider repurposing furniture and artwork from different areas of your home.

Take a good look at the color scheme in the room. I like to follow 60/30/10 for diving up color in the space. 60% being walls and ceiling, 30% is furniture and 10% being the accent color.By switching out the accent color which is 10 percent of the color in the room it will freshen up the look and feel of your room. This is also a great way to change your decour with the seaons and trends.

Elysse Bulloch
Simply Stylish Staging

The Foyer the Second Chance to make a First Impression

The foyer is the first place buyers see when entering the property and the last things they see when they leave. It’s your second chance to make a lasting impression. The foyer is also a great way to introduce color to your curb appeal by simply carrying the color outside.

 The best way to fresh any space especially high traffic areas like the foyer is always a fresh coat of neutral paint on the walls and baseboards. You would be surprised how much of a difference paint makes.

Think of the foyer as the table of contents, it’s a preview of what to come. If you don’t have a foyer, think about creating one by adding a bench or a coat tree. One thing all buyers have in common is the want for space, by keeping the floor clear it will give the illusion of more square footage. If you have limited space to work with consider a console table this way their is a place for items like keys and mail.

When staging the foyer, pre pack all seasonal items. Try to keep the hallways and closets empty to free up visual space. Buyer need to see that the space will work with their needs.  

 Mirrors are a great accent to the foyer giving a personal touch and adding light the space. Place the mirror across from the light source; this is a great way to reflect light brightening the darkest space.

Lighting is a great way to welcome buyers, update old fixtures. If you have room add a lamp to a console table. Remove window covering to allow lots of natural light to come through

Staging the foyer is a great way to make a first impression. Every home deserves a beautiful entrance follow these simple tips to “wow” buyers.

 Elysse Bulloch

Simply Stylish Staging

Painting Over Wallpaper

Removing dated wall paper can be a challenge, especially when layers and layers have been put up. Sometime remove old wallpaper can damage the plaster or drywall.  You may want to think about painting over the wallpaper to update you space or even preparing it for the market. You be surprised to know that you can paint over almost anything as long as you use the right paint and primer.

If you decide to paint over your current wall paper here are some things to keep in mind. Check every seam look for bubbles, make sure they are smooth and pressed down. You can glue any lifting corners just be sure you let the glue dry very well.

The next step is to prep all the seams and flaws, using a drywall  knife apply a layer of drywall mud over all flaws and seams. Once the dry wall mud has set you can start sanding the mud to a smooth surface. You will probably need to do this twice to guarantee the seams are covered  well. Using a damp cloth wipe the walls down to remove any dust from sanding. This will help the primer to stick to the walls.

Always use a primer, applying water based paint directly to the wallpaper can cause a big mess lifting seams and loosening bubbles. When choosing a primer pick an alcohol based primer, this will make certain their will be a tight boned to the paper and will block stains that can bleed through. Caulk along the ceiling, trim and baseboards this will ensure you get a nice line when you paint. You are now ready to prime you walls and let dry.

The hardest part of the job is done, now let’s talk about paint. I would recommend using a flat or eggshell finish . These paints have less sheen to them and will hide flaws better. You now can paint one coat; this is your chance to fix anything that you think is still not perfect. Sand and re prime until your happy then apply your second coat of paint.

I hope you find these tip helpful, if you need any information on preparing  you home for the market contact Simply Stylish Staging. I would be happy to answer any of your questions.

Elysse Bulloch

Simply Stylish Staging

Creating Balance with Home Decor

 Creating balance can be done two ways.  The first way is Symmetrical design is it’s when you have two unit of each item. It’s like a mirror effect for example if you have two identical tables on either side of the sofa with lamps on them. This is the simplest way to create balance but tends to be a bit static lacking visual interest.

Photo from Campbell DesignsLLC.com

 The second way to create balance is asymmetry, which is opposite symmetric design. Asymmetry is when the visual weight of two items is almost equal and mixed with items that are of different in size, pattern, spacing and shape.

Photo from EthanAllen.com

  Balance is created when everything in the room works together to create a pleasurable feeling. To achieve balance you need to consider that size, scale and lighting our in proportion to the room.

 Let’s talk about how you can apply balance into your space, start with the biggest piece of furniture. For example the sofa will anchor a grouping of art, make sure you artwork is not bigger then the sofa and hung 6 to 8 inches above. This will make the grouping appear as one piece with the sofa. If the art is to height it will look lost or out of balance.

 When accessioning use multiple pieces placed close together all around the room. If you’re selling your home this trick will keep the buyers eye moving around the room, large displays tend to stop the buyers eye.

  The larger the piece of furniture the more room you need to leave around it, this allows they eye to rest. Too much stuff and buyers get distracted; they look at the stuff instead of connecting with the space.

  A great way to add visual interest and balance with accessories is to place décor item at three height levels floor, mid level and eye level. This will help the buyer’s eyes move naturally through the room, an example of item at floor level would be area rugs ,plants and the flooring its self. Décor items at mid level are lamps and accessories placed on table tops. Window treatment and art work are examples of height at eye level.

   Contrast is a great way to achieve interest in a room. Imagine an all white room with white floor and white furniture it would be pretty boring. Contrast helps bring energy to the space and keeps the buyers eyes moving. I love this look.

Elle Decor.com

Elysse Bulloch

Simply Stylish Staging

Using Color Effectively

Staging a property with color is easy as long as you follow 60/30/10. 60 represents the dominate area this would include walls, floors and ceiling. 30 would be the medium area items like furniture, drapery and bedding and10 is the smallest area in the room items like pillows, bedding and décor.

Image by Jasmic via Flickr

 When staging a room it is best to stick with three colors anymore and your potential buyer can get distracted. However just two colors can be visual stimulating as well but instead of using 50/50 ratio try out 60/40 or 70/30  this will keep the buyers eye moving through out the space.

Their three types of color scheme monochromatic, analogous and complementary. Monochromatic scheme is different shades and tints of one color; this tends to the most calming and relaxing color scheme. An analogous scheme consists of colors that are beside each other on the color wheel, such as orange and red. A complementary scheme uses colors located across from each other on the color wheel like purple and green. Complementary color scheme are used to create excitement and interested.

 Test your paint color for accuracy; place your paint chip on the wall under natural light.  If you hold it up you will only see what it looks like under the light but not what it will look like on the wall. Keep in mind interior paint always dry darker and exterior always dry lighter.


Elysse Bulloch
Simply Stylish Staging