Go Shopping in Your Own House – Part 1

I love the challenge of walking into a house and visualizing some of their furniture/accessories used in other ways that will enhance their home.

This is a perfect example of a house that had all the necessary furniture but it was in all the wrong rooms.  We often use rooms differently for ‘living’, since we find it more functional, however, it’s important to consider how the masses will use the rooms.

Formal Living Room:

Balance and symmetry are extremely important in photos.  The white sectional was jammed in the corner and the heat register looked cumbersome. Fortunately, they had this sofa in the family room so we switched the pieces.  It made a world of difference.  It allowed me to hang larger artwork above the sofa. A floor lamp doesn’t’ take up as much space as a table and a table lamp which gave us more room.  The palm tree created the balance on the wall.

We were able to use this sofa table that was previously in the dining room as a desk when we added one of their additional dining chairs.  It filled in the space perfectly.  The chair was from upstairs. Check out the next blog post to see where we put this amazing arched mirror.

The new bigger area rug also adds interest and actually makes the room appear bigger since it draws your eyes out.

Different Perspective:

The first thing I did was turn the dining table in the other direction.  It automatically allowed more traffic flow and it also made the long narrow space feel wider.

By turning the table, the beautiful antique cabinet looked perfect.  I didn’t want to hang too many pictures on the plaster walls, so leaning tall artwork was a great solution.  I kept the accessories simple so buyers would notice the architectural details. I always try to use canvas artwork for Stagings so you don’t get the glare from the glass. Removing a filing cabinet and bench also opened up the room.

Focal Points:

If you look closely, you’ll notice that this sofa is now in the living room.  They did buy a new slip cover for it since they were using the sofa at the next home as well.

Not only did we move the sectional from the living room into this room, we flipped all the furniture to the opposite side.  To me, it made much more sense to have the fireplace the focal point (as well as the TV).  I also wanted the sofa along the wall that has the higher ceiling for a more open feel. If you have curtain rods up but don’t have the curtains, take the rods down.  It just looks like something is missing. Drapes are not needed in this room since they have complete privacy.  I love how light and airy this room feels.

The white furniutre completely lightened the room as well.  My large artwork was the perfect scale for the room and allowed me to introduce other colours.

Living in a Staged house can be hard, but removing the toys make the room feel calmer. This house sold in the first week so it wasn’t’ too hard on the family.  Once again, live plants and flowers are always the perfect accessory.

The homeowners were upset that they hadn’t thought of this furniutre placement on their own since they said they spent more time in the room with this configuration. They wished they had done it years ago.

Take a  look at the next link to see other rooms in the unique house.