Looks Like a Completely New House
I received a call from a landlord who wanted to put her house up for sale the week after the tenants moved out. That meant a lot of work in a very short period of time for everyone. Planning and coordinating all the necessary people is key when so many factors are involved!
Initial Consultation:
Just by our discussion on the phone, I knew I had to get in to see the house before the tenants moved out since I needed time to rent furniture and coordinate all the Staging. It always takes longer than people expect. I was grateful that the tenants let me in.
Since all the existing furniture was going to be removed, I spent the time taking all the floor/window measurements so I could figure out furniture placement and what needed to be brought in. I went to the rental store twice since their inventory kept changing and they were helping me make sure we had the best options for this house. I love good team work.
After seeing the house, I also knew that there was no point in the homeowner paying for all the staging if the walls weren’t painted after the house had been rented for 5 years. Once you completely empty a house, you see EVERY flaw.
Follow-up is Key:
A contract with a painter and the homeowner was arranged immediately so they could start the day the tenants moved out in order to keep within our deadline. I recommended they keep the existing colours since they were nice and it also made it cheaper and faster for one coat of paint.
I felt it was important to ‘pop’ by to make sure everything was on track. Fortunately I followed my hunch since the painter was starting to be paint the rooms the wrong colour. There was a mix up on the contract between the homeowner and the painter. Luckily it was able to be solved with a quick phone call to the homeowner at work. I would have freaked out if I arrived to stage the house and the walls were the wrong colour. So much time is taken to make sure everything flows and I have all the right accessories etc. This type of thing happens all the time so you really need to stay on top of things. Never assume anything. FYI the painter did an amazing job!!
Tight Deadlines:
Once the house was empty, the homeowners worked around the clock giving the house a deep clean so I could start the staging.
My assistant and I worked around the painters schedule and had the furniture delivered. Then we were able to have some fun pulling the whole house together.
A Completely New House:
This furniture placement really opened up the space and allowed for lots of traffic flow. Now you really notice the fireplace. Removing the old broken fireplace screen looked so much better. It’s amazing what little changes can make. New ceiling light fixtures were installed in all the rooms. It’s very important to scan the room and look at all the little details that can be changed.
The fireplace was my source of inspiration. In order for the stone to not look dirty, I kept with the different shades of gray and cream. White would have been too stark. The artwork replaced the large mirror that was previously glued to the wall and that gave me my blue accent colour to work with.
The mirror was dated and it only reflected the kitchen which is never a good idea. Always place your mirrors where they reflect something nice to look at.
The large cream area rug expanded the space, making it feel larger. I kept with light and airy furniture so it would feel more contemporary. These chairs are perfect since they don’t have arms to block views. The end tables and lamps provided symmetry to the room which was lacking before.
The window, the fireplace and the entrance into the dining room were not centred which made furniture placement a bit of a challenge, but I think we nailed it.
The dark brown velvet drapes were replaced with these lighter side panels and white shears. The house is on a busy street so the shears are perfect for some privacy and yet still allow the natural light to pour in. Notice how there are subtle pops of the pale blue around the room. It even pulled all the colours from the stone fireplace. Simple birch logs were a nice touch to the wood fireplace.
Dining in Style:
Since there isn’t an eat-in kitchen, this room needs to seat enough people and be suitable for both casual and formal dining. Cream upholstered chairs looked amazing with the live-edge table.
The same drapes were installed for a cohesive flow and the artwork was in the same colour pallet.
Since the room is fairly small, I kept the table accessories to a minimum. The dark furniture looks beautiful on the lighter floors. It’s always nice to have a contrast.
Empty Space:
This room really benefited from a paint job. It’s now fresh and neutral for any buyer. Since it’s hard to visualize the scale of the room without furniture, we rented a master bedroom set as well. Adding a new curtain rod and replacing the fan with a flush mount light made a big difference. Neutral accessories and linens were will appeal to the masses which is what you want when selling your house.
Won’t Be On The Market For Long:
This charming house is FULL of character. It’s move-in ready for someone who appreciates unique homes and wants to be in a prime location. I’m sure it won’t be on the market for long.
