Traditional East Meets Modern West in Staging

I have to admit, I have a true love for Oriental furniture so I was very excited when I walked into this house.  The homeowners are global travellers so there was an eclectic feel.  The biggest problem with the house was that there was just too much of a good thing.  I wanted buyers to focus on the ‘space’ and not the ‘stuff’.

Paint Colour

By the time I took this photo, we had already rearrange the furniture and removed several pieces.  The one thing that stood out to me was the paint colour.  The peach walls were clashing with the red furniture and buyers are looking for a more neutral colour. As soon as I put my large paint chip sample beside the fireplace, we knew it was going to be the right colour.  I wanted to pull the colour from the tile, since that is what is staying.

We opened up the space by removing some of the drapes so the bay window was the focal point.  The fireplace was also decluttered since that is another selling feature.  The new wall colour is very neutral for buyers and tones down the red furniture.  The large ivory rug also lightens the room. A glass coffee table softens some of the angles in the room.

The room is open and spacious and that is exactly what buyers look for.  If they want privacy there are lots of French doors in the house.

Once we removed several little pieces, you can really appreciate the stunning Chinese chest.  I was pleased that I had the perfect artwork to hang above it.  It had all the colours and just the right ‘feel’ for the room.

Creating little collections on a coffee table is the perfect way to add some personality to a room.  Keep it simple so it appeals to the masses.

Dining in Style

Again, all the pieces were very nice, but just too many of them.  Buyers want to be able see themselves in the room.

Clearing all the floor space made a huge difference.  The built-in wall unit is now the selling feature which is what you want, since it’s staying with the house.  We also removed some of the drapery to allow more light in.

Notice how all the same colours flow from room to room.

Hidden Treasures

This master bedroom needed to feel more luxurious.

We moved two dressers from another bedroom into this room to make if feel more ‘grand’.  The homeowners, bought new larger white linens that covered the mattress so it looks more ‘hotel chic’. I was able to bring in accessories, drapes and lamps to complete the look.

One of the biggest thrills is if you can use the homeowners treasures in a new way.  This authentic Chinese tea serving tray completely took this room to another level.  We were able to mix the traditional Far East with the modern West in design and it makes the room memorable.

Kid’s Rooms are Very Important

The furniture in this room was way too large for the space.  The homeowners didn’t want to paint this room so I had to figure out how to make the dark gray look youthful and what furniture to bring in. They also wanted to get rid of all this furniture so this is the time to do it.

Replacing the fan with a flush mount light fixture immediately heightened the room.  The homeowners bought an inexpensive single bed from IKEA and I found this dresser hidden in their closet.

I decked the room out in  bubble gum pink to appeal to a young child.  The gray is perfect for either gender or any age group.  Adding the pink drapes made the window look so much larger and gave life to the room.

Repeating the same mauve, pink and mint colours throughout the room make it look larger and fun.

I was very excited to add this new polka dot chair to my inventory.  It makes such a statement and I want a little child to walk in and fall in love with the room.

For my DIY project, I spray painted the metal artwork to match the linens and accent cushion.

Lots of Bold Colours

This room had a mix-match of furniture and I wanted it to appeal to an older child since it was the larger kid’s bedroom.  We were able to put this antique desk in an office and then switched the pieces around.

While the painters were painting the other rooms, they painted this room in a neutral palette.  Again the fan was switched out with a flush mount. I had a blank canvas to work with.  It’s so much fun adding bold colours through drapes, artwork and accessories.

It’s the unexpected colour combinations that make people remember the rooms in a very competitive market.  This room is move-in ready for anyone.

Use What You Have

This house is so large that this room really wasn’t being used for anything but who knows what the buyers want so it’s important to highlight every single square foot.

You may not recognize it, but this beautiful antique desk was in the above children’s room.  It looks perfect in this new office.  The red chair was an extra chair that used to be in the living room and it was going into storage.  I love the challenge of using the existing furniture in new ways to save on costs.  All this room needed was a few accessories.

Furniture Rentals

I am constantly asked if I have large pieces (sofas, beds, dressers, tables etc.).  The truth is, that is a completely different business.  It requires delivery trucks, movers, storage and the inventory that gets damaged and outdated quickly. I have a huge inventory of artwork, accessories, linens, small accent pieces and that is all I want to store.

This huge family room with a fireplace and spectacular view to the garden is a real selling feature to the house but the furnishings were doing it any justice.  After discussing lots of different options, they decided to rent a sofa and a chair from a furniture store to upgrade the look and it was worth every penny.

The room was completely transformed and might just be the selling feature of the house.

We were able to use a few of their Oriental pieces to fill in the gaps and the coffee able used to be in their living room before we brought the round glass one in.  Again, you now see the beauty of the furniture.

It was easy for me to accessorize this room once I had the furniture in place.  I think we were able to pull it all together quite nicely.

The Heart of the Home

Fortunately, the ktichen was already stunning. The biggest thing that it needed was a paint job and tidy up. I felt that there was too much furniture.  There was no need for a second big dining table since there was a space for bar stools in the kitchen and the dining table was right there as well.

The new paint colour immediately updated the look. Once the second dining table was removed, we just left the far side as a sitting area by the fireplace. The large sisal area rug helps define the space. We were able to use their Ming chairs so they didn’t have to go in storage.

This open concept living is great for entertaining. Adding artwork over the fireplace makes the fireplace a focal point.  One huge selling attractions of this house is the spectacular back yard with  Zen garden beds, bird feeders and water features.

Added Features of the House

You automatically feel calm as you walk out the back patio doors.  Here are just a few teasers…

I only showcase rooms in a house that had the biggest transformations from the staging.  Since there are so many extraordinary features to this house, I’m sure it won’t be on the market for long!