Where to Start When Styling Your Home
This blog post is all about how to find your source of inspiration when staging a room
When I first meet with a homeowner I need to instantly gain their trust because not everyone is on board with Staging at the beginning. Often it’s the Realtors who want me there, not the homeowners. While I’m doing that, I’m also scanning the room to see where my ‘jumping off’ point is and figuring out what inventory I have in stock that would suit their house. I’m searching for the features of the home that I want to highlight and what needs to be repaired/painted etc. Every home tells a story so I also need to take into account the location, who the potential buyers are and the price point. There is a LOT to cover in the initial consultation.
Style Inspiration
In this downtown condo I really wanted to highlight the large windows and the fireplace since those features are staying. The clients were amazing and gave me the freedom to do whatever I wanted. The only real request was to somehow incorporate their mid-century orange chair. That instantly become my ‘style inspiration’. If the chair was the only orange item in the room, it would jump out too much and be a distraction instead of an asset. I carefully added little accents of orange around the open-concept living space.
I wanted to highlight the gray furniture more than the brown drapes. Once they were removed, the window appeared larger and the room felt brighter. By removing the brown drapes, I could also add several shades of teals and blues for more interest. Orange and blue are opposite on the colour wheel so the two colours look great together. The neighbourhood is very hip so continuing with the mid-century look was the best way to go for sure because it would appeal to the buyers.
Even though the floors were completely refinished, we felt that it was still better to have an area rug in the living room to help define the space and add more layers of texture. There is so much wood everywhere else, so we weren’t worried about buyers not seeing the floor in this one space.
The new three-tiered coffee table was the perfect piece for the size and feel of the room. It was also a great place to add more pops of colours.
Artwork Inspiration
The dining room felt a bit heavy and cluttered with the buffet on the far wall. It also meant that the table couldn’t be centered under the light fixture. I loved the hand crafted wine rack on the wall but it was too rustic for the look we were going for.
The starburst mirror and blue artwork complemented the living room décor. Bigger is better when it comes to Staging so this large ceramic teal vase with the orange fresh flowers were the perfect finishing touch.
Adding fresh flowers always makes a house feel more like a home.
Highlight the Main Features
I wanted the fireplace to be a main feature. Sometimes keeping things simple, yet bold, is the best Staging option.
The blue glass jug on the fireplace makes it a focal point. Since it’s glass, it doesn’t feel too heavy either.
Inspiration for Accessories
Once you’ve got your STYLE and your COLOUR inspiration, it’s easy to know how to accessorize
Adding some pops of colour on the kitchen counter draws your eye all around the room.
Work With The Fixed Elements for Your Inspiration
Upstairs there are two bedrooms with a bathroom between the two. Since both the vanity counter top and the glass closet doors were made from a frosted glass with a green undertone, I knew I wanted to make the green my accent colour in all three rooms.
You can see how the closet is a walk-through to the master bedroom.
The artwork had just enough of the green shade to work with.
I still wanted to keep the room light and airy to enhance the large window.
Incorporating more green glass on the night table is an easy way to mimic the bathroom vanity and the closet glass doors.
There is an outlet behind the mirror for a TV etc. but it didn’t look very nice for the photos. Again, I just kept the accessories oversized and in the same colour palette.
Bedroom #2
The second bedroom is also attached by the bathroom so I wanted to keep the same colour scheme but still make the rooms very different from each other. I didn’t want it to be confused with the master bedroom.
Although the colours are the same in both rooms, the linens and artwork made them look different.
I always like grouping things on a tray for more impact.
Flooring Can Also Be An Inspiration
The colour of the tile just outside the office as you enter the house was my inspiration for the artwork in the office.
Book shelves don’t need to be overflowing. It is however important to have something on them or it just looks like a dark hole.
This room clearly shows that it can also be guest room with a fold-out sofa and/or an inviting home office. I continued with the red accents in the powder room just outside the door for a continuous flow.
I’m sure this bright and modern condo will not be on the market for long. I can’t thank the homeowners enough for all their hard work refinishing the wood floors, replacing all the carpet, and removing everything from the house that I requested. This spotless house is completely move-in-ready for a lucky buyer.
