Fabulous panoramic photos? No thanks.

Art in Staging.

Back to this magazine shoot last week - Lessons Learned on a Magazine Shoot - the photographer does really wonderful panoramic shots as another revenue stream (and art form, presumably). 

His name is Stuart Tyson and he's a remarkably talented man.

He said a friend of his had borrowed 10 of his photos to decorate his home while on the market, and how much would that cost if a non-friend had rented them.  When I told him, very approximately, he then asked if I were interested in renting them also.

NO.

Heavens, NO.

Oh, goodness, no.

He looked a little unnerved, and offended, too, but startled mainly.  Er... whah?

"Well, the LAST thing we want is someone to walk into a room, have their breath taken away by a beautiful photo, walk towards it, really study and relish it and then move on to the next room.  A la museum mode.  They've enjoyed the picture(s) but missed the room... and likely the house, since the photo is what they'll remember most.

Now, I personally would love to own one, or several, don't get me wrong, but we need generic bland stuff that adds a splash of color on the wall, not something that steals the show."

Huh! he said.  I hope he understood and didn't write me off as a loony.  It's an important point -

                             keep your art simple, elegant and unobtrusive, unassuming, subtle.

Great art is too distracting. 

In Owner Occupieds, I always ask the homeowner to take down the nude paintings.  (and religious stuff, if you can)  Art in staging is all about adding color, style and texture, moving the eye left and right, NOT drawing the eye in and keeping it all to itself.

THIS is why I think it doesn't work when you get furniture stores giving you furniture for free in exchange for letting ti be for sale aswell.  With price tags or without, it doesn't matter.  People then find themselves looking at the furniture instead of what the room can offer them.  You miss the forest, you're too busy trying to ignore the numbers on the trees.