Staging a charming 1932 English style home in Portland OR

aureen, why everyone is looking and not saying anything is beyond me!  This is an awesome transformation!

Maureen! Awesome.  You have done an outstanding job.  This is another great success for you, for sure!

Very good job dealing with all the angles..We have them in our home too and they can be a challenge...terrific transformation

Marci ~ Thanks for stopping by and for your comment!

Karen ~ The short time on the market always makes the seller, the broker, & the stager happy!

Cheri ~ You're right, those angles can be challenging but are so much fun too.  These older homes just have so much character.

Maureen, you did an excellent job staging that house and keeping it within the style and period.  What an awesome house.  I could live there, especially after your staging!

Great job, Maureen!  Way to work that space with your talent.

Congratulations.  Your post is being featured within the group Staging Before & After Pictures.

Thanks for sharing.

Kathy

Maureen - it looks beautiful.  Are those coffee beans on the dining room table?  I have been wanting to try that.  

Terry ~ Thank you -- I love that style & period of house too.  Funny thing is, I used to live down the street from this house years ago so it was fun to see the old neighborhood.

Maureen ~ Those are actually black beans on the plates.....but I use coffee beans sometimes inside a mug to "simulate" coffee, in a kitchen or nook.  It smells good too!

Kathy ~ Thanks for your kind words and for the feature!

Maureen, I'm a huge fan, as you know, and the house looks great fun, no wonder it got offers.  Please don't think me impertinent if I ask you - since the house read English to you at the start, in what way have you styled it English-ly? (I know it's not a word, but a better one eludes me.)  I'm always fascinated by what reads English or French or Italian.  It's like if we had a short-hand if things that evoke a certain period or national flavor, our job could be so much faster and more efficient, no?

Maureen, what a wonderful transformation.  It looks spectacular.  The child's room is so much fun.  I would have had a great time in that room as a child.  I love how you set the dining room table and is that a 'pear' picture in the living room?  Great job - as usual.  Thanks for sharing the pictures.  Betty 

Juliet ~ Thanks for your comments.....I'm adding an exterior view of the home here showing it's English style.  In the living room, I used mahogany tables and chairs, mostly older pieces from the 30's (the same era as the house), or reproductions, and brass lamps.  It's so true that there are many interpretations of different styles in furnishings!  With older homes, I try to use pieces that fit the age and architectural style of the house.....I enjoy staging Victorians and Arts & Crafts bungalows using pieces from those eras, or reproductions.  It's fun to mix styles and add some modern pieces for a truly eclectic look too. The dining room furnishings are completely contemporary.  Here in Portland, this exterior style is called English -- does it appear English to you (seeing as how you're British, I'd love your opinion).....

Hi Betty ~ Thanks for stopping by....like you, I'd have had fun in that room too as a child, with all those nooks & crannies. Here's another photo of that room showing a different nook.  As someone who loves to stage kids' room, I thought you might enjoy it....

The print in the living room is of urns with flowers....it's hard to see in the photo, sorry!

Beautiful rooms!  I love older homes. . .you really brought out the character of this one and I bet you have a very happy client!

Thanks Lori ~ I agree, older homes have so much character and are such fun to stage!  Yes, my client is happy -- this is the third house I've staged for him and all have sold in less than a month.

Maureen it is beautiful throughout! Very creative use of space!

 Now I have a purpose for all of the children's books that I just couldn't give up.  Thanks for sharing all of the photos!

Ginger ~ Thanks for your comment.  Yes, use those children's books in staging -- they really evoke an emotional connection for buyers.  You were smart to save them!

Maureen, you have done a super job of the kid's room.  Love the bookshelves, especially the bear beside the Bear Hugs book.  The dog pictures are super cute too.  Betty

Thanks so much Betty!!  :-)

You did such and AMAZING job. I especially love how you did the dining table. So creative and the colors totally worked. You maintained the old charm of the house but with a touch of contemporary style. Again... WOW.

Thanks Carolyn ~ How nice of you to say.....much appreciated!  It was a really great house to stage because of it's charm & character.  Adding a contemporary dining room set up was fun too.

Great job Maureen!  You worked well with the home's personality!!  Congrats on the f-a-s-t sale!!  Regards-Kathleen

What a great home. You did a fabulous job. My home, especially the master bedroom, is similar. Mine is just a cape cod. This house is much cuter... great curb appeal! The wood in the furniture you chose compliments the fireplace. I love the kids playroom too. Great work.

Kathleen ~ Thanks for your comment.  A fast sale is always a good thing!  This is the third home I've staged for this client, a very savvy contractor ~ he does beautiful work that always sells quickly.

Rachel ~ You're right, it's such a cute house -- that's what I thought too when I first saw it.  It makes our job as stagers easier when we have such a great foundation to work with doesn't it?  Thanks for stopping by!

Maureen,

Beautiful home and Beautiful job as always!

Trish Lane

Trish ~ You are MUCH too kind, but very much appreciated!!  :-)  Thanks for your comment.....

Maureen, another fantastic job! I am so envious of you getting to work with the wonderful older homes in the Portland neighborhoods. Over here on my side of the river, we just don't have the same charm that you do.

Kathy ~ Thank you so much.....I'd love to stage more charming older homes like this one every week if I could.  There is something to be said for staging a home that you truly admire ~ do you find that too?  I'm staging a completely different type of house this week, and discovered the first day I saw it that the house just had the best "feeling."  I often get a feeling from a house and think it makes it more fun to stage when this happens!

Hi Maureen - the house looks fabulous . I absolutely love the wrought iron piece you have used for a headboard in the master. The house, by the way, is what Juliette and I would call a Mock Tudor because of the plaster and beams on the outside. Imagine Shakespeare living there:)

Stephanie

Hi Stephanie ~ Mock Tudor -- Leave it to another Brit to let us know -- thank you!  The little window I've heard called a Juliet window, makes sense with the Shakespeare connection. The wrought iron wall decor used as a headboard was a steal at $49 from jcpenney.com

Maureen,

You'd done more than your job (I especially love the dining room). Has the agent done their job? How's the pricing, marketing, etc? After you've finished staging it's out of your hands.

Thanks Susan for your comment. You're right, after staging, it's out of our hands.  Just a few days after staging, the seller received an excellent offer....the buyer had 30% down and an approval letter from his lender....but then couldn't get the required mortgage.  Fortunately only a week had gone by so the property went right back on the market.  I've heard this scenario is happening far more frequently with the recent tightening of mortgage criteria.

Maureen,

What a beautiful transformation! When any Stager produces such spectacular results, they do us all proud.

Marsha Carlton

Thanks so much Marsha!  Having such a great house to work with made the staging work much easier....your comment is really appreciated!  :-)

Maureen,

This is so nice, it suits the house style so much.  It does not look like a vacant staging at all.  It really has a very homey feel.  You did a great job!

Joelle ~ Thanks, I'm glad the house looks and feels homey.....when we're staging we want it to appear inviting so that buyers can imagine living there, right?  Working on this style of home, which was cozy to begin with due to all the angles, nooks & crannies, made it fun.

Wow Maureen, nice work, absolutely beautiful and charming home, no wonder they got an offer so quickly....thanks for posting the pics!

Thanks Debbie ~ I see you're an ASP Realtor so you know the power of staging!  How are things in your market these days?

Hey, Maureen.  Another pat on the back, should you be able to stand any more, from me!

Your style of staging is different from mine, but I absolutely love the balance between not enough and too much in any one room.  Photography angles are great, also, and really enhance the house.  That being said, I'm sure the house looked fab, or it wouldn't have sold.  I'm sure the buyers didn't write a contract on the photos alone.

I also appreciate that you DID NOT theme the staging to Tudor style.  The house may have personality, character and some well aged charm to its credit, but today's buyer is still looking for a fresh look.  Ya done good, girlie!

Cheers! from DC...

    Jaynee
 

Great job Maureen! It looks great. I am not surprised it sold so fast!

Jaynee ~ Thanks for commenting....yes, there's no way we'd want to stage the house with any Tudor themes -- that would be too weird!  It was a lovely home and I'm sad to be de-staging it tomorrow but happy for the new owners who'll be moving in next week.

Ann ~ I appreciate your stopping by.....and I'm happy to report that the seller liked the staging job so much that he wrote a very nice testimonial for my website.  That means a lot to us stagers!

Fabulous  job!  The furnshings you choce to stage with are lovely!

Thanks Sue ~ we tried to blend a mix of vintage and modern styles in this home to make it as appealing as possible to potential buyers.