Cynthia Pulsifer - www.acharlestonhouse.com

The answer to this question is a resounding, "yes!" The phrase, "I am doing this because I really care about people" may sound cliche, but it is really true. Home Staging and Interior Redesign are both very rewarding.

Helping others acheive their goals!...

Home Staging is a perfect industry to be in if you really want to get the feeling that you have made a difference in someone's life. Each time a house I have staged sells, I experience joy I get because I know I genuinely helped someone acheive their goals.

Giving people a new space!...

Personally, Interior Redesigns are more enjoyable for me because my clients are able to "live with the new look" and appreciate the change. Even simple changes can make their homes feel like a totally different space which gives them a fresh outlook and perspective. The happiness a redesign gives my customers really does make me feel good as well!

There is nothing I have ever done that is as rewarding as staging homes and doing interior redesigns! Each home is different and presents a new challenge and most of my clients are simply a pleasure to be around!

HOME STAGING AND INTERIOR REDESIGN COMPANY - Charleston, SC

Call us today!

This Mt. Pleasant, SC cottage was such a pleasure to stage. It is a truly beautiful home that has some really nice architectural details.

Look how beautiful the outside is. I was very excited when I pulled up to this house because these upscale, lowcountry cottages are what I love to stage the most!

Isn't it good looking?

Now....Let's get started with some BEFORE AND AFTERS!...

When you walked in the front door which is at the far front right corner of this picture, as you can see, this living room looked very small and was begging for the life furniture could give!

But after staging....the Living Room looks more inviting!

Here is a closer look...

Here is the view looking from this room the opposite direction facing the dining area and kitchen...BEFORE

After...

This room was just off the living room and we decided to make it into an office. It needed personality.

After, it shows what a beautiful office this would make.

The master bedroom before staging...

Dessert anyone? This is the first time I have used artificial food, but wanted to give it a try.

Finally, the master bath...I recommended that they paint this bathroom the same color as the bedroom, but 2 shades lighter (shown here). The previous color was a dark navy blue that was totally the wrong tone. It did not work at all with the master. Thankfully, he did not hesitate. The other color just would not work.

Here is the final shot...the master bathroom after staging!

I absolutely love to do this style of staging...more on the traditional side with cottage charm! A classic lowcountry look and feel. It was a joy to stage!

Today, I attended my first RESA meeting and I must tell you that I have been apprehensive in the past to attend a meeting with my peers in the industry. Because I know that some of you can relate to this feeling, maybe what I saw can help:

Think about this...

WORRYING IS STRESSFUL! Why worry? When I first started my staging business almost 2 years ago and up until a few months ago, I was concerned about competition taking "my ideas." After being in this meeting, I don't feel that others were there to try to dig up information to use in their businesses, but rather I found that there was a sense of support as we all shared with one another. We are ALL still learning, so don't worry. Don't worry about sharing or that your "ideas" will be used by your competition. Stress is not good and takes away a lot of joy that being in this industry provides.

Besides...

BUSINESS WILL COME IF YOU DO YOUR BEST! Why are you in this business? If you are like me, to help people. I know it sounds cliche, but it is true. We have the joy of helping people with their homes, by either helping them sell their house faster through home staging or by giving them a new look to live in through redesign. How rewarding is that? VERY! Happy customers bring about refferals and that WILL happen if I do my best. People can sense when you really care enough to do your best and your work will speak for itself. Business will come.

Here's a hard question...

AS HOME STAGERS, ARE WE GOING TO BE HAPPY WITH SOMEONE ELSE'S SUCCESS?? Absolutely! I need to be. I have found myself glad for other's successes, especially in recent days. It sure makes me feel better. People who are doing well have worked hard. Why not be happy for them?

In closing...

Please take the same advice that I was given from a friend a few months ago...go to a networking meeting. These meetings are good for everyone, if you go with an open mind. They are fun and educational and you will find a special support from people who understand our unique industry. Don't worry about sharing "secret" information, but go to BE a support to others. Share. You will find that you have a lot in common with other stagers and will be able to hear and share interesting stories as well as challenges we all face in the industry. This was just our first "introductionary meeting", so I am excited to see what I can learn and bring to the table in the future!

Last week I just finished up a commercial project whereby the client needed short term rental furniture. The problem was this: It was a hotel that was VERY modern in style and he needed tables, chairs and barstools. Most of the time, I like to mix things up as I tend to be more eclectic in my design style. This particular project screamed...modern only!

To start with, the rug in the lobby area was geometric and quite colorful. Very colorful. Very primary. The sofa was ultra modern and bright. We needed 2 lounge chairs, end tables and a coffee table to go with that. My first thought was the short term furniture rental stores! Surely they would have a way to put together the amount of furniture I needed by pulling from several of their store locations....NOT! They simply did not have anything that would work.

The biggest problem turned out to be the 6 tables, with 4 chairs each that matched and 8 modern, tall barstools. Charleston is predominately traditional in design with an eclectic feel, so short term furniture rental places don't even carry the contemporary styles that are on their website AND they definately don't have multiple matching tables and chairs of anything that would remotely work. After much searching, here is how I met the need:

Event rental places! They actually had modern furniture...really modern. Of course, the price was high, and they normally only put furniture in short term events...but they were able to work with us, though to only charge us 2 event fees for a whole month of furniture rental.

For the 2 lounge chairs, we used armless microfiber chairs and put some modern pillows on them for a pop of color and drama. The end tables had to be painted a color to match the style as they only had white or dark wood. For a coffee table, we selected 4 cubes and made them into a square.

The 6 tables were very "mod" and looked like they were straight from the 60's. They actually were fine, but the matching mod swivel chairs were just too much. Simple clean-lined silver painted chairs with cushions did the trick. Modern swivel barstools in white leather really worked at the eating counter.

This was a very challenging project as I did all of this in just under 8 hours! It was a lot of work, but worth it for the challenge and the fun of it. Hopefully their furniture that is on order will be here in about a month.

I am not sure if any of you stagers out there have run into this problem, but I hope this will help save you some time if you run into a similar problem.