Jacki Kennedy - Staged to Wow, Houston TX

One more time staging shows how a vacant property can be transformed. The house is in southeast Houston in an older established neighborhood. The first thing needed was help from a landscaper colleague of mine. Curb appeal was added by removing all the old overgrown plants and replacing them with flowers, shrubs, palm trees, mulch and a flagstone border.

Next I transformed the vacant inside for a contemporary look in the living room and dining room.

I also staged the master bedroom.

The large family room now has a cozy comfortable style.

I recently worked with a client that wanted to surprise their daughter when she came home for Christmas break from her 1st semester away at college. The bedding was her's from before and we built the room with that as the inspiration point. She got home last week and the room was a HIT! She likes her new "young adult" look.

We changed the paint colors and added all new accessories to the room.

The new headboard is a mosaic that made the room fantastic.

When she decides to update from homecoming flowers the plan is to

add floating shelves between the dressers.

Redesign makeovers are so much fun. It's great to give a client a fresh new look when only using their existing furniture and decor. Recently I met with a couple that had a lot of African art they liked very much.

Living room before

However thing were scattered throughout the home. Some of this art was in the hallway, some in the office on bookshelves and furniture was in the living room and office.

Hallway art display before

They have a large office that is just off the foyer and a section of the office just had a couple filing cabinets and a small desk that wasn't being used anymore on one side of the room.

Redesigned Office sitting area

With just a little rearrangement they now have an inviting sitting area that highlights the artwork they love.

Generally art is the most personal item added to a room. To me, artwork in a home is like jewelry is for fashion, very necessary to complete the total look.

When choosing art the first decision should be what is best for the furniture, wall space, and the purpose of the room. What style fits best, does it need to be formal, casual, professional, eclectic, or staged for the next home owner? Also the dominant color pallet can evoke certain moods. A painting, a print or sculptural wall art can all create different looks for the same room. The same is true for the frame.

For more dramatic impact a single larger piece as a focal point can be the crown jewel.There are many great ways to find or create unique artwork without breaking the bank and you don’t have to be an artist. Try painting a few canvases with an accent color then add lines or geogetric shapes in other colors. Like wallpaper but it's too much for the entire room? Frame and hang a smaller piece as art or the backdrop in the frame.

Sometimes grouping smaller sets of art is best. Groups can be hung vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. Not all art grouping have to be symmetrical. There are many ways to create groupings but there must be a common theme that brings the group together.

TIP when hanging a group of pictures use painters tape marked at the appropriate spacing for your hooks, then use a level to make sure your tape is straight. If you don’t have a level always measure from the ceiling down, not from the floor.

Attach picture hangers (my personal choice) nails or screws as marked on your tape and you’ll have quickly

and evenly hung artwork every time.

The best recommendation is to hang any art at eye level, which means the center of the picture should be no more than 5 ft high and have the bottom of the frame about 8 inches above the furniture.

Also less is more, a few well placed pieces will create the best appeal. If you have too much on the wall or competing styles it can be more of a distraction than an accent.

Don’t forget to consider the current lighting and if needed add additional lighting to spotlight the art.

Artwork is always a great visual in any room and the possibilities are endless.

I recently was contacted by a client whose vacant home had been on the market for about 6 months with NO offers. The home is in a good neighborhood and was in good repair and priced correctly for the area, but still no buyers. She made the decision not to wait any longer and have her home staged.

Before, as with so many homes, vacant rooms didn’t show off the true space.

Staged to Wow staged the living room, dining room and master suite.

Great success story once again for staging. Now after 6 short weeks my client called to tell me she has a buyer for the full asking price.