The San Francisco Bay area eagerly awaits celebrating the 31st annual Mill Valley Film Festival October 2-12, 2008, featuring the best in independent and world cinema.
Filmmakers and film lovers alike will immerse themselves in a festival surrounded by the beauty of Marin County, California. The festival schedule is filled with documentary and independent films, shorts, as well as international features and childrens' films. Trubute events will highlight the works of Alfre Woodard, Harriet Andersson, Paul Schrader and Eric Roth.
Festival-goers will also enjoy an abundance of social activities, from the Opening Night Gala, to live music and a cafe located at Mill Valley's historic Outdoor Art Club. Later in the week, an Ingmar Bergman multimedia exhibit will be held at the restored Art-Deco style Smith Rafael Film Center.
For further information on the Film Festival, please visit http://mvff.com, or the California Film Institute, at http://cafilm.org.
Leslie Olson Interiors is providing Staging and Interior Design services for the upcoming Mill Valley Film Festival.
Design projects include providing furniture and accessories for the Hospitality Suites at the San Rafael Film Center and Mill Valley's Outdoor Art Club. In addition, our Marin County design firm is providing the interior designs for the Film Festival Opening Night Gala.
For Before and After photos of the Mill Valley Film Festival Hospitality Suites, please visit:
Mill Valley Film Festival - Outdoor Art Club - Before and After Photos
Mill Valley Film Festival - Smith Rafael Film Center - Before and After Photos
Leslie Olson, ASID, RESA
Leslie Olson Interiors Marin County, CA www.leslieolsoninteriors.com 415.233.2633 leslie@leslieolsoninteriors.com
Recently I had the opportunity to stage a bedroom inhabited by a pre-teen girl, complete with bright green walls that didn't harmonize with the rest of the home for sale. To complicate matters, I had less than 24 hours before the MLS photographer was to arrive! Certainly no time for painting walls...
In addition the room had access to an outside deck that a previous owner had used for a hot tub, but had been unused for years.
The room needed to be staged in a way that could give a nod to having a youthful (and fun!) occupant, but, among other things had to tone down the personalized wall color.
With the clock ticking (as it always is for stagers), a quick shopping trip at closing time yielded white bedding that would tone down the bright walls, but still infuse energy with graphic printed pillows. The only direct reference to the green on the walls was a discreet piping around one of the throw pillows.
As a very happy accident we found that the young girl had some wackily-distorted photographs that she and her best friend had made once at an Apple store. We quickly printed them onto photo paper and placed the images in inexpensive matted frames, now hanging above the bed (even the colors were perfect!).
After clearing the deck of leaves, cobwebs and old empty planters, we transformed the outdoor area into additional real estate to open up the space -- lovely.
And yes, the staging was completed just as the MLS photograher arrived -- WHEW!
Thanks to a very special young lady who contributed to this staging transformation.
Was the staging successful?
The home sold for full price to the first prospective buyer who walked into the house, before the MLS listing was even posted!
For more Before and After photos of bedrooms staged by Leslie Olson Interiors, please visit:
Staging Bedrooms...Creatively - Marin County Staging Photos
Thank you for your interest!
Leslie Olson, ASID, RESA
Leslie Olson Interiors provides Interior Design and Home Staging services for Marin County and surrounding regions of the San Francisco Bay. I invite you to visit the company web site, at www.leslieolsoninteriors.com.
Leslie Olson Interiors Marin County, CA www.leslieolsoninteriors.com leslie@leslieolsoninteriors.com 415. 233.2633
In making agreements with new staging clients (often Realtors), I always ask permission to place my business cards in the home being staged, if they are happy with my completed staging services.
However after hosting my first Realtor Parade early in my staging business, I was disappointed to see that the business cards that I had placed next to the MLS flyers, often alongside literature for builders and contractors, were difficult to access with a large group attending. It occurred to me that Realtors and potential home-buyers might be receptive to knowing who staged the property as they lingered in a room further into the house, away from the cluster of business cards.
So I tried to come up with more innovative -- but still discreet -- ways to provide my contact information.
How about the home office? Why not leave cards and envelopes with the Leslie Olson Interiors company logo?
Also, I make sure the cards are displayed in something attractive and eye-catching. Discreet lighting makes a difference as well (the silver dish sparkles with under-counter lighting in the kitchen).
Here a small marble bowl was used, with the smooth texture contrasting with the crocodile leather tray.
I can't count the number of calls I've received from real estate professionals, even months after a home staging, who have called me using business cards they collected from sites I've staged. Better yet, several have mentioned that they weren't even at the showing, but heard raves about it from another Realtor in their office.
Effective self-promotion doesn't have to be a chore -- let your high quality work (and business cards) pave the way for you!
Thank you for your interest!
Leslie Olson, ASID
Leslie Olson Interiors provides Interior Design, Redesign and Home Staging services for Marin County and surrounding regions of the San Francisco Bay. Please visit the company web site, at www.leslieolsoninteriors.com.
Leslie Olson Interiors Marin County, CA 415.233.2633 leslie@leslieolsoninteriors.com www.leslieolsoninteriors.com
In a recent home staging consultation I was presented with this traditional-style master bedroom, as furnished by the homeowners (picture below).
The furnishings were appropriate for the beautiful '30's-era stone house in a prestigious older neighborhood. From the master bedroom, potential home-buyers would then turn to the right to enter a small private room leading to the closets and master bath.
However...
...the young couple was using the small side room for their home office and catch-all room. It was jammed with mis-matched plastic laminate office furniture, computers, wiring, books, stacks of paper, and adorned with toys belonging to their small children. Plants were taking their last gasp.
Just how many of us live, right? Unfortunately when selling a home this presents a total visual disconnect for prospective buyers who want to envision this light-filled master suite as their private oasis.
The homeowners were happy to clean out their cluttered room, but had a limited budget for improvements before the MLS photographs were scheduled to be taken. As their Staging Consultant I knew that potential buyers would appreciate a serene room with furniture that complimented the master bedroom, and that would work with the intimate scale of the room.
But typical contract rental furniture wouldn't be appropriate for this genteel home, nor would it compliment the homeowner's existing furnishings. So I hunted through a favorite furniture consignment store and found inspiration in this chair, a lovely (and legitimate) antique:
After leasing the chair and staging it with a neutral rug and the homeowners' existing accessories and throw, the small side room was given new life as a comfortable sitting room, harmonious with the master suite and the rest of the home. One-size fits all rental furniture just wouldn't have worked in this distinctive home.
While successful staging is a very comprehensive process (to the outside it seems deceptively simple), de-cluttering and repurposing a room with carefully selected furnishings can make all the difference. And since emotion is such a fundamental part of purchasing a home, it's essential to create a warm and inviting atmosphere for potential home-buyers to linger.
For additional before and after examples of Leslie's Traditional Style Home Staging in Marin, check out:
Mill Valley Film Festival - Outdoor Art Club - Before and After Photos
Leslie Olson Interiors provides Real Estate Staging, Event Staging, and Interior Design Services for Marin County and surrounding regions of the San Francisco Bay. I invite you to visit the company web site, at www.leslieolsoninteriors.com.
Thank you for your interest!
Leslie Olson, ASID, RESA
Leslie Olson Interiors Marin County, CA www.leslieolsoninteriors.com leslie@leslieolsoninteriors.com 415.233.2633
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Leslie Olson Interiors - Providing Home Staging, Redesign and Interior Design Services for Marin County, north of San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. Please visit www.leslieolsoninteriors.com.
Leslie Olson Interiors is a Residential Design firm based in Marin County, California that provides Real Estate Staging (or Home Staging) services for Realtors, Homeowners and other residential professionals, as well as Interior Design and Redesign Services.
With a degree in Interior Design, a life-long passion for architecture and several years' experience working in high-end residential interiors in Austin, Texas, Leslie enjoys transforming homes to prepare them for quick and successful sales. Her mission is to make the sometimes-overwhelming process of selling a home simple, streamlined and profitable for both Homeowners and Real Estate Professionals.
Leslie understands the role of emotion in the real estate process, from the stress of a Homeowner selling an existing home, to the warmth and connection that a potential buyer feels when they've found the home that's "the one." She enjoys assisting Homeowners in moving on to the next chapter of their lives -- a process that can't occur until their property sells. Her understanding of real estate trends, design solutions, and diplomatic nature make Leslie an excellent choice as your Marin Home Stager. She is happy to provide her staging services for properties in all styles and price ranges, whether furnished or vacant homes. In addition Leslie has a particular passion for Modern and architect-designed homes.
Belvedere Dining al Fresco - Staged by Leslie Olson Interiors, Marin County, CA
Leslie especially enjoys collaborating with Realtors in staging their properties for sale, whether the homes contain existing furnishings or are vacant houses. As a standard package for Real Estate Professionals, Leslie will provide two 90-minute staging consultations at the property -- the first visit to analyze the property and recommend enhancements to encourage a quick and profitable sale, then returning for home staging before the MLS photographs are to be taken.
Belvedere Living Room - Staging by Leslie Olson Interiors, Marin County
Should the Homeowner be interested in additional home staging services (not to mention interior design services for their new home), Leslie is delighted to work with them in addition to the initial analysis and MLS photography staging. Every attempt is made to use the Homeowner's existing possessions for staging, though Leslie can provide furniture, art and accessories if needed, as she has a fresh and ever-expanding inventory of each.
An additional service available to homeowners going through life transitions is assistance with reconfiguring a household (empty nesters, relocations, etc.). These services include carefully selecting from existing furnishings to create a design plan and layout for the client's new home. Clients are served with sensitivity and respect, and gain a design strategy to move forward.
Recommendations:
"We recently sold our mother's Eichler home in San Rafael. Leslie's professionalism was wonderful. Not only was she very patient and understanding about our situation, she was also very prompt and kept communication open at all times. Her personal skills are just excellent.
We felt that Leslie really understood the style of Eichlers and staged the home appropriately-not too much not too little and in the spirit of Eichlers. Her attention to details that might detract from the house was insightful. She made the home look inviting and we believed her services helped with the sale.
The house took about 14 weeks to sell during which time Leslie kept the staging looking fresh. When we finally did sell, Leslie was there promptly to remove everything. Overall it was a very good experience for us and we would recommend her without hesitation." The Grants
"No words sum up Leslie better than "Wow." For years, people said my Opening Night Galas at the Mill Valley Film Festival were nice, but "boring to look at." Then we found Leslie. Her professionalism, her creativity, her zest for the project, and her ability to work so well with all the vendors involved in the project led to a party that people who were there say was the best-looking Opening Night they'd ever seen. Brava, Leslie!" Jessika Diamond
Belvedere Dining Room - Staging by Leslie Olson Interiors, Marin County
Leslie Olson Interiors provides Home Staging, Interior Design and Redesign Services for Marin County and surrounding North Bay areas to include Tiburon, Belvedere, Strawberry, Sausalito, Mill Valley, Corte Madera, Larkspur, Ross, Kentfield, Fairfax, Greenbrae, San Rafael, San Anselmo, Novato, Belvedere-Tiburon, and other areas north of San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. She has a particular interest in Modern and architect-designed homes, although happily works in all styles and price ranges. Leslie invites inquiries about design services from Realtors, Homeowners, Builders, Contractors and Architects.
Belvedere Media Room - Staging by Leslie Olson Interiors, Marin County
For further information as well as Staging Before and After photographs, please visit www.leslieolsoninteriors.com. Leslie's Staging and Design Blog can be viewed at Marin Home Stager Staging and Residential Design Blog, as well as through Localism.com.
Thank you for your interest!
Leslie Olson, ASID, RESA
Leslie Olson Interiors - Marin County, CA www.leslieolsoninteriors.com leslie@leslieolsoninteriors.com 415-233-2633
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