Turning An Eyesore Into An Asset: Home Staging in Connecticut
No matter how large one's home is, everyone prizes storage. Storage areas and cabinets are usually high on home buyers' "must-haves" lists. However, there's storage, and then there's storage. Not all storage areas are equal. Not all are attractive selling features.
Here's how one handy Seller turned a storage eyesore into an asset, based on the recommendation of Nestings Home Staging.
Before: Located in a first-floor den/guest room, this built-in cabinet offers plenty of storage. However, the damaged, wood-toned shutter doors detracted from the overall aesthetics of the pristine, updated house. This is an eyesore, not an asset.
After: We recommended removing the shutters, painting out the interior, and turning this cabinet into a desk. More Buyers are looking for appropriate home office space. Since the counter was the perfect height, this was an excellent solution to eliminate an eyesore and create an asset.
Looking for ways to elimate eyesores and create assets in your home? Call a professional Home Stager for solutions to create a market-ready house that will sell quickly.
Mixing Sellers' Furniture With Rentals: Milford, Connecticut Home Staging
Can you spot which pieces of furniture belong to the Sellers of this wonderful home located in a golf course community in Milford, Connecticut? Which pieces were from a great leasing company? Which pieces were provided by Nestings Home Staging?
This lovely, spacious home was recently Staged by Nestings Home Staging. Much of the Sellers' furniture had already been moved to their new home in California, so we incorporated some rented furniture and accessories, along with more pieces from my inventory. We aimed for an updated, yet sumptuous feeling. Can you tell which pieces belong to whom?
Dramatic Entry
Glamorous Living Room
Upscale Family Room
Welcoming Dining Room
Updated spacious Kitchen
Master Bedroom as a restful retreat
In working the mix, we tried to make the rooms flow from one to another, and adding a certain sense of sophistication. The wall paint had to stay, so we worked with it in the Entry, Living Room, Dining Room, and Kitchen. We did add new drapery to the Living and Dining Rooms. I'll post "Before & After" photos once the house sells!
So, what are your guesses?
Romancing a Space to Add Function: Home Staging in Connecticut
Nestings Home Staging recently Staged a lovely home in the Greenfield Hill section of Fairfield, Connecticut. This particular project called for using the Seller's furnishings. Fortunately, we had many beautiful things to work with. So we edited, rearranged, and moved some pieces to different rooms.
There's a small room off the original master bedroom. Given the age of the house, it was probably intended as a dressing or sewing room (as in "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House"). It housed a crib and a small bookshelf filled with books and toys for visiting grandchildren. It was cramped.
To sell the house, the space needed another function - and one that was not only practical but would visually romance the target buyer.
Using a table and chair from other rooms, we created this:
Who doesn't dream of having a gift-wrapping room (like Candy Spelling's)? This fanciful scenario also suggests that a vanity or desk would work equally as well in this former sewing room.
Blog Post Bonus: A quick make-over for this chair:
Circa 1940s side chair with maroon needlepoint seat.
Cover the seat with a colorful coffee table book! What's better than Lily Pulitzer?
Quick Staging Tip for Sectionals From A Connecticut Home Stager!
Sectionals, those lushly comfortable pits of family warmth, can be the bane of a Stager's life. Frequently, they are over-sized, and too large for the rooms they occupy. They can often block important traffic flow and generally make a space feel awkward and too small.
Before: The sectional sofa cuts off part of this family room, and blocks easy access to the sliding glass doors. The TV also blocks part of a large picture window.
Sometimes sectionals can be taken apart and down-sized. Sometimes, all it takes is moving them! Following directions from a Staging Consultation by Nestings Home Staging Connecticut, the Sellers simply moved the sectional and TV, opening up the space and traffic flow.
After: This simple change actually makes a dramatic difference in how the space is perceived and used.
If you're preparing your home for today's real estate market, re-think that sectional. Make sure it doesn't overwhelm the room or block traffic flow. If you need help, call your local professional Home Stager!
Staging Your House? Stage Those Bookshelves!
I'm sure you've seen bookcases beautifully merchandised with art, accessories and books - books that were placed on the shelves backwards! Various shelter magazines and home stores have used this clever device to show off the display techniques and/or the furnishings. The styling visually removes the titles, as well as potentially clashing binding colors, leaving the simple neutral beige of the color of the pages.
Lovely to look at, but impossible to live with in real life! How would I know which book is my favorite Dickens novel?
However, this technique can be very useful for Home Staging. When your home is on the market, you want the focus on its features (such as built-in bookcases), not your possessions (such as self-help books). This display technique can help sell your house, and remove distractions.
Before: The valuable custom built-in bookshelves in this Master Bedroom were cluttered and poorly organized.
After: Nestings Home Staging had the seller pack up most of the books. We then removed some shelves to display some art, and stacked the remaining books and reversed them to lend a calming air to the Master Bedroom. Additional accessories and boxes were added.
The built-ins now look rich, more important, and valuable. This is how to sell a house!
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Julia Maher of Nestings provides high-quality, value-added Home Staging and award-winning Model Home design in Fairfield & New Haven Counties and Connecticut. On time, on buget and on target! RESA
Call today for a quote! Staging can be as simple as a Consultation or involve a whole-house renovation.
Here are some photos of my work; you'll find more posted on my blog: www.activerain.com/blogs/nestings
SOLD in three weeks! After scaling down the furniture and defining some spaces, this Fairfield, CT, house was ready for the market and sold quickly. We used some rental furniture as well as the clients'.
Before: Poorly-defined living room.
After: Relaxing spot for book club or cocktails!
Before: Family room with over-sized sectional and entertainment center.
After: Appropriately-sized furniture was brought in. Now the focal point of the room, the fireplace, is highlighted.
This Fairfield County, CT, Staged Home Sold in Five (5!) Days. Nestings provided affordable rentals and used some of the seller's furniture for this traditional, yet modest, home:
Before: Bedding, walls, furniture and floor all blend. After: New ceiling fixture and rented accessories from Nestings add drama and character to the Master Bedroom.
A new white carpet to highlight the hardwood floors, updated coffee table, additional seating and lighting, plus splashes of vibrant turquoise blue give this Living Room memorable character.
A new, updated chandelier, white table cloth and black accents provided by Nestings eliminate the "oak-on-oak" feel to the Dining Room (Before, on left).
Easy updates for this Bathroom included full-length drapery in a bold damask pattern, larger art and a beautiful orchid. Over-sized scale adds drama.
Need to sell your Fairfield County, Connecticut, vacant or spec house quickly? These houses were staged with rentals; lighting, art and accessories rented from Nestings Home Staging:
Award-Winning Connecticut Model Home Design:
First Place Winner, 2008 ADE Conference
First Place Winner, 2007 ADE Conference
Home Staging: Transitional design that highlights architectural features.
Home Staging: Designed to appeal to the target buyer.
Home Staging: Designed to define open spaces.
Home Staging: Designed to define spatial functions.
Home Staging: Color can be neutral or bold to amp up the "WOW!" factor.
Nestings Home Staging helped a classic family room get model home appeal.
Organizations:
Education:
With a transitional approach to decorating, Home Staging by Nestings establishes good flow, function and flavor to any property at affordable prices. Specializing in builders' Model Homes throughout Fairfield County, New Haven County and Connecticut, Nestings provides award-winning Staging.
My success as a Connecticut Home Stager hinges on my ability to appeal to the target home buyer. Whether the target buyers are professionals moving out from New York City, single men, or growing families, I can subtly interpret what kind of functions and furnishings will attract and maintain their interest in a property.
Working within any budget, Staged vacant and model homes are fully appointed and look rich.
For Staging occupied homes, I have a "use what you have" mentality that can make any home look and feel better for the market.
I work with several furniture rental companies to provide just the right selections. Accessories rentals are also available through Nestings Home Staging.
My work is on time, on budget, and on target!
"Dear Julie: I have sold many homes in my 24 years in real estate and have done a lot of staging for my clients, but it doesn't compare to having a professional stager like you. You are truly talented in adding the emotional touch to a home with your decorative accents and artistic flair. I truly believe that your exceptional abilities were one of the main reasons why my clients were able to sell their home within 1 week and at a premium price. My clients also strongly agree that you were worth the investment." Joan Hainsworth, CRS, ABR
"Hi there - Just wanted to thank you for your help and let you know that the first people that looked at our house bought it for the asking price! I did most everything you said. It looks beautiful. Thanks again..." Kirsten G.
"Hi Julie! Hope you are well. We sold our home and have moved to St. Johns Florida. We sold rather quickly with some definite thanks to you. I am recommending you highly to anyone who inquires about the sale. Hope you get some referrals. Thanks again!" Carol R.
"Julie - I wanted to thank you so much for helping me with our home. I loved everything you did in the house. Everyone that came in said how beautiful everything looked. They kept saying, "Why do you want to move, your home is so beautiful." We lived there for nine years and it never looked better than after you came in. The best part was you were able to use things I already had. I loved working with you. I want you to come to help me decorate our new home. Thanks again for all your help." Chris C.
"Many thanks to Nestings for doing such a great job Staging the Model unit at The Birches! The original Model had been installed for some time, but the condos were not selling. Julie Maher determined the correct target audience and designed a new Model. Since the installation, half the condos have sold. Julie's work was on time, on budget, and on target." Anthony Maggiore, Maggiore Construction Inc.
"My mother's house looks so cute! It doesn't look like an old lady lived here!" Kim V.
"Wow, you did a great job in a short period of time. You're going to do very well!." Leslie B., Realtor
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