Pangaea Interior Design Home Stager - Redesign - Model Homes

Have you ever walked into a listing that had a room touted as a "Bonus Room" and been mystified as to what kind of bonus this is exactly? It has always struck me as a vague term used to describe a room that defies description.Sort of like the "Tuna Surprise" my mom used to make when she was clearing out the refrigerator. Nobody knew exactly what it was!?

Many houses have had basements, attics & former garages finished to create extra square footage. Often these have awkward shapes or low angled ceilings and have no discernable purpose. Would you rather have your buyers standing there trying to figure out what the room is supposed to be ... or would you like them to see a great family room? ... home office? ... craft room? ... children's play room? ... yoga studio?

A great home stager will talk with the broker to determine who the typical buyers for the area are (target market) and to ascertain what type of room would be most useful and attractive to them. Then with the right furniture, accessories, and expertise in furniture arrangement for those awkward spaces ... voila! What used to be a completely non-descript room is now a valuable feature room of the home and worth more to the buyer.

The photos below are of a finished basement with a post almost smack in the middle of it. The broker felt that a family/TV room and Home Office wouid be the most desirable rooms to potential buyers for this Portland, Oregon neighborhood, so that's what we made. He got TWO rooms where there was only one awkward space before staging.

Home Staging Makes the Difference!

For more of Portland, Oregon Interior Designer and Home Stager, Pangaea's, Portfolio Go to Pangaea Interior Design.

Whether you are staging a property for sale, redesigning your existing home or really going all out with an interior design project, try adding a piece of sculpture for an instant boost of elegance, interest, or just plain fun. EVERYBODY knows what to do with wall art. But many people avoid sculpture because they just don't know what to do with it. So, here are some tips:

Where should you put sculpture? If you have an architectural niche of any kind, it's the perfect place for sculpture. Try using one on a dining table instead of a more traditional centerpiece and keep it properly scaled to the table and any light fixture above it. An entry table is a great spot for sculpture, adding a real WOW factor just as you walk in. It can set the tone for the whole house. Coffee tables and side tables will work for smaller pieces and also detailed pieces meant to be viewed up close. Fireplace mantels or hearths are another great spot to try sculpture. If you place your sculpture on a pedestal it can fill a corner, but if the sculpture is interesting from all sides, consider placing it in front of a window, where it can be enjoyed from indoors or outside. If you can't do that, many pedestals have swivel tops so the sculpture can be rotated.

How big should a pedestal be? The size of the pedestal should be either 1/3 or 2/3 of the total height of the pedestal and sculpture combined for the most pleasing effect. I also avoid pedestals that are so busy or ornate that they detract from the sculpture. Think of a pedestal like a picture frame ... it should complement the sculpture, but not be the focal point itself.

What type of sculpture works for home staging? I consider the tone of the property. If it is very upscale, I keep the sculpture simple and elegant like in the first two photos. I also enjoy using pieces that feel fun or joyful and make people smile. I do avoid anything so detailed that it invites too much contemplation. Simple is best. In the first two photos below, I found a great inexpensive resin sculpture that has nice soothing curves. I bought two, leaving one white, and faux-finishing the second one in a gold metallic finish. So, one looks great against a colored accent wall and the other looks right against a white wall.

How do you decide on sculpture for your home? First and foremost ... buy something you LOVE! Choose something that you won't tire of seeing. Some people prefer pieces that uplift them, while others may want something that is thought provoking. Personally, I tend to either buy art that makes me laugh, or that includes colors that just knock me out.

Where should I buy sculpture? Well, the obvious is to go to a reputable gallery. A good art dealer has access to more than just the pieces you see on display in their gallery, so if you like their display in general, but don't see the exactly right piece for your home, don't be afraid to ask if they have photos of additional work. Many artists will also create commission pieces for your home and the gallery owner will generally know which artists are agreeable to doing that. If your budget is tight, consider checking out student art sales at local colleges. You'll get some amazing bargains! I found one of my very favorite sculptures at a county fair in the art display. You just never know! Keep an open mind and check out the local art event listings for your area. Or call me! As an interior designer I buy artwork for my clients all the time. I get to know my clients and their tastes and then find work that I think will inspire them. I often liaison with artists or craftspeople to create custom work for clients, many times designing the work myself. Its my very favorite thing to do!

Just for fun ... here are a few of my favorite local galleries here in Portland, Oregon.

Butters Gallery

Lawrence Gallery

Shaffer Fine Art

Elizabeth Leach Gallery

Below are a handful of photos from staging projects and interior design clients' homes depicting sculpture in various settings. You can see some of the artwork I've purchased for clients and some of my own artwork at Pangaea Interior Design.

You can also see a related post about using art in staging: Inexpensive Art Solution for Staging a 2 Story Loft

One of the things I love about my home staging work is that it has brought me some very fun redesign (sometimes called staged to live) and interior design projects. If there's anything a good stager knows how to do, it's to edit and arrange a client's belongings as well as how to define spaces.

A few months ago, I had a client call me and ask if I could just give her a few hours of time. She had just moved into a studio loft in The Wyatt in Portland's Pearl District and just wasn't sure what belongings she should keep and use, and what just had to GO! She was interested in buying a few new pieces, but her budget is very tight. So, after our initial consultation to determine her concerns, desires & needs, my involvement here was to spend a half dozen hours or so to come up with THE PLAN, i.e., furniture arrangement, suggestions of what to keep and what to 'give-the-boot', recommendations for an overall look and solutions for her considerable storage needs. It was then up to her to do the shopping and begin putting things together.

Well, she finally called me again after the first of the year and said that although she had made some progress, she was now stuck and needed another hour ... just one.

When I got to her place, I was delighted to see how much progress she had made and that she really had acted on my recommendations. I was so excited and proud of her, that I just couldn't wait until the project is all finished in order to blog. Sooooooo these are definitely not your usual before & after photos! LOL! This is a work in progress, with much left to do. But at least you can see that things are beginning to take shape. There is now a living room, dining area and bedroom area complete with fireplace and office ... all in this studio loft!

This first set of photos is the area we decided to make the living room. On my first visit, she had just moved in and had already filled the one-and-only closet and still had all these boxes of clothes left. She also had no place to put her new wide screen tv, so she really needed a good looking, substantial and thrifty storage solution. I recommended the very cool entertainment center by Brocade Home flanked by the tall Ikea armoires, which reflects her taste for blending contemporary pieces with romantic curves. She will eventually fill in the plastic inserts on the armoires with fabric panels.

In this next set of photos you are looking at the area right next to the kitchen, which is just a single wall of cabinetry & appliances. Her bed was sitting next to the kitchen, which felt a bit weird, and left her feeling like people were walking straight into her bedroom when they entered. I had her move her bed toward the center of the loft. Now her chairs --- which she bought second hand and painted white and will recover --- are in the new dining area immediately adjacent to the kitchen. They look great in the same room as the entertainment center. I'll save what we're doing about her bed for a later blog. In the hour that I spent there, she showed me pix of a few tables she liked and we decided on one which should be coming soon. The wall behind the dining area is going to be an accent color and we'll be putting up a collection of art and photos.

Okay, this last set of photos shows the other side of the living area and how we are beginning to define the space. My client really dreamed of having a fireplace. This faux fireplace is part of her extended bedroom area and her desk will be near it also. It also balances the entertainment center and armoires which are on the opposite wall.

Well, I know it's still pretty raw in here, but you know ... that's how it goes for many of us. Most people don't have the option of doing their whole decor at on fell swoop. What I feel really happy about is the fact that my client has a clear plan. She knows where we are going with the room, so she can do a little bit at a time as her budget allows. Having that plan also makes it easier for her to make decisions along the way, confident that they will work with later phases of her project. I can hardly wait until she calls me again! I'll definitely blog and reference this posting so you can see the progress.

You can see more of my work at Pangaea Interior Design, Model Home Decor, Home Staging and Redesign, Portland, OR.

I just got microsoft powerpoint and want to get up to speed quickly on how to use it for my staging presentations and to create a professional portfolio presentation. I have only lived in the Portland area a few years and have no idea where I can get reasonably priced single day workshops. Not interested in enrolling in a semester course. Any tips? Figured if anyone would know it would be my staging pals!

Oh, and yes, I did look online. Just not finding simple workshops. Don't want to become 'certified' at a computer school.

I have come across clients in the past who were afraid staging a small bedroom with a bed/nightstands, etc... was going to make it look too crowded. The opposite is true. If you think it looks too small, your potential buyers will too. When you can demonstrate that a bed actually fits nicely, you assure potential buyers of the room's usefulness. Here are two examples:

Example 1: This 1 bedroom condo was only 435 square feet. TINY! I staged it with a queen size bed and even had room for night stands on both sides and a pedestal with a floral arrangement. When the client saw the room after staging she said "I wouldn't have thought it possible, but the room actually looks bigger now than it did when it was empty!" (forgive my photos - I need a wider angle lens).

in my second example, this penthouse loft was going to list for $1,000,000. It had 2 bedrooms on the upper floor and a large open-plan main floor which had a kitchen, living room area, dining area and one end was being set up as a home office. Plenty of room for all that. The broker and the architect were trying to convince me to stage the second bedroom as an office because they were afraid it would be too crowded for a bed. I pointed out that they would not want potential buyers to think of it as the 'million-dollar-penthouse-with-only-1-bedroom'. I also pointed out that we already had a lovely office set up downstairs. I told the broker that if she (a pro in the industry) perceived the bedroom as too small, buyers would too. They finally relented and let me proceed with the bedroom. As you can see from the photos, we not only had room for a queensize bed and two nightstands, but also were able to put one of the architect's custom designed benches along one wall. When the broker saw it, she said, "Thank you, you were absolutely right. This looks much bigger now with the bed in it."

Enjoy the photos. The last one is a professional photo taken months after the original staging when some loaned art had been changed out. It's the same room.