David Peterson ~ Home Stager Portland OR ~ Synergy Staging ~ Portland Oregon

Synergy Staging was recently asked to stage a model unit in an apartment complex that is targeted for the 55 + community. This was a new opportunity for us as we haven't staged specifically for this market before. I remember reading a great blog by Michelle Minch about this demographic and was happy to have a chance to work on this project.

This building is actually part of a very large apartment complex. They are in the process of remodeling the units as tenants move out. The workmanship is beautiful with granite countertops, new cabinets, crown molding, fixtures, appliances, etc. They wanted us to stage the unit they will use as the model so the other units can be rented as they are completed.

Here are some pictures of the before and after results.

The Management company wanted this large room divided up into two spaces.
The two chairs face a picture window overlooking Mt. Hood and the Willamette River.

The light was hung in the center of the room, not over where the table should be placed. As a result we had to stage the table off center just a bit so there was a large enough walkway between the chairs and counter. We felt it was more important that the walking area didn't feel cramped than the table being centered under the light.

Master Bedroom

Guest Bedroom / Office

Powder Room

For more information on leasing this property please contact
Waverley Greens Apartments at 503-659-2777

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This vacant apartment unit was staged by Synergy Staging as a model unit. Let us help you make your property stand out from the rest. Please call us at (503) 557-2244 for a free no obligation quote.

I've been reading some blogs about our arch nemesis - wallpaper - and the struggle to convince some homeowners to remove it. I thought I'd share one of the houses we staged that was overwhelming to say the least! Plus - they loved decorating in a Victorian style. You must know that the clients had already decluttered by the time we arrived to take our before pictures. I know it's hard to imagine!

The house appears seemingly innocent on the outside

The call came from a Realtor for a Consultation and Color Consult. Her clients wanted to sell their house, but she knew that it wasn't going to sell in its current state. We were warned that they loved antiques and although she had them remove alot of their belongings before we arrived there was much work to be done.

Our consult was very detailed and the suggestions, of course, entailed removing the wallpaper that was in almost every single room. Fortunately the owners were willing to do whatever it took to get their house staged and ready. Colors were chosen and recommendations were made to remove many personal items.

Several weeks later they had stripped the wallpaper and painted every room. Although we staged the house we were asked to work with all of their furnishings and decor. Here are some pictures of the transformation.

The office before and the office after

One of the bedrooms upsairs. Amazing how much more inviting it is after the wallpaper is removed.

Here is another bedroom that had way too much happening on the walls.

The dining room had so many different thing going on - and the beautiful hardwood floors were completely covered.

The master bedroom still had a lot of furniture, but the painted walls made it feel much bigger.

We were lucky that the owners were receptive to all of our suggestions in transforming their home as it related to the wallpaper and painting all the walls. Although the furniture style was still quite specific, the canvas of each room was far preferable for potential buyers.

Do you have any before and after wallpaper rooms to share?

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This vacant property was staged by Synergy Staging. Let us help you make your property stand out from the rest. Please call us at (503) 557-2244 for a free no obligation quote.

Art and Mirrors are my favorite part of the staging process. They bring a room to life and breathe an energy that is necessary for each space to feel complete. Of course there are specific ways to hang art on a wall for the best look and feel, but this post isn't about that. This blog is about speeding up your process to get your art hung straight.

We have used a Picture Plumb for hanging art ever since we started staging. The same one in fact. If you are not familiar with this tool you should be. You simply hang the art on the hook on one side, place it on the wall where you want it, and press to make a small hole where your picture hanger will be placed. This is not our secret!

This tool works well, but not all art is created equal! The back side of art and mirrors is always an adventure - from picture wires, picture rings, small holes, sawtooth hangers, etc. Having a wire certainly makes hanging easier, but we find that most art has two rings on each side. We've added wire, but that can be very time consuming and the pictures often get crooked over time.

With picture rings, using the picture plumb was also slow process as we'd put the picture up and use it to mark one side. Then we'd take the picture down and hammer in the nail or picture hook. Next we'd hang the picture on one side and then use the plumb to mark the other side. Then we'd hammer in the other nail and stand back and hope it was straight. If it wasn't straight, that meant moving one side up or down and creating another small hole in the wall.

Well, we had an incident where we were hanging a large mirror and our picture plumb broke. Unfortunately the mirror went crashing to the ground and shattered, but luckily it didn't damage the wall in the process! We couldn't be too upset as it had certainly served us well. Since we had to order another one we figured we would get two just in case one broke again.

OUR LITTLE SECRET

At our next staging we were hanging art and realized that we could use two picture plumbs at the same time! Two people each take one side of the art while a third looks on and adjusts for placement. This allowed us to not only hang the art perfectly straight the first time, but we could also put in both nails at once instead of having to do each one separately. Now after putting in the nails the art is always straight and it moves the process along twice as quickly.

Of course there are other similar tools, and we are not endorsing the Picture Plumb, but just sharing our experience and what we have found that works best to hang art.

Do you have any picture hanging tips to share?

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These vacant properties were staged by Synergy Staging. Let us help you make your property picture perfect. Please call us at (503) 557-2244 for a free no obligation quote.

Synergy Staging was recently asked by a local builder to stage two of their properties near Portland, Oregon. After sitting on the market for many months, these wonderful homes were just not selling, despite multiple showings and the beautiful workmanship. We've worked with builders many times, but have never staged two houses at the same time that were next door to each other. This was a large job that we paced over 3 days to get just the results we wanted.

13877 SW 95th Avenue, Tigard, OR ~ $519,900

Here are some of the Before and After Photos of this home

The Living Room was very dark and not showing well. We brought in 3 table lamps and a floor lamp and hung a large mirror on the wall opposite the windows to bring much more light into the room. It's a totally different space now.

Most Oregon homes are built with offices just off the entry, so being welcomed by a room that is staged is much more appealing than an open space with no charm.

The oversized Master Bedroom has a view of Redwood Trees. Even the king bed leaves plenty of room.

For more images of this and other staged properties please visit our Home Staging Portfolio.

For more information on this property please contact
Candy Wright of Meadows Group Inc. - 503-313-2794

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This vacant property was staged by Synergy Staging. Let us help you make your property picture perfect. Please call us at (503) 557-2244 for a free no obligation quote.

The last day of 2008 seems like the perfect day for all of us to take a look back and review what we have accomplished over the past year, and look forward to the exciting opportunities of 2009. As I reflect on our many stagings this past year, one success story in particular sticks out in my mind.

We were contacted the week of December 17, 2007 by a homeowner who needed to sell their home. After sitting vacant on the market for over four months with no offers, the owners of this quant 600 square foot 1919 Craftsman bungalow knew they had to do something different.

The unique space provided challenges to potential buyers who could not envision how the small space could work for them. Their Realtor had suggested they do not stage and he hung a few pictures throughout the home. This was clearly the wrong advice.

On December 22 we staged the home. Although it was the toughest time of year for the Real Estate market, the owners had a very happy New Year's Day. Not only did the house sell at full price on January 1st, but they received two solid back-up offers the same day! What a difference staging an empty home can make.

We look forward to sharing our stories and reading all of yours in 2009 on Active Rain.

Happy New Year! May you have an abundant and successful 2009!

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This vacant property was staged by Synergy Staging. Let us help you make your property irresistible. Please call us at (503) 557-2244 for a free no obligation quote.