These are the before pictures of the entry hall.

The new homeowners loved the hardwood flooring, the two mini windows and the spaciousness of the entry hall, but not the colour, which they felt made the hallway to appear darker than necessary. I agreed.

They also wanted to update the balustrade, which they considered dated and common. They wanted a more unique look for their entrance hall.

First came the new paint colour. The "peasoup" green paint was re-placed by a a definite wow colour - BMs Rhubarb.

The homeowners and their guests love the "wow" factor this added and the right art work made it pop even more.

The biggest wow became the iron railing designed by the homeowners with the ironmonger .

They already had a beautiful tapestry,L'Arbre de Vie, which they had purchased in France. This hung on the wall to the left of the entry, and it made sense to incorporate some of that design into the new balustrade.

As well, they had purchased an artist's iron "Tree of Love" during a getaway to Hornby Island. They love to garden and it was a given that they would want a nature theme in the ironwork.

After trying a few other designs, it became obvious that simple leaves twining like a vine was the ideal design to suit their style.

The photo below is the end result. The post remained and was painted black, and the ironwork fit into the remaining space beautifully.

Moving into a new home is not always the best time to make changes: unless there are real defincies which need to be addressed immediately. There are those who believe it is better to live in the home for a while and get the feel for it: which rooms are used and for what purpose, and where are the problem areas or areas which could be improved through re-design?

In one instance, the buyer's home inspector found a leak from the upstairs ensuite coming down into the laundry room; as well as a leak from improperly fitted gutters that was lifting the beautiful hardwood floor in the family room. It became the ideal time to upgrade the bathroom, while fixing the source of the leak. It wasn't a major re-design - white shiny tile was replaced with slate for new looking shower which had to be stripped down and drywalled properly to stop the leak anyway. The carpet was removed - never a good idea in a bathroom, and the new owners put in slate floors with in-floor heating. Some of the work was covered by the sellers as a result of the home inspector's findings and the resultant negotiations.

In another scenario, homeowners found a charming home whose kitchen was a bit behind the times. It didn't squash the deal for them however. They knew changes were required, and there was no need for an immediate change. The wife, found the cabinets interesting and was considering keeping them, as old as they were: the husband wanted them gone.

The original cupboards were white and the counter was bright blue. These were not the homeowners' colour choices for their new home - so we used the new colour chosen for the kitchen walls, BM's Honey Harbour, and painted the cupboards, then antiqued them, changed the handles and painted the insides the rhubarb colour of the hallway which opened into the kitchen/breakfast room.

Unfortunately, in this photo, there is a lot of clutter to look past to try to appreciate the new colours of the cabinets. This was a direct result of the lack of counter space. Decor-wise, it wasn't a bad interim decorating idea, and the cost was only the additional painter's time.

The homeowners lived with these cabinets for a year before knowing the changes which were required to make the kitchen overall more efficient for their use. They wanted to try to save the cabinets to use in the garage, however they were so old they fell apart when being taken down, as they weren't made the way they are today: only the doors remained in tact.

The homeowners wanted new appliances, while keeping a country look in the kitchen, which suited the home and the area where they live.

Working with the homeowners, we found a re-furbished hutch in a local store, which provided the country feel. The local kitchen designer ensured his measurements for the new cupboards worked well around the hutch - framing it beautifully with a connector to the other cabinets installed with potlights. The hutch fit beautifully in between the cupboards and the granite counters met the hutch as required.

The large fridge (in above photo) was blocking smooth traffic flow from the dining room into the kitchen, as well as taking up a lot of floor space: it was put into the garage for an extra freezer and fridge. This left room for the required additional counter and cupboard space, along with a plate rack to display the colourful platters.

The blue laminate counter top was replaced with granite and the dirty white floor tiles were replaced with terracotta tiles.

This wall, on the right of above photos, was pantry, wall, then full size washer & dryer with folding doors. After a year, the folding doors were really annoying the homeowners, and they knew they needed more storage and counter space for the two of them to enjoy working together. This shot is just before the wall came down to open up the whole area for the re-design.

The final shot is the resulting new coffee & bar area, with additional cupboards and counter space and room for a wine & beer fridge under the counter. The new stainless steel fridge slid in very well; the new larger pantry is on the other side of fridge; and additional counter space and an additional sink have replaced the washer & dryer, which went into the linen cupboard upstairs - where most of the dirty laundry accumulates anyway.

Don't you wonder what potential is beneath the dated look in your home or a home you may consider buying, if only......

Don't wonder any longer, contact Upstaging Your Homes and let us show you what can be done - 604-885-6680.

I have almost finished painting my 'market office', only a few spots to cover behind the gas stove and repair some over -the- lines I am always guilty of when I paint. However I got bored painting and started bringing my things in and staging. That's more fun. The inspiration for my paint colours was my biz card. I used BM rhubarb, which has been a favourite of mine for a few years now; plus a new spring colour,green stem, and harvest moon: the window wall has been painted in white sand - a softer, brighter color that does not fight with the art I will be placing there.

My accessories started selling as soon as I priced & displayed them. Having never worked in retail before, I am using my business background and my love for design and accessories to choose the items I display at a price I would be comfortable paying for the same object. So far so good.

This second shot shows my display beginning to take shape. I have since laid down some rag rugs that are colourful on the floor and added more accessories and art work. It is coming along and fun to do.

I made a valuable contact yesterday while I was there with a local interior designer who does most of his work elsewhere and has accumulated a beautiful collection of furniture. I had the opportunity to discuss the possibility of renting furniture from him to stage a vacant home.

In the meantime I am having fun and am glad I chose to do this.

My time commitment to the market and other displayers is only 1 day every two weeks as far as working a full day; the rest of the time I am free to come and go as my staging business permits.

I'll show you my window displays next time.

Readers in the area, please drop by and chat with me about the investment of home staging and pick up a special something for your home.

MOSAIC MARKET - on the waterfront in Davis Bay.

I noticed that an attractive waterfront home nearby, which has been on the market for over a year, has had a change of realtor again. So I did what I have been meaning to do and pulled in and peeked in the windows.

First of all the property as I drove in was not being maintained. Not serious yet, however it is noticeable.

Then I peek in the windows and note there is some furniture there, which would make staging easier. As I walk around and peek I notice a decorated Christmas tree in a corner of the living room. Who knows from what year??

Great look for April!

So, how many times has this property been shown, if at all?? The only thing I know for sure is that the price has been reduced yet again as the latest realtor's sign notes "new price".

I can find no picture or any info on this house on the realtor's web page. I sent an email to the realtor and have received no response.

What a shame! The home was built by a busy professional who lives elsewhere. It is attractive and situated right across from the beach with a fabulous view in a nice area.

With the gorgeous weather we are having, Easter weekend coming up that brings over lots of visitors, a bright umbrella on the front porch with table and chairs set up would make the right impression and maybe end up in a sale.

So I ask the question stagers keep asking each other over and over again, what part of PRESENTATION do realtors not get????

The Sunshine Coast of BC is a beautiful peninsula off the mainland of Vancouver. We travel the Upper Levels highway from downtown or other parts of the Lower Mainland: the same highway which visitors to the Winter Olympics in February 2010 will take to see events at Whistler. We then take a ferry from Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver to commute for 40 minutes and enjoy the awesome scenery of mountains and ocean. A fabulous way to de-stress after a long day working on the mainland for the many commuters. This is a view from our home. We sit up on our front balcony, the "Twilight Lounge" and watch the cruise ships heading to Alaska from port in Vancouver.

We have a charming waterfront market and tea room called Mosaic Market. My husband & I often walk down there to have breakfast on Saturday and pick up the Vancouver Sun and our national paper, the Globe and Mail for weekend reading. This is the Davis Bay pier, across the road from the market.

Last Monday, after I had met with a quite dejected home stager who opened her business last year, I walked into the Market: they had 3 stalls for rent and I thought, wouldn't this be a great way to show off my staging skills, meet more of the locals, and advertise my business. My husband agreed with me, and the deal was done. The monthly rent is less than advertising normally costs.

I spent the rest of the week painting the stall the colours on my business card - BM's rhubarb, spring stem, & harvest moon as accents on white sand in my new window-front stall. Even while I was painting, customers as they entered, were asking me what I was going to be selling and commenting on how much they liked the colours.

Selling items is a requirement; however the owner understands that is not my main goal and is fine with my plan. I will highlight our local artists, of which we have many talented souls, giving them another space to show off their creations. Plus I will stage with my extra accessories and create new vignettes on an on-going basis; while also showing off my portfolio on a digital screen or my laptop. My business cards are already on display for customers to help themselves.

I have never worked in retail or operated a cash register, so I have a day of training tomorrow and will, no doubt, be asking for help for the first while. My only time obligation is one day per week: the rest of the time I will be working in my stall, while also selling items to cover my rent, and continuing to market my business through other means and networking.

I plan to be fully operational by the coming Easter weekend,and already have the Easter bunny and one of his cute chick friends in my front window.

If you live on the Coast, or are planning a visit, please drop by & say HI!