Last week, I gave you a sneak peek at a home  I staged to sell.  Unlike decorating, staging a home requires de-personalization and neutralizing the space so that potential buyers can visualize themselves moving right in.  The homeowners were animal lovers and expressed that love through the decoration of their home.

I always encourage my design clients to express their passions in the way they decorate their home, but I encourage my staging clients to do the opposite when marketing their home to the public!  When staging a property, it’s not about you anymore – it’s about the buyer.   These homeowners were using their dining room as a den, which can confuse buyers who are searching for the purpose of each room of the house.

 Dining Room (?) Before

By moving existing furniture from the breakfast room into the dining room, we created a new dining room that buyers can visualize themselves entertaining in.

 Staged Dining Room by The Decorologist

The kitchen was quite busy in its “before” state.  This was the only room I recommended changing the paint color.

 Kitchen Before

By stealing the table and chairs from this room, we made the whole area feel much larger.  In this case, it was more important to stage the dining room than it was to stage the breakfast area.  The lighter paint color further expanded the space.  The painting was done the afternoon after we staged, and only required a couple gallons of paint.

Photo by Melissa Allen of Brentwood Area Homes, staged by The Decorologist

The living room was more of a playroom for the homeowners’ pets than it was a place to entertain humans.  It’s obviously large, but didn’t look inviting.

 Living Room Before

Isn’t this so much more welcoming?  I think the doggie likes it, too!  Or maybe he’s just trying to figure out where I hid the dog toys!

 Staging by The Decorologist

Since we’re on the subject,  not everyone loves pets – many buyers (or someone in their family) may be allergic to cats and/or dogs.  The more pet-centered a home appears, the more red flags will go up for potential buyers.   I recommend paring down pet stuff to the bare minimum and removing pets from the home prior to showings.  Here’s another view of the living room before the staging.  The clutter and animal art was boxed up for the homeowners to use in their next home.

 Before Staging

If your home is well-staged, the buyers no longer focus on the personality of the present owners or the details of their life.  They instead are drawn to the architectural features of the property and the potential of making it their own.

 Staging by The Decorologist

Here is the “before” of the master bedroom.  I was (and buyers would be) distracted by the stuffed animals and the busy bedcovering.

 Bedroom Before

Fresh bedding and a little decluttering turned the bedroom into a sophisticated get-away for the grown-ups of the home.

 Staging by The Decorologist

Would you have every thought that this home could be transformed this much, only using the homeowner’s existing furnishings?  But I know what you may be thinking:   how much money would that cost me, and would it be worth it?

 The Decorologist

The Realtor listing this property hired me to Speed Stage (my very own Staging invention!) this home.  Speed Staging is completed in 2 hours utilizing 2 Stagers and the Realtor for a flat fee of $360.  For this staging option we use only the homeowner’s furnishings and decor, so this isn’t for those who have very little to work with or who need consultation for paint colors, flooring, lighting, or other possible updates.  But in this case it was a matter of judicious editing and proper arrangement of furnishings, art, and accessories.  And a whole lot of muscle to get that extra furniture out of the house, as you can see:

See how happy we were to have this stuff out?

Was it worth it?  You tell me – this property SOLD before I could even download the photos from my camera and begin to write up this post!  Here are a few more photos of what we accomplished in that 2 hours:

Master Bathroom Before Staging 

 Master Bathroom After

  Guest Bedroom Before

 Guest Bedroom After Staging

If you are a Realtor in the Nashville, Brentwood, or Franklin area of Tennessee and want to sell your listings quickly for the most money, contact me to find out more about The Decorologist’s Speed Staging option.  Staging Consultations and full-on Home Staging are also offered at reasonable rates.