Furniture with a Soul

As home stagers, we are lucky to be members of the Real Estate Staging Association. Yesterday we attended the monthly meeting of our local chapter. There's something about being amongst like minded peers that is inspiring and reassuring. 

The meeting was held at Churchill Living, a corporate furniture rental company that we have used to stage vacant properties. Shout out to Susan Schemm. Just next door is a fun store, Nadeau - Furniture with a Soul. So we extended our day out and spent some time there exploring the original and interesting furniture. Here are photos of a few highlights.

Spring Home Staging in Full Swing

Stylism is busy this week staging and de-staging homes, writing assessments, etc... So busy that we needed help. Thanks, Micki, for your amazing and much needed skills and support. 

This home was staged yesterday and will be on the market in no time. Here's a preview of the living room (the professional photos will look better - we'll send the link once it's live).

True or False?

Q: True or False?  Wall color should be neutral in order to sell a house.

A: FALSE 

We've all seen it. Staged homes with walls painted either Linen White, Accessible Beige, or our least favorite, Navajo White. But look at the photos of this row house that Stylism staged in Alexandria. The minty, sage green walls in the living room are a myth buster to that old school, neutral Staging 101 rule.

While neutral paint can brighten up a dark space or highlight architectural details, using color on the walls can also enhance the overall feeling of a home. In these photos the wall color works because the decor is neutral and not overly personal. The green acts to compliment the contrasting orange accents creating a mood that home buyers will remember. Maybe that is how this one sold so quickly...

WONDER

If you have the chance to visit the renovated Smithsonian Renwick Gallery in Washington DC, please go. The 150-year story of the building itself carries a history worth studying including being saved from demolition by Jackie Kennedy. Reopening in November 2015 after major renovations, the initial exhibition is simply called, Wonder. Nine contemporary and cutting-edge artists brought their large scale installations to the historic building. Each installation is only truly appreciated in person due to the color, large-scale, and particularly the lighting. The juxtaposition between the art and the brick & mortar structure is something special. Please visit before May 2016, when Wonder begins to leave the museum. It's something you'll never forget. Wonder.

Tara Donovan, Untitled 

Tara Donovan, Untitled 

Leo Villareal, Volume

Leo Villareal, Volume

Source: http://renwick.americanart.si.edu/wonder/g...

#Shelfie Perfection

We are often asked about how to stage shelves in living rooms, bedrooms, and play rooms. Recently Heather staged dining room shelves in the home of one of our friends and she and I are constantly updating the shelves in our own homes.

There is no formula to making them perfect so try something, stand back and decide how they feel when you look at them from a distance - like you would with a piece of artwork. Or you can always refer to this #shelfie perfection article on homepolish.com for some more inspiration. 

Source: https://www.homepolish.com/mag/the-five-ke...

Home Depot Upgrades

We visited Home Depot in Falls Church, Virginia today and were pleasantly surprised to find that it has expanded. Yay! The additional store square footage features vignettes with different cabinets styles and high-end appliances, but our favorite part was the lighting shop. As stagers, we always address light fixtures when prepping a home for sale. Upgrading lights to a more current style can have a big impact and low cost. Here are some of the stand outs from our field trip to Home Depot (excuse the imperfect iPhone photos) - these are each under $100.