Denise Lough's Blog

Home Staging An Entire Home In a Week

Denise Lough (The Room Designer) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 10:55:34 -0700

This home staging involved painting, (trim & walls) in many rooms. Furniture & accessories were purchased & built, rooms re-rarranged, accessories were placed, rooms decluttered & depersonalized, and artwork hung... in one week. The house already has a contract! This job was done with 2 painters, 2 stagers (The Room Designer & In-Focus Design) and a few helpful assistants.

Get Organized & Clear out the Clutter!

Denise Lough (The Room Designer) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 08:58:38 -0700

I helped a very creative artist, crafter, scrapbooker to gain control of her workspace after many years of piling things and having no direction as to how to correctly organize her space so she can actually function!

Got Rid of that Wallpaper- Kitchen Update!

Denise Lough (The Room Designer) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 08:08:58 -0700

My clients needed assistance in picking counterop finishes, lighting & paint colors to prepare their home to sell in the futute. They decided to update the room before putting the home on the market, so they could enjoy their new look for a while! The wallpaper was removed (even on the ceiling), and paint colors were picked to coordinate with the adjoining family room. We added wall sconces next to the window and removed the outdated ceiling fixture & installed can lights and a new chandeiier. The cabinets and flooring stayed the same (but look so much better!) and we updated her cabinet hardware to oiled bronze which matches the lighting.

Stagers as Organizers

Denise Lough (The Room Designer) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 07:59:04 -0700

Let me say that I primarily stage, decorate or redesign occupied homes. I do work on an occasional vacant home, but not many. In addition to being a capable stager and decorator, I find that more and more I am utilizing my organizational skills! This is true especially in the Midwest, where we don’t “throw anything away”! Many of my clients have homes where they store not only their own stuff, but “mom’s stuff” in addition to “Grandma’s stuff”! The key for me is to help them either contain & conceal all of this “stuff” or assist them in removing it!

• To Get Rid of Stuff: I do suggest clients try to find a reputable Resale Organization that benefits great causes such as Battered Women or the Homeless. Folks feel better about donating their possessions to a group that does good things in the community. I also suggest Consignment Shops where they can make a few bucks by selling their things.

• To Contain Stuff: I’ve found a few inexpensive & creative ways to accomplish this in additon to the obvious "container store" purchases.

Below is a home office located the corner of the living room as you first enter the home.

BEFORE: AFTER:

I spotted a 60’s style china cabinet for $95 at a thrift store and managed to hide most all of her papers and office supplies behind doors or drawers. I removed the glass doors so that is appeared to be more of a bookshelf. Now the home owner can function but still show the house.

I’ve used old luggage, baskets with lids, decorative boxes and trunks to store everything from tablecloths to games for the kids. Out of sight but still accessible. I have a tag on each to designate what is inside. In a kitchen desk area, I used an old box of drawers to keep all the small notepads, tape, scissors etc. out of sight yet in plain view. Once again each drawer is marked with it's contents.

Below are examples of 2 homeowners who were elderly, recently had the home painted and cleaned and needed us to rearrange,
rehang art and generally organized their years of accumulated stuff.

BEFORE: AFTER:

I prefer, If I can, to not completely disrupt the homeowners way of life. With the amount of time it can take to sell a home I always try to find ways to keep clutter under wraps, yet make everything easy for them to get to and utilize.

Staging a home that was vacant - but not empty

Denise Lough (The Room Designer) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 07:18:56 -0700

I recently staged a home that had been unoccupied for months. It had furniture, clothing and "stuff" stacked everywhere... not to mention the 7 cats that lived there alone. This was a total group effort! The realtor cleaned, ironed drapes and much more. The family members that were left to sell the home helped haul out all the furnishings that I didn't need, and put it all in storage. They assisted me with much of the lawn trimming and cleanup. I basically only used what was in the home, (but did bring in a small amount of accessories and greenery to finish it off.) I've attached just two of sixteen "collages" of each room. Check out the other rooms at this site. Who says staging can't make all the difference in the world?

http://s489.photobucket.com/albums/rr254/dloughnl/Home%20Staging/?albumview=slideshow

Staging a home that was vacant - but not empty

Denise Lough (The Room Designer) — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 17:36:42 -0700

I recently staged a home that has been unoccupied for months. It had furniture, clothing and "stuff" stacked everywhere... not to mention the 7 cats that lived there alone. This was a total group effort! The realtor cleaned, ironed drapes and much more. The family members that were left to sell the home helped haul out all the furnishings that I didn't need, and put it all in storage. They assisted me with much of the lawn trimming and cleanup. I basically only used what was in the home, (but I did bring in a small amount of accessories and greenery to finish it off.) I've attached just two of sixteen "collages" of each room. Check out the other rooms at this site. Who says staging can't make all the difference in the world?

http://pictures.aol.com/galleries/dloughnl/

Computerized Room Design & Preview

Denise Lough (The Room Designer) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:24:57 -0700

I wanted to mention a service that I am offering my staging & redesign clients. My previous job background is in graphic design & advertsing and I have the capability to show clients what their rooms can look like with new drapery treatments, artwork, accessories, paint colors and some furnishings. This enables clients to visualize their rooms BEFORE BUYING ONE GALLON OF PAINT or one accessory!

It's awesome to follow up a staging consultation by giving them photos depicting the very suggestions I gave them. It shows the homeowner how much better their home can look with minimal effort or cost!

For more photos of my work - see www.theroomdesigner.com and visit the computer room design and home staging pages. This service can actually be done via email if a client lives a great distance away and can send me photos over the internet.

BELOW ARE A FEW EXAMPLES OF BEFORE AND AFTER COMPUTERIZED ROOM STAGING: