Home Staging and Residential Design Blog - Marin County, CA

Marin Home Stager - Staging Appropriate to Home Architecture and Style

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 19:07:07 -0500

In a recent home staging consultation I was presented with this traditional-style master bedroom, as furnished by the homeowners (picture below).

The furnishings were appropriate for the beautiful '30's-era stone house in a prestigious older neighborhood. From the master bedroom, potential home-buyers would then turn to the right to enter a small private room leading to the closets and master bath.

However...

...the young couple was using the small side room for their home office and catch-all room. It was jammed with mis-matched plastic laminate office furniture, computers, wiring, books, stacks of paper, and adorned with toys belonging to their small children. Plants were taking their last gasp.

Just how many of us live, right? Unfortunately when selling a home this presents a total visual disconnect for prospective buyers who want to envision this light-filled master suite as their private oasis.

The homeowners were happy to clean out their cluttered room, but had a limited budget for improvements before the MLS photographs were scheduled to be taken. As their Staging Consultant I knew that potential buyers would appreciate a serene room with furniture that complimented the master bedroom, and that would work with the intimate scale of the room.

But typical contract rental furniture wouldn't be appropriate for this distinctive home, nor would it compliment the homeowner's existing furnishings. So I hunted through a favorite furniture consignment store and found inspiration in this chair, a lovely (and legitimate) antique:

After leasing the chair and staging it with a rug and the homeowners' existing accessories and throw, the small side room was given new life as a comfortable sitting room, harmonious with the master suite and the rest of the lovely home.

Leslie Olson Interiors, located in Tiburon, California, provides Interior Design and Home Staging services for Marin County and surrounding regions of the San Francisco Bay. I invite you to visit the company web site, at www.leslieolsoninteriors.com.

Thank you for your interest!

Leslie Olson, ASID

(415) 233.2633 leslie@leslieolsoninteriors.com

Bring on the Popcorn! Marin Real Estate Staging - Media Room Makeover

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 23:21:47 -0500

Pictured above are photos from a 5,000 sq. ft. Vacant Home Staging project by Leslie Olson Interiors, formerly of Austin, Texas, now based in Marin County, California. While the dark olive paint in the empty room implied the function of a media room, by furnishing the space with a comfy, stylish and durable leather seating group facing a flat-screen TV, the guess-work is gone for future homebuyers. By being able to actually see the scale and proportion of furnishings in the room, as well as keying into the spunky decor, they begin to imagine themselves living in the home.

Realtors -- which room would you prefer to show your clients, the cavernous vacant room, or the warm and inviting Media Room staged to sell? Professional Home Staging is a small investment that can reap large rewards in quick and profitable home sales.

By the way, I'm currently updating the business web site to reflect the recent (very happy) move to California, and invite you to visit it at www.leslieolsoninteriors.com for more Before and After pictures -- there are many more photos of recent projects to come in the updated site! The site features sections that describe my company's two divisions -- Residential Design, and Real Estate Home Staging. Both sections have Portfolios with Before and After pictures. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Leslie Olson Leslie Olson Interiors - Tiburon, California www.leslieolsoninteriors.com leslie@leslieolsoninteriors.com 415.233.2633

Home Staging Small Spaces: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall...or Not?

Mon, 30 Apr 2007 17:56:20 -0500

I'll bet you've heard the old chestnut that mirrors should always be used in small spaces ("...they make it look so much more spacious!"). But not all mirrors are created equal, and this '80s-era condo still had the builder's wall of mirrors in the small dining room (all together, girls...UGH!). Not only did the kitchen have inadequate storage space -- note the stunning laminate cabinet masquerading as a pantry -- but the mirrored wall multiplied every bit of clutter and visual chaos in viewing range. YIKES!

What was done to Stage this room?

Wall mirrors were removed (thankfully much easier than expected, in this case)
Cherry-veneered plywood cabinets were built for storage, solving storage issues
Extra furniture, clutter and electrical wiring were removed
The sisal area rug under the table was removed. The buyer's eye is now drawn from baseboard to baseboard, visually enlarging the room
Grasscloth wallpaper added texture and unified the color scheme, which includes subtle new paint colors
The light fixture is a dramatic focal point, and a centralized light source to make the space feel more intimate for dining
Oh...and the ghastly kitchen wallpaper was removed. But that's another story!

Realtors - Which room would you rather show to your clients? Real Estate Home Staging is a specialized skill that can have a dramatic impact on your success in selling properties quickly and profitably. Home staging is not just for open houses anymore! How about staging before the MLS photographs are taken?

Homeowners - Would you like Personalized Coaching on how to prepare your home for a speedy and lucrative sale?

I invite you to contact a Home Staging professional for a consultation to jump-start your real estate success. Don't consider a price reduction on the property until you've hired a Home Staging Consultant (or Property Stylist) to enhance your home for sale. An investment in home staging costs less than the financial hit of your first price reduction.

**UPDATE** I've resubmitted this post which was originally made before our family's move to Tiburon, California, in Marin County (just north of the San Francisco Bay). While I'm updating the company web site with pictures from many, many new projects, I thought I'd introduce my business to the Marin County market, where we've also moved the staging and design business. By the way -- this condo sold for full asking price BEFORE it went on the market, with the offer made on the same day the buyer toured it for the first time!

It's great to be in Northern California -- and great to be back on Active Rain! LTO

Leslie Olson Leslie Olson Interiors Tiburon, CA www.leslieolsoninteriors.com leslie@leslieolsoninteriors.com 415.233.2633

Marin Home Staging: What a Difference a Door Makes...

Fri, 27 Apr 2007 22:35:44 -0500

As my first posting on Active Rain, I thought it was appropriate to open the door to this community with comments about home staging entry doors!

This condo project was targeted to the progressive home-buyer interested in a small home surrounded by trees in a quiet residential neighborhood. Unfortunately the front entry is tucked along the side of the greenbelt-facing condo, and isn't visible from the street. The condo hadn't been modified since it was built almost 25 years ago, and the cracked and faded Victorian-style front door and tired light fixtures just weren't doing the job.

The front door was replaced with a standard design 4-panel glass entry door that allows natural light into the home. Privacy and style were both addressed by having the interior side of the glass windows sand-blasted, leaving a 3/4" clear border to suggest beveled glass. New door hardware was installed (it looks and feels more substantial in the hands of a potential buyer), and new lighting and doorbell were affordable upgrades.

The new entry happily piques the interest of potential buyers, and sets the stage for a gently contemporary, updated home inside. It instantly brings a positive reaction -- and we all know how important emotional connection is to staging!

For further information and Before and After photos, please visit http://www.leslieolsoninteriors.com/.

Thank you for reading my first post -- I look forward to getting acquainted with you though the Active Rain community!

** UPDATE ** I've re-posted this former blog as I my family and I get acquainted with our new home in the North Bay area of San Francisco. I look forward to introducing my business to the Marin County market, and felt this original introduction posting, originally written when we were in Austin, Texas, seemed to fit the bill. I have many, many pictures to post from recent projects, and will be updating my web site very soon as well. It's great to be in our beautiful new surroundings in Northern California -- and great to be back on Active Rain! LTO

Leslie Olson, ASID

Leslie Olson Interiors, Tiburon, CA

leslie@leslieolsoninteriors.com http://www.leslieolsoninteriors.com/ 415.233.2633