To be a successful stager, sometimes you have to use psychology. I had to use it on my last staging client. Here is how it went down:

I ordered furniture and artwork for a newly remodeled home, located five minutes from where I live. I told the warehouse people I wanted tans and browns for the living room because I would probably use ORANGE (and maybe green) as my accent color. The word orange is capitalized for a reason.

I received an email the morning of the delivery telling me that two ORANGE chairs were on the truck. In case I didn't like them, they sent two brown chairs, too.

In the case of this staging, because it was so close to my own home, I decided to wait and get the appropriate accessories after the furniture was delivered. The truck arrived, and they started carrying furniture in. The driver asked me if I wanted to look in the truck and choose the chairs. I told him I really couldn't tell, and would he please bring the ORANGE chairs in. He did, and I loved them! They were absolutely perfect for the room!

I spent the next half hour in my basement choosing the right accessories and packing them up. As I grabbed my phone, I noticed I had missed a call. The client left me a message saying she had just "stopped by the house", and she hated the ORANGE chairs and they would HAVE to be replaced.

I called her back and asked her if she was referring to the TERRA COTTA chairs in the living room. She hesitated and said yes. I then asked her to trust me, and if she still hated them after I was completely finished with the staging, I would gladly replace them.

Here are the before and after photos:

Where I live, if you use the word ORANGE people think of this:

So I would NEVER stage with ORANGE!!! I only stage with TERRA COTTA.

The next day, the client called again. "You were right" she said, "it looks beautiful."

I watched a movie the other day in which the main character is a real estate stager in Boston.  On a trip to Ireland, she found herself explaining to one of the locals what a stager does.  Not skipping a beat, he says "Oh, so you're a con artist." 

According to the dictionary, a con artist is a person who swindles you by means of deception or fraud.  Let's look at how a stager and a con artist are different:

The carpet in a living room shows a lot of wear and tear in the main traffic areas. 

A con artist might cover it up with an area rug.  Or remove the light bulbs from the overhead lighting, so it's not so obvious.  A buyer will mistakenly believe that the carpet is fine.

A stager will identify the best feature of the room--a fireplace is a good example.  They will choose just the right art and accessories to draw your eyes to the fireplace. A buyer will recognize that the carpet might need to be cleaned or replaced, but the attractiveness of the fireplace leaves them with a good impression of the room.

Pipes are leaking, leaving unsightly water damage to a wall in the basement.

A con artist might turn the water off where it is leaking and put a coat of paint on the damaged wall.  A buyer will have no reason to suspect a water leak.

A stager will note the water damage, but see the potential the room has for being a great family game room.  They will rent a game table and chairs, and place colorful framed posters on the walls.  A buyer will see that there is water damage, but fall in love with the idea of a room where their family can congregate for fun.

These examples should make it clear that we are not con artists.  It is not our job to hide the flaws in your home in order to deceive buyers.

I had a seller just recently who pointed out some cracked tiles on his kitchen floor.  He asked me if I was going to cover it up with something.  I smiled and shook my head.  "No," I told him, "we don't do that. And, I hope the seller of the house you are buying doesn't do that either."

In a perfect world, we would all have a home full of love. But, there are people who, for whatever reason, have no home. It's not in our power to give them that, but there is something we can do. My staging sister, Nancy, and I redesigned a room in our local women's shelter.

If you think making things pretty is a waste, you are wrong. We know how our environment affects our outlook on life. This shelter represents a haven for women, their children, and even our veterans. That's right. The shelter has a special area reserved for our female veterans. Nancy and I chose one of those rooms. I will let the pictures speak for themselves:

We spent three hours shopping, and less than six hours painting, making beds and placing art. The paint was donated by Kwal. Nancy and I can redesign a room in our sleep, but to others, it seems like a miracle. Think about looking for an opportunity like this in your town. The biggest reward will be yours.

A Realtor I work with left a message on my voicemail with an unusual request.  He wanted me to do my "magic" on his new listing.  He said it was a log cabin, it was a ninety minute drive, and he would pick me up, help with the staging, and drive me home. Oh yeah, and one other thing--there's no indoor plumbing.

Hmm...I was intrigued. I went on his website to see photos, and was very discouraged with what I saw.  It was being sold furnished, and let's just say the decor was shabby chic without the chic. There was no budget to buy anything, so I would have to make do with what was there. Well, I treasure the relationship I have with this agent, and I knew my answer would be yes, no matter what.

He picked me up, and off we went.  He told me there was a cooler with drinks and a bag of snacks in the back seat and to help myself. Now, I figured I was going to a home with no bathroom, so I decided to watch my fluid intake, no matter how thirsty I got.  After a few wrong turns and driving for miles on dirt, we finally arrived. My first reaction was "It's adorable!"

Now, this was like opening a beautifully wrapped present and finding a can of lard. Here, you need to see for yourself:

So, here are my before and after photos. No, they'll never make the cover of Elle Decor, but perhaps Field & Stream might snap them up!

Since there were no walls, I had to figure out how to define the spaces.  You might notice that the brown plaid sofa you see is a DIFFERENT brown plaid sofa from the one in the first set of photos. NOTE: After seeing the photos on the website, I decided to "donate" some bedding:

The kitchen was SO confusing, especially since the island was against the wall in the bedroom area. Don't be fooled by that kitchen sink--there was NO water to this house!

I have no idea what this space was supposed to be, but that chair HAD TO GO! This made a great dining area, close to the windows so you could enjoy the view while you ate something that did not have to be cooked or cleaned. NOTE: Some of you may know how I detest roosters, and I never thought they'd be in a log cabin...but, there they are!

The Realtor was great about helping me remove things, which is why the place looks so much bigger. But, where did we put all the stuff, since there was no closet or storage? DON'T LOOK!

Now, to answer the question "How DOES one stage an OUTHOUSE?" We don't. In fact, I didn't go within fifteen feet of the outhouse.

The real miracle of the day was not the transformation of the cabin, but the fact that I went seven hours without needing a bathroom. Though I was prepared:

Thank you for letting me share my "roughing it" experience! More proof that stagers CAN DO ANYTHING!

We stagers have an interesting job. We create beautiful rooms, but no one is going to live in them. If we have done our jobs successfully, the sellers will pack up our work, or in the case of vacant homes, we will pack up our work. Our photos are often all we have.

I was fortunate enough to hear about an opportunity that would change all that. The organization, Volunteers of America, is always looking for companies or individuals interested in remodeling one or more rooms in the local women's shelter. My friend, Nancy Ewing, and I decided to adopt a room.

On our initial tour of the shelter, I was so amazed at the level of activity all around us. The people who work there have hearts of gold, and their positive energy is contagious. We were taken on a tour, and shown two possible candidates for our room makeover. The one we chose had not received an update since 2004. There's no other way to describe it--this was a sad little room. One twin bed, one small table, a built-in table that wasn't much more than a ledge, and one dresser. No closet, as some of the other rooms had, so clothes were hung on a metal rack on wheels. Long and narrow, the room at least had a nice tall window at one end. The walls were a very pale yellowish green, and the only window treatment was a tiny valance hung over white blinds. We picked a date for the makeover, and we were allowed eight hours to complete the transformation. Here is the before and after:

Paint donated by Kwal, bedding and window sheers purchased at Target, art donated by Nancy, and a new lamp shade purchased at WalMart came together to create a room that I believe can best be described as sweet.  We also purchased and put together a wardrobe/storage unit, with removable storage bins, and a fabric cover.

As stagers, we are used to "the big reveal," but none of them compared to the praise and adoration we received from the staff and tenants. Something that was so easy for Nancy and I to do, because we do it all the time, seemed almost like a miracle to these women. Many of the women begged us to do their rooms next, and Nancy and I decided we would definitely go back and do another room.

I encourage you to find similar opportunities in your town. There is always a need for the skills we possess, and plenty of people in unfortunate circumstances, who want and deserve something "sweet" in their lives.

I'd like to show you a way you can "be green" and "save a lot of green" at the same time.

Our IRIS Chapter was approached with an interesting challenge. Alison Oyler, who does marketing for Goodwill Industries, invited us to participate in an Italian Tablescape contest. It was held at the Festival Italiano in the Belmar development of Lakewood, Colorado. Now, here's the fun part. We were given $40 gift cards to Goodwill, and could only spend an additional $10 of our own for flowers, candles, etc.

Here are the beautiful tablescapes:

"Mattina Bella" (beautiful morning) by Elaine Manes-A Wonderful Space

"Palazzo Bella" (beautiful home) by Diane Palazzo-5280 Real Estate Staging and Erica Starich-Star Interior Solutions

"Cucina Coast" by Brenda Peterson-Busy Bee Organizing Plus

"Breakfast in Tuscany" by Mico Smith-Metamorphing Interiors

"Casual in Capri" by Khristy Wilson-Interior Evolutions

"Festa del l'uva" (grape harvest festival) Alison Oyler-Goodwill Industries of Denver

I think the photos speak for themselves. So, if you want to "be green", make your local Goodwill store your first stop. AND, you are guaranteed to "save a lot of green", too! The plates I bought were UNDER 50 cents!

Here are few  shots of the festival:

This one is my favorite:

I was called in by my Realtor, to help a condo which had been on the market for MONTHS!  The owner had moved out, but rented the condo, furniture and all.  I called the seller to see what she was willing to do. Her answer was "whatever it takes".  I LOVE these clients!  I previewed the property and came up with a plan.

First, the RIDDLE:

When is a cookbook NOT a cookbook?

The answer?

When it's wallpaper!

This wallpaper was used as the backsplash in the kitchen!  Convenient? Yes! Everyone's taste? Definitely not!

Next? The color RED!

I love a red accent wall as much as the next person. But, it doesn't work in every home. A small space like a condo will appear larger if you stick to one color for all the walls.  And when the home has a fabulous feature like a fireplace, sometimes the red can be distracting. 

Here is what I mean:

Now, the fireplace POPS!

I prefer to accent a staging with splashes of red, but not enough to be overwhelming!

The living space before:

Just a few changes:

The client agreed to have the whole condo painted, including the ceiling which was painted a dark tan and added to the cave-like feel of the space.  She offered to put in new carpet, but saved a bunch of money by having it cleaned instead.  Remember, there are still renters in the condo, so I advised against putting in new carpet for that reason.  After the cleaning (the cost was just over $100) the carpet looked fabulous!

Now, the REMODEL:

I thought her money was better spent by updating the two light fixtures in the vanity area of the bathroom:

 For a total of $100, we went from 1980.....

.....to 2009!

I agreed to add a few staging items, even though the condo was occupied.  Sometimes, it doesn't take much to make a huge difference:

I think you'll agree that paint, some inexpensive lighting, and a few strategically placed accessories can make a world of difference! Here are a few more "after" shots:

Stagers can be invaluable to out-of-town sellers.  My services included hiring the painter and carpet cleaners, shopping for the light fixtures, adding accessories, and providing new photos to the Realtor.

Thanks for letting me share this enjoyable project! Need a good recipe for chicken soup?

I can feel your outrage, and I have every intention of revealing the culprit!

It might surprise you that the AR member is a stager...

...and it might also surprise you that the stager I am talking about is ME!

I was contacted by an agent yesterday, requesting a preview and staging bid on one of his listings. I was anxious to get there and see what I had to work with. Today, I went. I am writing my bid tonight, and there is one thing I know it will say: Staging this home will be a waste of money. I could easily write a thousand words describing what was wrong with this house, but it's easier to tell you what was right. The view. Period.

Any buyer who considers writing an offer on this listing, will do so simply for the view and probably gut the home for a complete remodel. I asked myself if staging a few of the rooms would enhance the view. My answer is no.

So, am I walking away from this one? Not at all. I am hoping the seller gives me a chance to explain that if she puts any money into this house, it should be to take care of some minor repairs, repaint the front door, which is metal and 50% rust, and have someone remove the bars on the windows. That's right, I said bars. Bars on windows say bad neighborhood. After leaving the home, I stopped and chatted with a neighbor to ask if there was a lot of crime in the neighborhood. She assured me there was not.

Now, I could write up my normal bid, with three options for furnishing the home. And, the seller would probably choose one and I could make some money. But, that would be dishonest, because I know it will not help sell the house.

So, what do I want for my honesty? Perhaps, someday, a statue.