For many older homes, the living room is the largest room on the main floor.  It might seem ridiculous to keep the best, warmest and nicest space for just formal occasions.  Here, the family has understably used it as a comfy, chaotic playroom!

This makes total sense for the family living there. But it does nothing to help the resale value ~ in fact, had the house gone to market like this, the message buyers would have received is ~

1. There's no Family Room in this house (there were 2 actually)
2. There's no formal living room (this IS the formal living room)
3. It's too small.

• All of the toys have been dispersed between the Sun Room, the Den, the downstairs playroom and the upstairs bedrooms.
• The yellow sofa was brought back up from the downstairs playroom, and some wedding presents were finally unpacked and displayed on the shelves.
• That fabulous rug was in an upstairs guest room!!

 Buyers can now see that

1. Formal, adult living - really entertaining space, exists in abundance in this, the grandest room in the house,
2. the length of the room is emphasized, and 
3. a focal point has been highlighted ~ the beautiful brick hearth with gleaming wood mantel!

Two teachers, with all their reading, papers, curriculum materials x 2... PLUS a scrumptious little baby girl!

1. There's no Family Room in this house (there was a small one in the back, and a basement that could have been finished)
2. There's no way to entertain (not true, there was a nice formal dining room through the archway)
3. This looks like a studio apartment.

• SOME toys remain, but tucked away. The rest are in the Den, the little girl's bedroom and, frankly, storage!
• Yes, this really is the same room!

Buyers can now see that

1. The biggest, brightest room on the first floor has lots of possibilities for use
2. the length, and brightness of the room is emphasized, and
3. two focal points have been highlighted ~ the brick hearth and a sunny seating area over by the windows!

Empty rooms give a buyer not a lot to look at, beyond the molding, the floor, the windows....

With no frame of reference, they have no idea

1. how this space could work with their furniture; what will fit where?
2. how this space might work for their family
3. Doors start to look huge, and walls small

(The after picture is taken from a different angle because, as you can see in the before, the header beam made it impossible for my flash to adjust and get the furniture highlighted properly.)

• Architectural features are highlighted with yummy, huge green ceramic pots with Art Deco motifs (I couldn't believe how perfect they were for this style of home!)
• The rental company let me be the first one with a new, fabulously spiffy, elegant sofa suite

Buyers can now see that

1. Beautiful, lush, elegant entertaining space
2. Exquisite craftsmanship
3. a true one-of-a-kind new build for THE discriminating buyer

And indeed a guy sold a $4 million home to buy this one for $2.3. What a spectacular, graceful, sensual home!!