Previously, I had this titled, What to do When A Client Rearranges your Staging. But as time went on and comments came in, we realized this is a bigger issue. - DISRESPECT for staging. Many of us stagers, me included, have had a lot of challenges in attempting to reach agents, builders and homeowners. We come into contact with so many people who think they can do what we do because they've watched some decorating tv shows. Nothing is farther from the truth as we who stage know that there are specific reasons why we arrange furniture and layout wall art, etc the way that we do.
Salazar Staging & Custom Interiors did a very large, multi-room staging in San Antonio. We were particularly pleased with the way our furniture fit perfectly in the family room. We were just recently referred to the site where this listing is posted. It took several weeks for the builder client to send the MLS# and he had no interior shots on his website. We were AGHAST at the poor quality of the photos, even our own shots were much better. But what really was a rotten surprise is that they completely rearranged the family room. This RE-DO by the client, is a perfect example of a lack of understanding of the very basics of staging.
It is written in our contract that no inventory is to be removed from the property, but now it's clear that I need to add, OR MOVED WITHIN THE HOME. We lay out furniture in a very specific manner and that's what we're paid to do. For this owner to go in and change everything is just wasting his money. How do other stagers deal with this maddening, presumptious re-arranging?
Here is how we had the arrangement: Our furniture layout allowed for an open feel to the rooms and allowed for a good flow between the kitchen and morning room. Our large wall art brought interest to an otherwise big, beige bore and tied in with the furniture below it. This is a pretty narrow room, but our arrangement gave it the most spacious look it could have.
This is how they rearranged it -Note the wall art looks randomly placed, there is now a chair in front of the fireplace and the back of the couch that you see from the kitchen, completely cuts the room in half. The lamp and chair obliterate the fireplace. Not to mention, this is a poor quality shot with papers/clutter in the foreground. I ask you, which photo/arrangement would you be more drawn to?
EVEN SOMETHING AS SMALL AS PILING UP THROW PILLOWS, CAN CHANGE THE QUALITY OF THE LOOK
HERE IS HOW WE HAD THE PILLOWS
AND HERE IS HOW THEY TOOK THEIR PICTURES
OMG!! I have only had a few clients make slight changes and I was annoyed. I can imagine how infuriating this was for you. We spend a lot of time making sure every detail is just right and as you said, even adjusting the pillows can through off the delicate balance we work so hard to achieve. I think it is difficult for non-stagers to understand this fully...everyone's an expert huh!
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