It's a strange thing.....when you are a stager, and whether you are acting in an 'official' capacity or just visiting someone socially, people assume that you can instantly arrange or rearrange a room visually at first glance.  Oh sure, it's a lot easier if there is furniture in the room - really nice furniture and a lovely focal point such as a fireplace or a wall of windows looking out at the ocean!

Now, picture a vacant house with oversized rooms.  You arrive at the appointed time to view the property and begin the process of estimating what furniture and accessories will be needed in order to create a warm, inviting appearance and showcase the focal points of each room.  Since you are basically working with a 'blank canvas', you need to choose colors, textures and scale that will enhance each space.

Inevitably, as you tour the house, you are going to be asked, "What do you envision this room to look like?"  "What kind of furniture are you going to use?"  "Will you put couches or chairs or both in front of this fireplace?" "What about the windows - will you put curtains on them" ...yadda yadda yadda...

And you think to yourself, "Are they kidding me?  I haven't a clue!"

Staging any home is no easy task, but working with a vacant house is an even bigger challenge.  If the prospective buyer has nothing to use as a reference point to gauge what will and will not fit into a room, do we not have the same situation? 

There is no way that I can give an instantaneous answer as to how I will arrange the furniture, or even what furniture I will use.  Each project is different and the size and style of the house must be taken into consideration when choosing the furnishings.

From the moment that I drive away, my mind starts working.  Since I am a visual person, I remember the details of every room.  I start with one room and think about possibilities.  I do likewise for each room until I have a general idea of what I want to use for the entire house. By the way, this thinking stage can take up to a few days and it is pretty constant!  

Since I always take a few pictures from different angles for each room, I find myself referring to them once I have a general idea - just to make sure that the scale will be appropriate.  The next step is looking through my pictures of rental furniture to choose the appropriate styles (although I know the different styles pretty well by now and usually only need to fine-tune the accent tables and such).  Since I work with a large furniture rental company, I can be secure in knowing that if I need something that they do not stock, they will generally get it for me.

These are the steps to creating the 'look' that will turn that empty house into a warm and appealing 'home' that prospective buyers will not easily forget.  But know that it is not an easy process or something that a stager can envision 'on the spot'!

Now......what are we going to do about that tie????!!!

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