Staging with Cowhide: Yea or Nay?

I recently staged a downtown condo with a cowhide. Along with the other decor, it looked very cosmopolitan. This is in Indianapolis, in the Midwest. It really does depend on the potential buyers. I'm thinking young professionals here. 

This is a great post.  I had to chime in.   We should also debate the appropriateness of leather sofas next.

Our opinions matter little when it comes to deciding any aesthetic or whether or not to use hides, nudes, buddha heads, provocative art and color palettes, or anything that goes beyond neutral.    Your demographic target is what must decide upon any aesthetic or creative choice after intense research on the demographic.   This represents the Paradigm shift happening in the home staging industry.

Advanced staging will target buyer's with items that will appeal and emotionally connect them with any space… even hides.  Appealing to everyone is not nearly as effective as calculating the Buyer's Demographic / Psychographic profile which will reveal creative schematics that appeal to your target buyer.    Once you know who will likely purchase a home, the sky is the limit when choosing your furnishings.  Of course, all choices must be tethered to your Buyer's Demographic Profile (BDP).  Ultimately, the demographic target can change from street to street....so blanket statements like ..."here in the North-East" are generalizations you should avoid.   We must make no sweeping statements on what is "appropriate" until the BDP has been filled out by you and the Real Estate team (who by the way respond formidably to this new direction).   Avoid anyone telling you what is or is not appropriate for the home staging industry.

Fear of offending is why most home stagers do not produce work that excites many of today's buyers or the design industry.  Where once we were to enhance or reveal the bones of the home, we must now step up our game to create the illusion of the lifestyle that buyer's are wishing to invest into.     Shifting toward this concept in demographic Target Staging has taken the creative  glass ceiling off many home staging companies who have trained with me and are now creating visceral and stunning installations that not only 'Dial in The Buyer', but also have them the talk of the town  using hides  or items everyone else is afraid to use.  In luxury or sophisticated markets we can stage nudes.    No longer boxed in by outdated norms, they have also become impassioned by this new outlook on staging for the demographic trusting their own instincts and the BDP.    In fact, the staging firms who gross millions in profit do so because they are not limited by generalizations and not afraid to stage risky inventory which becomes a marketing tool in and of itself.  The truth is....you can stage anything...so long as it appeals to the likely buyer. This, of course, is challenging the home staging industry to let go of "staging to appeal to the wide majority" and replace it with "target staging to appeal to your demographic".   Hides are only the tip of the iceberg let me tell you.    

If your demographic profile suggests hides: YEA.  If your demographic profile does not suggest hides:  NAY.   It's all very moot if you ask me.

TIP:    Cow Hides are the most effective silhouette when staging small, awkward or triangular spaces.   It's a secret weapon for Jedi stagers if the BDP permits.

How do you create the Buyer's Demographic Profile(BDP)(BPP) and translate it into a creative schematic that will Dial in a Buyer?  http://www.stagingandredesign.com/advanced_staging_training.php

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