Special offer

All I did was... stage a model townhome with a Barbara Barry feel, pure luxury.

By
Home Stager with Toronto GTA, Alliston, Newmarket 416.928.2999

Tibro International invited me to design their latest exclusive, in fill project at 292 Merton Street in Toronto.

Features in the four floor luxury townhomes include roof top patios, solid mahogany doors, private elevators, 5" walnut hardwood floors and luxury marble kitchen and baths from floor to ceiling.

The brief for the design was that it was to have a "Babara Barry" feel to the interior. Classic look, soft neutral colours, curved rather than sqaure lines to the furniture.

Sourcing is easy here in Toronto as we have many outstanding furniture and lighting suppliers. My main go to destination is Union Lighting. My rep there is second to none. I describe my needs to Gari and he quickly and efficiently guides me through their 40,000 square foot showroom so that I can make my selections in one visit.

Artwork or area rugs are the first things I purchase so that I have a colour pallette to make my design choices for furniture. I was fortunate that someone had ordered original artwork from one of my suppliers to be framed and had never picked it up. Bonus for the builder, the pricing was excellent. The two pieces were fabulous abstracts that had soft pale blues, yellows and sand colours in them with a splash of grey and black. That was all I needed to start making furniture purchases.

Staging day came and this is what the townhouse looked like when I arrived at 11 am to start staging. Imagine my delight in finding six trades still working on the model home for the launch date the next morning.

Here is what it looked like when I arrived...

themerton.ca   themerton.ca

themerton.ca   themerton.ca

themerton.ca   themerton.ca 

Hmmmm..... not quite ready for our team to be staging. The usual protocol for staging to take place is for the property to be in a clean state with a light cleaning booked for after the staging takes place. I offered to come back the next week to stage after the trades were done, however, as with any launch of a new building site, the show must go on.

And on it went. Everyone worked until 3 am to have the model home in showcase condition for the launch the next morning. It is a true testament to the professionalism of the trades to pull this model home together in time for the noon launch the next day.

Launch day was a success, buyers were impressed with the finishes and the workmanship. Another success story for Tibro International and Michelle Finnamore Interiors.

Here are some  images of the final look..

luxury townhomes for sale toronto   luxury townhomes for sale toronto

luxury townhomes for sale toronto   luxury townhomes for sale toronto

 the merton luxury townhomes for sale toronto                   the merton luxury townhomes for sale toronto  the merton luxury townhomes for sale toronto

the merton luxury townhomes for sale toronto   the merton luxury townhomes for sale toronto

the merton luxury townhomes for sale toronto  

I couldn't resist placing this little black dog and The City Dog book on the shelf in the second bedroom.  I could see the potential buyer walking their adorable little dog down to the local restaurant, sitting outside on the patio with an espresso, watching the beautiful people go by.

This townhome project is located in one of the trendiest parts of the city called Davisville.

Small boutiques, galleries and the movers and shakers fill the chic restuarants that are within walking distance.

 

Defining your target market is key to a successful building project. DVG Real Estate was the marketing firm for this project. They came up with an effective marketing campaign to attract the  buyers attention to these luxury townhomes. Daria Winnicki has worked on the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Toronto and The Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas. Along with her partner, Daria has sold more than 150 luxury properties worth more than $35MM in 2010 alone. Working with Daria on this project was a perfect blend of vision and planning.

If you have a luxury condo project in the planning process think about DVG Real Estate and Michelle Finnamore Interiors to bring your plan together seamlessly. We love real estate, especially luxury real estate and look forward to working with you. To see more images of this project click here.

Michelle Finnamore Interiors Ltd.   416.928.2999

Comments(13)

Monika Depalo
GAFF'S REFERRAL'S INC. - Port Orange, FL
REAL ESTATE Agent/Stager

It does look more move in ready and inviting.

Nov 10, 2011 12:59 PM
Sally Weatherley
EXIT STAGE RIGHT - Vancouver, BC
Vancouver Home Staging, Home Stager Vancouver, B.C

Michelle - Oooh, I love the Barbara Barry look - so glamorous!  You did an amazing job, inspite of the trades all being there when you arrived (what a shock!).  The furniture and accessories you chose are sheer perfection!  Hope you were able to grab a few zzzzzzzz after the job was done! 

Nov 10, 2011 01:29 PM
TERI LINDSAY
Reno, NV
STAGELIGHT HOME STAGING CO.

Michelle..... your use of luxurious "look & feel" fabrics adds so much texture to a blank space. You tell the staging story with all the photos....fun, fun, fun, to see..... your staging, as always, perfect for the space.... great job!

Nov 10, 2011 02:12 PM
Janet Jones
Just Your Style Interiors, LLC - Kihei, HI
Home Staging, Interior Redesign Kihei, Maui, Hawaii

Hi Michelle--just exquisite.  I love the headboard and I love how you worked the extra seating area in the kitchen.  Gorgeous. 

Nov 10, 2011 04:16 PM
Michelle Finnamore
Toronto GTA, Alliston, Newmarket - Vaughan, ON
Preparing your property for sale

Hi Monika, it really does look move in ready. You feel at home as soon as you come in. The sofa is down filled. Anyone who sits on it has a big smile on their face. They love the cozy feel of it, they settle right into it and sit there for a quite some time. Perfect marketing.

HI Sally, thank you!! The Barbara Barry feel to the townhome carries right on to the towels with the detail circle theme embroidery.  The bedding in the second bedroom is one of a kind. It was a prototype sample that had just come back from the trades shows in Italy. I was very lucky to have been able to use it.  The mother of pearl headboard in the second bedroom stops everyone in their tracks. No one had ever seen such a thing.

This was definitely a great opportunity to work with exceptional finishes to create a luxury look for the high end market.

HI Teri, Glad you enjoyed my story about this model home. The design work all went well, smooth as butter, however, it was not a normal staging day in any way. It was the professionalism of all involved that day that allowed the launch to happen on time.

Hi Janet, I ordered enough dining room chairs to have six for dinner. That allowed one to be used for the desk that had been incorporated into the run of kitchen cabinets. The chair could also be pulled into the seating area of the living room for extra seating when needed. I loved the fabric on the chairs, it was the palest ice blue. Lovely.

Nov 10, 2011 10:55 PM
Karen Otto
Home Star Staging - Plano, TX
Plano Home Staging, Dallas Home Staging, www.homes

What a fabulous job Michelle! And really the professionalism you spoke of is something that many don't understand or see that these jobs can go on to the wee hours of the morning or over days so that the project is complete on the deadline. Great blog!

Nov 10, 2011 11:35 PM
Beth Lester
Beth Lester Designs - Torrance, CA
Home Staging & Interior Decorating

Gorgeous, Michelle.  That was one LONG day, wasn't it?  Congratulations!

Nov 11, 2011 02:35 PM
Shar Sitter
Rooms With Style - Minneapolis, MN
Home Staging and Redesign Minneapolis/ St. Paul, M

Love the bedroom with the chair and fabulous headboard! And love the bedding in the other one!!

Nov 11, 2011 03:54 PM
Kathy Burke
Sensational Home Staging~~Danville, CA - Danville, CA
S.F. East Bay Home Staging


WOW!!!  You did such a fabulous job!!!  My worst nightmare is showing up and finding 1 trade still working....6 would be my nightmare on steriods!  STUNNING results!!!!

Nov 12, 2011 04:38 AM
Michelle Finnamore
Toronto GTA, Alliston, Newmarket - Vaughan, ON
Preparing your property for sale

Hi Karen, so true. As with any job on a construction site, there are always delays. It's our job to make it all go smoothly and finish on time.

HI Beth, it was a long day for sure. Plus, the elevator was not in use at that point so we were having to use four flights of stairs to carry everything up and down. Boy did we get a work out that day!  We are all really feeling it the next day. No need for a gym membership when you are a stager!

Hi Shar, the headboard was custom made in oyster linen. The bedding was from Bombay Company. The chair from Union Lighting. The bedding in the second bedroom was something I saw in a suppliers trade room. They had just returned from a show in Italy. I asked the owner if I could have it for the model townhome. He hesitated at first, however, realizing the clientele that would be purchasing the townhomes, he gladly let me have it. The stitching in it is exquisite.

Hi Kathy, When I drove on the site and saw all the furniture in the garage I blanched. I had paid for it to be taken to each of the rooms due to the four flights of stairs. There was no way my team would have been able to get it up there. Fortunately, I was working with a great builder who supplied the man power to get it up to the rooms. When I entered and saw way too many men bent over their particular part of the house, that's when I really started thinking that I should return the next day. Everyone was really doing their part to get the townhome ready for us to stage so we stayed and you see the results were worth waiting for.

 

 

Nov 13, 2011 02:13 AM
Tanya Venable
Orlando, FL
SEO, Mobile SEO, and Internet Marketing Consultant

Michelle, everything is so elegant. I love the color scheme.  You always do a wonderful job!

Dec 15, 2011 03:55 PM
Maureen Bray Portland OR Home Stager ~ Room Solutions Staging
Room Solutions Staging, Portland OR - Portland, OR
"Staging Consultations that Sell Portland Homes"

Hi Michelle ~ Wow!  I don't know how this post got by me before .... what a showplace you designed!  I love the sophisticated color palette -- and the bedding in that second bedoom is just gorgeous ... and is reflected so beautifully in the mirrored chest.  As well as that headboard -- talk about texture!  The fact that you had to work into the wee hours shows your commitment to your clients ... they must really love you!!

Dec 29, 2011 12:17 PM
Michelle Finnamore
Toronto GTA, Alliston, Newmarket - Vaughan, ON
Preparing your property for sale

Hi Maureen, there was so much detail work in this project, it was truly a joy to work with this builder.  The bedding had just arrived back in Canada from a trade show in Italy. It is the only one in Canada until they start producing it for the showrooms. The mirrored cabinet was used as the bedroom is a little on the smaller side and it helped to expand the space PLUS reflected the beautiful bedding as a bonus. The headboard is mother of pearl. It is everywhere right now.. on mirors, vases, dishes, flatware handles. This piece was hung as artwork but I used it as a headboard with stunning results. The comments from buyers have been very favourable. As you know, we just keep going when we are staging. The job has to get done and meet the deadlines.

Dec 30, 2011 04:16 AM