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Rugs Make All the Difference

We staged a very nice Mediterranean style home yesterday in Arcadia, CA. It looked great when we were finished, but something was missing. Rugs! The Persian rugs weren't part of my original contract, but the homeowner, Realtor and I all agreed that they were really necessary. Yes, the home had large expanses of beautiful Brazilian Cherry hardwood floors. But in this case, the hardwood floors were too much of a good thing and needed to be subdued a bit. I am truly a Persian rug junkie, and I use them wherever I am able, but I am still always amazed at the warmth and finishing touch a well chosen rug can add to a room. Persian rugs always add a touch of class. A great Persian rug can elevate a not-so-special home to a home buyers will fall in love with.

living room without rugs

This is the Living Room after staging, but without rugs.

Moving Mountains Design Living Room After

Living Room after staging with the addition of a beautiful Persian rug.

family room after staging before rug

Family Room after staging but before the addition of a Persian rug.

Moving Mountains Design Family Rm After

Family room after the addition of a Persian rug.

For more photos of this project see Will Staging Be the Magic Bullet?

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Moving Mountains Design is the Pasadena area's premiere home staging and full service interior design company, serving Pasadena, San Marino, Arcadia, Alhambra, La Canada/Flintridge and the San Gabriel Valley. Visit our website at www.MovingMountainsDesign.com or phone us at (626)441-8975 to discuss your home staging and property merchandising needs.

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Moving Mountains Design Home Staging

Moving Mountains Design is one of the most successful home staging companies in Los Angeles, CA.

We measure our success by the speed in which our staged homes sell, often with multiple offers above listing price. We work with home sellers, listing agents and asset managers to prepare homes for sale.

Some of our services include vacant home staging, occupied home staging, color consultations, corporate and executive relocations, move organization, redesign, and interior design. We also stage model homes, REOs,foreclosures and auction properties.

For more information about our home staging services, contact Los Angeles home stager, Michelle Minch (626)441-8975 or by email.

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Posted by Michelle Minch Home Staging Los Angeles & Pasadena, CA on 11/10/2007 04:33 AM

Comments (64)

persian rug, rugs, property merchandising, home staging, pasadena, arcadia, san marino, san gabriel valley, moving mountains design

Originally posted at: Los Angeles Home Staging Info: Rugs Make All the Difference

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64 Comments on Rugs Make All the Difference

NOV

2007

Michelle, Lovely work as always, the floors are gorgeous by themselves, but the great persian rugs pulling the seating area together make the look. The space looks larger, more defined, and I belive subliminally, you are sending a message to the buyer that the home is wll maintained as carpet is placed under heavy furnishings. So nice! *****

NOV

2007

Michelle, Without the rugs the rooms just don't look complete......what a difference they make. Did these come from one of your suppliers on loan, or are they part of your own inventory? The color choices in all of your furnishings are lovely!

Michelle,

I think rugs are especially helpful in the cold,dark days of winter. It makes a room feel warmer and more inviting...and that makes yours buyers want to sit down and stay awhile.

Much harder to do in a vacant house.

The rugs really made a difference, which is what staging's all about. =).

You're right, Michelle. The rugs certainly do add an additional level of warmth!

Your rooms, as always, look beautiful.

Kathy

Hi Michelle - what a difference those rugs make in your pictures. I love wood floors and those are gorgeous in the pictures, but what extra warmth the rugs add. I need a rug in my living room, but just can't seem to find the 'right' one that I think will look good. Rugs really do make a HUGE difference!

Ann

Michelle ~ The floors are really gorgeous, but the rugs really tied the furniture together and go so well with it! Nice job!

Fabric makes the room come to life. Your pictures just proved it! Very beautiful.

I agree with these comments. I am planning to add some more rugs to my inventory (they are typically too expensive to rent). They certainly do often pull a room together. While we don't want to hide gorgeous, gleaming wood flooring, strategically placed rugs can add depth and warmth to a large room.

Celeste Williams, Seller's Advantage, Delaware

WOW you are right they did make a HUGE difference. I do not use rugs all the time based on budget but I will start factoring that cost into my bids. I agree with Celeste

Phyllis Pafumi

Julianna: The floors were in very good condition, and gleaming as noted, but they also have a very strong red/orange cast which is a little overwhelming when you are standing in it. The rugs helped break up the huge expanses, and in the family room helped define the space.

Maureen: I have a very mutually beneficial arrangement with a local rug dealer who has amazing rugs. If you haven't done so already, try contacting some of the rug dealers in your area about showcasing their rugs.

Susan: Here in CA we don't really have cold dark days, but the rugs definitely do warm up the rooms, and add more life to them.

Daniel: Thank you.

Kathy: Coming from you, that is truly a compliment. Thanks.

Ann: Most reputable Persian rug dealers will bring a selection of rugs to your home for you to see with your furniture and in the space. Some will even allow you to live with the rug for a few days to make sure you are happy with it.

Kathy P: Thank you. Yes, the rugs really do tie the room together.

Josette: Thank you.

Celeste: We have a number of Persian rugs in our inventory, and I use them often. I think that is one of the things that sets my company apart from my local competition. I can take my staging projects to a higher level.

Phyllis: The effect of the rugs is even more dramatic in person.

Just FAB MM :) Did the same Rug Co. donate them again? Boy, that place has been great!

LKP: Sorry, no donating involved. Otherwise I would donate them right into my house! It is the same rug dealer I always use, and as stated above we have a mutually beneficial arrangement. Sorry to be so vague, but I don't want to give away the farm.

Michelle,

The rooms look gorgeous. You really have a knack for seeing what's missing in a room. Great Job!

Michelle, I love the rugs as well. They definitely do warm up a room and give it character. Lovely post and congrats on your feature!

At least my feet will be warm. Thanks for the post.

Michelle - You are a master my friend. Yes, the warmth and class rugs add to a room is obvious. Keep up the great work and have a fabulous weekend.

Thank you George. I hope you have a great weekend as well.

Oh, that is right. Just put me in the the piggy sty :) Keep up the great farming MM, your crops look great. Haaa.

Michelle, I couldn't agree more. The home I staged recently that sold in two days also had expanses of Brazilian cherry that we toned down with a gorgeous Bokhara carpet. It made such an impact and really warmed up the space.

Michelle,

I am always amazed at how the simplest things can make such a dramatic difference. I love what you did!

Very beautiful Michelle, and your idea of working with the rug dealer is so creative! I have been using smaller rugs because of the hassle of transporting the larger ones. Hmmmmm

Kathy

those area rugs do indeed make a difference!!!

Good quality persian carpets right now are so inexpensive online that it makes sense for a stager to have a bunch of them in their inventory.

best

You point about too much of a good thing is right, the hardwood floors are beautiful but the rugs really anchor the space.

Rugs definitely make a huge different in those photos. Good work.

a big fan of rugs, without them the room feel naked.

Kathy A: Glad to have a commrade in the rug camp. I like Brazilian Cherry, to a degree, but it was really too much in this home.

Anthea: Thank you.

Kathy R: You never know until you ask...

Bill & Barbara Jo: I'm glad you agree.

Gary: There are a lot of rugs available on-line and for staging purposes, the price can't be beat. Most of the homes I stage are $1million+ so I tend to use higher quality rugs in those homes.

Lisa: Very well put.

Bob & Carolin: Thank you.

Fernando: So true.

I have to thank you I just forwarded this blog to my husband and he and I agreed we need to get a rug in our living room (I of course knew we needed one all along!). No we are not selling our house, but we have learned from our last sale not to wait to decorate. We changed out our front door in our last home right before we put it on the market and wer were kicking ourselves for not doing it earlier so we could have enjoyed it while we lived there. So thanks to you as I am getting my new rug tomorrow - come to think of it the one you have in your picture would be perfect for our home!

Tracy: Always happy to help out a fellow lover of Persian rugs. And I agree that it is sometimes silly to fix a home up just before you sell it. Why not get some pleasure out of the improvements while you are still living there? By the way, if you are unhappy with your local rug selection, many Persian rug dealers will ship a rug to you. The shipping costs are often under $100 even for a larger rug, which is usually covered by the savings in sales tax.

WOW, I am surprised what a difference the rugs made.They make the rooms look much more warm and homey!!

I recently added hardwood flooring to my own home and complimented them with rugs. You made a big difference to this home. Great job!

Thank you, Ann.

Kay: Rugs do compliment hardwood floors and vice versa. Nicely put. And thank you.

As stated numerous times above, the rugs do make a huge difference. I think what helps make it such a strong difference is the size of rugs you used. Too oft, the rugs are just too small and it almost makes the furniture look like its floating. The right sized rug anchors the room and furnishings.

Roberta: I think sometimes people use smaller rugs out of necessity: big rugs are really, really heavy. I wouldn't be able to use these big rugs without a couple of big, strong men to do the lugging. Also, the bigger the rug, the more expensive it is - to buy or to rent. Storage is another consideration. Having said all that, an appropriately sized rug does make a big difference.

thank you so much for posting this. I find that rugs are so essential to giving vacant rooms a warmer look. They also add a lot of color and actually allow me to use less accessories overall. They are an expensive investment to have in your inventory but make a staging job so much more pulled together. Great post. KH

Hello Michelle! Your work looks great as always! Those red floors really needed the softness to calm down the brightness of the wood color....wow! Rugs can make such a huge difference and you showed this perfectly with your great example! Regards-Kathleen G

Michelle: WOW! What a difference. It feels much more cozy, yet the defintion works very well for the area without decreasing the rooms overall size as most area rugs can. The color chose was spot on!

Big difference! they do add to the appeal of a home.

Wow Michelle - your Persian rugs really do make a huge difference. We have a dealer here in town who will rent his rugs to stagers. After looking at your pics - I think it's time we went to visit him. Great job. Betty

Your skill in knowing how to finish out this room is tremendous. I'd love to see a follow-up comment on how quickly this home sells.

Thanks, Betty. I highly recommend the rug route.

Marsha: Thanks. The house has been on the market for 6 months (before we staged it 2 days ago) with no offers. The Realtor said there were a lot of access issues in the past, but now the owner is committed to selling (as evidenced by the fact that he hired me and paid for staging). It is a lovely home, but you really couldn't see its advantages before staging. Many of the rooms were empty or scantily furnished and other rooms (bedrooms) had beds that were way too big for the size of the room. I will be writing a blog about this house before and after shortly.

Michelle, it really does make a huge difference and your photos show that. Rugs help anchor a room and with the high dollar homes you stage the Persian rugs make a great statement.

Karen: You are absolutely right. Thanks for commenting.

Michelle - Huge difference. The rooms just look so much more comfortable and inviting now. I keep going back to look to at the before and after of the second room - everything is the same except for the addition of the rug and it's so much brighter!

Jackie

NOV

2007

Jackie: I was pretty shocked when I saw the before and after photos myself, and I was actually standing in the rooms! The rugs make the rooms.

Great post and I love the B&A pictures. What a difference, how the furiture becomes placed and anchored with the addition of the rug. I always struggle with rug selections...something I need to really learn, kind of coordinating a man's tie with the rest of his 'suit', what patterns compliment the style best, you know?

Abby: Thank you for your comments. Here is my little secret regarding rugs: I ask my rug supplier to bring 2 or 3 that I think will work for each room. Once the rugs are there it is easy to decide because the furniture is there and you can see the rugs and how they will work right in the home. If I have it available, I bring a swatch or throw pillow of the predominant fabrics to the rug showroom, which helps me pick the 2 or 3 I want to see at the house.

What a difference adding the Persian rugs made!! I am impressed with how it really pulls the whole room together! Great job!

Thanks Michelle, I was just thinking if I could get away without the rugs. You've convinced me to use them.

Diane

Lori: Thank you.

Diane: I think they made a big difference in this case. Every house is different, but my money is on using rugs.

Michelle, Your pictures show the difference between putting furniture in a house and professionally staging it. Great Results!

Thanks a bunch Leslie!

NOV

2007

The rugs complete the rooms. I use to think rugs made the rooms appear smaller so I stayed away from them. You proved me wrong. You (and Kate's comment) have changed my mind. I am now considering adding large rugs to my inventory. :)

Janice: Happy to be of service. Just keep in mind that larger rugs are heavy, so make sure you have some help with them.

JAN

2008

Michelle, not only are the rugs you have selected beautiful but I love they way they anchor the furniture within the spaces you have staged. I like the fact that they are light and therefore provide an open space to the rooms. Do you have a preferred source for your rugs?

Why thank you, Jo. I have purchased a number of rugs on Ebay and Craigs List. They are all real Persian rugs and not as expensive as you would think. I also work with a rug dealer from whom I have purchased a number of rugs from for interior design clients. While I won't discuss specifics, we have a mutally beneficial arrangement that has worked out very well for both of us.

JAN

2008

Michelle - The rugs sure do soften the look of the room. Excellent photos to illustrate your point.

Big difference when the rug is added.

JAN

2008

Marlene: Thank you. Sometimes it is suprising when you look at the photos after you have finished a job. Thanks.

Vincent: It's true. Thanks for your comment.

I love rugs for hardwood floor but they are a bit of a pain to store - anyone have some great ideas? Also, how often do you clean them? I am thinking of buying a steam cleaner for rugs to keep up with it - if anyone know of a god one please tell me.

Hi Kim: I store my rugs rolled up and standing on end, or folded and rolled like they do at a Persian rug store. I have my rugs professionally cleaned. They are too heavy when wet for us to lug around. Since I mostly stage vacants, I don't have to have the rugs cleaned that often. Just keep them well vacuumed to pick up any loose dirt.

Michelle,

Wow great before and after pics . The rugs anchor the room and give a warm and homey feel.. great job.

hiddenpotentialhomestage.com

Thanks Brenda: I thought these photos really illustrated the point well.

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