I wanted to share a few home staging before and afters from a Montreal home staging project we did last week for a condo in N.D.G.

These shots were taken quickly with my iPhone so the quality is not great, but the results are still there. (I always hire a professional photographer when it is my own listing. I was staging this for someone who was referred to me by a client, but another agent was listing it.)

Method to Our Madness

We do have a method to our madness in Montreal home staging although, after 5 years in the business, the process is now pretty intuitive.

Broken down to its most fundamental, once we know the target buyers for the property, we focus on: 1.Feeling; 2. Editing; 3. Art; 4. Lighting; and 5. Accessories – in that order.

1. Feeling

In each room, we determine the feeling we wanted to portray – in this case, light and airy and definitely warm. With all of the windows in this space, we wanted to counteract the coming harsher winter light with some warmth, while still keeping the look light and airy.

2. Editing

The homeowner worked hard to edit her possessions down with our guidance to those that would appeal to the broadest audience of buyers. In this case, we removed several pieces of Chinoiserie, among other items.

3. Art

Artwork is critical to everything coming together. It’s a jumping off point for accessorizing, and it must reflect the feeling we’re trying to create. In this case, the blinds in the master bedroom were blue, so we added blue art to tie everything together.

4. Lighting

In Montreal home staging, we often see spaces with a lack of lighting or lighting that is not to scale in a room. In this case, the lamps in the master bedroom were too small and the dining room lacked appropriate lighting.

We suggested the homeowner invest in a light fixture for the dining room to add a bit more character to the space. Previously she had a ceiling fixture with spot lights – decidedly un-dining room.  For less than $150 – yes, I’m a great shopper – we found a hurricane light fixture that is airy enough to not be a blob hanging in the middle of the space AND with enough wattage to actually provide some much needed light over the table.

In looking at the pictures, I see we will need to adjust the spots lights in the ensuite bathroom. Ooops!

5. Accessories

We wanted to keep things simple yet “done.” A little bit of bling, a little bit of style, a little bit of colour – not too much of anything.

Overall, we wanted everything to come together without looking staged.  Yes, not staged — just tidy, cared for, stylish and pretty neutral but not blah.

What do you think? Did we accomplish that? I hope so. 

For more about our staging work, please have a look here.

This blog was originally published at www.readysetsold.ca