Watching the second episode tonight made me wish that HGTV had followed the same schedule as the Canadian broadcasts and shown this one first - not only because it was livelier and funnier, but also because it showed some aspects of how Dekora works that weren't really obvious in the previous episode, most interestingly that the Dekora stagers use rental company furniture (I'd mistakenly assumed that Dekora had its own vast furniture inventory), as well as rental art. That clearly made the project more challenging for Matthew, since he had to find furniture that was within his budget, and the three beds he looked at in the rental company showroom all had different rental rates! But even with budget-constrained furniture choices, Matthew delivered rock star results and the house sold for $100,000 over the list price.

Update: In reading this background article:(http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080627.revanHomestagers0627/BNStory/RealEstate/home?cid=al_gam_mostemail) 

I discovered that Dekora does have its own furniture inventory, but sometimes (as in this episode) that's supplemented by rental furniture.

I've read that the producers of "The Stagers" envisioned the show as "a sitcom in the office, with the staging almost a side issue". Obviously that's why it's called "The Stagers": it's more "stager personality" focused than "staging project" focused. In that respect, it's more like one of those reality shows on Bravo than the typical HGTV fare. Even so, there are plenty of moments where the staging process shines through - from the opening credits (Look, Matthew's ironing! That'll impress Melissa Marro!) to the amazing room reveals at the end. I love the show myself, I just think it's important to remember that while our lad Matthew may "call the shots" when he's staging, it's the editors/directors/producers who "call the shots" when deciding what footage goes into each 23-minute episode. And to keep the general public tuning in week after week, witty banter and heated arguments are more likely to make the final cut than scenes of packing and measuring. As Alfred Hitchcock once remarked, "Drama is life with the dull bits cut out." That said, I'm sure that a full hour for each episode of "The Stagers" would be anything but dull!

Amy: It's not surprising that you were confused. HGTV in the U.S. chose the second episode of the series to air as the premiere this past Sunday, so a lot of information that could be gleaned from the actual first episode wasn't apparent until it was shown Tuesday night. 

Dekora is a Vancouver-based staging company (www.dekora.com). Matthew Finlason is on the company's roster of 15-20 designers who work as independent contractors on staging assignments. His assistant works for Dekora, probably on an hourly or per-job basis. Dekora has an extensive inventory of furniture, rugs and accessories in its 10,000+ sq. ft. warehouse. They also have "preferred relationships" with various vendors, including at least one furniture rental company and an art gallery from which the stagers can rent art.

Matthew may have the luxury to "choose from anything" in the Dekora inventory, but Tuesday's episode showed him going from bed to bed in the furniture rental company's showroom, trying to find one at a rental rate that wouldn't put him over budget.

Oh, and Jay is Jay Hodgins, another independent contractor/designer on the Dekora roster.

Clearing up the budget confusion, I hope!

OK, I watched Tuesday's episode again tonight on my DVR and paid closer attention to Matthew's comment about the $6,000. That amount was NOT the budget for the whole project, and it was NOT the budget for furniture rental. What he said was that the furniture rental cost was based on a percentage of full cost, and the total VALUE of the furniture he was renting for the bedroom and living room had to be under $6,000. The actual rental cost wasn't disclosed (not surprisingly, since it's a preferred rate that would have been negotiated by Dekora with the rental company).

While I'm on that subject, I know that we're all curious about the details of the overall budget, but it's not really fair to expect Dekora to divulge that sort of financial information to the public (and by extension, to their competitors).