In a recent home staging consultation I was presented with this traditional-style master bedroom, as furnished by the homeowners (picture below).

The furnishings were appropriate for the beautiful '30's-era stone house in a prestigious older neighborhood. From the master bedroom, potential home-buyers would then turn to the right to enter a small private room leading to the closets and master bath.

However...

...the young couple was using the small side room for their home office and catch-all room. It was jammed with mis-matched plastic laminate office furniture, computers, wiring, books, stacks of paper, and adorned with toys belonging to their small children. Plants were taking their last gasp. 

Just how many of us live, right? Unfortunately when selling a home this presents a total visual disconnect for prospective buyers who want to envision this light-filled master suite as their private oasis.

The homeowners were happy to clean out their cluttered room, but had a limited budget for improvements before the MLS photographs were scheduled to be taken. As their Staging Consultant I knew that potential buyers would appreciate a serene room with furniture that complimented the master bedroom, and that would work with the intimate scale of the room.

But typical contract rental furniture wouldn't be appropriate for this genteel home, nor would it compliment the homeowner's existing furnishings. So I hunted through a favorite furniture consignment store and found inspiration in this chair, a lovely (and legitimate) antique:

After leasing the chair and staging it with a neutral rug and the homeowners' existing accessories and throw, the small side room was given new life as a comfortable sitting room, harmonious with the master suite and the rest of the home. One-size fits all rental furniture just wouldn't have worked in this distinctive home.

While successful staging is a very comprehensive process (to the outside it seems deceptively simple), de-cluttering and repurposing a room with carefully selected furnishings can make all the difference. And since emotion is such a fundamental part of purchasing a home, it's essential to create a warm and inviting atmosphere for potential home-buyers to linger.

For additional before and after examples of Leslie's Traditional Style Home Staging in Marin, check out:

Mill Valley Film Festival - Outdoor Art Club - Before and After Photos

Leslie Olson Interiors provides Real Estate Staging, Event Staging, and Interior Design Services for Marin County and surrounding regions of the San Francisco Bay. I invite you to visit the company web site, at www.leslieolsoninteriors.com.

Thank you for your interest!

Leslie Olson, ASID, RESA

Leslie Olson Interiors  Marin County, CA  www.leslieolsoninteriors.com  leslie@leslieolsoninteriors.com  415.233.2633