Thank you Brandon and Jennifer for your kind words! Actually Brandon, I've found that staging can be equally as effective for homes that are not quite so high-end (by the way the furniture shown here belonged to the homeowner, with a few new pieces added). What's important is staging in a way that's appropriate to the neighborhood, the architecture of the home, the target demographic of the potential buyers...and of course the budget of the client. Even the most subtle updates can make a dramatic difference in a home's marketability, at all price ranges.

Hi Mike -- Actually this property was my last staging project in Austin, Texas before moving to California this summer.  But it's a perfect example of how my staging consultation package for Realtors can work, with an initial 90-minute consultation together with the Realtor and homeowners, then a follow-up appointment after the recommendations are completed to take place the day the MLS photographs will be taken. The Realtor paid for this 2-appointment package, and the homeowner chose to also extend the services to include personal shopping to select some furniture to supplement their own that would be affordable, while appropriate to the architecture. What a fun project this was (even though the moving van was waiting for me at the time at my own house)!   

Thanks for your interest!   -- Leslie

Thanks, Annie! You're right, it's wonderful to be able to work with a client's existing furniture -- sometimes a bit of editing and rearranging can make a world of difference -- it's a skill that's deceptively simple, but can be a huge value to the client!

Brandon, Annie and Kathy:  Alas, as much as I'd love to show you "Before" pictures of this project, I don't have any. As I mentioned earlier this was the result of a 2-hour consultation with the clients and the Realtor to evaluate the property, with follow-up the morning of the MLS photographs. The truth is that sometimes it doesn't feel completely appropriate to start snapping "Before" pictures at the same appointment where you first meet the clients. These people were absolutely wonderful to work with -- they instantly "got it" and were great fun to work with (as was the Realtor!). But they were also juggling an infant, an active 2-year-old and a dog as we toured the home. I chose to be respectful of their space and time, and (as much as I regret it now) didn't whip out my camera this time. So unfortunately you'll have to trust my verbal descriptions of the "Before!"

Thank you so much for your feedback!  Leslie

Allegra - To be honest it's not the first time I haven't taken "Before" pictures, and it's not likely to be the last -- sometimes the situation just doesn't lend itself to snapping pictures during a consultation. And isn't it irksome when you don't take the right angles of "Before" pictures that compare well with the beautiful "After" ones? It's always disappointing when I can't update my web site with some of my favorite projects because of the poor photo comparisons. *SIGH*

Michelle F. - Yes, it was a great property to work with, and it'm so grateful to the delightful Realtor who hired me for this project. She had been searching for a stager who understood this type of architecture and could stage it appropriately. I couldn't have been happier.  Yes, the homeowners had a good bit of furniture that was suitable, but needed just a few pieces to finish it off. I scouted around some stores in the area to find the right pieces for them (that could also be convertable to their new home) and made recommendations. These busy parents appreciated the streamlined process and happily purchased the items (one of which is the Barcelona-style loveseat in the Living Room). The lounge chair in the windowed room off the kitchen belonged to the Realtor, which replaced a very cluttered children's play room.

Wanda, Cindy and Michele -- Thanks so much for your positive comments!

Pangaea -- that's high praise from someone whose work I respect so much! Maybe if I can work on more properties like this then I can afford to buy one! Not to have a great time while doing it. I hope to have more projects like this to share with your new group, and look forward to contributions from you and other members as well.