At the tail end of 2008 I completed my third "Staging" job for a developer of low income housing developments. If you read my posts about Staging 1 & Staging 2, you will realize that these are really more interior design than Staging jobs. Our goal was not to "sell" these places to the residents, but rather to make the common rooms warm and inviting, as well as functional for relaxing, watching TV, having meetings & classes and using the computer.

Job #3 was Hobart Heights in downtown Los Angeles. This is the flagship building for this developer, so it had to look great. The building was designed in a contemporary Art Deco style, so we chose furnishings and art that fit with this theme. This building had 2 main living spaces and a couple of ancillary areas, like entries and hallways that needed to be Staged. The first was the Common Room which is used for watching TV and having occasional meetings, as well as just hanging out. The second was the Learning Center, which included a desk area for 3 workstations, a conference table for courses provided by the facility, and an area for kids to play while their parents attend these courses.

These jobs are huge projects for us, requiring the coordination of several different vendors so that all the furniture, art and accessories arrive on time and in are put in the proper place. We also have to assemble some of the pieces on-site (especially the office furniture), which is a labor intensive process. This project in particular had its share of challenges (the first being "the case of the moldy sofa" which I will cover in my next post!).

Below are my photos of the end result. Stay tuned for my next post to hear more details of our challenges on this job.

Common Room

Common Room 2

Learning Center 1

Learning Center 2

Learning Center 3

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Annie Pinsker-Brown | Stage to Sell
Owner & Principal Designer
310-384-1084
www.stagetosell.biz

"We get you to SOLD so you can get on with your life!"

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Stage to Sell is the premier West Los Angeles Home Staging Company.

Owner & Principal Designer Annie Pinsker-Brown is an ASP Home Stager, a member of IAHSP (International Association of Home Staging Professionals), an affiliate member of the Beverly Hills/Greater Los Angeles Association of Realtors and a member of the Culver City and West LA Chambers of Commerce.

Annie has Staged LA homes for Bravo's hit show "Million Dollar Listing" and TLC's "Property Ladder." She has also been featured in recent articles on Home Staging in Los Angeles Magazine, The New York Times, Costco Connection and Frontiers Magazine.

If you would like to see more of our Home Staging work, visit our website. There is an extensive gallery of before & after photos, as well as a list of our Staged properties currently on the market.

 
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25 Comments on "Staging" for a low-income housing development - #3 and counting!

JAN
02

nice job and i love the chocolate rug with blue accents.

6:22pm • #1

Great job, Annie!  I can imagine the challenges and looking forward to the post.

 

6:49pm • #2

Looks great Annie.  Don't you just hate putting furniture together?  I'm instruction challenged.

7:35pm • #3
1 Featured Post

Benita, thank you! I love that color combo too.

Diane, I could hardly believe the challenges on this one! Can't wait to share!

Debbie, thanks. Yes I hate it so much that I hired a handyman for the day to do it all. It was a big job but totally worth the $$!

10:53pm • #4
JAN
03
138,090 Points Outside Blog

I love your rugs-the cream shag is fabulous!! Looks like quite fun but I am sure you were exhausted!!  Great job as always Annie!!  Can't wait to read about the moldy sofa...ugh! 

12:24am • #5
1 Featured Post

Thanks Cathy! That rug is actually a leather shag which is even more awesome!! Overstock.com. Not expensive!

1:59am • #6
1 Featured Post

Annie, you're amazing for all that you give back to the community. (And I LOVE those couches & ottomans - do share where you go those ;-)

10:02am • #7
446,068 Points 28 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog

Annie, I love this job and it does look challanging....to make separate spaces in one big open room.  Great job, it looks lovely.

8:13pm • #8
1 Featured Post

Connie, oh goodness I am sorry if I gave the impression that this was a service project. Actually these are paying clients! Didn't mean to make it sound as if we were working for free! :) Got the couches and ottoman at EuroModerno.com. Just wait until my next post on the moldy sofas!


Carole, thanks so much! It was definitely a challenge, but not because of furniture layout. I'll give all the details in my next post! :)

8:45pm • #9

What nice spaces.  I hope they take care of them.  Wonderful job.

9:11pm • #10
JAN
04

Hi Annie,

This looks like a very interesting job.  Are they purchasing all the furniture & accessories, or renting?

If you ever need any help for a big job, I'm only a phone call (or email) away!

 

1:31am • #11
Outside Blog

Looks great Annie! Putting furniture together makes me want to run the other way :) I am looking forward to hearing about the moldy sofas!

9:35am • #12
181,719 Points 4 Featured Posts Outside Blog

Annie - you are no doubt a PRO at what you do.  You prove that with each of your projects and this one is no different.

There are so many items that I love, the list would be too long.

Great job, Annie.

Kathy

11:08am • #13
127,881 Points 12 Featured Posts Outside Blog

Another great job, Annie. Thanks for keeping us updated on these projects. It has been a very interesting thread.

11:47am • #14

Hi Annie,

Kudos to you for choosing furnishings and artwork that are cohesive with the building's art deco era. Love the colors of the carpet and the design as well as the great use of Le Corbusier sofa and chair - they are functional and timeless pieces and a very sophisticated approach to low-income housing! Wished I lived there : )

I am looking forward to the follow up post.

All the best,

~Claudia

6:28pm • #15
4 Featured Posts Outside Blog

Hi Annie, I am really drawn in to these rooms. The colours are very  inviting. Good use of space. Love the artwork, it really anchors the individual areas.

6:42pm • #16
197,286 Points 1 Featured Post Outside Blog

OOpen spaces can be quite challenging as you have to define their use with the furnishings - you did well.

8:40pm • #17

Excellent job dividing the wide open space into different areas with unique functions! I can imagine this space looked cold and depressing before you infused life into it with these furnishings. Great job!

9:44pm • #18

Annie, great job, the colors, proportion, style - all of it works perfectly! I have marked your blog and will follow the story.

10:28pm • #19
JAN
05
1 Featured Post

Lori, yes let's hope. The other properties I've done have been ok, except that the TVs have been stolen both times (those were purchased by the developer, not by me) but this time they have a security system. :)

Beth, thanks so much! They purchase everything since it is to remain there for the residents. That's why it's more of an interior design job. Actually a little more labor intensive! :) I'll definitely give you call when I need an extra hand.

Wendy yes me too, which is why I hired a handyman! :)

 

4:07pm • #20
1 Featured Post

Kathy, I am humbled. Thank you so much!

Michelle, thanks for following. It's been a fun ongoing job to work on these projects. Each one is different.

Claudia, thanks! I love the Le Corbusier pieces and was so happy to find them at an affordable price for this project. It is maybe a bit upscale for a low income development, but as I said this is their flagship property so they wanted it to look great. Also the leather will probably wear better than a cheaper cloth sofa! And of course it's a reproduction. :)

4:10pm • #21
1 Featured Post

Michelle, thank you! I loved the artwork too. It was not easy finding affordable art deco posters. These all came from an Ebay store called CubanGraphics. I just loved all the colors and different styles. They're all magazine covers from the 30s.

Kathleen, yes it can be a challenge to define spaces like this (especially when you show up and see that some of the spaces are not laid out the way you were told they were going to be), but that's for the next post! :)

Erin, thanks. It was rather cold, but at least there is great light in all the rooms which makes it so much warmer.

Joanne, I'm glad you'll be following my blog. The next post should be a doozy! :)

 

4:13pm • #22
JAN
09
4 Featured Posts

It looks like a challenge, indeed.  You chose a glorious color pallette.

4:25pm • #23

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Annie Pinsker-Brown | Stage to Sell, Los Angeles Home Stager

Los Angeles, CA

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Stage to Sell - LA Home Staging

Address: Los Angeles, CA

Office Phone: (310) 384-1084

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