Loving the job you're in

I've always been a hands-on kind of gal and there's still nothing that quite gets the juices flowing as a staging job where I  can sink my teeth in a good project,  even before the detailed planning of the rooms. Not every house lends itself to this- two day turnarounds tend to cramp my style a little- but, when the occasion presents itself, this is where I shine. Like the rambling Orinda rancher with the dated wood dining room chandelier.I designed  and built a custom large drum shade,  spray-painted the fixture bronze and rehung it at a proper height: that alone took the 70's out of this single owner home.

Then there was the condo in the retirement community with the horrible fireplace surround and storage unit in the formal living room.As is often the case, we were to stage mostly with the owner's furniture for affordability. But I kept thinking about that ugliness in this key space and couldn't let it go:I presented a simple design to the owner's son who was coordinating the sale, built and installed a simple surround and coordinating doors to unify the built-in storage unit, for a truly dramatic improvement.

But my favorite to date has to be our most recent project. This home had been recently completely renovated by a young couple for resale, and again we were using some of their furniture, but were targeting a young couple or family as our most likely buyer. Having bid very competitively on this project,we counted on doing the project without a truck rental- a significant savings for us. The house has separate but adjacent family and living rooms- so the family room had to be distinct, young, warm yet livable. Enter 2 garage sale easy chairs and my favorite fabric store, a little elbow grease from your truly, and voila, instant family room!

I know I go beyond the usual staging modus operandi, but I'm in this for the creative kick I get from each project. I have the prescription to cure any tired house- and all the tricks to make it happen. Visit www.yourprojectguru.com or call (925)286-0086 for your consultation.