Admin

Should A 100 Year Old Home Be Staged With Antiques?

By
Home Stager with Synergy Staging ~ specializing in vacant home staging

When planning the staging design for each property, the style of the house tends to guide the furnishings that will be installed. However, keeping in mind the potential buyers, it is important that they can visualize their furniture in the house and not be overwhelmed with a specific style.

From time to time we get calls from Realtors or sellers who say they have an old house and ask if we have period furniture that can be used for staging.

Does a Craftsman home require Craftsman style furniture? Does a home built in the early 1900′s call for antiques throughout? No. Most people who are looking to move to stylized or century homes prefer to keep the furniture they already own. This is just one reason we believe that it is important to stage with a mix of styles in our designs that appeal to the way buyers will actually live in a home.

Here are a few photos from a home built in 1913 that we recently staged in NE Portland. Our client, who recently moved out of the state, said that “the feedback has been universally amazing.” By blending various design styles that all work together, the potential buyers can imagine living in this home, instead of getting the impression that it is trapped in time.

 

Dining Room before Home Staging

Flanders - Dining Room staged by Synergy Staging in Portland

A lighter wall color along with modern art and simple decor make the original architecture come to life.

 

Living Room before Home Staging

Flanders - Living Room staged by Synergy Staging in Portland

Using one primary accent color in an otherwise neutral color palette allows a buyers eye to effortlessly take in each space without being distracted by the furnishings.

Flanders - Living Room staged by Synergy Staging in PortlandFlanders - Kitchen staged by Synergy Staging in Portland

Kitchen Nook Before Home StagingFlanders - Kitchen Nook staged by Synergy Staging in Portland

Office Before Home StagingFlanders - Office staged by Synergy Staging in Portland

Office Before Home StagingFlanders - Office staged by Synergy Staging in PortlandBedroom Before Home StagingFlanders - Bedroom staged by Synergy Staging in Portland

Bathroom before Home StagingFlanders - Bathroom staged by Synergy Staging in Portland

For more information on this listing please contact:
Rob Levy of Keller Williams at 503-906-1444

 

This home was professionaly staged by Synergy Staging. We present a lifestyle your buyer desires so you can sell your home fast. Join the Realtors, Investors, Banks, and Homeowners who call Synergy Staging to make their properties irresistible and sell quickly!  Read what our clients have said about their experience with our company.

Please call us at (503) 557-2244 for a free no obligation quote so we can help your home sell faster.

Posted by

Synergy Staging Portland Oregon

 Synergy Staging on Twitter - StagerDavid         Synergy Staging on Facebook

content may not be reproduced without permission

Comments(16)

Show All Comments Sort:
Karen Ellis
Refreshing Homes - Home Staging Maryland - Ellicott City, MD
Home Stager - Howard County MD/Central MD

David, What a total transformation, especially in that dining room.  Emphasis is now on the woodwork, floors, all the windows, views...any buyer could move right in. Great job!

Sep 06, 2012 10:41 AM
Maureen Bray Portland OR Home Stager ~ Room Solutions Staging
Room Solutions Staging, Portland OR - Portland, OR
"Staging Consultations that Sell Portland Homes"

Hi David ~ We don't use antiques when staging vintage homes, either ... because today's buyers really prefer a more generic "Pottery Barn" look.  It's funny too because 25 years ago, in many vintage homes in Portland you expected to see antiques -- even when it was on the market.   (P.S. Aren't those air contraptions with big hoses going out the window odd looking?)

Sep 06, 2012 11:06 AM
David Peterson
Synergy Staging ~ specializing in vacant home staging - Portland, OR
Home Stager Portland OR-Synergy Staging-Portland Oregon

Karen ~ The dining room was certainly the most dramatic with getting that deep red off the wall. Thanks for your comments.

Maureen ~ Aren't you glad that we don't stage with antiques! =) The air conditioners are odd, but that room was cooking on the top of the house. Without that AC unit (which they install for showings) is absolutely necessary in the summer. Too bad it wasn't hooked up when we staged!

Sep 06, 2012 11:16 AM
Kathy Burke
Sensational Home Staging~~Danville, CA - Danville, CA
S.F. East Bay Home Staging

Daivd....GREAT way to show off how to merge old world "charm" with contemporary furnishings for a much fresher look and broarder appeal!!

Sep 06, 2012 03:40 PM
Heather Cook
Beyond the Stage Homes - Kitchener, ON
Delivering beautifully staged spaces

David - love your staging transformations! You created classic appeal in every space which worked beautifully with all the charm of the home. Classic design can fit virtually any home and you don't have to use antiques to achieve this look - you can do it with a blend of modern and traditional furnishings. Great work!

Sep 06, 2012 10:45 PM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

Beautiful work, David!  Showing a more updated look using modern furniture really makes the older home much more appealing!

Sep 07, 2012 06:59 AM
Julia Maher
Nestings: Connecticut Home Staging and Model Homes - Fairfield, CT
Connecticut Home Stager

Back East, we have many antique homes, 200 - 300 years old, very expensive, whose owners have filled them with period (or fine repro) pieces.  From today's point of view, especially when they're on the market, these homes have a very "precious", museum-like feel.  Getting sellers to edit or replace their furnishings is a real issue.  This post is a wonderful example of what could be.  Great job!

Sep 08, 2012 02:00 AM
Melissa Marro
Keller Williams First Coast Realty - The Marro Team - Orange Park, FL
Jacksonville Real Estate and Home Staging

As always, you did an amazing job and the home looks so much more modern. We used to run into this problem regularly in downtown Charleston. An old home doesn't really need old stuff to sell. Knowing who the buyer is still represents understanding how to sell it more quickly. 

Sep 08, 2012 05:18 AM
Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Home Stager/Redesign

David- well done!  I love those windows!! You've taken an older home and showed that you could make it fresh and inviting and still keep the classic charm.  

Sep 08, 2012 12:53 PM
Michelle Finnamore
Toronto GTA, Alliston, Newmarket - Vaughan, ON
Preparing your property for sale

Hi David, I find that most people today do not have antiques nor do they want to acquire them. When they see a home with a lot of antique furniture they find it "heavy" and museum like.  You have definitely done an amazing job of transforming this space for the next family to move in and raise their family there. Great work as always.  

Love seeing the white horse on the coffee table again. Ever since I saw it in one of your older posts I have started using horses in my staging work. It was a new look for me and it has been well received on the jobs.

Sep 08, 2012 10:56 PM
David Peterson
Synergy Staging ~ specializing in vacant home staging - Portland, OR
Home Stager Portland OR-Synergy Staging-Portland Oregon

Kathy ~ Thank you!

Heather ~ Thanks and we agree! Blending styles in a cohesive way achieves a great lived in look, especially in an older home.

Sharon ~ Appreciate your feedback!

Julia ~ The museum feel is exactly the type of look that can be wonderful to live in, but not the best way to sell a home. It can trap buyers into a feeling that they won't be able to move in to the home if they aren't also an antique collector.

 

Sep 09, 2012 08:49 AM
David Peterson
Synergy Staging ~ specializing in vacant home staging - Portland, OR
Home Stager Portland OR-Synergy Staging-Portland Oregon

Melissa ~ Thanks! And bringing a home like this up to date with modern furnishings goes a long way toward helping potential buyers imagine living in the house.

Kathy ~ The home certainly does have a great deal of charm, and showing that off through the mix of contemporary furnishings helps the house show very well.

Michelle ~ Glad to hear that the horse has gone over well in your stagings. Ours tends to show up in quite a few of our living room designs! =)

Sep 09, 2012 08:53 AM
Lori Cain
Own Tulsa - Tulsa, OK
Midtown Tulsa Real Estate Top Producer

The timing of this blog post couldn't be more perfect - am getting ready to list a home built in 1918 and was pondering this very thing. Your photos answered my questions!!

Sep 10, 2012 12:54 AM
Karen Anne Stone
New Home Hunters of Fort Worth and Tarrant County - Fort Worth, TX
Fort Worth Real Estate

David:  No, I don't think staging with antiques is needed.  Not at all.  Just look at the wonderful job that has been done here.  Night and day doesn't even come close to describing the difference a great stager such as yourself has made in this home.  What an excellent job!

Sep 10, 2012 01:52 PM
Roger D. Mucci
Shaken...with a Twist 216.633.2092 - Euclid, OH
Lets shake things up at your home today!

Beautiful job mixing the old with the new and keeping the integrity and character of the century home.

Sep 12, 2012 05:44 AM
Michelle Minch
Moving Mountains Design Home Staging, Pasadena, CA - Los Angeles, CA
Home Staging Los Angeles and Orange County, CA

I don't believe in being "stuck in time" when staging. I think it's important to honor the architecture without being a slave to it. Great job David!

Sep 12, 2012 01:11 PM