Red is NOT Dead!

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Red in Home Staging NYC
Red – it is alluring and seductive, evoking feelings of hunger and passion. But is it appropriate for Home Staging? Those formal dining rooms and accent walls painted in candy apple, crimson or cranberry certainly are vivacious and alluring, but when Staging a property for sale, do those dramatic walls add value or cause buyers to run in the opposite direction?

When combined with the right furnishings and accent colors, red is extremely elegant. From a designer’s vantage point, I love red – especially when it is high gloss and lacquered.  And there is no reason why those same techniques cannot be incorporated into a staging plan, in the form of picture, art or mirror frames, trays, or small appliances (think retro toaster or ice cream soda maker).  Red in accent pillows and artwork are also great ways to seduce a buyer into a room.

Subtle hints of red in the furniture and accessories makes it pop – pop – pop!  We want the buyers to be moved emotionally, to be spurred to action.  Action to make an offer.  Red is a great color to inspire such action.

Red in Home Staging NYCModel Designs For Home Staging NYC

For more information about booking Amazing Space NYC for your own home staging, please call Debbie at 917-428-3965.

NYC Home Staging Guru Scans Trends At The NY NOW Show

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NY NOW ShowThe NYNOW Trade Show in Manhattan (formerly known as the New York International Gift Fair) just ended.  Luckily I was able to sneak away from home staging NYC (it’s been so busy) for a few hours to see what new and exciting home accessory trends would be available to designers this fall.  The show requires 2 separate venues – the Javitz Center and Pier 92 – in order to accommodate all of its vendors.  I wore the wrong shoes, for sure, and forgot to bring a tote bag for all of the literature I picked up along the way.  But since I was mainly interested in home decor and accents, I was able to focus my time at the Javitz Center and take in quite a bit before I had to make like Cinderella at midnight.

For those who have an unbridled passion for home accessories and trends, here are the highlights of the 2013 NYNOW show:

VINTAGE

Vintage Furniture still a trend 2014So vintage, industrial and weathered has been the rage for the past 2 years, and guess what? It still is! Vendors such as Made Goods, Go Home, Roost and DK Living prominently displayed a variety of items that fell into these categories. Rugs, decorative objects, furnishings, ottomans and benches, mirrors – if this style is your passion, the choices are endless.  A perfect compliment to an industrial and vintage decor is leather so these vendors also exhibited their cowhide upholstered ottomans, benches and chairs.

HIDES

And if hides are not enough to quench your animal thirst, you can still indulge in a mounted head or antlers or skulls or fossils, all presented in a variety of finishes.  Paper mâché. Resin. Lacquer.  Newspaper wrapped. Even bejeweled.

Fall Trends 2013 and Winter 2014COLOR

For those who are looking for some color this year, you will not be disappointed. But be prepared for substantial pieces with thick bodies and shapes.  Chippendale Chairs, dressers, chests, and wall mirrors were energized by vivid colors and lacquered finishes.  Beware: these pieces are not meant for the meek and shy.  They scream to be the center of attention in a room.  A perfect accent or focal point! And how can I report on colorful home decor accessories without mentioning the infamous Jonathan Adler? Anchoring one of the aisles, his bold shapes, forms and colors always grab my attention.

 BLING

I am not certain if my next observation is a widespread trend or a nod to the the fact that the show draws a BIG crowd from the ‘burbs  but there were several vendors showcasing their “Bling”, especially on accent pillows.  Rhinestones and sequins galore! Not my taste, but thought it was worth mentioning.

MADE IN THE USA

On many vendor booths, “Made in the USA” was as important to the branding as the company’s name and logo. I am a very proud “aunt” of a  Corporal in the United States Marine Corp;  these vendors always receive a thumbs up and an “oorah” from me.

Let’s wrap it up Oprah-style . . . My Favorite Things.  Without a doubt it was Whitbead Wilkinson, created by 2 women in London who used their marketing and product experience to create a line of home accessories. Securing a license from Pantone Universe and from Eames Office, Whitbread Wilkinson launched lines of eye catching kitchenware that captures the identity of these 2 brands in items as simple as a coffee cup or a coaster!

Whitbread Wilkinson Pantone Mugs

Whitbread Wilkinson Tea Set

That’s my sum and substance of the show. Coming soon: my Color Commentary for staging and design.

Cold War: Neutral Home Staging NYC Gone Too Far!

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When home staging NYC, most home owners know to neutralize the look of each space. You can go too far. You can create a hard, empty space that no-one wants to own.

Such was the case with this loft space. Modern, clean and barren, this space was so cold, even Eskimos were running in the opposite direction!  By adding warmer hues with art and accent pillows, then toning down the frigid feeling of the floor tiled floor, this Owner Occupied took on an entirely different vibe – and got several offers before accepting one at 99% of list!

Home Staging NYC's most cold, barren spaces

For more information, please call Amazing Space NYC at 917-428-3965 and ask for Debbie.

Decks – NYC Home Staging Exterior Spaces

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Outdoor spaces are a premium in Manhattan real estate. If you have one as part of your property, it needs to be emphasized and made the most of.  Amazing Space NYC (ASNYC) gets asked about home staging exterior spaces often, particularly in the extreme seasons of high summer (exhausting heat and humidity) and deep winter (darn cold and windy!)  should you bother?  Yes!

For this exterior space, we rented trees for the photo shoot and brought in pillows, towels, dinnerware, lanterns and some faux grasses.   ASNYC successfully revived these 3 decks and created an oasis that beckoned buyers to lounge, dine or entertain!

The Results:  SOLD – 99% of ask.

Home Staging NYC decks and penthouses

 

For more information, please call Amazing Space NYC – 917-428-3965 and ask for Debbie.

Home Staging a NYC “French Country” Styled Home

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Home Staging NYC French Country LIving RoomHome Staging NYC “French Country” Style

When we first entered this empty co-op unit, we were immediately struck by the golden hue on the walls and the country french drapes and balloon valance in the kitchen.  Both the bathroom and kitchen were a bit dated but very live-able.  Our design team knew we had to make this as appealing to the masses as possible because this apartment could satisfy the needs of so many types of buyers: single working professional, pied-a-terre for a couple, a young couple starting a family.

The first thing we had to do was lighten those walls and clean the apartment from top to bottom.  Then our team made magic with the rooms.  We incorporated the the window treatments into the design plan and successfully converted this post-war cookie-cutter layout into a warm inviting home.

Within 4 days, the property has several offers – all above ask!  This kind of home staging NYC result is a success story we can live with!

 

Update: This property is going to contract at $30,000 over the asking price. For more information about this particular listing, please check out

http://streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/970208-coop-425-east-79th-street-yorkville-new-york

NYC home staging success

Home Staging New York: Summer Success Story!

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New York Home Staging

Like many New Yorkers, my team and I try to make the most of the summer months by juggling time with our families and our clients. While ASNYC has performed a staging a week for the past 4 weeks, we have taken time off from our blogging and communication efforts to focus some much-needed time with family and friends.

Summer SUCCESS!

However,  we should share this success-story with you:

2 stagings we completed in July got offers the first day on the market, one of which now has 14 offers at or above the asking price.

14 offers in 4 days!!!

September is right around the corner. Call Amazing Space NYC today to have your vacant or occupied property staged by Manhattan’s foremost Home Staging Company

917-428-3965

Let’s Go To The VideoTape!

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Home Staging NYCHome Staging NYC

Amazing Space NYC has a video!  It always seemed such a big deal to do a video in the past, but nowadays there are so many options. This is a highlights reel from just a few of our spaces. Where you see no before photo, that’s because it was a model unit and the before was merely an empty space or under construction.

For more information and to schedule your home staging or interior design consultation,
please call 917-428-3965

The Lethargic 2 BR That Needed Home Staging, Real Bad!

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Lethargic 2 BR ApartmentThis Upper East Side 2 bedroom offers gorgeous views of the park, generously sized rooms and a comfortable flow. Although freshly painted, the apartment felt lethargic and void of light, bright color. ASNYC welcomed the opportunity to install a custom staging design plan so that 15A became ready for photographs, marketing materials and showings.

Lethargic 2 BRWe removed many of the furnishings so that each room can benefit from furniture arrangements that introduced warm textiles, glass and metals, colorful art and accents, all of which softened the dark wood tones.  All of which invigorated the rooms.

Lethargic 2 BR Master BedroomASNYC supplied its own artwork, florals, and lifestyle accessories so as to add a layer that speaks to the lifestyle of the potential buying demographic.  Overall, the design plan exuded a level of elegance comparable to the price point that a 2 bedroom Unit on Fifth Avenue commands.  A lethargic 2 BR no more!

Den with Logo

Home Staging New York Lofts

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Home Staging New York Lofts

When Home Staging New York Lofts, it is even more important to demonstrate how life works in the space because they are usually open plan. “rooms” or at least designated areas for each of the 5 primary human functions have to be clearly identified. Equally at issue is this notion of “over-neutralizing” that we see amateurs presenting all the time.

A good Home Stager knows not to over-neutralize when a property has a spirit and vibe that needs to take center stage. This was the case with a 3 bedroom Tribeca loft for which Amazing Space NYC was contracted to stage.

Featured in books, the interior design of this loft space was a creative interpretation and installation of inexpensive materials such as plywood, 2 x 4s, plexiglass wall dividers, and masking tape wall paper. The “bones” of the loft offered a distinct personality but it was overpowered and masked by the collection of oriental rugs, the antique furnishings and the parade of dressers and armoires that lined the walls. Over the years, the loft became an enormous closet for the family’s eclectic and somewhat eccentric possessions. How would potential buyers see the Interior Designer’s creation?
Home Staging New York Lofts

Amazing Space NYC provided one of its full-service stagings and started by hiring a moving company that packed and shipped to storage 90 per cent of the rugs and a large assortment of armoires, chests, dressers, chairs, sofas and art. To showcase the remaining pieces, the exposed brick wall and the materials that were used to create the loft design, Debbie and the real estate brokers chose an oversized, slip-covered seating arrangement and added morroccan pillows in soft summer colors. The seating arrangement was anchored by a simple sisal rug and a large piece of the owner’s art. Buyers were easily able to see the expansive living space while enjoying the materials that were used to create this one-of-a-kind loft design. The result: 9 weeks on the market and SOLD at 94 per cent of ask!

Home Staging New York Lofts

Home Staging New York Penthouse That Packs A Punch!

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This 2 bedroom, 3 bath New York Penthouse, located in a 2007 condominium conversion, was the last sponsor-owned Unit for sale in the building.

Home Staging New York
The property was on and off the market for 2 years and went through its fair share of both tenants and real estate brokers.  The third broker knew it needed to be staged and asked ASNYC to take on the project.  Although it boasted a generous outdoor terrace, wrap around city views and a large entertaining space, the Unit was empty and buyers focused their attention on the “issues” as opposed to the attributes.

For example:

      •  The kitchen is small and lacks counter/prep space
      •  Every room has angled walls that appear to present furniture placement and/or height issues
      •  The Gallery entrance off the elevator was closed off from the rest of the apartment, making it feel more like a reception area as opposed to an important part of the home

home staging New YorkIn addition to a punch list of minor renovations, ASNYC redesigned the Gallery entrance.  We removed the front door to the actual apartment thus making the elevator the new ” front door” to the Penthouse.  The paneling on the wall was replaced with sheet rock, allowing the Gallery to flow directly into the main entertaining space. Recessed pin lights were added to the ceiling to provide extra illumination in the Gallery and accentuate wall art.

Then the furniture design plan was installed which allowed potential buyers to see how easily their living and entertaining needs could be achieved.  Pops of blue were included in the Staging design plan to complement the signature accent windows of the building.  A layer of orange was used to warm up the room.  Several lifestyle elements, that had a more masculine edge, were strategically placed throughout the apartment.

The result:  2 offers at full list price within 2 weeks of re-launching the property!

Homes with views often need more staging than those who don’t.  Yes, the view is a key feature, but the home owner still has to live in the space! This is where lifestyle marketing plays a key role: an open, on-trend arrangement of furniture placed not only in a sophisticated design, but so that everyone can comfortably and peaceably co-exist with the views!

For these kinds of results, and more interior design magic, please contact Debbie Oulvey at 917-428-3965 for a consultation on what home staging New York might look like for your home.