Category Archives: Home Staging Principles

Where to Dine? Home Staging NYC Apartments

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apartment staging NYC

When Home Staging NYC Apartments, there are tough calls to make… like where will people eat?

While the apartment did show a dining pendant, it was not properly positioned in the room to accommodate seating – and there was no dining furniture either.  The floor-to-ceiling red bookcase visually overpowered the area and took up valuable floor space.  The dated pendant was hung too close to the front door.

The staging plan:  we removed the built-in bookcase, the red wallpapered border area and all of the tired, style-specific furnishings.  We had the walls skim coated then painted in a neutral color .  We added a more contemporary light fixture that was swagged to hang over the newly created dining area.  The floor mirror allows buyers to see the beautiful tree top view out of the windows at the other end of the apartment, even when they are in the dining area.  The wall mounted shelf and mirror created an “entrance”, a place for Buyers to drop their keys and cell phone when coming home.

The result: an intimate dining vignette that not only welcomed buyers into the apartment but allowed them to see dining for 4.

NYC home staging

After Thought

Sometimes the very things that make our homes have character and charm are the detractors when it’s time to sell.  And this is why a seller can not prepare an apartment for sale on their own.  They are too close it and can’t see the counter-intuitive measure that will be a lucrative decision in the end.  Plus, for many New Yorkers, a built-in bookshelf would be a rich feature; but is an eating area for 4 more likely to bring in a higher price?  It is well worth the investment of an initial consultation.

 

Apartment Staging in NYC: We Revive An Estate Sale

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UPDATE!Home Staging NYC

Update: The Park Avenue estate has an accepted offer, 5 weeks after being listed with the staged flyer, living room and dining room! Yippee!  

You hear of the little old ladies of Park Avenue, but it’s rare these days to find an estate sale, untouched.  The lovely pre-war apartment (pictured here, with before and afters) will likely be completely renovated by the buyers, to their tastes; but even renovators need some sense of scale, and to see hard evidence of the potential. Wreck or no wreck, most buyers do not see in 3D.

With a substantial reno ahead, the marketing team opted to present just the key rooms: entrance foyer, living room, dining room and kitchen. The staging helped make the apartment feel more loved and buyer friendly. It was released just a few days ago and there is a line for appointments .

NYC home Staging

The key to apartment staging in NYC, whether the property is an estate sale or not, is to present how rooms can be used.  We add layers of color and texture to trigger the senses, evoke happy memories and stimulate imagination.  Our buyer needs to see themselves living happily in a space, and this turquoise achieves that better than any other color at this time of year. Yellow would be garish and orange too obvious.  With Spring on the way, soon, and very soon, (fingers crossed) this bright blue suggests sunny days and soothing calm ahead.

Apartment Staging NYC

Whenever we pick a color with strong contrast, we carry it throughout the apartment. This way each room flows easily from one to another. A harmonious flow also makes the space feel bigger.

I would like to tell that we’re in citrus season, hence the lemons, but that wasn’t the motivation. I just liked the additional pop of color. That’s a lot of black, white and silver in there!

top staging companies NYC does Estate sale kitchen

 

 For more information on how to stage your apartment for sale, please call 917-428-3965 and ask for Debbie.

Amazing Space NYC covers Manhattan, Brooklyn Heights and all of the new developing neighborhoods in Brooklyn.

 

Home Staging Tips for NYC as opposed to the rest of the World!

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home staging tips for NYC

Yeah, we don’t have front doors like this in NYC.

The more I read home staging tips, the more I think: life is just different in New York City. There are things people recommend that we can’t do here. A gussied up front door, for example. That’s just an invitation to steal a bunch of stuff. We can clean the hardware, for sure, but to add planters, accent pieces, and something to draw the eye — all a very bad idea, and if your unit is 8H, for example, pretty pointless.

Here some other home staging tips I see that make me nuts. This is just not good staging. It may be an idea that works in your certification designator’s home town, but really, do not try it here in NYC.

  1. TOO MUCH – tables set for 10, entire recipe ingredients laid out on the cooktop, ALL of the 1,000 puzzle pieces, open scissors on a bit of tapestry/embroidery
  2. Hiding Major Defects – hanging a large painting over a crack or water damage section
  3. Fake Food, Fake flowers, everywhere… who eats a bagel in the bathroom, seriously? There’s morning kitchen and then there’s this apt’s too small for a morning kitchen, so let’s eat in the real one with the fridge in it.
  4. Bible on the bedside table.  No. Not a hotel, nor even a Motel 6. Not funny.
  5. And so many more “charming touches” that are just ridiculous! – a pile of boiled books, tied up with string is another favorite of my pet peeves.

But here are some good ideas we can utilize, from FrontDoor.com’s Room by Room Staging Strategies —

home staging tips 1

1.  Replacing the grody, disgusting vanity with a pedastal sink is an idea worth merit. It looks better, and is a cheap fix. BUT not in New York City.  storage is a huge issue for us here.  A new vanity from Home Depot, with perhaps glass sink perched on top – now that is money well spent. “But it’s half the price, the pedastal sink,” pleads my assistant with a keen eye to the budget.  “Vanity,” I insist. And that’s that.

home staging tips 2

2. Buyers love built-in bookshelves, but they need to accessorized to stand out. It’s not like you have to cover your books in wrapping paper and go crazy here, but a single, neutral palette will go a long way to making them look elegant and able to handle a lot of stuff. No one piece should stand out… and if you can get an electrician in to put a bit of lighting either under the shelves or on the outside like the sconces here, you will find the space looks bigger and almost designer-ish.

home staging tips 3

3. Always add a headboard. I can’t tell you the difference this makes. Even if all you add is an old door or piece of architectural detailing as a space marker. This finishes the room and elevates the room from college dorm room or squatter’s toss-spot to grownup space and with nice bedding, perhaps, serene retreat. At least, that’s what you should be aiming for.

Here are some other ideas from the Twitterverse —

 

CrystalMaidsMD

Some more great staging tips for selling your home. 5 No-Cost Home Staging Tips   http://t.co/Km2wcEFWO7″   http://t.co/se4feALkYO #MD

p93charlmont

Selling your home can be hard to deal with, here are some home staging tips, Stage my home for sale:

AmandaVREALTOR

Home Staging Tips… pick your top 3-4 items to stay on your counter tops. My favorites to recommend http://t.co/vS8iPsiSoe

RichAstrella

Surprisingly simple home staging tips for quick sale http://t.co/BgH6e67HgK #homestaging

Stagers Should Attend the Photo Shoot. Even Experts Need Another Eye!

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stagers photo styling

Fred Astaire “helps” Richard Avedon

Recently, I read an article about Staging and Photo Styling that contained some very useful tips for preparing a room for professional marketing pictures.  Real estate experts and professional stagers agree that the first impression is often the last impression so the marketing photographs need to be eye-catching and show the property at its pinnacle.

THE DILEMNA

Should a Stager design and install a staging plan based on the angles from which the photographs will be taken or on the buyer walk-throughs?   Or is there a way to provide the best of both to a seller?

THE ANSWER

The answer is yes, and very simple.  Hire your stager to be on-site for the photo shoot.  Working directly with the professional photographer and seeing the room through the camera’s lens, we often rearrange not just accessories, but rugs, lights and the furniture in order to create dramatic and appealing photographs that will be posted on the various websites and included in tear sheets.  Maybe a rare photographer would see it as interference, but given the importance of online images as the start point for buyers, stagers should attend the photo shoot.

In a Penthouse Unit in Long Island City, the cocktail table, side table, accent chairs, sofa, rugs and accessories were all rearranged for that “wow” picture.  After we relocated the furnishings to just a few feet from the wall of windows (which was the location of the camera for this fabulous shot of the entertaining space), we rearranged every pillow, book and accessory – even in the den on the opposite side of the fireplace – in order to maximize the impact of the photograph.   Two accent chairs and table were removed from the seating arrangement in order to open the view into the dining area and out to the terrace.

Long Island City Home Staging for photos

When the listing brokers brought buyers into this penthouse, this was the furniture plan that greeted them.  Look closely at the coffee table and the sisal rug with the kilim overlay.  You can see how much we rearranging we did for this shot (along with chair substitutions along with a prop and accessory shuffle).

long Island City home staging of a penthouse apt

As another example, this is what happens when I’m not there -below- look at the rug! It’s a simple detail that’s been overlooked; the camera preview square is small, I get it. Yet this simply would not have happened had the stager been onsite. Just have us there, even you can’t bear the interference of a photo stylist!

Stage the Shoot for meticulous photos

It truly is worth the one or two hour investment to have your Stager on site for the photo shoot. You have one chance to make that first impression and to capture and present the money shot.

 

Photos courtesy of Evan Joseph.

Why Buy? And How Home Stagers Can Help Brokers Answer This Question.

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Before & AfterThose of us in the business of selling properties need to consider the other side of the equation – why buy? The New York Times recently published a report on Home Ownership and Wealth Creation, concluding – “As a means to building wealth, however, there is no practical substitute for home-ownership.”  Kristal Kraft, a nationally known real estate Broker in Denver, CO authored the article The REAL Reasons Americans Buy a Home in which she lists the top 4 reasons to own a home, (other than financial benefits).  All of a sudden, my home staging wheels started spinning.  How can Home Staging illustrate these intangibles?

I thought I would take each “Real Reason”, compare the brokers’ point of view next, then offer my thoughts on how Stagers can assist our brokers in an imaginative and supportive way:

 

Buyer’s Real Reason

The Brokers’ POV, according to Denver Realtor, Kristal Kraft

How Home Stagers Can Help
1. It means having a good place to raise children & provide them with a good education. From the best neighborhoods to the best school districts, even those without children at the time of purchasing their home, may have this in the back of their mind as a major reason for choosing the location of the home that they purchase. We tell our buyers to remove anything specific to family in the house, but a train schedule on a bulletin board talks about commuting options, and a school report summary can be a subtle sign, especially since brokers’ aren’t allowed to mention school rankings.
2. You have a physical structure where you & your family feel safe It is no surprise that having a place to call home with all that means in comfort and security is the #2 reason. Safety is a tough one for us, but we can suggest “cozy nest” with soft furnishings in inviting groupings. 
3. It allows you to have more space for your family Whether your family is expanding, or an older family member is moving in, having a home that fits your needs is a close third on the list. Illustrating the potential lifestyle each home can support is our definition: in many cases we multi-purpose a room to keep options open and flexible. 
4. It gives you control over what you do with your living space, like renovations and updates Looking to actually try one of those complicated wall treatments that you saw on Pinterest? Want to finally adopt that puppy or kitten you’ve seen online 100 times? Who’s to say that you can’t in your own home? And here is the big contradiction: pets. When we stage a house for sale, we usually want signs of your pets removed. The smell, the toys, the food, the clutter — all of these could be a major turn-off for buyers.   And, sorry, but that wall treatment will probably have to go, too! Why? Because you want a buyer to see what THEY can do with the home as opposed to what you’ve already done to make it yours.

 

Sometimes, instead of just handing out home staging tips, we find that  by understanding everyone’s point of view, we can strategically position a home for sale in a more effective way.  Staging makes the process of selling their home easier and more remunerative for the seller, but it also works well for the buyer, too.  It shows how many options there are in the home, and very often, the stager has managed to get many of the smaller renovations and repairs out of the way.

Staging is most effective when we all work together for everyone’s best interests.  More than top dollar for the seller, we need to encourage potential buyers to feel good about their decision on “Why Buy?”

 

[Kristal credits the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University, so I suppose we should too!]

Bracing For The BlackOut? Call A Home Stager for GREAT Last Ditch Ideas!

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Reinforced by a great article in NewYork , we know that Real Estate Brokers generally think (and tell their clients): “If you’re looking to buy for a bargain, then start buying in November and stop buying end of February. When sellers see very few showings or very few people attending an open house, then a buyer can put in a low offer and it will get accepted,”   The article goes on to suggest that ” sellers, too, can benefit from a reduced marketplace as well, especially if theirs is the only type of home on the market in that particular area.”

However, if you’re still looking for a buyer, now IS the time to panic.  If you don’t do something immediately, then you will be low-balled or black-balled and neither one helps you move on in a good way.  What to do?

Something Bold.

  1. Be honest with yourself. Too much furniture? Take 90% out, and leave only the “mod” pieces. So long as they are in mint condition.
  2. Bright color.  You want your frame to be neutral, but not necessarily beige. We have done very well this year with a pale gray or taupe as our neutral and then amped up the space with bright teal, or red, or yellow.
  3. Different art.  When you sell your property, the bigger, stronger pieces make more of a statement. You only need one on a large wall, and you’ll find the whole space looks and feel hipper, edgier and more inviting. Counterintuitive? Yeah, but it works.

Something Soft and FluffyHome Staging NYC one57 condo

  1. A pillow
  2. A rug
  3. A throw

Winter’s coming, nights are drawing in, and people are naturally nesting in for the colder weather. Just a touch of fluff will give you a texture and an invitation to snuggle. That’s all you need.

ReshootBrooklyn Home Staging for a rental appartment

  1.  Have your photog take more intimate shots as part of the montage that is uploaded to Street Easy and the Broker’s webpage.  The wide angle lens is not sexy; it does not add warmth or sensuality to the room. While I understand that buyers needs to see the breadth of the space, adding a few intimate close-ups will make the listing more attractive and memorable.
  2. Look at the photos for some of the new builds in your neighborhood. What are you competing against?  Notice if the photos are stylized at all, and how the tint is just a little bit “more” than the space would look in real life. Do the same. Personally, I’m finding that grayer, cooler photos are looking more on trend than the yellow tones of the Pottery Barn Thanksgiving catalogue. Think: Restoration Hardware.

Lastly, do NOT reduce the price. Fix the value.  If you haven’t sold your house already, don’t immediately take a precipitous hair cut to make your broker’s life easier. Get hold of a stager and see what can be done to better tell the story of how your space works.  And hurry!

It’s not only Black Friday that coming, but the blackout time of New York City Real Estate season. Btw, I’m at 917-428-3965, but not for long: I host Thanksgiving.  As you might imagine with an Italian hostess, it’s a non-stop feast!
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Staging in Brooklyn Heights: Rental Leased Within 2 Weeks!

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Brooklyn Rental Staged and Sold

 

Brooklyn Heights is the IN place. Full of construction, there are new towers and prestigious buildings with a plethora of amenities popping up throughout the zip code.  Competition is fierce and usually the “newest” – because whichever has the caché of being the “newest” rents the fastest.  The marketing director of a management company for several very prominent rental buildings in the Heights and Dumbo areas realized the dilemma one of her buildings was facing and called our company to stage three units – a first floor studio, a one bedroom and a 2 bedroom unit.

A staged property

Vintage green glass speaks volumes to the stylish Brooklyn set.   For the one bedroom apartment, our backdrop of black and white was invigorated with green and yellow.  We absolutely love the lines of this velvet green sofa from R&B; paired with a white leather wasilli chair, black and white chevron leather rug and a combination of black/white and solid yellow pillows, this room screamed “Welcome”.  The vintage green glass displayed on the open shelving in the kitchen was the perfect touch to complete the color scheme we installed in this open floor plan design.  The Client had a little concern about the boldness of the sofa, but when the unit rented 2 weeks after it was released, I think she was okay with our design choices.

Green Sofa

The first Unit we staged was the 2-bedroom and we went bold – black, white and significant pops of red to really make the unit come alive both in photography and in person.  Within one week, the apartment rented!   All of the furniture, art and accessories were relocated to another 2 bedroom vacant unit with a slightly different lay-out.  That, too, rented quickly – within 2 weeks.

Andy Warhol’s Campbell Soup Cans takes iconic imagery and turns them into subtle tells of lifestyle and values.  It must be odd to have your entire career be defined by something as quotidian as a Campbell’s Soup Can.  Even more odd that painting over a photograph was considered the height of a new form of expression.

Reflecting on his career, Warhol claimed that the Campbell’s Soup Can was his favorite work and that, “I should have just done the Campbell’s Soups and kept on doing them … because everybody only does one painting anyway.”    [Phaidon.]

He might have been on to something – considering that one iconic piece of artistic expression garnished $9,042,500 at auction!

We love staging in Brooklyn; give us a call!

Related Brooklyn Rental Staging

Home Staging A Starter Greenwich Village 1BR

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home staging greenwich villageLocated on the “mezzanine” level of a post-war building in the heart of Greenwich Village, this “starter” apartment needed a jump start.  We repainted the walls in a pale blue-gray with white moldings and trim.  New light fixtures were installed to provide a generous amount of light in the rooms.  A furniture plan that blended with the walls and trim creates a soothing oasis.

repainting is a home staging nyc tactic

When home staging a starter home,  our goal is to demonstrate that here is where true “living” can begin. You own it so the walls don’t have to be white.  You can buy real furniture. You can even buy fun, funky touches like the shaggy, sheep pillow.  We want to inject fun, lively and playful touches as well as providing that sense of zen calm that you are finally home. We make every inch of the 863 square feet count – with a dining area and a office just inside the bedroom.

home staging greenwich village

This painting is actually a 30″ x 30″ square… so you see the space is really quite generous here.

The bedroom is large enough for a king size bed.  With this much space, it is always good to be able to tuck a desk into a quiet corner.  By adding functionally defined nooks we create the sense of walking from “room to room”. We put two large wenge armoires in the space for additional clothing storage.  It looks fabulous!  The Juliet balcony at the end of the Living Room adds an air of sophistication, amplified by the chunky chair rail molding.  The kitchen, with stainless steel appliances and sleek contemporary cabinets, blends the best of old and new, character and technology. By keeping our color palette connected throughout the unit, we create a harmonious flow.

NYC home staging

 

A reading chair, in comfy black leather, is a tempting spot in which to curl up with a book.  The broker thought the finished look was pretty “amazing. That’s what we like to hear! 🙂

To have your starter home look like an Amazing Space,
please call 917-428-3965 and ask for Debbie.

PS — here’s the official write up as follows:

This spacious (863 SF), fully renovated one bedroom apartment is situated on the second floor of a full service condominium. It is ideally located in the heart of Greenwich Village overlooking tree lined Thompson Street. The apartment offers an open kitchen with stainless steel appliances, a Juliet balcony off of the living room, home office, king – sized bedroom, high ceilings, and beautiful floors throughout. This sophisticated and well proportioned home is full of character and a true gem. The Condominium has a 24- hour doorman and laundry on every floor. This friendly building allows pets, subletting and Pied-A-Terres. It is located near several subway lines, and is just a short distance from NYU, exciting night life, great local shops and restaurants. Experience the vibe of Greenwich Village.

 

 

Real Estate Photography Tips

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NYC home staging | home stagerWhat is one of the most important aspects of Home Staging that is rarely mentioned?  It can make the most beautiful installation look cheap and unprofessional.  Yet without it, our work might never be recognized.  The answer? The professional photographs used to market the property. It’s so important that we home stagers pay real attention. As a result, here are some real estate photography tips I’ve picked up.

The Home Stager’s Perspective

Working with NYC real estate, I realize that photographing an apartment that is up for sale is a challenging assignment. Making interiors look amazing is not easy.  Many photographers and real estate agents rely on the Stager to be on-site to shift, re-accessorize and even rearrange room layouts just to capture that million dollar marketing shot.  When you are photographing an empty room, the reader identifies everything that is wrong with the space, which could easily translate into no-shows for open houses.  So what should a photographer do when faced with an empty property?

Do the same thing he should do when faced with a furnished one: don’t use the wide angle lens for every shot.  Zoom in on details, points of interest.  Make vignettes that allow the viewer to step into the picture.  Take shots that bring the outside INTO the room if the view is a selling point, like this photographer did when shooting part of the master bedroom at One57.

Real Estate Photography Tip #1 –  Tell A Story

Real estate photography should tell a story.  Wood beams.  Brick walls.  Exposed ceiling pipes and duct-work.  Intricate moldings.  Kitchens.  Clawfoot tubs.  Glass showers.  The list is endless when the wide angle is replaced. Try creating a collage of photographs that tell a more “personal” story of the materials and architecture. In the photograph below, I suggested that the photographer zoom in on the beamed ceiling (maybe we would see some character in the wood?) or create a juxtaposition of the beams with the ceiling piping (old versus new?). Give the photographs a bit of sensuality; make them look as if they were borrowed from the pages of AD

Real Estate Photography Tip #2 –  Post Processing

The secret about real estate photography that nobody wants to mentions is that, while the shot is important, and yes, the type of camera and the light, etc., it is post-processing that makes or breaks the final product.

When I asked a pro about the key ingredients to shooting vacant property successfully, here were some suggestions:

Starting with the raw file:

1) straighten all vertical lines (and making them parallel).

2) reduce highlights and spreading the light more evenly.

3) reducing the black-balance, and shadows…thus pulling the histogram out of extremes

A big round of applause and huge kudos to the photographers who continue to make my Stagings look so spectacular!  Without your keen eye (and your patience when I stop the shoot to adjust the blanket at the foot of the bed or turn the floral arrangement ever-so-slightly to the left so the fuller side is in the shot), my work would never be noticed.  Thank you!

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If you are looking for propping your next photo shoot, consider an accomplished NYC home stager.  Call me! I’m at 917-428-3965.

NYC home staging

Home Staging NYC Kitchens Take A Light Touch

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Kitchen - AFTER

1. Throw down some style!

NYC kitchens tend to be small. How much actual cooking gets done is hard to imagine, though many New Yorkers proudly proclaim they can create multiple course dinners in theirs: “it’s all in the timing”. So as home stagers, when preparing a NYC apartment for sale, we need to be able to suggest cooking could happen in the space. some place to eat whatever’s been created?  Well, that calls for even more creativity!  Here are a couple things I keep in mind when home staging nyc kitchens – with examples from a few of my favorite recent successes.

1. One Big Bold Design Statement

Add style in the form of a design element – just one – whether it’s a striking piece of art, or a hide rug, or a state of the art coffee pot… even a retro fondue pot – and you will find the space packs a punch beyond its size.

NYC home Staging a kitchen

2.  Deep Clean – grime and gunk has to be removed, and grout given a good bleaching.

2. “White Glove Clean”

Seriously, clean even if you need to re-grout as a result…because with less accessories to look at, the buyer stares into the corners. It is worth hiring a pro for this, unless you’re newly single and vigorous scrubbing would be therapy.

NYC home staging

3. Find Seating – somewhere close

3.  Seating

Even if there’s only a counter  or even a shelf, add a few stools and now buyer’s can see a separate space for a chai latte. The reality is that space will become where everyone uses their laptop, pays bills, and wraps presents, but in a small space, the horizontal spaces are a premium.

NYC Home Staging

4. Dress the kitchen sparingly, but with useful things

4. Dress Barely, One Flimsy Layer More Than Naked

Nothing on the counter is too barren, and as we’ve discussed earlier, it gives buyers nothing to look at beyond the grout lines and corners. A coffee pot, if gleaming, is fine as is shiny toaster. 3 trendy cookbooks in a row, if in mint condition is eye-catching, but one open is fine, too. A bowl of glossy red apples is an easy play, though it might suggest Fall to local buyers. Those red apples are grown upstate in lovely rambling orchards. Lemons, limes adn grapefruits last a little longer, and as they age, they can do you a great turn by cleaning out the insinkerator while aromating the room pleasantly.

NYC Home Staging with red accents in a kitchen

5. Accessorize the stove with a punch of color.

5. Put a pot on the stove.

Otherwise, its an awful lot of black! Just make sure the pot or kettle is in mint condition; a beaten up old favorite only sells “country”!

For advice on staging your kitchen when you go to sell your apartment, do reach out to me – my team is available for staging consults by appointment. The wait’s not too long!! :p 917-428-3965