Lower Level Living

Living Area "Before"

Premiere Home Stagers were asked to consult on a basement remodel project.  We will choose flooring, paint colors, window treatments and general furniture placement. We work with various vendors and suppliers in the Madison, WI area who consistently deliver superior customer service.

This is a raised ranch where the basement was formerly used as a hobby room. However, due to a recent downturn in the homeowner’s health, she wanted to remodel the basement into a cozy living area and bedroom.

Basement Bedroom “Before”

Premiere Home Stagers are happy to help this homeowner in any way possible, even if it means cleaning out this room and getting the paneling ready for painting.

The first step is to make a plan and select products. We chose to go with a commercial grade flooring–perhaps a commercial grade vinyl in the living area and a commercial grade carpet in the bedroom area.  We will fill the panel seams, sand, then paint the paneling a lighter color. After recessesd lighting is configured, a drywall  ceiling will be installed.  Then we will select and place a few furniture pieces for herself and her guests. 

Unexpected health issues can cause a multitude of logistical concerns. Premiere Home Stagers have experience in working with people who need extra attention and care. We understand the emotional toll remodeling can take on people. We are poised to help you weather the storm and get you back on track.  Give us a call so we can be of assistance to you.  608-345-9396.

 

Summertime Porch

Some homeowners don’t realize the potential of certain spaces in their homes.  For example, this front porch is enclosed with storm windows that when lifted to expose the screens, the summer breeze wafts through.  The problem is that over the winter the porch becomes the “catch-all” space. Premiere Home Stagers saw the diamond in the rough.

Porch before

Notice the number of competing patterns. There is no cohesion, no flow, no comfort level. It does not invoke a peaceful space on a lovely summer afternoon sipping iced tea or lemonade.

Porch glider before

The homeowner had problems finding the correct size of cushions for this 3-seat glider so she cobbled together bedspreads and thin bench cushions to soften the springs.  When Premiere Home Stagers sought out cushions that would fit, they went to World Market and purchased six floor cushions.  They are the perfect size and oh so comfortable.

Porch Glider after

You can position these cushions so that the stripes are either horizontal or vertical–whatever is your pleasure.

After removing the clutter and mismatched fabric patterns, then re-arranging the layout, the porch becomes a serene gathering place during the day plus a welcomed relief from mosquitoes in the evening.

Porch After

Notice the colors aren’t all the same, but complement each other. By positioning the daybed at the end, there is more room for guests on the glider to enjoy the outdoor view. The rug runner is just the right size and ties the burgundy colors with the golden and brown colors.

Porch Dining

This is the place where you would want to go to read the morning paper while sipping coffee. Or, perhaps enjoy a casual lunch or dinner with friends.  Who doesn’t want to stay up late on summer evenings while watching fireflies dance about.

Front Porch After

Just imagine what Premiere Home Stagers can do for your cherished spaces!

 

Declutter for a Quicker Sale

Is it really true that decluttering your house may bring you offers sooner and for more money than if you didn’t declutter? Premiere Home Stagers believes in the statistics that point to that fact.  We recently were a part of those statistics when we staged this occupied home.  It had been on the market twice before. But after staging and good marketing by Katie Michelle of Century 21 Affilitated, this home received two offers within 5 days of being listed.

   These were the pieces that we set aside for the homeowner to move to the basement for an upcoming garage sale, or to pack up for their upcoming move.

The more items you have on display, the less they make an impact.  The same with family photos.  Select only your most cherished pieces to display. 

  Premiere Home Stagers selected the homeowners’ majolica pottery for display in the lawyer’s bookshelf and hung a watercoloring of their house above it.

“Less is More” when selling your house quickly and for more money.

 

Bookshelf Appeal

Library Before

One of the hardest things to do when staging a home is to make large bookshelves visually appealing. How do you make books look neat?  The key is to have places where your eye can rest. 

Since books come in different sizes, you need to group them accordingly.  Paperback books are less appealing because often the pages are yellowed and the cover is torn or bent.  A collection of hardcover books makes the homeowner appear more learned. Sometimes we even remove the paper cover sleeve from a hardcover book so that it looks more intellectual. So please don’t exhibit your  “(Internet, Computers, Investing, etc)  for Dummies“  books. And please don’t display your children’s artwork, your family photos, and unless you have an Olympic medal, your trophies, because they are only precious to you.  However, go ahead and display pottery, small sculptures, special antiques, or vintage items that are non-specific to any particular person.

Library After

You can see from this “after” photo that there are more spaces for the eye to rest and some places where there are things besides books. It gives the impression that no matter how many books you may have, there would be room for them in this house.  The library is the first thing you see when you enter the front door.  Remember the adage that a person decides within 15 seconds whether they’d like to see more of your house when standing at the front door. Because this room is well-organized, one would think the rest of the house is also well-organized—and they would be correct!

 

Quilting Room Simply Organized

This homeowner loves to quilt. In fact she loves to quilt so much that whenever she purchases just the right quilting fabric, there is no place to put it. Fabric was taking up her precious workspace.  What to do?

We called in a professional….Jill Annis from Simply Organized.  Jill was great in developing an organizational system that the homeowner could work with.  The homeowner is now in the process of sorting like-colored fabrics into plastic see-through bins, organizing her quilting magazines and patterns, making her workspace visible again, and finding long-lost items amongst the chaos.

Having organized spaces allows for less stress and higher motivation to accomplish those goals. Don’t be afraid to call in an expert. We simply can’t be everything to everybody. Know your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT). Premiere Home Stagers is here to help you with your re-design or staging needs.

 

Premiere Home Stagers Staging Tips

Living Room "Before"

Some realtors offer their clients a home staging consultation before listing their home as part of their marketing package.  They realize that buyers make an impression of a listed house within 30 seconds of entering.  They also realize that staged homes sell faster and for more money than non-staged homes.

When Premiere Home Stagers entered this house through the front door, we couldn’t get past the large recliner because it was in the doorway.  Tip #1:  Enter your front door like a guest. Place your furniture so that it does not block the entrance nor a walkway.  We kept tripping over items. Tip #2: Declutter and clean.  The small photos on the wall were hung too high and were too small for the wall.  Tip #3:  Have a focal point and a purpose for every room.

This home could be the cutest bungalow ever with some elbow grease, some slipcovers, and a new wall paint color.  If you are serious about selling your home, a home staging consultation is one of  the best investments your realtor can make for you.

 

Resolutions

Floor Mosaic

Some of us make New Year’s Resolutions and actually keep them….for a little while. 

 Perhaps you’d like to learn a new skill–such as photography, mosaics, painting, cooking, sewing,  upholstery, etc.

The elderly man who lives in this Apartment recognized that he needed help and wanted to start the new year fresh. Sometimes people just don’t know where to start. It seems too overwhelming.  That’s where Premiere Home Stagers can help.

Start 2010 off right—feel good in your space.  We sell inspiration!

 

Home Staging Example

LR Before

If you ever need an example of what home staging can do to sell your house, check out this home. It is a lovely home with lots of space for teen-agers or a long-term stay of a relative. This homeowner had already purchased another home and needed to know what pieces should stay and what pieces should go to the next home.

This is actually harder to do than to stage it ourselves because we need to visualize in our head where pieces from all over the home should be placed and then write that down in our report for the homeowner to do.  Luckily, the homeowner was able to follow our directions to perfection–and it shows in this amazing transformation.

LR After

Notice that the fireplace now is the focal point. We’ve eliminated all the small pieces of artwork in favor of a few favorite pieces–that makes each piece more special. We took the armoire out of the bedroom to house the TV and take advantage of the high ceiling. Before, the sofa blocked the pathway to the kitchen, but now there is plenty of room to maneuver.

Check out the before and after photos of the bedroom.  If you’re not convinced that staging helps sell your home faster and for more money, statistics back up our claim. See http://www.stagedhomes.com/mediacenter/stagingstatistics.php

Bedroom Before

 

 

 

Bedroom After

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time for Dinner

Dining Room Before

 

 Let’s face it, most of us live like this when we don’t expect company or are in the midst of our busy lives.  We’ll tackle our spring cleaning when the weather is spring-like.

However, once it’s time to invite the folks over for dinner, share a holiday meal, or put your house up for sale, the cleaning and decluttering begins.

This after photo show evokes an emotional connection that says, “What’s for Dinner?” 

Dining Room After

 

 

Vacant House “Before”

This is the “before” photo of the living room/dining room combination from the previous post.  Unbelievable isn’t it?  Just think, if Premiere Home Stagers LLC can do this (in cooperation with Haver Design & Construction, Inc),  imagine what we can do for you!