Thursday, July 31, 2008

Real Estate Staging: Fireplace for sale; comes with house

Here's the thing about fireplaces when you're trying to sell your house. If you've got one, you've got to get it to jump up and down and scream: "I'm here!"

Cause everyone, and I mean everyone, loves a fireplace.

Here are a few tricks that I used to get a fireplace hopping at a home I staged for sale.

Notice how in the before photo, the print on the mantel blends in with the paint... but the darker star jumps out. The green plant in the corner draws your eye to that part of the room as well.

But, perhaps most importantly: the chaise portion of this sectional sofa, which stuck out in front of the fireplace is gone. (It's a little tougher to see in the top two photos, but look at the photo below and imagine the chaise jutting out in front of the fireplace.)

I moved the chaise to the master bedroom, where it helped create a luxurious feel in there. And the family room now looks bigger and you've got a clear view to that fireplace.... that fireplace that's going to help sell that house...

P.S.: Remember to enter my contest for a fun art project by leaving a comment on Saturday's post!

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12 comments:

Nik said...

Bravo! Bravo! Encore Encore!

I can't tell you how much I giggle at the though of you walking into my home and going "Good Gosh woman" ROFL

Thanks so much for the different perspectives!

Amber said...

Looks great! I love the color of the walls. It's similar to my bedroom wall color. One question though, how come no window dressings?

Mary said...

Hi Amber:

Good question. That wall of windows offered a great view into the backyard...with a built-in pool and pool house and deck. And since the house was for sale and those were among its features, we opted to skip window treatments, rather than have the homeowner buy them.

If we weren't trying to show off the view, simple panels would have been a great addition.

Thanks!
Mary

Melissa said...

What great ideas.

I must be back to visit soon and see what else I can learn.

Melissa

Joy said...

I have a question for you...how do you become a professional redesiger? Is there a certification program? Where would I find out more info about this profession?
I'd appreciate all the info you have to give. Thanks!

Durante said...

Once again a masterful job! I love how you worked the fireplace into the room space. You are truly an artist.

Mary said...

Hi Joy:

There are various schools that offer certification. I went to the School of Interior Redesign in CT (http://www.schoolofinteriorredesign.com/) and can highly recommend that.

Best,
Mary

Carry Grace said...

I love all of the before and afters!

Kelly said...

I am loving these before and after pictures and suggestions! We recently purchased a new home and are working on fixing it up and decorating it, and your posts are so informative.

Thank you, and I look forward to seeing more before and afters!

Brittany said...

What a great blog! Thanks for stopping by.

Ocean Hammock Residents said...

Hi Mary!
Speaking of fireplaces, thanks for visiting my "faux fireplace" video on my blog. I hope you saw the before & after page too.

Redesign shows on TV are some of my favorites and I wish there were more of them. I love what you do with your clients' own things to improve the room. That takes more talent than working with a big budget!

Best, Mary Kay

Julie said...

Hi, Mary, I'm new to your site, but... Oh, I can tell already I'm going to learn a lot from you! These are such simple rearrangements, but they make a dramatic difference. Thank you!