melody's Blog

If I've learned anything this year, it's that the majority of staging clients are new to the industry.  When clients have never before used stagers or staging, they truly don't have any point of comparison in regard to pricing.  Even very good pricing can seem exorbitant to a newbie.  After resea...

I recently had a staging consultation for a couple whom I had staged for previously.  In fact, i staged a vacant home they'd had on the market for 6 months and it went under contract in 3 weeks after the staging.  They called me in to now see what their current home needed before they listed.  Th...

We all know that the very first impression occurs as soon as  a buyer drives up to a property.  After the curb appeal is evaluated, the first steps into the home are crucial.  Foyers can be so important because they set a tone and the presentation begins.  I pay attention to foyers because of the...

   Table tops are a perfect opportunity for creating a great focal point and literally transforming a room's appearance.  Not only can we put a lot of color and design to work, but a beautifully set table makes for an inviting room.    I would love to see others' table tops.   Here are a few exam...

When working with homeowners, I find a lot of resistance to painting, especially in small rooms.  Many clients believe that putting color in a room will make it smaller.  I disagree WHOLEHEARTEDLY.  There is no quicker, less expensive way to really spruce up a little ole powder room, or boring ki...

.DRAMATIC CHANGE! Here was a room that lacked any type of cohesive flow.  The clients wanted to keep a southwest feel because all of their furniture was of that style.  They were open to paint, so we went with a hill country red.  Their furniture arrangement closed off the room and made it appear...

These homeowners wanted to dress up their living room and wanted a new fireplace to be the focal point.  Before we staged, we tore out the tiles and the boring, 2x4 that was acting as a mantel.  This entire renovation was less than $1,000.00 and look how it changes the room.  This before shot sho...

It is amazingly consistent amongst real estate agents and builders alike - they all seem to wait til the last minute (or weeks after the true last minute) to call up and want to schedule a staging IMMEDIATELY.  We all know how much it takes to put together a staging after the first phone conversa...

Yesterday as we were finishing up a staging in a vacant home, my assistants were ready to go when I noticed the dust ruffle was very wrinkled.  When I mentioned this, they said I was being too particular and that no one would notice.  I STRONGLY disagreed!  It's all about the details, from the sm...

I know many of you stagers, like myself, sometimes run into smallish living rooms when staging.  I found some compact chairs that are neat and small and quite classy.  These good looking leather chairs fit the bill where a bigger chair simply would not.   I found a company that is running a speci...