melody's Blog

It is easy to get too feminine when staging master bedrooms.  We stagers need to keep our male buyers in mind as well when we get into designing this space that can easily lend itself to a feminine feel.  There are many ways to balance out that girly girl feeling.  In this bedroom, I initially hu...

I recently have been giving an 'extra' room when doing a large staging.  Usually, it's a powder room or a breakfast room.  My feeling is this - if I have the inventory sitting in my warehouse, and I'm staging 6 rooms or so, it doesn't hurt me a bit to do an extra room at no charge.  This helps th...

I see a lot of stagings where rugs were not used. I think that the color that rugs bring is essential to having a truly impactful finished project.  Look at these pictures and try to imagine them without the rugs.  Not only do the colorful rugs dramatically help the rooms gain personality, but th...

I have recently been inspired by the superbly talented Patti Egan here on Active Rain.  Her rooms are nothing short of fabulous and so I contacted her to discuss her extensive use of window treatments. I truly believe this is the lipstick on the face of the room and without exception, improve the...

I love thinking a little outside the box when it comes to wall decor.  One of the things that come in such a huge variety and address a lot of wall design, are plates.   I would love to see different uses of plates, in any area of the house.   I put these light weight plates up with velcro - that...

Recently I've begun interjecting some ideas when I'm talking to a builder with a new construction.  This builder was open to including some small changes per my guidance - this was exciting because we were able to make some dramatic changes.  Don't be afraid to share some of your own thoughts wit...

I was wondering if anyone has used any web placement services.  I have been contacted by a company called Nett Solutions.  They promise, for a monthly flat fee, that my website will be in the top 3 positions of Google and Yahoo.  I researched them and found a mixed bag of reviews; some negative t...

 DON'T FORGET YOUR PATIO when staging.  It's a definite selling point. With more and more homeowners  including their outdoor spaces/patios as yet another extension of their home, it is essential that these spaces look inviting and well presented.  Adding color brings a warm presentation and high...

Often times there will be plenty of space in a bedroom to include a sitting area.  This is a good selling point, but needs to be highlighted with furniture to SHOW potential buyers that there is sufficient space for this.  Once buyers can see how much furniture their rooms hold, they are more exc...

One of the excellent things that staging can do is to arrange oddly shaped rooms to show potential buyers how furniture can work in the space.  This room was laid out sideways and looked confusing when it was empty.  Placing the furniture showed not only that the room could handle large pieces, b...