We recently exhibited at the Hudson Valley Real Estate Convention. We've expanded our list of services to offer home staging. For those of you who have never seen "Designed to Sell" on HGTV, home staging is preparing a home for sale. You essentially turn the home into a product that will have mass appeal. There are many reasons one should stage the home they're trying to sell, but that's not what I am going to talk about here.
Eek! What if I'm Seen in Home Goods?
You see, my background is big city, big money design. I've done staging before. I've set up model apartments for clients like Vornado and Trump. Most of you have also been inside the Burlock retail store where I sold $200 sheet sets and things that you just couldn't find anywhere else. I wasn't a snob, I just wanted to bring something different to Beacon. However, I thought to myself, what would my city colleagues think if they saw me toting around my reusable bag from Home Goods?
Great Design Shouldn't be a Luxury
My whole approach to design since I revamped my company late last year has been to offer decorating services that pretty much anyone could afford. However, once I started staging again my mindset changed drastically. The Valley is much different than the city and stagers round these parts pride themselves on inventive ways to problem solve and spend less money.
Flaunting my Secrets Instead of Hiding Them
So in this e-mail, I am sharing how I put my booth together for the convention. Not all these ideas can be used in a home, but they might inspire you to be resourceful in other ways. I had to contend with royal blue exhibition curtains and a gold and burgundy catering hall carpet. So I went with the blue and covered up the carpeting. Find out how below.
Screaming Magenta Side Table: This was picked out of the trash and was sprayed with artist spray paint (the stuff street artists use) because you just can't get a color like this at Lowe's or Home Depot. I added a glass top that I had in my inventory. And the cool hardware, I borrowed from the desk in my office.
Pair of Yellow Ceramic Foo Dogs: Target for $24.99. These just came out, but are selling like hotcakes. They are bookends, but I placed them on the table like they were talking to each other.
Lead Crystal Lamp: Found this beauty at Home Goods.
Orchid: From my mom who is the most amazing orchid raiser.
Fornasetti Vase (the item on the shelf of the side table): It's from my inventory. Don't go out and buy one of these. They're super pricey! I got mine off the floor of a trade show for a great price. I have four if anyone's interested-by the way.
Saarinen Tulip Chair: Thank GOD I had these in my inventory. They have royal blue vinyl seats which goes perfectly with my "Go With the Flow" royal blue theme.
Back Drop: A Robert Allen textile purchased at JoAnn Fabric. It's an indoor/outdoor fabric-polyester woven to look and feel like canvas. I love it! The curtains were Fabricated by the most amazing sewer in the
Silkscreen: So this has a story behind it. This gorgeous print came from Open Space Gallery in Beacon. It is a borrowed piece. I thought it was going to be much taller than it was and I already bought the frame at Target so, I went to the paint store and begged for larger paint chips than what I had. That's what's below the image to fill the gap.
Striped Blue & White Bench:
The Floor Covering: Finally, I will reveal how I dealt with the gold and burgundy carpeting disaster. My little trick was a 9'x12' canvas, painter's drop cloth for $19.99 from Home Depot. Ta Daa!
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