The Home Staging – Home Study Course is available through January 31, 2012 from http://www.homestagingexpert.com for only $299.00 and includes shipping and handling.  But place your order soon…the price is increasing  for the first time in 7 years on February 1, 2012.

Earn your Home Staging Designation from the Home Staging Experts and take charge of your professional destination this year!

When it comes to a well designed space and creating flow between rooms, the principles of Home Staging are a good source for inspiration!

This sweet little tudor is a great example. As a class project it was perfect! Nice features, but hard to see under a frumpy furniture layout. We came in and re-vamped it for amazing results!

The sofa was originally blocking the view, and there was a large area rug concealing the hardwood floors. Over the mantel, nothing special made the fireplace stand out. We redirected the layout to highlight the fireplace & hardwood floors!

From this view, it is easy to see how open the space looks! The table was repositioned horizontally to create a more proportionate layout. This is the view buyers will see from entering the front door!

Looking from the dining room to the living room shows you what a difference it made to move the buffet to the living room and reposition it near the front entry. This space previously was bare…and made the entire living room feel off-balance. Moving the buffet out of the dining room also made the dining room look much larger!

This bright and cheerful kitchen had undergone a recent renovation. It was easy to stage! We just cleaned up the countertops and accessorized!

To make the family room feel larger and more user-friendly, we removed an area rug that covered the entire floor, added a sweet little antique table brought in from the living room, and brought in a lamp. The end result was a small addition that felt twice the size!

                                                                                                     Admittedly, not everyone is going to be a fan of these slanted ceilings! To make it feel more open and airy, we got rid of everything…bins, temporary storage, etc….that was blocking the flow, then added colorful bedding (found in the closet) and colorful artwork (found leaning up against the wall.) to create a more luxurious feel and take away attention from the low ceiling height!

While I am not totally opposed to a TV in the bedroom, we did make it look a little neater by removing the tv stand and using a small dresser, instead. Moving it down the wall a smidge…rather than it’s previous spot at the end of the bed…gave buyers room to walk through and visually made the space feel larger. A comfortable chair and ottoman…too boxy and large for the living room…added to the ‘master suite’ feel!

Want to learn the art of Staging a Home to Sell? We have another 4-Day Workshop coming up in Minneapolis in May, and a 2-Day Workshop coming to New York City in June! Check out our calendar for workshops coming up around the country at www.homestagingexpert.com!

Staging a Vacant Home, Staging an Occupied Home, Interior Redesign, and Business & Marketing…we cover it all!  Sign up for the most COMPREHENSIVE workshop in the industry, limited to 6 for individual benefit.   $1499.00 per person

Includes manuals, starter kit, lunch, and lifetime listing at www.homestagingexpert.com  Sign up now to start a successful career and be your own boss!

BEFORE

AFTER

Staging a Vacant Home, Staging an Occupied Home, Interior Redesign, and Business & Marketing…we cover it all!  Sign up for the most COMPREHENSIVE workshop in the industry, limited to 6 for individual benefit.  Only 1 spot still available!  $1499.00 per person

Includes manuals, starter kit, lunch, and lifetime listing at www.homestagingexpert.com  Sign up now to start a successful career and be your own boss!

“From a cluttered storage room to a beautiful sunroom in less than a day…using what the homeowner already had on hand plus a few quarts of paint!”

The end result is a wonderful, happy space that is as perfect for the owner as the owner is for the space!

After sanding the floors twice, it was determined they could not be salvaged as originally intended.  However, replacing them at this point…the house had just been purchased and the entire place needed updating to even make it livable…we decided that was not a financial option.  But PAINTING the wood floors was a nice alternative.  (See February 5, 2011 posting on painting wood floors.)

To give the entire room a nice, fresh appearance, the trim was also painted in off white, and the ceilings got a fresh coat, too.  (Use Kilz brand paint to kill odors!)  To make this simple space feel more detailed, the corners and edging around the top and bottom of the wall were also painted the same color as the ceiling.  After drying overnight, the edge was taped off along the perimeter using 1 1/2 inch painter’s tape before the walls were painted khaki tan.  (If you don’t want to worry about hitting the ceiling with the roller, use 2 inch painter’s tape instead.)  The end result gave the room a sense of definition for less.

Watch for “A Rough Rambler Settles Down!” Part III.

After removing the carpeting, we found the wood floors beneath solid and sturdy, but stained beyond repair.

Painted wood floors use to be quite stylish in the 17th and 18th centuries and eventually fell out of favor when carpeting became all the rage. But painting can be a wonderful, low-cost alternative to replacing wood floors that are beyond repair. And they can be just plain beautiful as your first choice! Renown interior designer Albert Hadley famously paints wood floors in his signature shade of deep green.

In this home, while the owner originally bought the home intending to simply have the wood floors beneath the carpeting redone, it became clear wood grain floors were not in his future when even professionals could not remove the many deeply set pet stains from the wood. Painting became the alternative solution, but the end result gave it first choice appeal!

Please note: For this project, a water-based paint and polyurethane were used. Unlike oil based paints and polys, water-based alternatives will not yellow.

1. Sand the floors! If the floors are in fairly good condition, a light sanding using 150-grade paper by hand or using a hand sander is all that is required. You are simply sanding so the floors will accept the paint. However, if the varnish is peeling and/or bubbling, I recommend using a professional sander to smooth out the surface and completely remove the varnish. (You can rent a professional sander from most home improvement stores, usually by the hour.)
2. Wash using a powder detergent to remove all dust and particles. This may take more than a day to dry completely but it’s important to give it time.
3. Apply one coat of primer to prepare the wood and prevent the stain color from bleeding through. The primer should be allowed to dry overnight. (In this case, Zinsser Bin Primer was used.)
4. Lightly sand using 220-grade sandpaper, then wipe the floor clean using tack cloth to remove all the dust particles.
   

   The painted wood floors offered an inviting and inexpensive alternative to carpeting or laminate.

5. Apply one thin coat of Benjamin Moore Low-Lustre Metal & Wood Enamel paint, as thin coats tend to dry harder than thicker coats. Use a paint brush with natural bristles to apply, as rolling it on may leave stippling marks. Allow paint to dry 24 hours.
6. Apply two more thin coats of paint, allowing 24 hours drying time between coats.
7. Apply two thin coats of Benjamin Moore Low-Lustre Acrylic Polyurethane allowing 24 hours to dry between coats. (Low-Lustre offers a very nice sheen. High-Gloss could also be used, but will be more inclined to show nicks and scratches over time.)

• Painted flooring takes about 30 days to completely cure. Use caution when moving furniture and remove shoes at the door to prevent scratches and scuff marks until the paint and poly has had a chance to  set.

Abused by it’s former owner, this three-bedroom rambler had already lived a lifetime of mistreatment and succumb to a few gnarly cats when it finally met the owner of it’s dreams!  While most would have given up on this hapless home, someone came along with just the right vision and vowed not to give up on the space.  After ripping out soiled carpeting and dumping the smelly contents the previous tenants left behind, a thorough cleaning and de-stinking were part of the initial courtship to get this relationship heading in the right direction!

If you’re wondering where this romance is going, keep in touch and watch for “A Rough Rambler Settles Down!” Part II  (Also see ‘How to Paint Wood Floors!’)