Hollywood Glam Home Staging – 5 Tips

I’m always in awe of the home stager and designer that has that uncanny ability to reach into the home and pull out a persona that resonates immediately with the buyer.  Kristin Biorn of Kristin Biorn Interiors in the Beverly Hills/Malibu area is so gifted at home staging and design, that she is one of the top home stagers in one of the most competitive locations in the world!  When you see her work below, you’ll know why she’s so successful at what she does…

1.  Add Personality

In this Brentwood home, she managed to “de-personalize” yet add personality with a Marilyn Monroe theme.  Her focal point helps to emphasize the fantastic, stone fireplace, as well as give unity to the eclectic furnishings.

2.  Use Rhythm and Be Memorable!

In the same home, she weaves the Marilyn Monroe, glam theme throughout the home and creates an office space to die for!  Notice the uniquely framed photos of Marilyn which replaced the family photos originally.  A functional, personal space that buyers can envision working in.  She also helps the buyer’s remember her homes by creating a theme and rhythm throughout the space.  Since buyers look at many homes online, she wants her homes to be the ones they click back to!

3.  Create Serenity and Luxury in the Bedroom

A master bedroom that is calm, cool and collected is highly desired by buyers!  Kristin works wonders in this bedroom by connecting the space with a cool pallette filled with silks, velvet and comfort!

When I complemented Kristin on the success of her work and business, she graciously replied:

Thanks…and remind them it all began with you!  You gave me the confidence to go out and become one of the top home stagers from Malibu to Beverly Hills. So Thank You!

It warms my heart to see people take their God given talent and use it successfully!  Here are a couple more staging tips I gathered from Kristin’s work:

 4.  Use Symmetry and Texture to Add Life to Spaces

Symmetry in a room creates a calming balance that buyers can connect with.  Her repeated use of various textures from the fluffy rug, to silk pillows and mirrored table create interest when the palette is very neutral.

5.  Merchandise the Space Like a Magazine Spread

Kristin reads the integrity of the home perfectly by knowing when to play up the space or down depending on the vision.  This dining room looks straight out of magazine spread because she merchandised the table beautifully!  An experienced and trained home stager know when to set the table of leave it…there is no formula to staging.

How about a closer look:

Thanks Kristin for sharing your work!

Cheers to all the talented home stager’s out there!  Any more tips you would like to add to this post?

XOXO – Happy Staging!

Audra Slinkey

Hope to hear from you!

1-888-563-9271

audra@homestagingresource.com

Artist Becomes Home Stager – 3 Keys to Her Success

One of the things I talk about a lot in the training is the importance of branding yourself, knowing what you’re about and putting that personality into your website!  As you can see from Jenna’s website photo, she loves what she does, she loves her pup and she’s smiling about her business!  Just looking at her photos makes me smile too! 

When I sat down and chatted with Jenna about her business and it’s immediate success, she had a lot to say, as well as a lot of helpful tips to share with other stagers…

Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me today. I can’t tell you how much HSR has truly helped me achieve my dream in owning my own home staging and design business!  I started my business in the beginning of March 2012 in the Northern Virginia area. With the help of HSR, my business has been booming since a month after I started!!

Spaces to Inspire, before and after room

1.  Networking is Essential

Through BNI (Business Networkers International), I have joined a chapter and am a part of a networking team of partners that I work with regularly. Through BNI and local business chamber events, I have met and partnered with many key people, which has helped my business soar exponentially. They key is to be able to meet people and sit down with them to discuss your business and what you stand for. By gaining these relationships, professionals WANT to refer you to people, instead of taking a shot in the dark with someone they don’t know much about. Once I joined BNI and started attending networking on a regular basis, I have gotten to a point where I am having trouble keeping up with all of the work that is coming in!

Custom Painting by Jenna

2.  Expand Your Services

Another thing I think helped me in getting started, was offering a broader range of services. Since I have done custom paintings and faux finishing for years prior, I included that in my services. I also grew up very savvy with furniture finishing, and included that as well. By adding these values to my repertoire of home staging, design, and shopping services, I was able to give people additional reasons to “try me out”.

3.  Focus on What You Love To Do!

I’ve Just Got to Brag…

Creating a successful home staging business is not easy, so when I see stagers do great things in the industry…I just have to brag about it!

• Congratulations to our long-time veteran, Carol Streeter of Model Perfect Staging who was featured in three episodes of Flip or Flop on HGTV!  All of her stagings sold quickly and in one of the homes, the buyers bought all the furnishings with the home.

A Staged Bedroom by Model Perfect Staging

• Great job Paige Earles of Pearle Staging and Design who moved her business from Atlanta to Memphis and already has been featured in the Memphis Daily News for her wonderful work!

Click to view the article in the Memphis Daily News on Paige!

• Look at the fantastic job Jeanne Ross of The Polished Home did in these wondrous staging before-and-after photos!  I also love how Jeanne created a website that really brands her beautifully!  Check it out…

• Leslie Causey of LC Home Staging and Redesign  breathes new life into this space!  I personally love the koi fish canvas over the couch!

• Theresa Wright of Designed to Show Off  gives perspective and vision to buyers in this vacant staging before and after series….

I could literally go on and on with fantastic before and after photos to show you what amazing work home stagers and redesigners can do in a home!  The success is in the photos!

XOXO – Happy Staging!

Audra Slinkey

Hope to hear from you!

1-888-563-9271

audra@homestagingresource.com

Expect the Unexpected!

I love hearing the stories from our members as to why they decided to take our Home Staging  and Redesign Certification course and where they’ve taken their business!  What I find almost always is that it’s never exactly how they expected it to be.  I recently got an email from Debbie O’Neill of Fine Design Home Staging (http://www.finedesignhomestaging.com) and laughed out loud…

Audra-

My apologies for the late response. When you see what I have to share, you will understand why. When I first decided to enroll in your program, my thought was it would be fun and a great “side” career. I already work full time but I wanted an outlet for my creativity and to challenge myself with new goals.

Since mid March, 2013, I have staged 8 homes. Four out of the 6 homes for sale sold within two days that they were on the market.  Two of the houses were model homes for a builder.  All but one of the 6 homes had been vacant and on the market for a long period of time. One home I did a consultation and put the owner to work on two rooms that needed “help”. The owner rolled up her sleeves and implemented everything that I suggested. She received an offer the next day. My first job in March was with a builder who was looking for a local stager in the HSR Directory. Thus, I have continuous work to either stage one of their inventory homes or to stage their model homes. In addition, the builder has requested that I help them with their inventory and get organized! Another activity I love to do!

It has been a whirlwind of projects and put my business into hyper drive. I have done no advertising except for about six SEO suggestions that you made in the training. Everyone that has found me has done so through their Google searching and commented on my professional looking website which HSR created. I received jobs before I even had a chance to update my website.

So that it is in a nutshell. I am learning as I go and am excited to learn more about the business.

Yep, sometimes the “unexpected” can happen but it’s obvious to see from Debbie’s work below that her talent is undeniable!

Great job Debbie!

XOXO – Happy Staging!

Audra Slinkey

Hope to hear from you!

1-888-563-9271

audra@homestagingresource.com

5 Best Design Tips

Gregg Churchill, an HSR Certified Stager and Designer in Australia gives his 5 best design and staging tips:

What makes great design is up to your own interpretation, but I do know that when I see great design it hits me right away. We all have different styles and thoughts on our own personal design which is often influenced by all the new TV Star Designers e.g.: Sarah Richardson, Candice Olsen; Martin Lawrence-Bullard; Colin and Justin etc.) and all the inspirational shows they have on our TV screens, brought right into our own homes. I watch and record all the TV shows to learn as much as possible from them all.

The 5 best design or staging tips I can offer are the following:

1. Professionalism  That is the first & most important tip I would advise anybody when going out and selling your services. This includes punctuality; dress sense; tone of voice; facial expression (smile and be sincere) etc. Be professional every minute you spend with your clients, whether it is face to face, via emails or telephonically. Its sounds obvious, but so many refuse to adhere to this basic tip. Know what you are selling inside out and backwards. Nothing worse than being ignorant of your own subject you are trying to sell.
2. Keep it simple – Don’t overthink the redesign of the interior of the house or try to get to too fancy, apply what you have been trained by HSR to do and you will never go wrong. Study the bones of the property and the space allocated and complete your furniture arrangement. Never stop trying to improve your talent and keep abreast of new styles and fashion colours/hues etc.
3. Accessorize – Bring out your creative side! Wall art, vases, ornaments, pictures, small furnishings, faux indoor plants etc. are the jewelry on your staging creation, especially if you buy items that repeat a rhythm in that space or compliment the colour scheme. Always buy the best accessories that you can afford, its pays always! Don’t panic – Stick to your budget plan, and your interior themes.
4. When styling multiple rooms, use a colour thread throughout to bring cohesion to connecting spaces. It isn’t necessary to use the exact same colour in each room. Applying layers of the same colour, varying the hue, makes the space feel connected and less intentional. Accent colours can be used from neighboring rooms to link them.
5. Know that less is more. Be careful not to over accessorise every corner of a space, especially when its functional needs are simple. Too much clutter in a space kills the design and makes the eye jump all around the room causing confusion. I do all my vignettes in my store room before I do get to the staged property, so when I get to the vacant property, I know exactly what goes where and it saves time too. Great to also use an iPad for planning purposes.

In summation I would recommend that what every avenue you decide to pursue in your Home Staging career, always have fun and enjoy every minute of what you are doing. Try and specialize in one category for best results e.g. vacant home staging.

Always have something different to offer your clients study your opposition from time to time and see what they are offering and you may not be or never thought to. Stay abreast, keep up to date and never stop learning. Learn from as many people as you can and you will always be the best in your chosen field. Enjoy!

See Gregg’s work and story that was featured on Design Shuffle!