A grand home hidden away in McLean, Virginia, had been on the market for some time with few people even viewing it. Then, Realtor Jon DeHart called Staged Interior.
As Trish Kim, founder of Staged Interior and lead stager, said: “It was so large that it was a little daunting, almost medieval. It needed lots of large furniture, but the real task was to make it feel welcoming.”
All staging projects have their challenges and this home had some rarely-seen ones: large paneled rooms, many extraordinary chandeliers, and five wood-burning fireplaces. We thought you would like to see some of the staging ideas Trish used to make the home feel more welcoming to potential buyers.
Easy for Entertaining, yet Cozy for Living?
As you entered the home, there was a large “gathering room” that was obviously designed for entertaining. “I knew we had to make two seating areas, but also leave a through way into the rest of the house. That determined how we designed the room,” said Trish. Making the seating areas mirror each other pulled the room together.
Trish also added additional seating areas in the side gallery. “Guests would be able to stand or sit, then move from one area to another within the room, sipping their cocktails.”
Another challenge was not being able to temporarily hang mirrors on the paneled walls. Instead, Trish used console tables to hold mirrors and kept them in place with sculpture. “When done, it was all very appealing,” says Trish. “The room was so large, but it ended up being cozy.”
Dining Room with Fireplace By Its Side
Next came the dining room with a fireplace to one side of it, in an area next to the main stair. “The fireplace needed lots of art and objects because the firebox was so big.”
“We added a large table and eight chairs to go with the large scale.” There were also two ornate chandeliers over the dining table. Accents in the dining room needed to work with them, reflecting the same warm gold tones.
Letting Kitchen Define Itself
“The homeowner had some really beautiful green and white porcelain canisters in the kitchen that she was willing to let us use. She also had some gorgeous green glasses that we could use. That gave us the direction for the kitchen: green and white.”
The light fixtures over the kitchen island were very elegant, which became another design element that needed to be considered in the staging of the both the kitchen and the dining room visible from it. Trish added a transitional green palette that worked with the fireplace bench. Similar art was echoed in the dining room.
A Family Room Surrounded by Green
Past the dining room was a many-windowed family room with a stone patio outside. Doors from both the kitchen and family room opened onto the patio. “Because the house was in a cul-de-sac, it was very private. You could look out everywhere and see only trees and greenery.” The palette of this room had to work with the green outside, the kitchen and dining room next to it. Careful attention to color and pattern made this happen. Trish decorated the patio in green to further the effect, as well as draw you outside to see it.
One more vista had to be considered: the wall and fireplace in this family room could be seen all the way from the front door! Trish filled the view with art and accessories that would echo the elegance of the living room so far away.
An Inviting Paneled Library
Off the dining room was a large room Trish envisioned as an office or library. It also offered the warmth of a fireplace. The room was filled with shelves of books and interesting objects that begged a close look – or a chance to curl up and read.
With sun coming in the balcony door and hitting the rosy peach of the chandelier shades, the paneled room glowed. Again, the room defined its own palette, but staging highlighted it to create an inviting result.
Was this staging effort a good investment for the sellers? “It sold in no time flat,” said Trish. “We all were expecting it to be staged for months, but it sold right away for full price.”
Final comment from the Realtor Jon DeHart of Homes from DeHart, Keller-Williams? “Staged Interior has been such an intricate part of our business and the quality of service we’ve been able to offer to our clients. We have been so happy with all their support. This is more than a business; this is a team of wonderful people who are absolutely exceptional!”
https://stagedinterior.com/2021/02/19/welcoming-buyers-ii/The home had an upstairs and lower level of equal size. To see how Trish and her team made them welcoming to buyers also, click here to go to the post “Welcoming Buyers II”.
