Since creating the “to be continued” blog, I’ve been closing each post with the words “dwell in possibilities.” I must confess that I borrowed this phrase from the great poet, Emily Dickinson. I saw her quote and realized that it summed up what I am doing as a professional home stager and interior designer.

I am most grateful to Ms. Dickinson for her insightful and inspiring phrase.

Regardless of the size or price range of a house, my objective is to find the possibilities in that house. I am looking for those unique features of that house and finding possible ways to accentuate them for the potential buyer. I am analyzing those unusual spaces that buyers find difficult to understand upon first glance and finding possible functional uses for those spaces.

In the end, my mission is to help the potential buyer see how they could dwell in the possibilities of this house!


Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Entertaining Tonight

I always like to work with new Realtors.  And I also love to take on challenging spaces that I know will benefit from home staging. 

Recently, I was called to help one of my blog followers with a lovely home located near a beautiful golf course, amid some very stately homes.  This house has an open floor plan that combines the living area and formal dining area.  This open floor plan is its greatest strength but it is also its biggest weakness.

The house had not sold in spite of its beautiful qualities.  The feedback from potential buyers was all about the open floor plan - “that room is huge; “we would need a ton of furniture to live here”; “how would we arrange our furniture”; and, finally “where is the dining room?”   

My assignment was to stage this house in a way that would answer these questions and concerns as well as to make this house come alive with possibilities.   

When I visited this house, I envisioned great potential in the open floor plan.  It spoke to me of entertaining in a gracious, country club setting.  I saw how the space would accommodate wonderful gatherings of family and friends.  This house was designed for entertaining tonight . . . and on the weekends and holidays  . . . and just because!    

By using large rugs, artwork, accessories and furniture, I created three defined areas in the open space to show potential buyers how a living area, dining area and library area can beautifully and logically function in this one great room.   

One space was the comfortable living area which was fashioned around the fireplace with a large rug, a comfortable sofa and chairs, and stylish accessories in the bookshelves. The dining area was created by a large rug, furniture and artwork.  The third space, the library area, was created with easy chairs, a library piece and a leather-bound set of books.   

The open space went from lots of questions to lots of possibilities for parties, dinners, entertainment, family and friends.  Interestingly, it also retained a warm and cozy feeling. I really liked the possibilities presented by this great room.  I think it is “country club gracious” and ready for living and entertaining.  And don’t the “After” pictures make a stunning impression?   

Check out the Transitions website for “Before” and “After” photos of this charming house located near the Indian Springs Golf Course in Broken Arrow - http://www.transitions-home-staging.com/Indian-Springs.html .
 

Dwell in possibilities


Cindy
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