Stage Managers

Last week there was a flurry of action around Perch as we helped the team at Fowler Development stage their latest property for sale. The home is a lovely 4 bedroom, 3.5 bath immaculately restored Victorian on Jefferson Ave in the Uptown neighborhood. 

Creating a stylish yet neutral look for a real estate property in a matter of days can be like a mini-boot camp for designers. After receiving the plans and project scope, putting together a budget and game plan have to happen quickly.

Perch is ideal for staging as we have well-appointed showroom as a ready resource to pull a great look together in a time crunch. Regardless, there is quite a bit of running around necessary to install. Some pieces still had to be pulled from storage, or from on display at various locations, as well as a few pieces we acquired on loan. Movers must be arranged to pick up from the store, and all other locations, and coordinated for delivery with owner and contractors.

In this instance, all had to be delivered before the photoshoot, but after the floors were dry enough to walk on...leaving us about a day to move everything in. We were “blessed” with a lovely day to make this move, as much of the day NOLA was under a pouring rain. We beat the downpour for the early morning loading the truck at our shop, but were not as fortunate for the journey. However the show must go on, and the stage must be set!  

The weather once again cleared up by the time we got to the house, but there was still plenty juggling to deal with!

Controlled chaos is expected at any interiors install, and staging is simply an install in a pressure cooker. In the end, we pulled together a lovely environment that will really accentuate such a gorgeous property.

In the parlor and dining room, we created a small seating area with a more formal feel using some of our elegant upholstered pieces, including a pair of our cream bergeres in oatmeal linen. A pair of zebra-print linen pillows break up the mostly neutral upholstery.

An exquisite antique Italian dining table, on loan from Elaine Bush, from her collection of pieces still left from the now closed eponymous Bush Antiques, echoes the rustic elegance of the chandelier. Antique chinoiserie chairs add an exotic flair that is picked up again in the pair of handpainted mint chinoiserie panels.

The family room has a decidedly more casual look juxtaposed with a few more refined details. A sisal rug (custom through Perch) plays off the texture of a limed oak coffee table’s sleek mirrored top, as well as a glam pair of glam metallic glass-beaded throw pillows. Our gray high-backed armchair adds some much-needed verticality to the arrangement in a space with such tall ceilings. The large scale printed canvasses of cut flora bring the garden views into the space.

The team at Nadeau were so kind in locating us a cute, rustic, limed farm table for the breakfast area. We paired the table with our lucite chiavari ballroom chair, dressed in a custom cushion in a very vibrant indoor/outdoor fabric from Trina Turk (available at Perch) for a pop of color.   

A pin-cushion tufted velvet mirror adds a sensuous touch to the charming and elegant powder room. Fowler Developers has added many custom touches to the home, such as the antique gilt console, found at Antiques on Jackson, turned into a sink vanity.

 

Considering that this is a property that will soon become a home to someone else, one may wonder why bother staging a home at all. Statistics point to Staging helps sell a home faster and for a higher asking price. A buyer is 46% more likely to follow through on viewing a property that is staged after seeing the listing’s photos online.

There are two ways to look at staging; whether the home be already occupied, or an empty/new construction home. The former has to do with editing for the buyer, the second is about creating a vision. In editing, the goal is to remove some of the homeowner's personality (and, perhaps, clutter) to allow the potential buyers to visualize themselves living in the home, as well as to make the home feel as spacious as possible. In terms of staging an empty, or new construction property, the seller is coming at the same goal from the opposite direction. For a person not used to viewing with empty spaces, a blank canvas can actually be overwhelming. When the appropriately scaled pieces are chosen, a room can actually appear larger than an empty room, since a buyer can better understand a room’s scale. Staging can also be invaluable in an awkward space in helping understand a workable and usable layout.

Staging real estate properties has long been used as a selling tool, but in recent years has only increased in usefulness. Perch is uniquely qualified for this task in having access to both a shop filled with unique and readily available pieces and a talented design team to pull together an appropriate staging package. We are more than happy to help you in staging your next real estate venture or settling in to that next newly purchased home!