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!
