Best Staging Photo Winners

April’s Home Staging Resource Best of the Best staging winners are welcoming brighter days ahead by incorporating their HSR skills into this month’s homes by bringing in natural light, using lighter paint colors, and assimilating a beautiful spring palette into their staging and redesign. As you lay eyes on their best staging before and after photos, I’m sure you will feel inspired to brighten up your home as well!  Who is ready for summer?

Best Staging Paint Transformation

Jane Tucker, of Jane Tucker Interiors, serving Manhasset, North Hills, Port Washington, Roslyn and the rest of Nassau County on Long Island, NY, completely transformed this 40–50-year-old home by lightening up all aspects of it with paint and accessories.

"Another easy but impactful change was having the dated brass fireplace doors painted a matte black. That instantly updated the space and it's a recommendation that I have made to several homeowners since then, since many of the homes in my area tend to be at least 40-50 years old with dated finishes.

In the second photo, the goal was to elevate this un-accessorized family hangout space and give it a "glam" factor with the white faux fur pillow and gold lamp and accessories.”

A "First" and A Dream Job

Kelly Edwards of Kelly Edwards Staging & Design serving the East Bay Area, California, created a modern, rustic masterpiece with her first paid stage and I love it!

“This was my first paid staging job and was a dream to design. The home had these gorgeous, rustic beams going across the great room that I wanted to make sure to highlight. In order to attract hip, young families to this home that was just a few blocks from historic downtown, I wanted the design to exude a modern, yet rustic feel. By using colors and materials to bring the eye up to those stunning beams, a cohesive, comfortable, and chic space was created. This renovated, older home ended up selling for more than 20% over its list price!”

A Legacy Preserved in the Staging Design

Lindsey Moulton of The Eclectic Chameleon but also go by TEC Home Staging and Design  serves Indianapolis, Indiana and surrounding areas, this condominium was in Indianapolis in a gated community called Lions Head. She did a marvelous job preserving the integrity of this family’s father’s home.

“I had staged a home last year for a client who was also a flipper. They loved my work so much that they brought me on to this project not only as a stager, but also as their realtor. It was such a compliment that they understood the value I could bring to selling this condominium. The home also had special meaning as it was their father’s home who recently passed away. I collaborated with them on the interior color of paint (SW Alabaster White), kitchen cabinet color (SW Keystone Gray), doors (SW Iron Ore), hardware throughout entire home, bathroom, kitchen etc., lighting throughout and flooring."

"For all the reasons stated above, I really wanted to do justice to the home whilst keeping a sense of their father’s personality. As it happens, there were four pieces they had wanted to get rid of; the armoire in the living area, the mid-century modern highboy buffet cabinet, the dining table (they took the chairs) and the cabinet in the den that when opened became a desk with storage. Four beautiful pieces that I would have purchased afterwards. The interesting thing was that nobody from the family wanted them, but after the home was staged and the pieces were showcased in a more updated way…well, they were spoken for by other family members. That made me very happy as a piece of his story lived on in their homes. All this of course was the driving force to the design style I chose. I love incorporating a sense of an owner into the home and in helping me navigate the direction I wish to choose in the homes design style. This was no exception, and in truth, I absolutely fell in love with the space. To my delight, the new owner is a young businesswoman in her early 20’s that too loved the home. The owners were ecstatic that it would once again be a happy home."

“The kitchen: To save money, we decided to keep the counter tops and paint the cabinets SW Keystone Gray. I really wanted to soften and update the space, so I chose gold accents in hardware, faucets and accessories. The pub tabletop also mimicked the kitchen countertop, which I think helped to make sense of it. Attached is a picture of my sister and I that I sent my client after completing the wallpaper. I told them that I ABSOLUTELY HAD TO HAVE IT as the kitchen was right as you walked in, would set the design right away to the buyer and in need of a WOW factor. We could not find anyone to wallpaper soon enough, so we did it ourselves and was our first time in doing so! Never underestimate a woman with passion…LOL."

"The living room: This space was open concept with the dining area. We carried a sense of midcentury modern as well as adding in green, black and yellow geometric print pillows my sister had just made for me. I couldn’t wait to use them, and this was the perfect space. he green throughout the home really pops off soft white, black and cognac wood tones. The pillows became my inspiration for the color palette throughout. That is what is so important in design, just find one inspiration piece and the rest will follow."

"The den (above): I loved the cognac color of the wood tones. I pulled the “rusty orange” color in further with the pillows. I decided to keep this area midcentury but with a touch of bohemian to make it feel more relaxed. This was accomplished through texture in the plant baskets, basket on the wall, pillow print, the door fronts on the cabinet in natural grass cloth and a soft rug. The light fixture helped to elevate the space and create a cohesive look throughout the home."

"The bedroom: I wanted to keep the bedroom relaxed, but also elevate it in some way with hints of modern design. I think this was best accomplished by adding a big green velvet chair, the lighting and wall art. I will say, once the green velvet chair was added to the space, it was like the room took on a whole new feel. I was so glad I used it!”

I wanted you to know how much I appreciate the time that you spend putting together training, researching, doing webinars, etc...

Layers of Texture and Warmth...Sell!

Tina Lester of Tina Lester Home Staging & Design which serves Hampton Roads and Middle Peninsula Virginia, did a remarkable job warming up this vacant stage!

“This home was one of my listings, as I’m also a realtor, that was vacant. It needed some warmth I felt like to enhance the beauty of the home! It worked out because we ended up with 13 offers, all over asking! It sold for $20,000 over asking!”

Challenging Location...Overlooked

Megan Bond owner of Complete Transitions serving Chester and Delaware County, PA and New Castle County, DE got creative with this older home on a busy road, and it turned out marvelous! I adore the pop of pink in the primary bedroom!

“This home we staged is in Swarthmore, PA. The real estate agent believes in staging and felt it was important for this older home with a challenging floor plan and on a busy road.

In the living room, the owners had two large recliners in this space. We were able to provide furniture with a better scale giving the formal living room a proper sitting area.

In both the primary bedroom and the living room, we decided to gear towards a younger demographic that was the likely buyer.”

Modern Luxury Glam Redesigned Bedroom

Mina Palivan of Mina Palivan Designs, LLC services the Northern California regions and surrounding areas, took this small, dark primary bedroom from drab to fab!

“We had the opportunity to redesign and style this beautiful home in Folsom, California. The Master bedroom was small and dark, so we chose white bed sheets, fresh new paint, off white curtains, white pillows, gold artwork and gold side table lamps to brighten this small room and to create a tranquility space. We added white, blue, and silver colored furniture and accessories throughout the house to give this cute home a touch of modern luxury. Client was very happy we delivered what she wanted and more.”

Best Staging New-Build

Mitch Bage of Maison de Campagne serving Galveston / Houston, Texas and surrounding communities did an amazing job with this luxury stage that sat vacant for 30 days before they staged it!

“Project “Brown Pelican” was a beautiful Galveston Bay new build. The home hit the market with no real interest for 30 days. MDC was called in to provide a luxury coastal staging to give the home its needed credit. Utilizing the open floor plan was a priority to show buyers it’s amazing capability for families and entertaining. The home was staged on a Saturday, an open house was held the following day and brought an over ask buyer during the showing. The builder and agent couldn’t have been happier. Staged and sold in 24 hrs! So, what was the selling factor for the home? THE STAGING. It created a “lifestyle” for the buyer to visualize themselves enjoying and therefore needing.”

Best Staging Disaster "Turn-Around"

TS Staging and Design consisting of Theresa Bouchard, Stephanie Eklund and Amber Bouchard serves York and Cumberland counties of the state of Maine and the story behind this stage is definitely unforgettable!

“This stage is one we’ll never forget! Right out of the gate we were at a bit of a disadvantage as we were down one designer due to her being away on vacation. As we began loading Big Betty (our box truck) the morning of the stage, Theresa, the lead designer, took a bad fall which resulted in a broken ankle! That meant we were down to one stager- ME- and an entire house to stage! Fast forward 4 days and many trips back and forth doing what I could solo and trenching through lots of mud, our designer returned from vacation, and we were able to finish the job!

The inspiration for this room was the gold metal headboard, which we hadn’t yet used. After tying everything together with the colors in the area rug and mixing the gold with the wood bench, it soon became our favorite room in the house.

So... after contending with a driveway full of mud (our truck almost got stuck!), a broken ankle, being down two designers, calling in extra help and having to push the listing back, we got it done! We were extremely grateful for being able to work with a very understanding realtor and for our amazing team that overcame many hurdles to ensure we finished with a beautifully staged home.”

Best Kitchen Design

Tricia Karina, owner of Noble House Staging and Design in Orlando, Florida, servicing the Central Florida areas, created a prize winner with this kitchen redesign. She can be found on Facebook and Instagram @noblehousestaginganddesign.

“This kitchen was a true labor of love, when I met this client, she had already been without a kitchen for 5 months due to water damage. She knew she wanted a showstopper natural stone countertop and the cabinets to be two-toned. Working with her vision, I was able to design the space around this beautiful Oceano Quartzite. The white cabinets add a timeless elegance while the dark gray and matte black elements introduce a modern vibe into the space. This kitchen boasts gorgeous cabinetry with custom 12” crown moldings, pull out shelves in the pantry, dedicated coffee station, pull out spice and utensil units near the stove and much more.”

Vacation Rental Design Board

Morgan Zvanut owns Zvanut Studio would like to serve people all over the country in finding affordable, sturdy, and great looking furniture with E-Design. She currently is residing in Brooklyn, NY and owns a home in High Falls area of New York and would love to decorate vacation homes there as well! This is her first E-Design board and I think she did a beautiful job!

“This design was for a home that is going to become a vacation rental home out in East Montauk, NY. I did a walk thru and there is a ton of to-be-done construction, and the owner was excited to do the fun part of decorating the place but was wayyyy ahead of herself. This would have been my first ever staging job! I was so nervous I created designs for every room of her house ahead of time using her questionnaire just to practice knowing that I would probably have to re-do everything, but I wanted to practice. The style is “Japandi Beach Shack,” which sounded like such a fun challenge! I learned a TON from the experience even though we won’t be doing the actual staging project at this time.

I am a freelance set decorator and shopper in New York City (commercials, print, TV) and took Audra’s staging course during the pandemic, when all work dropped off, with the thought that I may someday segue into staging. I recently took the E-Design course which is where I really have fallen in love. It is so addictive! Its remote so you can do it from anywhere! I have been practicing my staging skills with E-Design on my down time with the hope of adding in (specifically) vacation rental staging to my wheelhouse. I love the courses and Facebook groups. They have really lifted me up during the pandemic and nudged me toward doing more work in an area that I have only really started to recently realize I love, decorating spaces to make them places of refuge, beauty, comfort, safety, and escape!”

Best Staging Vacant "First Job"

Tamra Toney Pfeifer, owner of Set the Stage Interiors servicing the Dallas/Fort Worth Texas area, has been doing a superb job partnering with realtors and it’s really paying off. She can also be found on Instagram @setthestagewithtamra.

“This house was my first vacant staging for this realtor. She had seen a home I staged last year and called to tell me how much she loved it and that she might be calling me in the future for some help. I was thrilled at the prospect of another realtor to partner with. She did indeed call me several months later and after helping her with a few occupied staging’s and some consultations, she said she had a vacant listing that she would love to have me stage and asked me to contact the seller of this home. They did decide to have it staged and it sold in 3 days after receiving multiple offers well over list price! Happy client, happy realtor, happy stager!”