"Best of the Best" Summer Staging Edition
The Home Staging Resource Best of the Best winners for September’s Best of Summer Edition were chosen based on how their staging skills pulled the feel of Summer into their client’s home.
Staging for a season is an art, as demonstrated by the photos and stories below. Check out their staging before and after photos, to feel that summer vibe!
A Tough Sell and Summer Staging Do-Over
I LOVE Rob French of Tod Ashton Design serving Saco, ME and surrounding areas and his personal story!
“I'm off to Aruba next week for 14 days of swimming with the fish. Thanks so much for this great news...I so truly appreciate it. When I think about the retail world and how unhappy all my buying friends are and I'm not in it anymore...and get to go on vacation when I want. We are off to Portugal in Nov for 16 days...I could never do this when I was buying for Clarks.” That really says it all, you can quit your day job and have a career that you have a passion for!
To be honest, this home was a very difficult one to stage and sell. The design layout was difficult to visualize, and furniture placement was a challenge. The home had a high price tag and was located on a very busy road and had sat on the market for months with a prior agent. I got a call in May from the new agent asking to stage the property.
The owners, agent and we were thrilled with the staging and how it turned out. They accepted three different offers on the house, but all three offers ended up falling apart for different reasons. At one point, the owners were not sure they were going to renew the agent ‘s contract, so we planned accordingly and packed up all the accessories and artwork and headed off to another staging job. As we were driving, however, I got a frantic call from the agent asking if we had already been to the property. Yes … all the accessories and artwork were packed in the truck. The agent was beside herself and said they wanted to extend her (and our) contract and keep it staged."
"Needless to say, we had a very late night restaging the house till 10pm! Fortunately, the house sold and closed – a huge sigh of relief for everyone. A great experience in patience – thank you again for the recognition.”
Modern Cottage and a Good Thing Going
Jackie Low created this lovely modern cottage look with great curb appeal for her client. Jackie owns Stage the Vibe and serves the Waco, TX area.
“This project was the 2nd flip for a client who found me on Instagram and had booked me to stage her 1st flip. (Which also won Best of the Best 
) She has an amazing ability to transform houses with no life into homes FULL of life and energy. What’s even more awesome is that she understands that selling a beautiful, yet empty home, is like having the cake without the icing. Could she sell this home, and someone would love it? Yes! But utilizing staging definitely took it to the next level!
"It makes my job as a stager so much fun when I start with a palette of beautiful finishes and fixtures. The stunning green cabinetry set the tone for the color scheme of deep greens, light teals, and neutrals. We weren’t afraid to mix patterns with rugs and chairs and utilize colors that some may not put together. The owner wanted a “modern cottage” vibe so the artwork featuring arched vintage doorways was perfection along with open wooden shelving in the kitchen. The cozy front porch with bright flowers and some modern chairs was a great mix to draw buyers in. The 3rd flip is in the works, and I can’t wait to stage it. We’ve got a good thing going here!”
Summer Staging Easily Turns into Next Design Job
Mitchell Bage, owner of Maison de Campagne serving the Galveston, TX area designed a charming home with this cute bungalow stage, the wood ceilings are gorgeous.
“Project “Milam” was a 1930’s bungalow that received tasteful renovations by its owners. They wanted to showcase the rich woods and quality updates to wow buyers when walking through the door. MDC was more than happy to stage the property, creating a texture rich interior suited for a wide demographic of buyers. The home listed with an open house and 4 subsequent offers. Our clients were so happy with the staging, they requested our design services on their new property."
"Thanks again for the recognition, we love what we do and appreciate the support, tips, and inspiration from the HSR and Stagers Connect gang.”
Flown In for the Consultation
Madison Nelems, of JKN Design Services, LLC , which services the Bluffton, Hilton Head Island, Beaufort, Savannah markets, although it is not uncommon for us to extend to surrounding markets, such as Atlanta, Charlotte, Jacksonville, or Asheville. Took this bedroom from dark and boring to light and summery, what a huge difference!
“We staged a luxury home for this wonderful couple in the Lowcountry. A few months later, I received a call asking if my design team could come look at another project - - in Asheville, NC. It was a cool penthouse in downtown Asheville. The homeowner had a Hawker (private jet) and flew us all up to walk the property. We had a catered lunch and were still home by 2! We made some recommendations, selections and then put together a design plan. After a few tweaks to this room (cool light fixture and paint), it was ready to be staged. We loaded up our 22 ft trailer and the SUVs and off we went."
"Our goal is to not only stage a home, but create a relationship with the homeowners and realtors, so that when they have a home that needs to be staged, JKN will be top-of-mind. We are blessed and grateful to do what we love and do it with people we consider family.”
Open Concept Summer Staging Strategies
Amy Keeley and Kristen Brown, co-owners of Salt + Pine serving all of Rhode Island, southeastern Massachusetts, and Connecticut, did a marvelous job on these two stages. Their use of neutral furniture combined with natural accents, made these homes have a coastal feel.
“The living room and dining room photos are from a new construction home with beautiful finishes and the attention to detail was amazing, however the realtor knew that to get the asking price the builder wanted that they should stage the home.
With open concept living we knew that we wanted to define each space and it was important to show how large the living space truly was. Vacant spaces feel smaller, and it is hard for people to envision what furniture or even how much furniture will fit in the space. We created a cozy, yet spacious living room. We anchored the space with a large rug and used neutral furniture pieces with some natural accents. In the dining space we again anchored the room with a large rug and brought in a table to show that the space is large enough to host gatherings."
"This was our first time working with this agent and builder. Everyone was thrilled with the outcome.... cash offer, full asking price and no contingencies!”
“The bedroom photo was from a different project. This bedroom is from an amazing house that we had the privilege of staging the very first time it ever went on the market. It was custom built by a famous architect and featured in a few magazines. The homeowner passed away and the house was being sold. This house is unique and when vacant, it was hard to visualize how the home really functioned... again the rooms appeared smaller when empty, especially the primary bedroom. We brought in a king bed and really showcased how functional, spacious, and beautiful this room really is. Potential buyers were able to focus on the amazing windows, the large walk-in closet, and the unique feature of a loft space above the primary bedroom because they were able to see that a king bed fit easily in the space.”
Seller Regrets Selling After Staging
Gina Gailing, owner of Big Style Staging, Fort Lauderdale based and serve South Florida, staged this home that definitely had a summer ambience.
“We had so much fun staging this house! One challenge was all the living room spaces and what to do with them all - We love how these blue chairs in a circle around the fireplace came out! Plus, we used all new inventory which is always exciting to stage with. Always a compliment when the Seller reconsiders selling after they see our staging!”
Ocean Blues Before and After Summer Staging
I admire TS Staging and Design and their ability to create such an emphasis on the gorgeous windows in this stunning stage. They serve York and Cumberland counties of the state of Maine.
“This stage was a beauty! The inspiration for this home, given its location of being right on the water, was ‘ocean blues’. After tying everything together with the colors in the area rug and mixing the light and dark blues of the dining & bar stools, artwork, & décor, it quickly became one of our favorite homes to show off! And of course, this home quickly went under contract in a matter of days!”
Beautiful Lagoon Home
Meg Glines of Mainsail Home Design, LLC serving southern coastal NJ, did a beautiful job creating a summer coastal mood in this home on a lagoon, she really captured the season.
“These photos are from a waterfront vacant staging project on Long Beach Island. This home backs to a lagoon, so we used muted tones of gray, blue and ivory to keep the focus on the gorgeous views. We also incorporated a lot of woven textures to add warmth and dimension to the space.”
Kitchen Styling for the Sell
I adore what Kerry Whippee, owner of Shamrock Hill Design serving the Central Maryland and the DMV area, did with her kitchen styling skills in this home. We always like to include a few close-up vignettes in our BOB award winners since details matter!
“Kitchen styling is my favorite. The team always says that it’s my job to do the kitchen because I’m crazy about vignettes. I just love putting beautiful accessories together in the kitchen to add warmth and charm to the heart of the home. My background is in visual merchandising, so I’ve always been a big fan of putting little details together to create a moment. We all know that the little details add up to become the most important parts of the space. It’s those details and moments that help set us apart and is what makes agents want to work with us. We go above and beyond to add next level styling and service to every property we touch!”
Light, Airy and Beautiful
Amy Nelson, who owns Transformations Staging & ReDesign and is based in Grove City, PA, but stage throughout Mercer County and Butler County in Western PA, north of Pittsburgh, generated a soothing living room in this stage.
“Prior to staging, I had only seen the house through the video the Realtor sent me, but I knew that room with the tall windows and gorgeous wood floor could look fantastic. The other side of the room to the left of the picture are built in shelves, a bench, and 3 more windows. Funny story is that, for some reason, the owners had one beige and one white sheer on 6 of the windows. I took off the beige ones and put them in the closet, just leaving the white ones on the windows, but ended up using them -- I had to tape them around the air mattress as a bed skirt because I forgot to bring one!”
Occupied Stage with a Statement Ceiling
I’m delighted by Shelly Yeager’s use of ocean themed colors and greenery in this occupied stage. Shelly owns, Shelly by Design located in Saratoga Springs, NY.
“This home was an occupied stage, and the client had some great staple pieces but not put together well, a bit of a mis-mosh. Therefore, I simplified the decor, removed the rug from the dining room to showcase the beautiful floors, decluttered, remove addition pieces from the floor and the curtains on the windows to bring in the beautiful natural lighting. She also hung a new chandelier over the dining room table which made a statement as well. The bathroom was a redo which we made it simple and light and of course included my natural greenery which is a reflection of my brand which I use in all my staged homes.”
Challenging Occupied Staging
Holly Koehn, owner of Designs to Impress , serving the Houston, TX area has only been in business since January of this year! You could never tell from the fabulous job she did with this stage.
“I feel so honored to receive this award! This was only my second Occupied Stage and a very challenging one it was! The house had very little furniture, a lot of clutter and needed many repairs. I assisted the homeowner in making cosmetic updates like cabinet paint, new hardware, and new chandeliers. I brought in a truckload of furniture, art, and accessories to achieve a model home look for this very unusual home. The before and after photos were very rewarding!”
Summer Staging Sunroom Redo
Lesley Kalosutian of Set the Stage Interiors serving Wheaton and the greater Chicago, IL areas, took this sunroom from mostly a storage space to a soothing indoor-outdoor space. So beautiful!
Outdoor Summer Staging Oasis
Judith Burzell, owner of HomeScapes Home Staging serving the N. San Diego County, Temecula, and S. Orange County, CA areas. Created this simple, but stunning backyard sitting area for her client whose home was for sale in San Diego, CA. This home sold within the first week of being on the market.
As you can see, each room has it's own unique style reflected by the amazing artists who have become home stagers!
If you're reading this and thinking about becoming a home stager and creating your own story...then watch my free video about how to become a home stager below...
