Home Stagers Have A Tough Profession

October 25, 2010 By

Before Staging

Creative talent of course is a big part of our lives. I believe though that having a tough skin is the number one asset that we need to succeed.

A few months ago I was asked to Stage a home. I had talked with the sellers and they hired me to come in and Stage their existing furnishings. Although the wife knew that she would leave her HOME that morning when she went to work and would be coming home to a different place, she was mad at me the minute she stepped in the door.

I called her that evening, her husband said “she doesn’t want to talk to you”. WOW…good thing I had on my “tough skin” suit.

What he said next was surprising. “Can you come back next week to help us Stage the rest of the house?”

They knew that the Staging I did was correct. She just couldn’t talk about it.

We Stagers MUST develop a “tough skin”. Going into these projects I know that I know that I know what needs to be done.  Often I feel like a parent. Sometimes we need to take the proper steps to help them SELL. Stagers must make the difficult choices.

We Stage for the target market coming in….NOT the seller.

After Staging

The home did sell in 26 days.  She did send me a “thank you” card with an apology for her behavior. I understood her “pain” but I knew what needed to be done in order to help them sell. After all that is my JOB….that is why I am a professional.

So if you have ever felt “wounded”, that’s okay. The sellers are counting on us not to cave-in to pressure but to make the tough choices and do our job.

My best,

DesAnn Collins

DSA Staging Director

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A Tour of Hauntingly Beautiful Homes

September 20, 2010 By

 

As we look forward to decorating our homes for Halloween, perhaps a look at a few wickedly wonderful homes will inspire us!

It is said that these homes have visitors, of the GHOSTLY nature.

Let’s take the Home GHOST tour together…..

Home #1-

Ohio's Governor's Mansion

 

The Ohio Governors Mansion

There is said to be a female active spirit who has taken an interest in the mansion’s decor and renovation / maintenance work done throughout the years.

She has been known to take pictures off walls she didn’t like.

She appeared in full form in front of a staff member/ employee and spoke to this person, expressing how happy she was with the renovations being done on the mansion. Perhaps she was the Decorator!

House #2

Griffins protect your home

B.P. Waggener House

The Atchison Daily Globe says that the “current owners – Paul and Marsha Adair – say that the figures are not gargoyles, but griffins that watch over the house.”

House #3

Disney's Inspiration for their Haunted Mansion

 

The Harry Packer Mansion

This home in Jim Thorpe Pa. was the inspiration for Disney’s Haunted Mansion.

House #4

Captain Nathaniel Lord's Mansion

Captain Nathaniel Lord Mansion Maine

Captain Nathaniel Lord, who had made his money through the fruits of his shipyards in Kennebunkport, built this fine mansion in 1812, but died before he could move into it. The Lord family lived in this lovely mansion until 1972, when it became a boarding house for older / elderly women. In 1978, the mansion was remodeled into a Bed and Breakfast Inn.

House #5

franklin Castle Ohio City

Franklin Castle Ohio City, Ohio

The unhappy, angry, and some say evil entities that make Franklin Castle their home, have had a long history of bothering, bullying and scaring the living,

Find Haunted Homes in your area. Many of these homes are open for tours. For more info check out Haunted Homes.

Happy Halloween~~~~~~

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Creating One-Of-A-Kind Spaces

July 26, 2010 By

Creating a one-of-a-kind space for clients is exhilarating! Interior Decorating a room from the top to bottom is always a joy. Home Staging focuses on how  to entice the buyers. It has to be all about  target market.  But decorating allows you to make it personal and make it all about the home owner. Here is a visit to one of my ongoing projects. The client had some specific requests.

  1.  They LOVE their chandelier and after a little research we found almost an exact match to a Murano Italian Glass Chandelier, so it stays!
  2. They want to displaysome special art which presents a bit of a problem due to the color saturation
  3. The furniture stays
  4.  Window’s architectural features add challenge

So time to pull it all together with great decorating ideas.  Rikk Mayr, a talented Faux Painter is creating magic on the ceiling which will highlight the much loved chandelier even more.  Here is a “SNEAK-PEEK” . This is only at the half way point of the ceilings completion.

Creative way of bringing the Cool Blues into a Warm space

I must also say that if it weren’t for my confidence with Color this would be a scary project.  I am boldly moving forward with the design as I have my DSA Color With No Regrets education.

I found the most fabulous 100 yr old shutters. We will be using them as window treatments. They are rough, chipped paint and perfect for this application. Fearless…No Regrets Design.

Happy Decorating,

DesAnn Collins

DSA- Staging Director & Trainer

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