Family Room Dynamics

I recently met with a home owner in Carrollton, TX who said she wanted to stage her home, but she didn't want to sell her home. She wanted a "model home" look so that she could enjoy her house and I said, "I can help!"

She gave me the grand tour of her home and proceeded to tell me what she liked and disliked about each room. We ended up in the family room where she said that she wanted it to look inviting and accommodate the adults. She had recently changed the drapes and pillows but the furniture arrangement wasn't working. In fact she said that when her family of six gathered to watch TV, her seat was on the floor!

The home owner and I quickly began to move the furniture. Here is a before photo:
As you can see, there is no focal point and the furniture is not set up for intimate conversations. The TV is not easy to view either! So, this is what we did:

1. We pulled the sofa away from the wall and into the room. We placed it across from the fireplace, directing the attention there.

2. The corner to the left of the fireplace is where the TV will find it's new home. It will be easier to view.

3. The chair was moved next to the sofa to encourage conversation.

4. The homeowner had a coffee table that she brought out and I accessorized it with items she had around the house.

5. I leaned a different piece of art on the mantle for color and drama.

Here is a different view of the room before the redesign:

And here is the room after the redesign.

We used what the homeowner had in her home for the redesign.

In order to complete the room I made the following recommendations:

1. Hook up the cable at the opposite side of the room.

2. Purchase a sofa table with cubbies that will hold baskets of toys for her young son and place it behind the sofa.

3. Bring down the leather chair from the loft that doesn't get any use and place it to the right of the fireplace.

4.Purchase a side table and place it between the sofa and chair.

5. Purchase a lamp with a satin nickel finish and make sure that it's taller than the furniture and place it on the side table.

6. Add a potted plant next to the side table.

This homeowner has a plan for a sensational family room. She can complete the room over time, adding furniture and accessories as she likes! And, hopefully, with the extra chair, she won't have to sit on the floor!

Holly Bellomy

Dallas Home Staging Consultant

http://www.dallasrealestatestaging.com/

HGTV is coming to Dallas!

Are you a first time home seller? You may qualify to be on HGTV! And if you do, I would be happy to help you with a complimentary home staging consultation or complimentary furniture lease for a month.

Call me if you live in Dallas, Plano, McKinney, Frisco, Allen, or the surrounding area.
Your Dallas home staging consultant,
Holly
214-532-9677

Home Staging 101: Establishing the Focal Point

The focal point in the family room is almost always the fireplace. Achieving scale and balance in order to draw attention to this feature can be tricky, especially when you have an open floor plan.

I had the opportunity to rearrange this family room in a home that is on the market in Plano. The first thing that I noticed when I walked in to the room was the teal sofa. I didn't want potential buyers to walk in and notice the sofa as I did; I wanted them to notice the features of the room; I wanted them to notice the fireplace.

Here is the before photo:


So, I moved the sofa and placed it across room from the fireplace. This solved two problems. It balanced the room and drew focus to the fireplace and not the teal sofa. The console table was behind the chair and I placed it behind the sofa to draw attention away from the teal color.

Here is the after photo:

Here is another before photo:

You can see in this after photo that the room feels more spacious. The seating is intimate, the view of the yard is unobstructed and the focal point is established.

Holly Bellomy, your Dallas Home Stager!

www.dallasrealestatestaging.com
Home Staging and Interior Decorating

Home Staging Tips for the Master Bathroom

The master bathroom is one of the most important spaces in the home. It should look fresh, clean and inviting.

Consider these tips for your master bathroom:

1. For a quick and easy update, replace the cabinet hardware. In the photo below, we replaced the knobs for less than $50.
2. Purchase new towels that are just for "show".
3. Frame a window with a soft, fabric treatment. Fabric adds luxury and softness.
4. Add candles to the bath surround.
5. Pick up small bath mats; they break up the spacious feeling of the room.

Here are the before and after photos of the bathroom that we staged in McKinney.

Holly Bellomy is the owner of Dallas Real Estate Staging. Specialties include: occupied and vacant home staging and home selling consultations. For more info. browse our website: www.dallasrealestatestaging.com

A Reinvented Family Room

I had the opportunity to reinvent a family room. The room had nice furnishings, soothing aqua colored walls, and an abundance of natural light. In order to balance the weight of the room and provide the homeowner with more storage I added two matching bookcases that were upstairs in a bedroom. I placed them right next to each other to create the feeling of built in bookcases. I shopped in several rooms for items to display on the shelves and I found items from India and Africa; things collected from the family's travels.

The homeowner was also wanting to use the space for entertaining friends and extended family, so I rearranged the furniture to create a cozy L shape...perfect for intimate conversations. I streamlined the mantle by clearing it and hanging a collection of pillow covers from India. The colors are beautiful and the theme tied in nicely with the items on the shelves.

The room is well balanced, the fireplace is the focal point and the accessories are displayed as reminders from family travels! The best part is that only two pillows for the sofa were purchased! Everything else was found in the home!


Look at the before and after photos:

www.reinventingrooms.biz
http://www.dallasrealestatestaging.com/
family room, home staging

Before and After Photos-Home Makeover

We surprised Mendy and her 4 children with a "One Day Home Makeover" of the following rooms: living, dining, master suite and kitchen. We will choose another lucky homeowner for a home makeover in October!

Enjoy the photos!

Dining Room before

Working on the Dining Room- Cindy, Holly, Merina and Jan

The redesigned Dining Room with Jan and Me! We painted the walls Macadamia from Sherwin Williams. Jan found this refurbished table, now there is plenty of space for Mendy and her 4 kids.

The Living Room before

The Living Room after

The living room before

The living room after. We put Mendy's kitchen table behind the loveseat so the family could play board games/cards or do homework.

The master bathroom before

The master bathroom after

Master bedroom before

The master bedroom after

The sitting area before

The sitting area after

The sitting area after with Cindy and Merina

The kitchen after

Now, the Big Reveal:

One Great Team!

www.dallasrealestatestaging.com

home staging, interior decoarating