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

Items destined for the garage sale find new purpose

I was invited to a friend's house for a mantle and bookcase makeover. She has a beautiful home and a charming family.

Here is the "before" photo:

The items on the mantle are nice, but they are small in scale and all about the same height. Below is the bookcase.

Now take a look at the mantle and bookcase after the redesign:

Notice the silver pot with greenery. I took some greenery from another arrangement in the house, placed a plastic cup in the pot and voila, instant success!

Color, texture and height all play a part to create an interesting arrangement on the mantle and bookcase.
Here is what the homeowner said: "The room I thought was okay, however you were able to take it up a “notch” that I would have never been able to achieve on my own! I was amazed how you gave “new life” to items that were going to soon make it into our next garage sale."


http://www.dallasrealestatestaging.com/
home staging Fairview

Don't throw away that chandelier!

Do you have a shiny, brass chandelier? Would you like a new chandelier for less than $10? Have I got a solution for you! You can transform your chandelier with a can of spray paint. You can purchase the paint at Wal Mart or Home Depot for about $6 and you can choose from brushed nickel, bronze or black finishes.

Take a look at the before and after photos from friend and client, Lara. She moved into her new home and it had this chandelier. If you know me, you know that I like paint and if I could, I would paint everything! So, I suggested that she paint it and she did!

Here is the chandelier after it's makeover. Wow, what a difference! Great job, Lara and thanks for sharing your photos.

http://www.dallasrealestatestaging.com/

home staging, Allen

Win a FREE Home Makeover Contest!

Tell your friends and family about the Home Makeover Contest! 

The lucky winner will receive the expertise of 7 certified redesigners who will redesign the following rooms:
1. master bedroom and bathroom
2. family room
3. kitchen and nook
4. a secondary bedroom of our choice

For more information go to:  http://www.makeovermastersofnorthtexas.com/.

The deadline for entries is September 30 so don't miss out!