Staging a House 101….

“Sometimes I come into Hammertown and it feels like the home I’d like to live in.”

We hear that again and again from our customers. It is an amazing talent that Joan and Rhonda have — they can make a place of business feel like a home…imagine what they could do in a “real home”. Mere mortals, such as myself, don’t know quite how they do it…but this unique creative partnership is something to behold and behold it I did…

Recently, Joan and Rhonda got a staging project of a home which we’ll be blogging on for the next few weeks. We thought you’d like to follow the process. My job is to, basically, watch…listen…and take a few pictures. Here’s what happened today in Joan’s words:

First Day:

So today is Day One of Rhonda and I staging this house.

Our plan…it’s a big house…we can’t do it all…so we choose what’s most important. The large, beautiful entry…

This entry should be impressive, because the mile-long drive and the grounds around the house are absolutely magnificient…beautiful plantings, speciman trees, large pool and a vista of the Hudson Valley that leaves you breathless. We don’t want potential buyers to enter and be disappointed.

The Living Room: We decide to keep it simple, elegant, yet comfortable and let the view take center stage. We’ve chosen a large ottoman upholstered with an old Turkish kilim rug. This will ground the room…as well as the large rug we plan to bring over next week. Rhonda said, “The swags and curtains have to go…there’s total privacy here…who’s gonna see you? Besides, the view is incredible…who needs curtains!”

Onto the Dining Room: Again very simple… A graceful modern table with our favorite chairs …Elmo…simple clean lines. And there it is again…that beautiful view. So, a sofa will be placed against the wall facing the window and the “view”.

Our last room on the first floor…The Kitchen. The yellow walls have to go. We don’t want to spend too much money on painting, etc, but with a fresh coat of Farrow and Ball “Elephant’s Breath” paint, this kitchen will be brought back up-to-date.

The granite counter tops, cherry cabinets, Garland stove, fireplace, solarium and large shaker table are great and once again…it all overlooks the property and those views. I think this is a room you will really see come to life by next week.

Oh yes…Rhonda and I are going to have fun here…