Happy Halloween!

                       

Staging A Sausalito Cottage For Sale

 This well lived in cottage with lovingly tended gardens was filled with personal mementos and souvenirs from travels to exotic locales. Potential buyers have to be able to envision themselves living in a space, so de-cluttering and de-personalizing was the first order of the day. This was followed by  incorporating some contemporary furnishings, and rearranging the homeowner's accessories. 

                                                                   
                                                                    BEFORE:
                                                           Living/Dining Room

                                                                   AFTER:

                                                                 
                                                                   BEFORE:

                                                                          AFTER:

Then on to repurposing some rooms...

 BEFORE:

Back bedroom

                                                                    
                                                                        AFTER:
                                      We turned this into a guest room with a beach theme

                                  

BEFORE:

This room was being used as an office

AFTER:

It became the main bedroom

BEFORE:

And this room (in the midst of de-cluttering) was being used as a bedroom...

                                              
                                                                     AFTER:
                                                which was turned into the office

                                                              BEFORE:

AFTER:

Small changes...

 BEFORE:

Kitchen

AFTER:

                                                                             

                                                                        


                                                                         BEFORE:

                                                                                
                                        

AFTER:

                                                                  
                                                                   And grace notes...

                                                                          

                            
                                                              

Live Your Fantasy!

Our client wanted this small bedroom to be her intimate sanctuary away from the hustle and bustle of the busy household. Her taste is very feminine and romantic, and she showed us her inspiration book above, "The Paris Apartment: Romantic Decor On A Flea Market Budget" by Claudia Strasser. We had to create her fantasy retreat with more dash than cash!

When we arrived, we could see she had some elegant pieces, but in order to make them shine the room needed a good de-cluttering and rearranging:

BEFORE:

After a good sorting out and letting go, the fun began.

The pink peonies from her garden provided the inspiration for the wall color:

 We switched out the ceiling fan for a small crystal chandelier ($129) and re-covered the headboard by stapling on some silky gold fabric ($20). We hunted down the shimmery gold pleated dust ruffle ($5.99) and bronze shams ($.99 ea). We found some old curtains in her closet (recycled), and created a vanity table that also serves as hidden storage. Then, for drama and fantasy, we wanted to create a "lit a la Polonaise" (French canopy bed- see our previous post about this style here.)  We had the client's curtain panels to drape (use what you have) but needed a way to fasten them to the wall. To our delight, she disappeared into the kitchen and returned with an old copper pot rack, asking "Can you use this?"

 (repurposed) Why not???

With a little ingenuity, here's what we created for her:

AFTER:

                                              
                              Our client was thrilled with this little slice of Paris in her own home!

It's All In The Details

Sometimes a small change can make a big difference - we like to call it getting a big bang for your buck. Changing out a ho-hum beige lampshade for a dramatic black one, along with the simple addition of a black throw pillow, adds contrast and punches up the corner of this living room:

                                                                        BEFORE:

AFTER:

                                       A lot of impact for a very small investment!

Quick Change: Piedmont

A lovely vintage home needed a bit of a shake up. The living room had great proportions but wasn't taking advantage of the space -  a lone love seat, small occasional chair and tiny area rug didn't feel inviting enough in such a large and gracious room.
LIVING ROOM BEFORE:

LIVING ROOM AFTER:

  

We moved the love seat to face the fireplace and created a conversation area with a pair of chairs and an ottoman we found around the house. We anchored this seating area with a large patterned rug we found in the family room. The homeowner wants to replace some of this furniture, and can now easily switch it out when they're ready to purchase new pieces. We also reworked the fireplace mantle with a lamp and some large colorful ethnic pieces from their collection, creating a strong focal point as soon as you enter the room.

FAMILY ROOM BEFORE:

 FAMILY ROOM AFTER:

Here we replaced the rug we took for the living room with one we found on a back sun porch - it's brighter colors and modern stripe work better with the contemporary sectional. Although we did play around with the sectional's configuration we kept it as it was because it worked best for TV viewing, the room's main function. But by simply pulling it away from the wall a few feet and floating it in the room, the whole arrangement came alive. Adding some pillows we found in a bedroom,  a throw that is actually a tablecloth, and a decorative bowl pulled in the color from the walls. This was originally the home's dining room, so we placed a corner table so the the room can easily function for dining and entertaining. Next on the agenda is hanging movie posters from the home owner's collection to add even more personality to the room. 

A fresh new look in an afternoon using only what you have!

The homeowner wrote to us:

"Thanks! I should have taken pictures when I came home last night: my son had some friends visiting from school... they were gathered in the living room, a fire in the fireplace, and snacks arranged on the dining table! It looked very homey!"