MANN REPORT: April 2009

Stage like an Egyptian: Celebrity staging 101

By Jill Vegas
Jill Vegas LLC

This apartment is a celebrity apartment that lacked furniture. Open House NYC called in our crew to bring in furniture and make it home in 3 days!

Here’s the crew from Open House NYC taking a break in the living room after we furnished it and created a home. The client was radiantly happy with her cozy and colorful new space. This celeb loves to entertain so this was the perfect nest away from her LA home.

Furniture is the foundation of any room. And when it comes to color, banish beige!
         --Staging pro Jill Vegas

Remember when the Bangles sang to us in the 80s: “Walk like an Egyptian?” Well, here I’m going to tell you how to Stage like a Celebrity.

Recently, I staged a three-bedroom apartment in Manhattan for a celebrity actress who moved to New York from Los Angeles for a year to perform on Broadway. The staging and results were featured on NBC’s Open House.

In three days, we worked miracles. Those miracles can apply to any apartment staging, whether you are on the smallest budget or have some money to spend.

First, when you are selling an apartment, it’s important to pay attention to furniture. Make sure it’s in good condition. Make sure it doesn’t crowd the room. You might use a piece of furniture in everyday life, but ask yourself, if you are selling a property, whether each piece of furniture adds or detracts from the look and feel of the room. Does it clutter the space? If so, banish it to a storage area. In the living room, we started with a sofa and a bench to serve as a coffee table. You could use an actual coffee table, or stools or cubes, to offset the couch.

Next, think about style. Be clear on what style you like or want to convey, be it modern, traditional or contemporary. Have the courage to mix and match. In the bedroom, we mixed contemporary and country furnishings.

Then, think about color. Just because you are selling doesn’t mean you have to go beige. Banish beige! I like to start with nice whitewash paint on the walls, and add white furnishings, bed comforters and accessories. Then you can layer in color with pillows and rugs, flowers and artwork.

Always remember that lighting is critical. If you have windows, make the most of the light. Remove heavy curtains and leave windows bare or replace heavy drapes with white or light curtains that let in the light. Clean windows, lamps and shades, and remove dust from light bulbs. You will be amazed at the brightening effect that cleaning all light fixtures and windows will give to a space.

If you don’t have the time or energy to do these renovations, you can turn to our Magic Wand service for help. The service provides a one-hour property tour and custom analysis. We’ll identify the target audience with the goal of creating a lifestyle brand that will appeal to the largest number of people. I’ll provide tips for quick ways to maximize the property value and minimize flaws. We’ll prioritize with a list of things to do and how to do it, and provide resources so the staging can be done quickly.

Time and again, with staging, we turn a cluttered, drab property stalling on the market into a hot, fast sell for more than asking price. That’s the beauty of staging: it increases

sales values and diminishes time on the market. The cost is worth it.

Remember, you only get one chance to make a first impression.

Jill Vegas
212-627-9402
jill@jillvegas.com

 

©2009 Jill Vegas LLC