MANN REPORT: August 2009

before: The kitchen featured gorgeous appliances and cabinets, but felt blah and sterile. Though modern, it needed to some personality.

after: We spruced it up with canisters and black and white prints. The colorful orchid was key to brighten up the space. Make sure if you are adding flowers to a room that they look neat and tidy and healthy.

before: The dining room was big and spacious but buyers had a challenging time imagining how to entertain here.

after: Starting with a clean palette, we added a chartreuse painting from Boltax Gallery to add instant style to the room. The bold color gave the room instant flavor. If you are adding artwork, block colors are a good idea.

Kitchen Tips for a Hot August

By Jill Vegas

If you can’t take the heat, revamp your kitchen.
          —Jill Vegas

Typically in the heat waves of August the last thing you want to do is cook, let alone turn on the oven. It’s hot inside, hot outside, a season for salads and lying low: and a perfect time to purge the kitchen.

Recently one of my clients called us in for tips on how to make her kitchen more appealing. She was selling her home and didn’t want to undergo a gut renovation or a costly makeover. We went over to take a look. It was a beautiful prewar penthouse on the Upper West Side with lots of light. It didn’t feature new construction, but had so much going for it with lots of prewar personality.

The penthouse had some nice features, like a modern, sleek, eat- in kitchen. The paint job was OK and didn’t need to be redone. However, the place looked drab. The dining chairs were stained and looked tired. Some of the light bulbs in the house were burned out.

The apartment needed a jolt of fresh energy—a la Jill Vegas magic wand staging. Here’s what we did:

  1. Reupholstered the chairs. The frames were nice, and the chairs just needed a new look. We chose a crisp linen.
  2. Replaced the light bulbs.
  3. Washed all the light fixtures.
  4. Went through the cupboards, refrigerator and freezer. We tossed out all the old food.
  5. Scrubbed down all the cabinets, inside and out.

Though it might not seem like much, the staging left the kitchen looking extraordinary.

When you are working with a property and you need to glamorize it for buyers or for photographs, there are some keys to remember. When you open windows and wash them, you will add so much to the space. When you replace light bulbs and wash down lighting fixtures, it makes a tremendous impact. Flowers and art are great ways to add a zing of color to a room.

It can be hard to do this on your own, especially if you have lived in the space. People get attached to their things, which is natural. But when you remove clutter, it makes the space look larger, and will help you to sell it.

At Jill Vegas Staging, we often remove art and mementos. We always remove family photos, because they distract buyers.

Some people will ask, “Why bother staging when the buyer will renovate anyway?” Our experience, time and again, is that staging properties increases the sale value, and speeds the selling process. It allows buyers to see the potential of the space. It transforms drab listings into real estate in “move in” condition. Buyers like that.

And staging can save the cost of a gut renovation. A can of paint and a good cleaning crew can go a long way toward adding value to the property. If you are renovating on your own, just remember my three rules of thumb: Bring in the light, bring in the color, and scrub the place down so it gleams. You will love the results.

 

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

 

©2009 Jill Vegas LLC