Before and After of Our Palo Alto Remodel
We are thrilled to give you a peek into the before and after of one of our latest projects. This home was going up for sale, and the owner, who we have worked with and cherished as a client, really wanted to be sure the property would command it's worth in the current Northern California market. The goal was to showcase the home at a reasonable budget, while creating the air of possibility, charm, and interest for the would be buyer. But a buyer isn't just anyone, they each have their own wishes for their dream homes, and when staging, we must always consider how best to allow the uniqueness of the property to shine, AND the allowance for imagining a personal touch within that space. This is one of the challenges that comes with all staging work, and it's one that is so full of possibility. Every property is unique, as is every buyer, and staging design marries these two into a first impression experience, weighted with the importance of dreams, what is, and what we can imagine.
Bathroom Before & After
Dining Room Before & After
First things first- remove wall to wall carpeting when possible. It's just unsanitary- and no one wants to think about the previous inhabitants skin cells when they are imagining themselves in their dream home. The next challenge to tackle here, it was a bit of a unused space kind of feeling due to the small amount of natural light, and the long shape of the room. How to add interest and play with the depth to create a sense of welcoming in the space. We are so in love with the wall details and the warmth created by washing the walls and the ceiling in a warm white.
There is a sense of airiness created by the long sheer curtains, and the space is grounded with the reinforcement of a geometric pattern to both compliment and contrast the accented wall. The combination of seating options include a black quilted bench and comfortable wide chairs to acommodate almost any hosting arrangement, and the wood table, clay pot, live feathery leaved plant, and black iron echoes in the chandelier give nod to the natural elements in the surrounding habitat.
Living Room Before & After
Again in the living room we ripped out the carpet, adding the warmth of the natural wood into the space. Next was to figure out how to update the fireplace and mantle. If we were working on a space for a new home owner, we may have considered a total upgrade, but for staging a home for sale, working with the home is our focus. Here- we sanded the tile and painted it black, and the effect gave it a very modern upgraded feel. Black white and gray against he wood floor pulls the rooms together and echo throughout the home.
Art work is chosen to give a sense of space and possibility to a buyer about how they might customize the home. Scale, balance, and theme, and the juxtaposition of placement can create a sense of space and what the buyer could make possible on their own. This room is part of an open floor plan including the kitchen, dining nook, and the living room.
Kitchen Before & After
So if given a choice, the major expenditures that have the most bang for the buck are best spent in the kitchen and bathroom upgrades. Like our rule with removing wall to wall carpeting whenever and where ever possible for staging, dirty kitchens and bathrooms make you think about who lived there before, and what they did in those spaces, and not in a good way. We upgraded all the appliances, added recessed lighting, new fixtures and cabinets, and pulled the wood floor into the kitchen. Goodbye dirty grout-hello clean, fresh, crisp and spacious informal kitchen, living room, dining room area. A real multi-functional living space.
