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Homestyling by Cathy
Staging for selling or living!

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Portfolio

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MY BLOGS

The ‘art’ of hanging art

(When I refer to 'art' I mean anything that hangs on the wall for display. It may be paintings, portraits, photos, metallic art, collections (plates for example).

1. HEIGHT

We often hear we should hang our art at 'eye level'. But who's eye level? Eye level when sitting or eye level when standing? Well here are a few pointers I have gathered together to help take the confusion out of it.

Generally speaking art should be hung so that the center of the piece is between 57 and 60 in. from the floor. (Most galleries use 60 in. as their benchmark.) However, if you are hanging the piece above a sofa, the bottom of the frame should be between 6-8 inches above it. If hung above a console/table 4-8 inches is good so that the art relates with the vignette below it on the table. If you have high ceilings, you can hang your art slightly higher. Some people hang their art lower in rooms where people will mostly be seated (such as dining rooms) and higher in foyers/hallways where people are mostly standing. Personally, I prefer to stick to the 57 to 60 in. rule except when placed above furniture (as explained above).

2. SIZE

Keep large pieces of art on large expanses of wall and smaller pieces on the smaller walls. Putting small pieces on a large wall gives the sense that the pieces are 'floating' away, which is very visually distracting. The exception to this rule is when several similar smaller pieces are grouped together ands reads as one large piece. When done correctly this can be a great way to display your favorite photos or collections, etc.

3. SHAPE

Shape.....does it matter? Generally speaking, vertically hung pieces can visually make a low ceiling look higher and a high ceiling lower. Vertical pieces of art and other vertical lines in a room tend to make a room more formal. Lines of a horizontally hung piece emphasizes the width of a room and can visually expand it. It also lends itself to a more casual look.

4. OTHER

A couple of more general rules....if hung above a piece of furniture, such

as a sofa, the width of the piece should never be wider than the piece of

furniture. Some will say the art should not exceed 75% of the width of

the furniture below it. Also, when hung above a sofa or similar, the art

should take up 2/3 of the wall space between the furniture and the

ceiling.

What NOT to do when selling your home.

Assuming that you want to sell your home quickly and for top dollar (and I'm sure everybody does), here are some things NOT to do, from a home stager's point of view.

1. Do not assume that most buyers will love your decor as much as you do. (Most likely won't.)

2. Do not assume that buyers can see past the 'stuff' and see the home for what it is. (They can't.)

3. Do not assume that it is costly to stage your home. (It's not, considering the return you will get.)

4. Do not try to mask odors with various products. (Get rid of the odors.)

5. Do not neglect curb appeal. (Most buyers will do a drive-by first, often before even contacting the realtor.)

6. Do not leave family photos or any type of collection on display. (It's distracting and also too personal, making it difficult for buyers to imagine themselves living in your home.)

7. Do not leave pets or various pet related things where potential buyers may see them. (Many people are allergic to pets and some people just do not like animals.)

8. Do not expect to get great results if you do not follow the home stager's 'to do' list.

9. Do not assume you will like your home after it has been staged. (Most people do, but some do not because it has become too impersonal for them.)

10. Do not try to decorate your home to sell....it needs to be MARKETED through staging, not decorated.

Vacant versus staged

I have noticed lately that many people think that if a home is vacant, it will show how big it is and therefore sell quickly. Statistics in fact, show the exact opposite. According to RESA, stats released February 2010 show that staged homes spent 78% less time on the market than vacant homes. Why is that? I think the main reason is that most people cannot visualize how a room would look with furniture and accessories in it. They do not know if their sofa would fit in this space, or if this room is big enough for a king sized bed...so they go away unsure whether the space would work for them. That is why staging works...we show them visually that yes, your sofa could fit here, yes the king sized bed could work in this room, etc. I recently staged a vacant downtown, quirky heritage home. First when I saw it, I was unsure how I could get furniture to fit in the different spaces. Not only were the rooms small, but there were no right angles ...the rooms were actually trapezoids! Why the home was built this way is a mystery to me but it obviously had something to do with the fact it was built in the 1800s. It did have high ceilings and original plaster crown moldings, baseboards and chair rail and all of the original heavy wooden doors and even an original pocket door. It also had four original fireplaces, two of them working!

Here is the master bedroom before it was staged. A very small room with a tiny closet and a wonky shape! At first glance I was doubtful if we could fit a queen bed in this space, let alone a dresser or highboy for badly needed storage.

Here is the room after I staged it. Not only did I fit a queen sized bed in here with a night table, but also a dresser/entertainment unit and there is still room for a highboy.

This is a good illustration of how to turn doubting clients into buying clients. Not only does it take all question from their minds as to the actual size of the room, but since buying a house is usually an emotional decision, this cosy bedroom helps to set the stage for them. They can imagine themselves in this bedroom, curled up on the bed in front of the fire, reading a book or watching TV. It appeals to their emotions and often results in a sale.