How to Stage a Home Office (good Feng Shui, too)
Moving Mountains Design recently staged a home that had a dedicated home office. Here is the "before" picture.
As you can see, there are piles of papers yelling "Pay attention to me" and "Look at all the work you have to do before you can relax". Not the message you want potential buyers to get when touring your home. Yes, the homeowners could have just cleaned the papers off the desk and the place would have looked a whole lot better. Better, but it would be even better if the office actually looked like someplace a buyer might like to hang out. Look what happens when we removed the HUGE desk and put in a desk (still large at 6' long) more in scale with the room.
The room now looks large enough to accomodate almost any home business venture. And it looks like a pleasant place to work. Take note that the desk is in the power position (very good Feng Shui) which helps when dealing with difficult clients and invites success.
Home staging isn't just about clearing clutter, removing personal photos or choosing neutral paint colors. As a professional home stager I help my clients by selecting appropriately sized furniture and arranging it to maximize the appeal, available space and functionality of any room.
For more information about our home staging services and choosing a home stager, visit our Los Angeles home staging web site. Moving Mountains Design helps home owners prepare their homes for sale in Los Angeles, including Pasadena, Arcadia, San Marino, Studio City, Sherman Oaks, Tarzana and Encino. You can contact Michelle Minch at (626)441-8975 or via email Michelle@MovingMountainsDesign.com.
©2009 Michelle Minch & Moving Mountains Design. All photos taken by Michelle Minch
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2010 RESA Professional Stager of the Year
Michelle has staged hundreds of Los Angeles homes, many of which have sold with multiple offers, above listing price.
She works with home sellers, listing agents and asset managers to prepare homes for sale throughout Los Angeles.
Moving Mountains Design provides vacant home staging, occupied home staging, color consultations, corporate and executive relocations, move organization, redesign, and interior design. We also stage model homes, REOs,foreclosures and auction properties for real estate investors and asset managers.
For more information about our Los Angeles home staging services, contact Michelle at (626)385-8852 or by email.
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Click here for more information about home staging in Los Angeles and how we can help sell your home faster and for the best price
Let's do business! You are a great stager Michelle!!!
Very nice... I would like to hang out in that office! The desk is smaller and a much more appropriate size for the space.
Michelle, What a great transformation. I do have a question...this looks like a home office that was being used a lot. Is it still a workable office space for them? This is a problem I have with consults, helping sellers understand how to stage to sell, but also be able to live in the space.
Thanks Cathy. I'd be happy to do business with you!
Lisa: Thank you. The homeowner was astounded at how good her office looked after we were done with it. Her comment:"I want my office to look like this all the time".
Great staging-you are right this does make a difference. thanks for sharing.
Donna: The home owner moved into their new home just before we staged. My philosophy about a working office in a staged home is that, like every other part of the house, the office user has to declutter and sort thru what is there and decide what they really need to conduct business on a day to day basis until the home is sold. No, they don't really need the 8 reams of paper that are still left from the case they bought or the 15 Bic pens they picked up at all the hotels they stayed at. One or two is enough and they can store the rest neatly in a file box in the garage. Same goes with paperwork. You really don't want private business information, bills, etc. laying around when there will be strangers going thru their home and office. Everything should be put away in drawers, files and cabinets (neatly). I know this is a tough sell, but most people will comply if they understand it may help them sell their home faster. The homeowner told me that she realized she didn't need most of the stuff that was laying around her office before we staged.
Glad you like it Pat. Thanks for your comment.
The first one looks so much better, but I think the first one would look good, too, if they just had a cat laying on the desk.
Thanks Michelle, I know if I had to sell my home I would need to declutter a lot for my home office. It's located in my formal Dining Room. But I still need to conduct business day-to-day. And you're right, I don't really need everything that I have pilled up! Great post, Thanks!
Amazing transformation. I wonder if I could really function like this - not just to sell, but for everyday living. I'm not so sure but I'd like to try. Any feng shui tips for an office? I'd love some ideas.
Very cute kitty, Russel. Thanks for the photo.
Donna: Most of us use less than half the stuff we have accumulated. It's easy to accumulate piles of things we don't need. A few weeks ago I went through a stack of file boxes full of old job information. It took several hours to go through it and shred what wasn't necessary anymore. I'm amazed at how the papers pile up. But when you are putting your home on the market, it is even more important to get everything put away and in some semblance of order.
Linsey: I am working towards a paperless office - well as paperless as possible. I am scanning important documents and receipts as the IRS now accepts scanned documents and receipts as proof. Now a year's tax documents can be kept on a CD or two instead of a large file box. It is time consuming at first, but if you keep up with it it gets easier.The important thing is to make sure everything is backed up (I have 2 separate back up drives).
I'm working on a post about office Feng Shui:o))
Looks great Michelle! Now I am sure your client will be much more productive too!
Thanks, Wendy!
Michelle ~ What a difference! The "before" desk looks huge. I like how you also got a comfy looking chair in the "after".
Thanks Kathy. We were able to add the chair because we had gotten rid of so much extraneous stuff that the homeowner didn't want or use anymore.
I bet they're still thanking you, Michelle. What a huge difference this makes. I cringed when I looked at the first photo (seriously, I did). In the 2nd photo, after your incredible staging, I could feel the tension leave my shoulders!
Great job!
Congratulations. Your post is being featured in the group Staging Before & After Pictures.
Kathy
Thank you for the feature Kathy. People don't want to feel like they will have the same problems in a new home that they have in their old home. Everyone hopes their life will be better when they buy a home. That's why it is so important to make sure your home is staged before you put it on the market. Sorry if I caused you any stress:o))
Michelle, The smaller desk certainly makes a huge difference....as well as removing all that clutter! Talk about good Feng Shui, you always do a beautiful job of implementing it in your staging jobs.
Thank you Carole. I always appreciate you Feng Shui perspective. In an ideal world, there wouldn't be a window behind the desk, but there was no other way to place the desk without bumping into build in cabinets. The window was frosted and the desk was offset from the center of the window which helps. Hopefully the new owners will add a window treatment or other cure that will remediate that problem.
Michele, I love the stagging. Gosh I wish I could fly you out here to do my office. It definately needs a make over to take over. You are so talented.
Thank you Carole:o))
Wow, what a difference. You really do move mountains!!! I love your work. Great job.
Beautiful office anyone would want to work in. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Chrissie and Lori.
Michelle,
What a difference you have made with the transformation of this office! Removing the oversized desk and clutter, really opened up the space. I'm sure potential home buyers will be able to envision themselves working behind this desk now!
Looks much better. Where is all the stuff. No computer, no paper, no work.
Thanks Michelle. Not sure when you left this comment. Sorry I missed it.
Brenda: All the "stuff" is put away. Client has a laptop.