A couple of weeks ago, I was called to a house in Altadena, CA for a home staging consultation. We were hired to stage the home, but it wasn't your typical Los Angeles home staging...Staging Intervention (or Stagervention as my friend Laurie March likes to call it) was more like it. My assistants, Melissa and Michelle, worked on the house with me over the course of two weeks (including painting and repairs). Besides the paint crew, the carpenter and electrician, there were also 2 movers from the moving company (to move excess items into storage) and 2 furniture movers from Brook Furniture Rental. We transformed the whole house, but there is one room in which we did perform miracles.
Here is a set of before and after photos of the daughter's bedroom:
Before (this was after we tidied up a little bit - you couldn't see the floor when we walked in):
After (what a difference a Staging Intervention crew makes):
What we did:
- Placed all items on floor into boxes for teenage daughter and mother to sort through. Mother pointed out items she wanted donated immediately which were placed into clear plastic bags. Obvious trash was put into black plastic bags
- Gave the daughter instructions that she had 1 week to go through the boxes. Whatever wasn't put away would be donated
- Remove the existing twin bed and replaced it with a rented full size bed (with new mattress) and headboard
- Donated the desk in the corner but used existing chair, rug, nightstand and dresser (not pictured)
- Moved a table that was in the living room into the bedroom to be used as a desk
- Purchased multiple plastic organizing containers and taboret for school & office supply storage
- Purchased new bedding
- Painted room pale green, with white trim (Benjamin Moore Guilford Green HC-116)
At first the daughter was not happy about the invasion of her personal space, but now she is thrilled that she can find everything and she is no longer embarrassed to have friends over after school.
We lived up to our company name to complete this job - Moving Mountains Design. We moved mountains to get this home into market ready condition!
Moving Mountains Design - We don't sell homes but we know what makes homes sell!
*Los Angeles Home Stager- Home Stager As Miracle Worker* ©2009 Moving Mountains Design and Michelle Minch
If you are looking for a home staging company in Los Angeles, Pasadena or Altadena, call Michelle Minch at Moving Mountains Design at (626)441-8975. You can also contact us via email at Michelle@MovingMountainsDesign.com .
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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.
Click here to see our Los Angeles home staging portfolio
Click here to go to our Los Angeles home staging blog
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
Wow, Michelle, it looks like a completely different room...it is, actually! What a job, I'm not surprised that you and your team could pull it off, though. It looks wonderful--congratulations!
Carole: As you can imagine, this project had major Feng Shui implications for this family. Everyone was stuck spinning their wheels and never gaining traction. One of the things that made this whole process palatable for the daughter was the fact that we found over $200 in gift cards buried on her desk. She thought she had spent them! That is in addition to the cash (from her babysitting jobs) that she thought she had lost.
She wasn't sleeping well at night. Her bed was positioned right under the window which looked out on a busy street, plus the mess, plus the piles of "stuff" we pulled out from under the bed. Now she says she is sleeping better and waking up more rested.
While it was difficult at times, we had a great sense of accomplishment when we were finished.
Clutter is a sign of the chaos in your life! This real life story is such a great example of the reality of this.
Your work is beautiful and you have done great deeds in this home and in their lives.
From cluttered to calming... you've given the daughter a new perspective and a whole new outlook. Hopefully, she can carry this "organized way of living" into their new home and beyond. Like a teenager, the room looks like it grew overnight!
Wow! What a great job you did! It is hard to believe that is the same room.
So here it is! WOW, you did an amazing job on her room! It looks wonderful........You not only transformed her room, but gave her solutions that will help her as she moves on :))
Great job, did you find Jimmy Hoffa's body under all that mess?!? (Who the hell lives like that anyway?!?!)
Wish you'd been around when I was a teen. My room was the same with no flooring visible and piles everywhere!
Well, worth the hard work and time spent going through everything. and the Green on the walls is beautiful!
I was a messy teen, too. I hope that this young lady has learned that an orderly environment is healthier for her both in body and spirit. Such clutter is so chaotic and distracting. Your are right - you really Moved Mountains on this job!
What a great transformation ... I'm sure the entire family is sleeping better now!
Wow, Michelle! Fabulous transformation! It doesn't even look like the same space...However, it looks like that "Psychology degree" paid off after all...he he! Thanks for sharing!
Oh, and I love the new wall colour...just fab!
Michelle - absolutely beautiful! Color - proportions - you have it all! Sometimes it helps to have a "third party", and a professional, give an objective side to the situation.
You and your team truly are miracle workers!
Cathy Lee, Vivian, Wanda: Thank you!
Wendy: It took a while, but we were finally able to finish.
Andrew: We found some pretty interesting (some more gross than interesting) things in that room, but no Jimmy Hoffa.
Well, Hello Dane: Welcome back and thanks for commenting
Kathy: We moved mountains of garbage! A pick up truck load, and then a full load with 1-800-got junk plus what we put out in weekly trash.
Maureen: I think it took some adjustment for the family once we were done. The housekeeper was very happy though :o))
Jacqueline: Thanks. The paint color is Benjamin Moore Guilford Green HC-116
Michelle: Thanks for sharing this "mountainous" experience as well as the photo's. You and your crew did an amazing job. The after photo just makes me FEEL calmer!
Fran & Rowena:Thank you and thanks for stopping by. I appreciate your kind words.
Debra: I'll be posting more photos shortly. Stay tuned. Thanks.
Wow ... What a giant difference! It's almost unbelievable! i just met with a stagger last week for one of our listings. It was amazing what she came up with! Very definitely a valuable tool!
What a huge difference Michelle. It sounds like you really had your work cut out for you!
Lisa: Home stagers can make a huge difference in how a home performs once its put on the market. I hope you'll take your stager's advice.
Bill: This job was a huge undertaking. In the past we have mostly concentrated on vacant homes, but since the market shift, we have been called in on more and more occupied homes. This one outstrips all the others though. Thanks!
Michelle - Gulp. Wow, what a transformation. After seeing this set of before and after pictures I can see what kept you so busy! You did a tremendous job and yes, I would agree; YOU ARE A MIRACLE worker!
Congratulations. Your post is being featured in the group Staging Before & After Pictures.
Kathy
Kathy: Thanks for the feature. This was a long involved process, but my client is very happy with the results. Next time I'll be sure to bring more trash bags. We used over 100!
Michelle, once again you've done an incredible job. I just thought that the before and afters were amazing on previous posts...this one takes the cake! We recently emptied my daughter's room to paint and replace flooring and it's amazing how much trash one child can create and then shove into every available space. Like your transformation, it looks like a completely different room now.
Thank you so much Lisa. This job was a horse of a different color. I have to say that emptying a room to paint is a great excuse to get organized. I don't think most kids have an innate talent for organizing. Its something they have to be taught.
Michelle this is truly an amazing transformation...no doubt not your typical job. I find when working with these kind of rooms its still hard to get such a fabulous result. Hopefully the occupant has turned over a new leaf or has relocated to a new space while the property is on the market.
Always a joy to see your work:)
Love this transformation, Michelle! Would you please come and do a stagervention for my 14 year old? She has a fabulous room with plenty of storage but at this point in her life can't seem to find the motivation to keep it organized. I did guilt her in to cleaning it up for Mother's Day at least. Thanks for sharing your great results!
Thank you, Margaret. It seems the occupant has turned over a new leaf according to her mother, although I haven't seen it for myself. She loves the way her room looks and her mother says she seems much happier generally.
Mary: Make a list with your daughter of what she thinks is preventing her from being more organized and what she thinks she needs to fix the problem. Get her invested in the process. Take your daughter to a Container Store, or if there isn't one nearby, Target. Let her choose (with your guidance) the bins, organizers, etc. that she thinks will help her be more organized. It may not fix the problem entirely, but I bet you see a big improvement.
Hi Michelle, Phenomenal job as usual! You are perhaps the most consistent Stager I know at working outright miracles for her clients. Congrats on yet another. Amazing!
Incredible work and fantastic results. Thanks for sharing the paint color as well - am looking for some great tried and true light greens and blues for my list of recommendations.
Wow, I can't believe the difference! Amazing!