Huge Silk Trading Company Sale on Fabric & Drapery
October 31, 2009
Photo Courtesy Silk Trading Company
Photo Courtesy Silk Trading Company
Huge Silk Trading Company sale on fabric, furniture, throw pillows & drapery 50%-80% off!
OK, there’s some good interior design news and some very bad interior deisgn news here.
The bad news?
It appears Silk Trading Company is closing their Los Angeles store. Silk Trading Company has long been a favored destination of Los Angeles interior designers and fabric junkies. We’re losing a wonderful resource. Silk Trading was a great place to shop for high end designer fabric that could be purchased off the bolt without having to order it from a design center showroom.
The good news?
All of those gorgeous silk & linen fabrics, sumptuous ready-to-hang drapery and beautiful silk throw pillows are now on sale for 50%-80% off. I bought several yards of a stunning gold silk brocade and some very unique wedgewood blue linen with an embroidered floral pattern. Both of these will be turned into throw pillows and bed shams for use in my Los Angeles homes staging projects.
While I was shopping, I heard another interior designer, who had made a large purchase exclaim “Wow, I just saved my client $10,000!”
Disclaimer: It was very difficult to get information from the sales people regarding the future of Silk Trading.
I was told that the sales are ongoing in the Los Angeles and Atlanta showrooms. I was lead to believe that those are the only 2 stores that remain open. I’m not sure if they will continue as an on-line store or not. I hope that they are not, in fact, going out of business, just restructuring. I will be sad to see them go, as I have shopped there for many interior design clients over the years. I’ve purchased custom and out-of-the-box drapery from them as well as hundreds of yards of upholstery fabric and throw pillows.
The Los Angeles store is located at 360 S. La Brea on the corner of 4th.
I’m not sure how long they will remain open, so if you are in need of a gorgeous fabric fix, head on over as soon as possible for the best selection.
And, as always, if you need any interior design or home staging assistance, call Michelle Minch at (626)441-8975. I’ll be happy to help.
Holiday Greenery Sale – Ballard Designs
October 27, 2009
I just received notice that Ballard Designs is having a holiday greenery sale.
Most greenery items are 25% off. Ballard Designs has some beautiful furniture and accessories. I’ve been very pleased with the items I have ordered for interior design clients.
Della Robia Wreath from Ballard Designs
If you would like to freshen or redesign your Los Angeles or Pasadena home for the holidays, please call us at (626)441-8975.
We offer many levels of service from a simple consultation to color consultations, accessory shopping, redesign and interior design. Our services are a la carte. Just let us know what you need. We provide home staging, redesign and interior design services throughout Los Angeles, Pasadena, Arcadia, San Marino, Los Feliz, Silverlake, Sherman Oaks and Encino.
Happy shopping!
Home Staging An Occupied Los Angeles Cottage in Silverlake
October 25, 2009
We had great success staging this 1920’s cottage in the Silverlake area of Los Angeles.
The home owners received multiple offers over listing price during the first week the home was on the market.
Occupied home staging can sometimes be a little tricky.
The home stager has often has to use the home owners’ existing furniture and take into account the lifestyle of all the occupants. In this particular case, the home owners’ have 2 active teenage sons and a dog.
Silverlake Living Room Before Home Staging
Silverlake Living Room After Home Staging
I did a home staging consultation for the home owners about a month before the house was scheduled to be listed on the MLS.
As part of the Occupied Home Staging Consultation I gave the home owners the following information:
- Furniture and personal items to be removed
- Areas to be de-cluttered
- A new furniture layout plan
- Recommended paint colors
- Recommended a Los Angeles moving & storage company, Northstar Moving, that could store their excess furniture and personal items until the house was sold. Northstar will also be moving their furniture once escrow closes.
- Discussed items that needed to be repaired
- Recommended some cost effective ways to update the kitchen and make it more appealing
Here are before and after pictures of the kitchen update:
Cottage kitchen before home staging
Cottage Kitchen After Home Staging Updates
Cottage kitchen before home staging
Cottage Kitchen After Home Staging Updates
Besides decluttering, notice the new cabinet hardware, new paint, new tile countertop and open shelf above the sink (the cabinet doors were removed to create the shelf).
The home owners were a dream to work with. They took all the information in the comprehensive home staging consultation and ran with it. They completed all the work themselves on time and within their budget. Moving Mountains Design provided artwork and accessories and I photographed the house a few days before listing on the MLS. We emailed the photos to the home owner and the listing agent (who did a fantastic job, by the way) the photos for use in the MLS listing, on-line marketing and print brochures.
Dining Room Before Home Staging
Cottage Dining Room After Home Staging
For more information about our Comprehensive Home Staging Consultation or Occupied Home Staging please call Michelle Minch (626)441-8975 or contact us via email
Holiday Home Staging and Decorating in Los Angeles
October 25, 2009
Los Angeles home staging company, Moving Mountains Design, offers Holiday Home Staging as part of their home staging and redesign services.
Thinking of having your home, office or business professionally decorated for the Holidays? We offer holiday decoration and Home Staging for the Holidays in Los Angeles and Southern California for private residences, restaurants, businesses and commercial buildings.
Our team of home stagers will transform your home or business with holiday decor, be it Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza or New Years. Our styles range from very traditional Norman Rockwell style, to contemporary, to eclectic/artistic/international style. Many holiday decorations are available for rental and most are available for purchase.
Last year we were hired by an Encino homeowner to stage his home for Christmas.
Grand Entry staged with beautiful Christmas Tree
The home had a beautiful grand entry that was the perfect spot to put up this magnificent 15′ Christmas tree.
Due to budget considerations and weight restrictions, the homeowner requested we use an artificial Christmas tree. A real 15′ Christmas tree would have weighed enough that it would have required a crane to lift it upright and would have required a very large base to keep it upright. Either the weight of the tree or the weight of the crane would have cracked the marble tile floor. Additionally, the tree would have had to be trucked down from Washington or Oregon and the homeowner wanted a “greener” option. We chose a high end tree that truly looked real.
Live garland was used to give the home an old fashioned Christmas aroma
In order to give the home that organic Christmas tree smell, we draped real spruce and pine boughs on the banister of the double staircase. The boughs were decorated with pine cones and blown glass Christmas decorative balls. In addition to the Christmas tree we decorated the fireplace mantles in the living room and family room and provided some decorations on the front of the house.
Did you know home staging and redesign isn’t just for preparing your home to sell?
Moving Mountains Design can give your home that home staging “WOW!” look for the holidays, too.
We can create the idyllic guest room for your holiday guests, freshen your living room with new a furniture arrangement, accessories and paint, or help you purchase a gorgeous new formal dining room table & chairs. We can even arrange for beautiful rental furniture and accessories.
We can handle almost any holiday decorating curve ball you might throw us.
- Want a live Santa and his reindeers at your holiday party? No problem
- Want your home completely furnished (or refurnished) in time for Thanksgiving? No problem
- Want a 20′ tall lighted menorah in your front yard? No problem
- What holdiay decorations made entirely of auto parts? No problem
- We have strategic alliances with construction contractors, prop makers, and film industry prop rental houses throughout the region for the best service and selection.
The only limitations are your imagination, money and time (so get your holiday order in early)
Beautiful Christmas Decorations
Call Michelle Minch at Moving Mountains Design (626)441-8975 for more information about Holiday Home Staging, redesign and interior design in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County and Southern California.
And yes, we will travel outside of Southern California to create spectacular holiday displays, staging or redesign anywhere we can get to by plane, train or automobile.
Los Angeles Home Staging – A Second Condo For A Real Estate Auction Company
October 19, 2009
As I wrote in an earlier post Home Staging A Condo For A Los Angeles Real Estate Auction Company , Moving Mountains Design staged 2 Los Angeles condos last week for a real estate auction company.
Both condo developments we staged the models for are new construction and are vacant. The auction company had rented a few pieces of furniture on their own, but didn’t feel that the small amount of furniture made the model home units more appealing. They hired Moving Mountains Design to do a full model home staging of all 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, a home office (also could be used as a family room), living room / dining room combination, eat-in kitchen and a massive ground floor family room.
Here are some photos before and after staging:
Dining Room/Living Room before home staging
The auction company VP I was dealing with wanted to make sure that potential buyers knew this area could be a dining area as well as a living room with an open floor plan.
Open floor plan living room/dining room after home staging by Moving Mountains Design
Another view of the living room/dining room after home staging
Condo kitchen after home staging by Moving Mountains Design
Master bedroom after home staging by Moving Mountains Design
Please note, the power hadn’t been turned on yet on the day we staged, so I had to be content with natural light for the photos. I like to augment the available light by lighting the lamps and ceiling fixtures.
Information regarding the auction of these condos can be found here: Independence Villas
Moving Mountains Design is one of the most successful home staging companies in Los Angeles, CA. We measure our success by the speed in which our staged homes sell, often with multiple offers above listing price. We work with home sellers, listing agents and asset managers to prepare homes for sale. Some of our services include 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 more information about our home staging services, contact Los Angeles home stager, Michelle Minch (626)441-8975.
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
Home Staging a Condo For a Los Angeles Real Estate Auction Company
October 18, 2009
This week we staged 2 Los Angeles condos for a real estate auction company.
This was the first time they had worked with a home stager and this was the first time I had worked with a real estate auction company. I think its a match made in heaven. The condos they will be auctioning look 100% better now that they’ve been staged by Moving Mountains Design. Having a more desirable product to auction should create greater urgency to bid resulting in more units sold and higher prices paid.
Here are photos of the Pacoima condo after home staging:
Livingroom After Staging
Family Room Toward Kitchen After Staging
Condo Kitchen Looking Toward The Family Room
Condo Master Bedroom After Home Staging
Master Bath After Home Staging
Kid's Bedroom After Staging
These are not expensive condos relative to Los Angeles home prices. But the model now looks like a high price, luxury unit after home staging. We used just enough furniture, accessories and artwork to highlight the condo’s architectural features and to give purpose to every room yet still remain cost effective.
These condos originally listed for around $400,000.00. According to the website, the opening bids at auction will be $125,000.00-$150,000.00. The auction is scheduled for November 15, 2009.
For more information about the Hansen Villas Condos, visit the Kennedy Wilson Los Angeles home auction website and scroll down to the Hansen Villa information.
If you have any questions or would like more information about using home staging to help sell your REOs, foreclosure listings or you are a real estate auction company, please contact Michelle Minch at (626)441-8975.
Home Staging Consultation – Updating a Silverlake Cottage Kitchen Inexpensively
October 13, 2009
I recently did a home staging consultation on a Los Angeles Silverlake Cottage that was about to go on the market.
The kitchen had the original sink, faucet, tile counter & cabinets. The homeowner didn’t have the time or funds to do a complete overhaul, just the basics so the house could be put on the market quickly.
Silverlake Cottage Kitchen Before Make-over
Now here’s the “after make-over” photo:
Silverlake Cottage Kitchen After Make-over
The lightly remodeled kitchen still maintains the original cottage kitchen charm, but yet is updated and even more charming.
My recommendations as part of the home staging consultation:
- Paint the cabinets & walls
- Replace the tile countertop with new tile. The original tile backsplash was still in good condition so it stayed.
- Replace the old (and chipped) porcelain sink with stainless steel
- Replace all the cabinet hardware
- Remove the doors on the cabinet over the sink and turn it into an open shelf for displaying the owner’s pottery collection
- Declutter the pots and pans storage shelves
- Declutter the countertops
- Clean out and organize all cabinets
- Declutter and paint the laundry room and pantry area (off to the left)
The homeowners did all the work themselves. The cost was minimal (under $500) and the kitchen looked adorable. The house went on the market and has received multiple offers over asking price one week after the first open house!
The homeowner knew the kitchen needed to be refreshed before they could put the house on the market but didn’t know where to start or how far to go. They were considering investing in new appliances and granite countertops which would have added considerable expense. By hiring Moving Mountains Design for a home staging consultation, they were able to cut the cost and maximize the impact for money spent.
The cost of a home staging consultation is $350 for most homes. This home owner saved upwards of $5,000, for planned but unnecessary upgrades, by paying for a home staging consultation.
I’d say it was worth it. Don’t you agree?
Subscribe In A Reader
Networked Blogs
Blog Rankings
