Occupied Home Staging A Luxury Los Angeles Living Room

Occupied Home Staging A Luxury Los Angeles Living Room

I wanted to demonstrate, with before and after pictures, how a Los Angeles living room of an occupied home in Hancock Park, is transformed by home staging.

In this particular instance, the home owners were art collectors and had very eclectic taste in furnishings. This was great for the way they live in the home, but not so great when selling the home. There was too much art and furniture and it overwhelmed the beautiful architectural details of the home.

We removed and replaced the sofa, chairs, cocktail table and side tables. We moved the piano from the back room into the living room where there was plenty of space. Some of the art was either repurposed or put into storage.

Now here’s the after picture:

A Persian rug was brought in to tie the room together and to make a connection with the red walls of the dining room (off camera) right across the entry hall from the living room. Red and orange silk throw pillows coordinate nicely with the rug and the yellow walls. The furniture is less of an eclectic mish-mash, and while elegant, it is very fresh and current. The furniture layout invites you into the room, and draws attention to one of the main architectural features of the home, the fireplace. The mantle accessories were minimized, as were the fireplace tools.

Some tips for staging a living room:

• Less is more, if your furniture is filling the room. Start by removing all furniture and art from the room and adding back pieces one by one until you have just enough, but not too much
• Look at your living room with fresh eyes. Try a new furniture arrangement that accentuates architectural features, like the fireplace, and creates a focal point for the room.
• Try using one larger piece of art instead of several smaller ones on each wall
• Mirrors are a great staging tool, which hung in the right place, can bring more light into a room or a dark corner. Make sure the mirror has a pleasing reflection, and not the back side of a piece of furniture or a blank wall.
• Flowers and plants (either fresh or realistic silk) can add a splash of color and a touch of life to a room. Don’t let fresh flowers wilt (no flowers is better than dead flowers) or let the water get brackish. Make sure silk plants are dusted regularly.