Making A New House A Home ~ Staging To Live

Hello Everyone,

A couple of weeks ago I got a call from a very lovely lady who had just moved into the area and into a brand spanking new house. She was a little lost on decorating it with her existing furnishings and asked if I could help her pull it all together and make it feel like home. Could I HELP??? Oh, my GOODNESS I would LOVE to!

Today I would like to share some photos of my day. I pulled up around 9 am, rolled up my sleeves, raring to go. I dove right in, tackling the family room and would you believe it? I made one of the worst mistakes a designer can do. I FORGOT TO TAKE BEFORE PHOTOS!

So I will have to give you a brief description of the home as I walked in. The family room is open to the breakfast room, with a pass through window into the kitchen. On the far wall opposite the kitchen was an angled fireplace with a large flat panel TV mounted above it. My client had placed a large sofa, a recliner and a chair and a half almost in an “L” shape with a coffee table and a couple of end tables. There was also a country hutch on one wall and a small storage unit filled with baskets of toys.

I wanted to play off the angle of the fireplace so I began by placing the large sofa floating it in the middle of the room, facing the fireplace on the same angle. I added a side table to the left of the sofa and centered the coffee table in front of the sofa.

Country Living Room

 To the right of the sofa (if you are facing the sofa) I placed the oversized chair and added another side table to it and added a couple of accessories. (Please excuse the boxes in the background, they did just move in after all!)

Country Living RoomOn the opposite corner I centered the country hutch into the center of the wall, accessorized it and hung a picture the home owner had. I put the recliner on an angle in front of the window, added an end table, a lamp and a throw. What a perfect corner for reading and relaxing. You can still see the TV from here too if need be. Behind the chair and next to the hutch I tucked the storage unit full of toys. It is still accessible for the little ones but out of the way.Country Living Room

We then hung some family photos on the wall. This pretty much finished off the room. She still has some accessories to buy (oooh shopping!)  and curtains to hang but overall I think the room is warm and inviting. Putting the couch on an angle and flanking the furniture on either side gave the room some added interest. You can see the TV from every seat or sit and have a chat with guests. It also has a very nice traffic flow. I love how it looks!Country Living Room

We also tweaked the breakfast room by centering the table and centering an armoire on the back wall to balance out the room. (Sorry No Pictures!)

The following picture is the first room you see when you walk in the door. It is to the right of the entrance and is supposed to be the formal livingroom. My client decided to give this room a masculine look with her husband’s military awards and treasures. The etagere was already in place and the leather chair was in another location which visually closed off the room. Although nice, it just was not welcoming and a bit cold.

Living Room

We lugged down a nice black and cream upholstered chair from the upstairs and placed it in the corner. This softened the room and added texture to the space. We placed the leather chair and ottoman in the opposite corner and placed the large wooden trunk under the window. On the small wall that faces the front door I added this small black side table. It was  sitting upside down in the corner of the dining room, yet to find a home. It fits perfectly and the handsome elephant gives it some personality. It also adds some extra storage to boot!Living Room

With just a few small changes this room now says “Welcome!” and beckons for you to sit and stay awhile.Formal Living Room

I had a WONDERFUL time on this design project. In only a few hours we were able to take a mish mash of boxes and misplaced furniture and make their new house feel warm and inviting. It now says “Welcome Home!”

Thanks so much for visiting today!
~Lisa

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5 Responses

  1. Aunt Linda

    Hey Lee I hope ur making money at this cause u r really really good!!!! And not cause I’m ur Aunt it is sooooooooo TRUE! Keep up the good work Love & miss u guyz A. Linda xxxooo

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