Hallmark Sotheby’s International Realty’s Sell by Design Contest will earn one lucky winner a free home makeover worth up to $50,000.
Home staging will be performed by none other than Phillips Home Design of Concord. Today I sat down with the design firm’s operations manager, James Lipcon, who shared insights into creating an irresistible home design.
LM: What’s the difference in your approach to interior design versus staging?
JL: We look at design as more of a collaborate process. We believe that your space should bear your signature, not ours. Staging is different. With staging, our job is to align the space so it’s appealing to a wide set of buyers. For example, the homeowner might like to have all the leaves in their dining room table, but that can create a real mass in the center of the room. It’s all about proper space planning, and opening up the space so people can really envision it best.
LM: I often hear people say that staging involves neutralizing a space. How do you do this yet keep the home’s design inspiring?
JL: One example is the use of colors. We use beautiful mid-tone colors with depth and interesting elements to make the most of the space. Room colors should flow nicely so there’s a real continuation from room to room.
LM: What are the key elements of good home staging?
JL: Good design involves proper space layout, correct use of lighting, window coverings, a good mix of architecture and softer elements, and sometimes a touch of whimsy. You want the homebuyer to walk in and see good design, but not think of it as someone else’s home.
You don’t want the space to be too sterile. That means not just lovely furnishings but the right accessories to make the space feel inviting. It’s really a fine line. You don’t want to clutter the space but you want it to feel usable. Ultimately, it needs to feel “human”. If the design looks too mechanical and formulaic it will lose appeal.
Good staging makes a home feel welcoming. The average homebuyer can’t put their finger on it when they walk into a space why it feels good but they know it when they see it. The right design accomplishes this.
You have very little time to capture the attention of buyers, especially when they’re touring many homes at a time. For example, a home buyer takes a glimpse at the living room, and wants to visualize how they’ll get to that comfy chair by the hearth. If the space is too tight between the coffee table and the wall, and there’s no real flow, they get a bad vibe and they’re on to the next house. The space needs to feel accessible and flow right so that buyers instantly feel “I like this space”.
LM: What are the most common design mistakes you see?
JL: People often buy pieces that they like but don’t have an overarching vision for the space. They might know they like transitional pieces or shaker-style furniture that they see in a showroom but when they get these back into a single space under their own roof sometimes things don’t go together. Colors fight each other, or furniture isn’t properly proportioned. Often we encourage clients when we’re working on a project together to email us a photo from their cell phone and have the conversation then so they can decide at that time if it’s the right piece to fit into their home. We keep ourselves incredibly accessible to our clients, especially when we’re in the middle of a project.
Do you have a home in Boston’s MetroWest suburbs in need of a makeover? Time is running out, enter the Sell by Design contest.
Author: Leslie Mann of Hallmark Sotheby’s International Realty.
