Here’s one of my favorite quotes: “Putting a home on the market that isn’t staged or presented well is like going on a date without showering or combing your hair…” That’s our girl! Gail Dunnett — cleaning up real estate’s act since 2003.

Check out our most recent *press release* for more information about our award.

But last week, we got a little icing to go on top. The Real Estate Staging Association, RESA, nominated studio D  as one of the Top 10 Staging Teams of 2015! We submitted a set of three before and afters, and out of hundreds of applicants, we were picked to be top ten.  That also means we’re in the running to be named *The* Top Staging Team by RESA (exciting)! The winner will be announced early this week, but for now, we’re all too happy to have our cake (with icing) and eat it, too.

Check out our press release for more details on the award and the Real Estate Staging Association: Studio D Nominated as Top Ten Staging Team of 2015

Check it out: This Week In Strange, Weird & Terrible Listing Photos 

Enter studio D. We were tasked with staging the garden floor (which had the kitchen, sunroom and family rooms), the parlor floor (which had the great/living room and dining room), the master suite (which also included two bathrooms, two dressing rooms and an adjacent office), and a bedroom on the penthouse floor. For both the parlor level and master suite level, the challenge was to design a layout that made the space feel comfortable and approachable, despite their vastness.

In the living room, we created two two distinct sitting areas, each with their own sofa, coffee table and pair of arm chairs. We used matching rugs that had subtle pattern and a slight silver sheen to up the glam factor. They, along with a sophisticated palette of grays and creams, helped to unite the two areas into one harmonious and (of course) incredibly chic space. We brought in a gorgeous wooden oval table for the dining room with light colored dining chairs so as not to overcrowd the space visually. W e hung a gallery wall and utilized the height of the room, drawing the eye up instead of from side to side. When we were finished, the room felt open and airy–not at all cramped.

Next, it was upstairs to the Master Suite and adjacent office. The bedroom was so large, even a king sized bed looked relatively small. Since regular night tables would look insignificant in a room this grand, we opted for two dressers instead. To further fill and warm up the room, we added a seating area at the end of the bed, complete with sofa and arm chairs. Large, modern canvas art not only added color and texture to the walls, it gave the bedroom a regal, almost gallery-like feel.

Unlike the rest of the house, the penthouse floor had an average 8 foot ceiling height, which, relative to the rest of the house, felt a little low. We brought in a sleek platform bed with a low profile and two shorter end tables which gave the room a cool, more relaxed feel. Even more notable than the ceiling height, the bedroom’s width was that of the entire house–25 feet! Needless to say, we had plenty of room for a seating area at the other end of the room. We went with furniture with more masculine lines and gray tones as we envisioned the space as the ultimate bachelor pad.

When we finished this six-story staging, our team was tired, but proud of a job well done.  We were of course ecstatic to see our work featured in the Wall Street Journal and Curbed days later, but the real satisfacation came when we learned the property sold for asking price in just a little over a month!

But the results don’t lie, and studies show it’s almost always worth the risk. In a recent survey conducted this year by the The National Association of Realtors, it was found that a sizable majority of the NAR’s agents saw staging a home as a prudent investment, with the living room and kitchen cited as the top two areas that benefitted from a staging expert’s guidance. In addition, agents representing home sellers noted that staged homes saw an increase in value, with 37 percent of selling agents seeing a 1 to 5 percent increase in home value and another 22 percent of sellers seeing a 6 to 10 percent increase.

Staging your home for sale can also save you money by selling your home faster. Empty or cluttered homes have a tendency to sit on the market for several months–which forces many home owners to cover the cost of 2 mortgages. Research shows staged homes sell 2x faster than those that are left unstaged. The faster someone snatches your home off the market, the smaller your carrying costs are for those transition months.

So the next time you or a friend are debating the cost of a studio D staging, just remember that in all liklihood your money will end up back in your own pocket, where we believe it belongs!

1. Plan your layout 

Be intentional and creative with the way you use your square footage. Arrange furniture in a way that allows for a natural flow of movement between rooms while maximizing each room’s functionality. Place a desk (or table) and chair in the corner of a bedroom to create a home office space.

2. Use Furnishings That Are to Scale

If you have a small, narrow living room, get rid of your bulky sectional and opt for a love seat and two small accent chairs instead. Alternately, if your master bedroom is massive, spring for a King bed.

3. Choose a Neutral Color Palette

A subtle and sophisticated palette of whites, grays and beiges appeal to a majority of buyers and can make a room feel larger.

4. Accessorize with Color + Texture

Metallic pops instantly make a room feel more luxe— try a chrome coffee table or pair of gold lamps — as do richly textured accessories. We love sheepskin throw pillows and faux fur blankets.

5. Stage with studio D

The easiest, most stress-free way to prep your home for sale is to hire an experienced stager like studio D to refresh and redesign your space. We have a track record of transforming lackluster apartments and homes into eye-catching show pieces. Click here for more before and afters.

These anything-but-cookie-cutter apartments impress and delight potential buyers, especially after they’re staged by studio D. Our expertly designed furniture layouts help home buyers appreciate the versatility of these duplex and triplex apartments, and our furnishings and electic art collection help to evoke the chic and modern lifestyle that one would expect from a resident in the building. It’s no surprise to us that the units are selling within 2-3 weeks of being staged. The only question that remains is, who will be the next star to snag a place at the Rutherford?

Want to see more? Check out our Rutherford gallery and more of our recent NYC stagings.