Feng Shui Home Staging

When we, at Westmount Realty, stage properties we work with basic Feng Shui  and architectural planning principles such as balancing elements (fire, metal, wood, air, earth), balancing  furniture and objects within a space,  checking   that the occupants are in command position, making sure doors can open freely (i.e. objects are not obstructing the door) and  clearing clutter .                       read more in  Feng Shui Stories

 Our recommendations  are  simple , cost-effective  and with measurable returns. We do not knock down walls or do anything drastic.

Here are some examples of our services to give you an idea of what we do, which is included in our competitive commission fees when selling Westmount & Montreal  homes.
There may be additional costs if  subtrades need to be involved  such as painters, contractors, cleaning services or if  furniture needs to be rented. As discussed in Working With Sellers , our recommendations for home staging the property is discussed wtih the homeowner  and done only upon their approval.

We are not illustrating  all our before/after scenarios in order to protect privacy of individual clients.

1. Living Room

Before

After

In this case we  staged  an empty house in Westmount that had been rented. We removed the wall-to-wall carpet because there were hardwood floors in great condition underneath. Hardwood floors reflect light and are preferred by buyers. (This does not mean we would remove your wall to wall carpet - but because this house was empty, everything that could be considered negative becomes apparent).  We also used an area rug and sofa that the owner had in his own home?s basement. The lighting, side tables, painting over fireplace and knick-knacks were ours.  Plant was purchased, (other paintings lent by a former client artist).

 

2. Dining Room

Before

After

Same Westmount house for sale as above. The dining area was acceptable but an empty space always looks smaller than a furnished one. We had an available dining room set and used a red runner to tie in with the existing  painted red walls of the adjacent kitchen. Other accessories   were  selected such as plants, mirror , paintings , side table, sculptures  to  harmonize the room.  We removed the existing curtains to create a visual connection to the garden.

 

3. Kitchen

Before

After

Same Westmount house for sale. The  kitchen  ?as is? was acceptable but we enhanced the appearance and energy   by adding some attractive inexpensive chairs (the existing ones belonged to tenant and needed repairs), painting, fresh fruits, various cans to create an ?Andy Warhol ? style vignette.  A round  mirror framed in blue mosaic glass was added behind the  stove to put the cook in command position (i.e. to  compensate that the cook?s back  would be  to the door of the  kitchen from the  dining room).

 

4. Terrace

After

After

Same Westmount house for sale. No ? After ? photos available, so here are two ?after? photos.The terrace? s paint was peeling so it  was re-painted. Garden furniture, statues and door mat are ours. We had screen door repaired . Note how the red seat cushions tie into the kitchen?s color scheme. Flowers were bought and hung/planted. The clutter under the terrace was cleared because, even if unseen, it adversely affects the house?s energy.  Two of our playful boy & girl statues were brought in to help bring in harmonious male/female energy.

 

5. Family room

Before

After

At first glance the room seemed cozy and  nicely furnished. However, as soon as one entered , the main sofa appeared to be in the way and the people that would be sitting on it would not be in command position. We then put the sofa on the adjacent wall which served 3 purposes: it opened the room up making it   appear larger while also improving circulation within; put the sitters in command position; and allowed them to enjoy a gorgeous view of the lake across the street. Upon seeing the changes, the buyers who had been "sitting on the fence", decided to purchase the house. This house does not  represent one that required  staging, just a little Feng Shui.

 

6. Master Bedroom

Before

After

The existing bedroom walls  had not been painted in years so we had them painted a warm colour to freshen up the look and improve  the  ambiance.  Cheerful, colorful pillows were added (that the owner already had as part of  guest linens). Tables from the basement were relocated to replace the existing night tables because they seemed more compatible to the bed?s proportions.  We added a Tiffany  lamp that had been in he  owner's storage room because it was thought to be broken  (it just needed a new light bulb!), orange roses, a dancing couple statue and displayed the owner?s perfume bottles on a silver tray (which owner had in dining room). We had planned to replace the bedside lamps with two larger crystal lamps of our own but  this Westmount house sold before we had  chance to!