My SRQ Interior Design team was tasked with staging a completely empty home in Longboat Key Florida that had great bones but needed a refreshing update. We wanted it to appeal to a broad customer base and make a fast turn sale. We know that a professionally staged home sells faster and for at least 3% more than the intended asking price and has an astonishing 800% return in investment!

Our first step was to paint the dated green and yellow walls with a soft light grey neutral color. This set the backdrop for a mass appeal black, white and soft grey color palette that had pops of golds and blues. We stayed on trend with wicker accents, added loads of greenery, and made sure to use many organic yet updated elements to create a welcoming environment.

Because the home had traditional features such as brown granite kitchen countertops and spindle stair banisters, we mixed contemporary with transitional furnishings and artwork so that the presentation would be cohesive yet refreshing.

The great-room was indeed great, so we created two separate areas: one large seating area with the fireplace and lanai as the focal point, and the other as a quiet conversation area of two chairs facing each other with an ottoman between. We found rugs that coordinated and added a huge leaning mirror which helped identify the two distinct spaces.

A common feature in older homes is a separate formal dining room, which often goes unused. Rather than stage it as a dining room, we redefined and styled it as a casual family room.

The end result was a welcoming and updated home, and the astonishing result is that it sold to the very first visitors! We indeed had very happy clients!