SF Apartment : December 2017
FEATURE
Dress to Impress
by Yael Meromy
You’ve heard it before but we’ll say it again: First impressions are important (in real estate and in life), and in today’s ultra-saturated rental market, things like curb appeal and location aren’t always enough to make a unit stand out in a crowd. Luckily for all of us, we’ve spent over ten years as an in-demand boutique staging and design firm in two of the fastest-paced real estate markets in the world, and we’ve figured out a few things along the way about how to pull prospective renters and buyers further and further into a property, until they can’t imagine calling anywhere else home.
You’ve heard it before but we’ll say it again: First impressions are important (in real estate and in life), and in today’s ultra-saturated rental market, things like curb appeal and location aren’t always enough to make a unit stand out in a crowd. Luckily for all of us, we’ve spent over ten years as an in-demand boutique staging and design firm in two of the fastest-paced real estate markets in the world, and we’ve figured out a few things along the way about how to pull prospective renters and buyers further and further into a property, until they can’t imagine calling anywhere else home.
Make a Statement
One of the most exciting things about designing and staging an entryway is that you can use it as your chance to showcase the types of pieces that are extra beautiful and special—but might not make sense or be practical to put in other more heavily used parts of a home. In other words, go for it with the bold decor pieces of your dreams, like a dramatic, oversized piece of art, an eclectic sculpture or an eye-catching light fixture. Just make sure to pick one or two statement pieces that really complement each other, and avoid going over-the-top with too much drama. After all, the idea is to welcome people into your space—not scare them away.
Let the Light In
Who doesn’t love natural light? No one! Natural light is scientifically proven to improve our moods, so when it comes to staging entryways and common spaces, it never hurts to use that fact to your advantage, and make people feel extra-good when they enter your space. While it’s undeniably true that some spaces are luckier than others when it comes to the amount of natural light they have access to, there are plenty of little tricks to keep things light and bright, regardless of which way your windows face.
Try leaning an oversized mirror against the wall to reflect other light sources, and make your space seem larger and more open. For an example of this technique, see photo on pages 16 and 17. Try hanging sheer drapes over windows to let as much light in as possible, even when you want your shades drawn for privacy or to avoid direct sunlight. Lastly, it never fails to stick to a light color palette: use a lot of whites, off-whites, light grays or beiges. Listed out like that, it might sound boring, but when done right, it will keep even smaller, darker spaces looking fresh and airy.
Tell the Right Story
While you can never quite know for sure, it’s always a smart idea to try to envision who might end up moving into your rental property and why. For instance, a studio or one-bedroom apartment in the Lower Mission off of Valencia Street could easily be embraced by younger, hipper renters without children, so pairing modern pieces with daring accents for your common spaces could help create the aura of “cool” that you know your target demographic would find alluring.
On the other hand, a three-bedroom flat in Lower Pacific Heights will more likely end up rented by a slightly older couple with children, who might be looking to prioritize kid-friendly spaces and family functionality, so showcasing a practical usage of your entry space with a console that’s just perfect for stashing a stroller or dropping your car keys might make more sense. Check out photo on page 19 for an example of family-friendly staging.
No matter who your demographic is, if you can show them how the space could cater to their lifestyle, it’s guaranteed to pay off quickly.
Pay Attention to Scale
Have you ever walked into a room and felt intuitively that something about it seemed “off” to you, but you weren’t quite sure what it was? Part of our responsibility as stagers is to help prospective renters or buyers make sense of a space, and getting the scale of your furniture and art wrong can throw an entire room out of whack. If you choose a piece of art for your entryway that’s too small, it will fail to connect with the elements around it and end up looking scarce and random—even nonsensical. If you choose a couch or chairs that are too large for a room, they’ll make the living space around them look small and cramped. See photo on page 16 for an example of scaling furniture and art to fit a room.
Here’s an easy rule of thumb for not mucking this up: Measure twice, place once. A larger common area or wall space can handle furniture and art that is larger and grander in scale. For smaller common areas or wall spaces, you’re safer selecting furnishings and decor that are smaller and more delicate. It might seem like a small detail, but trust us when we say that nailing the scale will pay off in a sale.
Keep It Simple
Here’s an unexpected twist for you: Sometimes the most pivotal and important design decisions actually have to do with less design and not more. In other words, it can all be about the “edit,” as an over-designed common space or entryway with little to no “white space” left in it will usually end up coming off “busy” and overwhelming to your prospective renters and buyers, whose eyes won’t know where to look first. It’s important to remember that the eye needs space to rest in a room, so avoid over-designing and be sure to leave some surfaces open and wall-space empty. In fact, exercising restraint in your designs will both allow for that much-needed respite for the eyes and prevent your decor from stifling the natural appeal of your space, allowing its true architectural beauty to shine through. So consider it a win-win!
Home Sweet Home
Here’s one last little-known secret about real estate that we’ve learned along the way: Regardless of budget, location or any other variable, a prospective renter or buyer walking into a property is always looking for the same thing: that elusive, almost indefinable extra something—an emotional element that grabs them and holds them there until they can’t imagine calling anywhere else “home.” Once you bring someone “home,” the rest is easy. Furnished right, a property will rent or sell itself—and quickly. Drawing potential takers into the allure of a property the right way will pay off every time. After all, you only get one chance to make a good first impression.
About studio D
Founded in San Francisco in 2003, Studio D is a leading design firm that specializes in home staging within the luxury real estate market, as well as offering interior design services for both residential and commercial spaces. Since branching out in 2011 to include a second location in New York, Studio D’s creative team has successfully staged and designed over 2,500 properties throughout the Greater San Francisco and New York areas. To learn more, visit www.studioDhome.com or follow us on Instagram @studioDhome.
Yael Meromy is the social media + marketing lead at studio D. She is a proud SF native, and an alum of Emerson College’s school of Writing Literature & Publishing in Boston.