Home Staging services provided in San Francisco bay area, based in San Mateo County

These days so many people are bargain shopping — extreme couponing, bulk shopping, Grouponing, etc.  But are there instances where shopping for the best discount isn’t always the smartest thing??  My personal preferences keep me away from any discount that seems to good to be true. 

What are some things that you do when you are shopping for a big ticket item?  Research brands, hunt for extra discount codes, ask friends and family?  This process should not be too different. 

When shopping for a home stager — cost is very important.  After all, the end goal is selling your home for more money.  But, there are certain things to consider besides cost when shopping for a home stager. Use these fast five tips in addition to cost — and you can’t go wrong. 

1)  Ask for qualifications.

2) Ask for professional policies.

3) Research the company.

4) Make sure your stager is planning and staging for your needs.

5) Don’t take it personal when a stager makes recommendations and styles your home. 

 Considering what value a home stager brings to your property –  it can be one of the smartest investments you make when selling your home.   If you use your savvy shopper skills, it can also be almost as fun as extreme couponing. : )

Read Staged4more’s full post on How to Shop for a Stager. 

*These tips are recycled from an older Staged4more post.

Color Trends and Inspiration

Orange-Red and Pink I’ve been loving this color combo lately: isn’t it happy and a little wild? Seems impossible life could be boring spent in these two colors.

Staging Industry

My New Flor Carpet Tiles Such a genius idea – to sell carpet by the tile instead of a whole rug. This means you can create a rug of whatever size you want and arrange the patterns/colours however you wish – and have the ability to change it up over time when you become bored with it.

Style Tips and Tricks

Fabric Loving It’s always so exciting stumbling across a fabric I haven’t seen before.  It inspires me and gets me thinking about the possibilities of what I can do with it and what other fabrics I can mix with it.  Even though this chair has now sold I think I might need to have something else covered in this fabric…

Property of the Week

Holiday Home in the South West of France This is the holiday home of French interior designer Sarah Lavoine. This old farmhouse is located in the French Gers region (which is often called French Tuscany), in the South West of France. The dining area has beautiful steel windows and doors.

Local Faves (& Raves)

Newsom Clan Moving Out of SF and Temporarily Into Marin The Newsom family purchased their 4-bed, 3.5-bath, 2,300-square-foot home at 1581 Masonic Ave in June of 2009 for $2,980,000. Now that they’re expecting a second child, the four bedroom home they currently reside in just won’t do. The family plans to spend the summer living in Jennifer’s parents’ five-bedroom, five-bath home in the Marin County town of Ross, supposedly while they search for permanent housing for their growing family.

Color Trends and Inspiration

Closet and Casa  who: Lisa Congdon, Artist and Illustrator  why lisa rocks: I first fell in love with Lisa’s work when I came across her awesome blog, A Collection a Day ! All of her treasures were neatly photographed every single day for an entire year!

Staging Industry

Easy Porch Decorating  I usually post about my personal life and home on Haus Maus, but these photos capture what Sunday in the springtime means to me quite nicely so I want to share them with you in case you are doing a little weekend blog reading. You may also find it inspiring for your own porch or spare room at home.

Style Tips and Tricks

Pillow Talk  The other day I was walking down the street and saw a pillow in the window that said ‘ooh la la’ and I giggled at the notion that the pillow was flirting with me. I became fascinated with the thought that our pillows could send little messages, reminders, or sweet nothings to our subconscious throughout the day, and my search for pillow talk began.

Property of the Week

La Finca by Uxus  Uxus crafts experiences that people fall in love with. Brand strategy, architecture and interior design.  What they really do is design beautiful dreams … like this farm in Mallorca, Spain. Rustic counterbalanced with sophistication. Historic with new. Cooling, cave-like interiors with dramatic exteriors. Luxury with simplicity. Chiaroscuro balanced with harmony. An undeniable beauty.

Local Faves (& Raves)

Metreon Remodel Facts:  What You Need to Know  Yesterday’s post on Metreon’s makeover breaking ground produced quite a few negative comments about the current state of the exterior and interior of the building. We think it’d be a good idea if you could see the renderings that Westfield produced of what the finished product will look like (shown above). Additionally, here’s what you need to know about Metreon and the remodel: it opened in 1999, was purchased in 2006 by Westfield and Forest City, and in 2010 Westfield acquired ownership from Forest City. Now Westfield is investing $30 million in its revitalization.

Color Trends & Inspiration

White Hot  Good Lord, please give me this kitchen. Is that Fortuny-patterned wallpaper behind the gas range? Yes, please. Give me some of that. Loving the contrast of those sexy black pendant lights as well. So out of place that they fit right in. Only tweak I’d make: not keen on the farm table extension for the barstools. But really, if you gifted me with this lovely space I’d find it quite difficult to complain.

Staging Industry

Take It Outside  Is the increased sunshine beaming through your windows beckoning you to spend more time outside? Here are 10 inspirational outdoor spaces that will keep you in a sunny disposition even on cloudy days.

Style Tips and Tricks

Runway to Tabletop  Another fab installment of Runway to Room to Tabletop (we have to think of a shorter, snappier name for this).  This week we used the candy colored striped from Marc Jacobs to create a summery tabletop and a bold child’s room.  I love the challenge this poses each week as a designer- it’s like a work-out for my creativity muscles!

Property of the Week

Texan House of God  Thanks are due to our friends over at blog Second Shelters for digging up this spectacularly renovated Dallas church. Measuring almost 15,000 square feet, the former St. John’s United Methodist Church now makes for one seriously spacious private home, with 11 bedrooms, 11.5 bathrooms, two kitchens, a media room in the former choir loft, and—apparently rare in Texas—a 5,000-square-foot basement. This holy hall was first listed back in June 2009 for an astonishing $3.1M, and was recently delisted by Coldwell Banker. Are the sellers giving up or just laying low for for Lent?

Local Faves (& Raves)

Pilot Program Parking App  Real-time parking information for some of San Francisco’s streets will be available starting Thursday, marking a key phase of the city’s new parking program that Mayor Ed Lee and other city officials will be gathering at City Hall to celebrate.

A Little Extra Green…

Wacky Green Homes  Green doesn’t necessarily mean Birkenstocks, granola and a lack of style. As the sustainable movement has become more than just a passing trend, homes that are green — either by design or function — are becoming a little less stark and a little more fashion forward.

Color Trends & Inspiration

I Spy:  Separated at Birth  I couldn’t help but notice how well some of this snappy home decor matched up with these equally fab fashion photos. i thought it might be fun to spy some pairs, possibly ‘separated at birth’. who really knows which comes first, and who may have inspired who…but i do think fashion influences furniture design, and very much the visa-versa.

Staging Industry

Home Garden:  The Look for Less  Throughout the month, I’ve been profiling the lakehouse from my Home & Garden feature.  For a bit of design fun, I thought I’d take one image from this waterside retreat and develop a “Look for Less”.
Style Tips and Tricks

Est Magazine   I just heard from Est magazine that they’ve officially launched online and I’m so excited and pleased to share this stunning e-mag with you. I love it! I don’t want to gush too much but it’s a brilliant magazine, fresh and pure, and really fills a niche out there as you’ll soon see from the photos below – it’s relaxed and very stylish with a nod to the past as well as a welcoming hug to the new.

Property of the Week

Yvonne’s Home Tour  Welcome back – it’s nice to say….but I still wish it was the weekend & that I was SUNBATHING on a beach somewhere….  That would be the best case scenario right now.  But till then, I’d like to share fellow blogger, Yvonne’s home.

Local Faves (& Raves)

Sustainable Seafood Heads to Fisherman’s Wharf  Imagine a future where San Francisco residents can shop at tourist mainstay Fisherman’s Wharf for locally caught, sustainable seafood. A lease was recently signed at Pier 45 for San Francisco Fisherman’s Wharf Sustainable Seafood Market, which would be the first of its kind in the area.

A Little Extra Retail Therapy…

Life in a Venti Cup Visits Stella Dallas  After a fun breakfast with Beth Dotolo I popped into StellaDallas. It’s the kind of shop you pass constantly, as it faces busy Lover’s Lane. The catch is, you have to time it just right to snag a parking space. Today was my lucky day, and I was greeted by owner Amber Davidson.  This little gem of a shop is a goldmine of wonderful things.