day in the life of a sTyLiSt - part 2

Hiring furniture, artwork and accessories to get a house ready for sale can do amazing things.  Most of the homes I hire for are either newly built - so empty, or, lovely homes with dated furniture that really does not do the bones of the house any justice.  This week I worked in a home that was just lovely. It was neat and tidy,and really, from a functional point of view, there was nothing wrong with the furniture! BUT, if this house was to sell and sell for a price that the vendors would be happy to accept it needed a gOLd ChaLK makeover!!!! So this week I have decided to give you a little insight into what the hire warehouse looks like and how I select furniture and accessories for a house.  You may remember I spoke about the plan here and how I get a feel for the look I want to achieve  - moodboards are perfect for achieving this, and although they very rarely turn out like the board - they do help the clients also visualise the look you going for.

this is a collage of what it looks like at the warehouse - rows and rows of plastic covered furniture - some already taken and some still available, you really never know what will be available until you arrive on the day, and some days are better than others - I love to work with artwork for a home so I will spend lots of time in those isles trying to get the right look for the house, next I will usually tackle the bigger items such as lounges and dining table/chairs - these will usually set the mood for the look of the house.  

looking forward to sharing my latest makeover with you all early next week - I can hardly wait to see the pictures myself!!!!

cHaLK tALk.......a day, or maybe a week, in the life of a stylist!

I love a bit of challenge and my latest job fits that bill just nicely - I have two townhouses to furnish in the one block - so after a little bit of planning (OK, maybe a lot!!!) and a whole lot of thinking, this is what I have come up with:

The very first thing I like to do is visit the site and get a feel for the surrounding houses and street , then I like to walk through the actual space and just get a feel for each room and try to imagine who might like to live there!!! Once I paint that picture in my mind, the measuring tape comes out and I start to sketch the room and take dimensions - I take note of the floor and wall colours and I also try to picture some floor plans in my mind............

above and below - moodboards for townhouse one

apologies for the bad photos!

look 1 = modern casual with a Scandinavian feel - furniture is light wood mostly and keeping with a neutral pallet with a hint of colour!

Then I  like to create a moodboard for each of the spaces - this helps me visualise the look i want to achieve, I later use these boards to select the furniture and accessorise the home. I am big on Artwork - so whilst some stylists may choose their furniture first - I like to select some art and work around that. These visual ques are guides only - who knows what will be at the warehouse when you arrive, so I do try to keep an open mind.

above - board for townhouse two

look 2 = modern look - bachelor pad (sort of!) with dark furniture, incorporating some steel whilst trying to give it a warm feel!!!!

The whole process takes about a week to complete - from site visit, selection of furniture and accessories to delivery and set up.

On this job I am trying to achieve two different looks, but both as equally,appealing.  I love making connections with potential buyers and I hope my work achieves this.

Which board do you like? - one or two - I wonder which one will sell first!!!???

Do pop back to see the finished photos next week, have a great weekend! xx