Home Staging Tips in Portland OR: Transforming Spaces that are Large or Awkward
Sometimes when homes have large rooms or awkward room shapes, it can be challenging to help home buyers overcome their typical question, "How can we use this space?" In order for buyers to make that important emotional connection to a home they're viewing, as professional home stagers we need to show them how they might use the space, so that they can imagine themselves living there.
Our Portland-based home staging company was recently selected to stage a vacant home in the upscale Portland suburb of West Linn. This home has some very large rooms which buyers might feel overwhelmed in if the rooms were vacant. You might think that the more square footage your home has, the better -- but making a large room feel cozy can be challenging for buyers, especially if the home has no furnishings to act as a reference point. This is one example where home staging can make a big difference in how buyers react to the property.
~ UPDATE: this home SOLD in just 15 days! The seller told me that the buyer loved how the home was staged ~
This space is just inside the entry with high windows on one side and a curved wall for the staircase on the other. The room shape makes you wonder, what is this room used for? Here are 2 views of the vacant space 
We staged this space as a conversation area where you could sit and enjoy the light flooding into the room 
The family room is large and adjoins the kitchen. When vacant, it seemed too big, but staged it's much cozier
The Master Bedroom is huge! When vacant, it just felt big & cold 
Staging it helps add warmth and the important emotional connection for buyers. Taking photos from several angles helps buyers imagine living here -- so different than viewing photos of vacant rooms on the MLS listing 
Breaking down the big space into smaller ones helps buyers imagine this room as a peaceful retreat 
The long wall for the bed doesn't inspire buyers when vacant, but adding furniture puts it in perspective 
Selling a home with large or awkward spaces can be challenging -- consult with a professional home stager in your area to ensure that your property is presented at its very best!
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Room Solutions Staging offers home staging services to Portland Oregon area homeowners, real estate agents, builders, banks, and investors to prepare homes for the market. Our home staging clients love our customer service and our home staging statistics! Our home staging services in the Portland OR metro area include consultations, staging for both vacant and lived-in homes, and interior redesign projects. For a free home staging proposal, please contact us @ 503-246-1800.
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I absolutely love the carpet and furniture placement in the living room. People seem to want hardwood floors, yet they're cold and there is a lot of echo in the home. Your use of carpet has really warmed up this home!
Hi there - huge differences in the before and after shots of these - thanks for sharing!
hi Vickie ~ you are right on the money! This home needed a few carpets to literally "warm up" the hardwood floors and to eliminate that echo. Thanks for your feedback!
hi Courtney ~ Staging this home was a real pleasure. Thanks for stopping by to add your comment!
As you so beautifully demonstrated in your first example, Maureen, you gave FUNCTION to a very odd space - that's added value!
Courtney, nothing more educational than before and after! Thanks
hi Julie ~ Showing function is more important the "odder" the space is -- so true!
hi Scott ~ glad you like the Before & After photos -- thanks for taking time to comment.
Maureen- what an excellent transformation ....taking great very large rooms and showing how to make them cozy. Loved the artwork!
Maureen - your work is so amazing and if this isn't proof positive of the huge benefits of hiring a highly skilled professional stager like you - then I don't know what is. You work is outstanding - some of the best I've seen! You make us stagers look great! Suggested!
I had no idea that first room was as big as it is until I saw it furnished. That house must be massive! The master is huge even with the furniture in it, LOL!
hi Kathy ~ Thanks, glad you liked it!
hi Kristine ~ You are far too kind but your comment is more than appreciated -- thank you! :-)
hi Sharon ~ Some of these rooms are massive, yes! And I agree with you that even with quite a lot of furniture, that master bedroom is still huge!
I still think that, while some are home stagers, you are a magician.
Very nice work Maureen, thanks for sharing the pictures!
hi Jim ~ What a nice thing to say -- it made my day! Hope you're enjoying the weekend :-)
hi Rebecca ~ You're welcome! Thanks for stopping by today.
Maureen your furniture placement will definitely help online buyers visualize these enormous rooms, great job. Also loved the large carpet, to pull together and cozy-up the in the living area. The two of blue in the master is a nice change. Suggested!
hi Ginger ~ The carpet was made from some remnants and bound on the edges -- it really helped make the rooms cozier.
(Your monitor is showing blue art? They're actually green and silver :-)
Nice job Maureen!! Large rooms can be more challenging. You have nailed it. Beauiful work as always.
hi Diana ~ thanks for picking up on that! Facing the sectional sofa towards the natural focal point of the room (the fireplace) made sense -- if it had faced the entertainment unit, you'd be walking into a solid back of furniture when you entered this room -- not a good way to show the space.
hi Birgit ~ I agree that smaller spaces can be easier to stage -- but we welcome challenges :-)
Hi Maureen....Yes everyone wants those big "open concept" rooms...but few know what to do with them! You are among the FEW!!!! These large open spaces can be a challenge....and your staging has made each special and very NON-awkward!!
hi Kathy ~ Thanks very much! That first room was especially awkward, but buyers can now see a defined function.
Hope you're keeping as busy as you'd like to be :-)
Beautiful. It all looks so inviting
Thanks, Liz! Hopefully buyers feel that way too.
Maureen - To quote Kristine, "you do make us stagers look great!". You converted these spaces from cavernous to cozy. That odd room with the curved wall would have really thrown potential buyers, but you made sense of it all. Amazing work, as per usual!
Maureen: Oh to have this problem! What to do with too large rooms?? We downsized from our large home after the boys were gone thinking we'd not use all the space we had. Now ... we search for enough space! You made this obviously beautiful property a home that is welcoming to those that view it. Warm .. inviting ... but ohhhhhh for that space! We're jealous ...
Gene
hi Sally ~ Thanks for your feedback!
hi Gene ~ Having too much space is a "great" problem, you're right! Finding the right balance can be challenging. The buyers of this home will have more than enough soace, that's for sure. P.S. love your new profile pic with your beautiful wife :-)
Maureen--I had the same feeling Sharon had when looking at the first "before" picture. I thought that space was very small. You were not exaggerating when you said the house had large rooms. The bedroom is cavernous. Your staging has made every space appealing and inviting. And I agree with Kristine--you make us all look great.
Great photos showing how effective staging is in large spaces. I find creating a "use" for areas in large rooms is good too - scrapbooking, homework, stargazing, etc.
Maureen: There's so much to home staging that most consumers and Realtors don't understand. Great examples of how small changes can make a big difference!
hi Janet ~ Thanks for taking a look and commenting ... it's always so nice to hear from you! Most of the other rooms in this home were oversize too. I'd get lost there but for someone with a big family it would be perfect.
hi Michelle ~ those are great ideas for showing a variety of functions in large rooms. This home has a room for every imaginable purpose -- as you said it's important for buyers to see as many options as possible.
hi Jane ~ Thanks, that's why they need our help -- and we're ready to make those transformations :-)
I like how you used rugs to center the rooms. I have been adding alot more rugs to my portfoilio, and it seems to make such a huge difference.
I have a big house that I may help redesign, and I'm thinking that might be the answer. The rooms in the house are almost all "round". There are not that many walls.
hi Liz ~ the rugs definitely helped to warm up those wood floors ... good luck with the house with round walls!
Awesome staging, Maureen. And the photos are incredible. I especially love the one that is angled of the living room.
Congratulations. Your home staging is being featured in the group Staging Before and After Pictures.
Kathy
hi Kathy ~ Thanks very much! I just found out today that this home sold 3 weeks after staging :-)
Hi Maureen, great examples of showcasing the features of a large home. With home staging you are always trying to show how someone could live in a home. The curved room in the first pics is a prime example. There are a lot of rooms of that design in my area as well. As you have shown, you can fit quite a nice grouping of furniture and give it some purpose. I have even done some with grand pianos in them with a chaise lounge to boot! Excellent examples of professional home staging. Bravo!
hi Michelle ~ If buyers had seen the "before" photo of the first room shown, it looks like a small space. Placing furniture in it shows not only function/purpose but also perspective of the scale of the room. Just one more reason why vacant homes will never show as well as ones that are professionally staged :-) Thanks so much for your feedback!
Great example of how to break up large and odd spaces and make them look cozy. You made magic!
Ana
Thanks, Ana ~ making a home look cozy helps buyers imagine living there. I like the idea of magic!!
Maureen: You could have held a wedding reception in that master bedroom. Dear heavens - when this house was empty it looked like a big (but tastefully constructed) warehouse. Your work is a major miracle.
hi Valerie ~ Warehouse is one way to describe some of the rooms LOL .... so glad that the seller recognized the need for staging it. Thanks for stopping by to comment.
Thanks Wendy!
Sold in 15 days, that's amazing, I'm sure your staging had a lot to do with that Maureen. Well done.
Suggested! I would say the staging truly sold this one. The odd shapes and angled walls would leave a buyer puzzled as how to decorate. You worked your magic yet again!
Maureen, there is absolutely no question in my mind that staging sold this house. When a house is too big, too cavernous, too much, the seller has no idea how to fill the space and imagine it as a home. GREAT WORK!!!
Wow Maureen! That bedroom looked like a bowling alley before you staged it. TOTALLY different feel to it afterwards. Warm and inviting ... and peaceful. A true transformation. And I agree with an earlier comment ... you ARE a magician!
Gene
Hi Roger ~ Staging, plus a well-priced property. Thanks for stopping by!
Hi John ~ The seller recognized the need to stage this home, just for the reasons you mentioned. It had some very challenging spaces when viewed empty. Thanks for your support!
Hi Joanna ~ You are so right that the buyer would have had no idea how to imagine this as a home, if they saw it empty. Thanks for your kind words.
Hi Gene ~ Ha ha I don't mind that designation one bit :-) and love to work some staging magic whenever I can!!
Maureen, your choices are always so tasteful. Love your style. The photos speak for them selves. Do you mind sharing what type of camera you use? I just bought a Cannon, but I'm re- thinking my choice - really like the wide angle lens.
How did I miss this post at the first place? I am glad that you re-post it again because I am looking at it from the different perspective and it confirms my feeling that big space do not need more furniture to show how welcoming and cozy it can be. Great transformation as always.
Beautiful work as always, and wow! 3 weeks to contract, way to go!
Maureen - late to the party, but glad I didn't miss this post! You've done a great job of showing who important furniture placement is and how staging is the solution to odd shaped rooms. I can't get over the size of the bedroom - it's huge! Beautiful job and every room makes "sense", has purpose and function. Best of all, they all look gorgeous! Thanks for sharing your work - I always learn something new from the master!
Hi Kim ~ I use a Canon Xsi with a Canon EOS 10-22 ultra wide angle lens. I like how it can photograph interiors so well. Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Amy ~ Many thanks, 3 weeks is a nice outcome for the seller, and for the anxious buyer who couldn't wait to move in!
Hi Kristine ~ That is actually the largest master bedroom I've staged, over 900 sq ft!! And it has a HUGE bathroom and his-and-hers walk in closets that are as big as some bedrooms I've seen!! Thanks for your kind words :-)