Mati Edwards

MatiDesign is an interior decorating company, but we also offer a home staging service as well. It’s similar to decorating because I’m still arranging what’s in your home, but that’s where the similarities end. Interior decorating means personalizing your home to make it work for your needs, whereas home staging means depersonalizing it so it appeals to more buyers on the market. So really, home staging and decorating are two very different things.

But why is home staging important in the first place? Why would you want to decorate your home when you’re moving out of it? If you’re going to spend anything on decorating, why wouldn’t you spend it on decorating your new house?

See, here’s the thing. Most people don’t know how to see the possibilities in a home. You might think it’s beautiful because you’ve lived there for a long time, and for you it is. It works perfectly for your life and your family.

But is that perfect for what someone else needs in their home? Probably not. This is how you need to look at your home now. It’s kind of hard at first, but you need to start thinking about your home like it’s a product on the market – because it is. You’re preparing it to be sold

And the way you live in your home and the way you prepare it to be sold are two VERY different things.

Home Stager And Decorator In London Ontario

So, what comes next?

A good realtor will put you in touch with a reputable home staging service. Your stager will explore your home and critique things the way a buyer would.

Don’t take this part personally! It’s not about your home, your taste, or your lifestyle. The whole point of hiring a home stager is to get top dollar for your home, so we need to look at your home from a critical, objective perspective to see what you need.

From there, we’ll put together a plan that works within your budget to help you get top dollar for your home without breaking the bank.

Does Home Staging Work?

Instead of explaining how well home staging works, let me show you an example.

This is a recent home staging in London Ontario I did. Take a look at the “before” photo below:

The first thing I noticed here was the dated brass light fixture and the 80’s oak trim. Combined with the old cart in the corner, the old fashioned wallpaper, and the frilly tablecloth, it looked like your grandparents’ house. That’s to say it’s a nice place to visit, but you wouldn’t want to live there!

The home owners didn’t want to replace anything, and that’s fine. One of the nice things about decorating and staging these days is that people are loving eclectic styles. In the past, mixing metals and woods and eras would be weird, but these days people love it.

But that’s not to say anything goes. You still need a decorator’s eye and some intelligent design techniques to make it work.

In the before picture, all the antique furniture made the whole room seem heavy and dark.

So what did this decorator’s eye deliver?

Before And After

So you’ve seen the before photo. Here’s what it looked like after I was finished:

Looks a little different, huh?

So what did I do here?

I didn’t have to gut the place. We didn’t have to tear out the wood or knock down any walls. Instead, I worked with what we had, and toned down the oak by adding some big wall art and more modern furniture.

And instead of toning down the brass, I actually played it up with a couple of beautiful brass lamps. These lamps are pretty modern looking though, so while they accent the brass light fixture they actually help tone down the dated look in general. Here’s another angle where you can see the artwork better.

You can see too that the black wood hutch also helped tone things down, and it works wonderfully.

But Did The Staging Actually Work?

“That looks great, Mati,” you may be thinking, “but why should I care? Did the staging work?”

Good question. It doesn’t matter how great it looks if you don’t get your money’s worth, right?

Get this – this home sold in just one week, and for $55,000 OVER its asking price. And this isn’t unusual either – staged homes consistently sell quicker, and for more money, than their un-staged counterparts.

If your agent hasn’t suggested a home stager yet, talk to them about it. The best real estate agents in the business see the value in using a home stager because it helps their homes sell quicker and seals their reputation as a deal-closer.

So does staging work? Yes, it does!

Contact MatiDesign

Do you have a home you’re about to put on the market? Or are you a real estate agent wondering how to move your homes quicker and for more money?

If so, contact MatiDesign to book a home staging consultation today. We’ll tour your home and find out how you can sell your home for top dollar.

Contact MatiDesign today, and let’s get your home sold!

Find additional tips on interior design, decor, and style at: london's best interior decorator

Life is busy and hectic for most of us. And that goes double for those who work in high-stress jobs and who also have a family to look after.

In this case, I was hired as an interior decorator (not a stager) by a husband and wife pair – she a medical doctor, and he a lawyer – and four kids too.

Talk about stress!

This lovely couple had so much to worry about during the day that they barely had time to catch their breath in their spare time, let alone think about redecorating their home. And that’s why they called me.

Before An Interior Decorator’s Touch

One room in particular caught my attention, and I wanted to share it here. It was a grand, lovely room, but because of their high-stress lifestyle, it had become a simple catch-all for the extra stuff they had lying around the house. Old toys and old furniture abounded, along with a dark, cold, boring, blank wall. This was not a place anyone wanted to spend their time, not even the kids – who at this point had outgrown most of the toys in there.

This room needed an exorcism, a complete purge. We needed to start fresh.

After Some Interior Decorator Magic

One of the most exciting parts about this job was the fact that this family had gone away to Italy for three weeks while I worked on things. So they didn’t see the in-between parts, which can sometimes get a bit messy. They saw the before, they saw the after, but they didn’t see how I got there. It was like I’d waved a magic wand!

Sometimes when you decide to renovate an old building, you realize it’s actually so dated that you’re better off knocking the whole thing down and building a new one. I didn’t knock the house down, but I may as well have!

In short, I changed everything. The furniture – gone. The toys – gone. The wall colour – gone. I needed a blank slate to get this room looking good again. The only thing I left was the carpet.

And here’s how it turned out:

Does that look like a bit more of an enjoyable space to spend your time? The homeowners thought so – they were absolutely thrilled with the results.

“I wish we’d done this before,” they told me. “I had no idea my home could look so good!”

Contact Interior Decorator MatiDesign

Are you getting tired of your home and want to spruce things up? Tired of doing the same old things and want a more contemporary look? If so, contact MatiDesign to book your interior decorating consultation. You’ll walk away with some great ideas for how to redecorate your home in a way that fits with your lifestyle.

Discover more information on interior design, decor, and style at: london home decor

Usually when someone hires home stagers in London here, it’s one of two types of people: home owners, or their real estate agents.

But this home was a different story. Instead, I was contacted by an accountant. The owner of this condo had passed away, and his accountant was taking care of his estate on behalf of the next of kin – his two sons. Anyway, when he contacted me, it had been sitting on the market for a while and hadn’t sold.

So I walked in the door and was greeted with this:

What would you do with this room, as a home buyer? If you have no idea, you’re not alone. It’s hard for most people to picture what their life can look like in a vacant room.

It’s like reading a book where all the pages are blank. Sure, you can imagine whatever you want on those pages, but without a little guidance you have no idea where to start.

This photo, too, doesn’t show you one of the biggest problems with this place – the smell. Not only were you greeted with a vacant room, but the place REEKED of cigarette smoke. That’s not a pleasant smell for anyone, even if you’re a heavy smoker yourself.

If there was ever a home that needed my help, this was it!

Waving My Home Stager Magic Wand

The original owner had bought the condo 35 years ago, and in that time he hadn’t updated a single thing. So the faucets, the sinks, the toilets, the light fixtures – all of it had to go.

I had the carpets steam cleaned and the place aired out to get rid of the smell, and a fresh coat of paint on the walls to brighten things up.

And we just HAD to open those windows! It’s not a dungeon, after all.

Here’s the result:

Big difference, huh?

Take a look at the fireplace – what do you see that’s different than before?

That’s right, we took the bronze trim off it. It was attached with magnets, so we were able to completely transform the fireplace from a dated, tired look to a fresh, contemporary one with just three small tugs.

After staging, this condo sold in just five days. And you can see why – instead of a cold, empty, stinky room, it became warm, welcoming, and relaxing.

Contact MatiDesign Home Stager

If you’re getting ready to sell your home, be sure it sells for all it’s worth! Contact MatiDesign today to schedule your in-home staging consultation. You’ll discover some insider tips on how to sell your home quickly, and for more money.

Get additional info on interior design, decor, and style at: the best decorators in london

When someone walks into your house with the idea of buying it, they’re asking themselves all sorts of questions in their head, even if they don't even know they're asking them. And a home staging service is meant to give them the answers they’re looking for.

Let me ask you two different questions – and you tell me which one you think is easier to answer.

“What is your favourite song?”

Or

“Do you like Fleetwood Mac or The Eagles better?”

The first one is more open-ended. You can give any answer in the world! So it can be overwhelming.

On the other hand, the second one is more directed. The person asking you the question is guiding you toward one of two possible answers. That makes it a lot easier to find the answer.

The same goes with staging. Take a look at this picture and imagine the possibilities:

When someone looks at this room, they ask themselves all sorts of questions. Things like:

- Could I picture myself sleeping here?

- Would I be comfortable in this room?

- Would my spouse be comfortable here?

- Would I be able to enjoy intimate moments in this room?

- Would this room relieve my stress at the end of the day?

If you walked into the room you see above, what would the answer to those questions be?

Would you want to buy this home if it looked like this?

Time To Call A Home Staging Service

This was a vacant condo for sale, with only the occasional scattered piece of furniture available – like the inflatable mattress above. It had no appeal at all, and as a result it sat on the market for two months without selling. So the agent contacted me.

They had a small budget to work with, which was fine – in most cases I can make a difference on any budget. But I had to be more strategic.

Instead of creating grander areas, I had to create smaller vignettes into which the buyer can insert their own life. We used the blow-up mattress in the room and rented a few accessories and pieces of furniture to improve the room. That might not sound like much, but it makes a big difference. Take a look for yourself:

Now think about those questions above.

What do you think the answer would be this time?

The results speak for themselves – after sitting vacant on the market for more than two months, this home sold two days after it was staged for above the original asking price.

Home Staging Service London Ontario

If you’re considering listing your home on the market, or if you’ve already listed it but it isn’t selling, contact MatiDesign today for an in-home staging consultation. Remember, staging is always less expensive than your first price reduction.

Read additional ways on interior design, decor, and style at: Interior Decor

One of my favourite parts of being a home stager here in London Ontario is the amazing difference staging can make. Not only can it give a room a completely different feel, it can also help the homeowner make more money in selling it sooner and for more money.

As I like to say, the cost of a home stager is always less than your first price reduction.

When the agent for this home contacted me, it had been on the market for a couple of months already. Their previous agent was with them for a 60 day contract, and when it didn’t sell with him they decided to work with a different agent. Their new agent and I had worked together before – I stage all of her listings before they go on the market – so she brought me in for this one.

Home Staging Before & After – The Problem

Here’s what the ensuite bathroom looked like before I arrived.

What do you think when you see that photo? What does that room make you feel?

Does it tell you a story? Does it seem warm and inviting?

No, it tells about as much of a story as a blank piece of paper – and that’s the problem. When people looked at this home, they couldn’t picture themselves living in it. They couldn’t imagine what life would be like here. It clearly has no appeal at all.

An ensuite bathroom needs to show romance, intimacy, intrigue, and dare I say... sex appeal? It needs to be a place people can envision themselves going to at the end of the day and relaxing, feeling completely at peace. It needs to be a sanctuary.

So I went to work.

Home Staging Before & After – The Solution

Can you spot the difference?

It’s not the wall colour, or the vanity, or the bathtub, or the tiles. All that stayed exactly the same.

It’s the accessories. The candles sitting in the tub, the fragrance sticks on the counter, the flowers, the artwork, even the towel strategically draped over the edge of the tub – it’s all there to tell a story. What woman wouldn’t want to relax in a luxurious bubble bath, candles burning ever so gently, as soothing fragrances grace her nose?

So What?

The second photo is obviously more inviting than the first, but so what? What does that mean? Why should you care, as a homeowner?

In this case, this home sold in just under a week. Staged homes usually sell more quickly, but because this house had been sitting on the market for a while its owners missed out on a lot of potential buyers. This is why it’s a good idea to stage a home before you put it on the market for sale.

Contact MatiDesign

Is your home currently on the market but isn’t selling? Are you planning on putting your home on the market soon? If so, contact MatiDesign to book a home staging consultation.

You’ll walk away armed with the information you need to sell your home more quickly, and for more money – including things you can do yourself, as well as some bigger things your home may need to get the full value for it.

Get additional information on interior design, decor, and style at: London Interior Decor

These designers explain why you shouldn't play it safe (no white paint!) in a tiny room.

1. Playing it safe

"Instead, put a large-scale printed fabric or wallpaper on the walls and even the ceiling. It's easier, safer, and less expensive to be dramatic in a small space. You might get tired of a bold print in the main living area, but it can make a smaller, less-used room an exciting space to spend time." — Victoria Neale

2. Cramming the space with too much stuff

"A large piece of furniture can actually make the space feel larger, as long as it's selected carefully. For instance, if you have the benefit of high ceilings, a tall cabinet appropriately placed has the effect of drawing one's eye upward and away from the small footprint of the room. Just make sure every piece counts and holds its place and lets your eye rest." — Laura Kirar

3. Not strategizing

"Decide everything that needs to happen in a room, and then work that legerdemain, baby. Divide a room geometrically into task-oriented zones — working, sleeping, relaxing, dining. Think in halves, quarters, or even on the diagonal and assign a function to each section." — Elaine Griffin

4. Not paying enough attention to the color of flooring and walls

"Lighter walls and lighter floors do automatically give the illusion of more space." — Mary McGee

5. Relying on small furniture

"Dark colors and just a few pieces of large-scale furniture, with the appropriate lighting and accessories, can give a room a larger, more luxurious feel." — Mona Hajj

6. Missing the silver lining

"Turn it into a jewel box. For instance, I turned a small room in my apartment into a luxurious retreat. I upholstered the walls in a soft chalk-striped brown wool flannel, coffered the ceiling applying custom-designed 'faux bois' wall covering in the coffers, laid a plush red carpet, installed a flat-screen TV on a flexible mount, hung an oversize faux-tortoise-frame mirror to create more dimension, and, finally, designed a custom-made sectional sofa to optimize the space. Now it's a cozy space my whole family uses." — Philip Gorrivan

7. White walls

"Paint the room a dark charcoal gray or Ralph Lauren's Black Truffles, one of my favorites. This will actually really open up the space." — Paul Mathieu

8. Proportion and scale are vital

"Custom upholstery is essential if you want to avoid burdening a room with furniture that looks like it's on steroids. You should have furniture made in the correct width, height, and depth for the scale of a room. For smaller rooms, I try to avoid anything over 36 inches deep. Better not to overpower a room with the steroid-injected, super-deep models made to fill titanic spaces in McMansions. Bigger is not always better." — Todd Klein