Scrapbook > Penthouse Staging (18)
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Boxes Everywhere
The developer of this real estate complex on John Street, in the heart of Manhattan's Wall Street neighborhood, learned that his higher-priced penthouses would sell better when staged professionally. Enter Irwin Weiner and his IWI design team. The crew sourced inexpensive furnishings, fabricated window treatments, and shopped for accessories and art at stores like KMart, Target, and HomeGoods to fill each empty room and help potential buyers imagine themselves in the space. This picture shows the big delivery of boxes of ready-to-assemble furniture from stores like Design Within Reach, Crate & Barrel, and West Elm. Time to open boxes and start staging!
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Irwin Repacks
Too many barstools were delivered to the penthouse by mistake, so Irwin is busy repacking them for return. This shot of the living room shows some key pieces of furniture already set up, however. Two suede club chairs, a coffee table, and a rust-colored sofa from Room & Board set up a core conversation grouping in front of the handsome black marble fireplace and mantel.
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Second Bedroom: Before
Some of the pieces start to find their way into the proper penthouse rooms. This view of the wall opposite the bed in the second bedroom shows a handsome cabinet and some accessory pieces. What starts out in one room, however, doesn't always wind up where it started.
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Second Bedroom: After
A geometric-fabric sidechair, crisp white pillow, traditional-bordering-on-contemporary mirror, table lamp, and New Zealand wooly area rug add a 1070s zip to this part of the second bedroom.
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Second Bedroom: After
The bed in the second bedroom is a roomy king, showing off to prospective buyers that a substantial bed can fit the decorating scheme. IWI chose accent colors throughout the penthouse, like the blue behind the headboard wall, to warm up the otherwise all-white space and add inexpensive designer touches to the space. After this photo was taken, an extra mattress cover was added underneath the bedding to raise the visual height of the mattress against the headboard, light cords were concealed and tags taken off, and more pillows artfully placed. Fluff, fluff!
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Second Bedroom Bath
Minal staging went on in the three bathrooms in the penthouse (a front guest bath, the second bedroom bath, and the master suite bathroom). Towels were added and minimal shower and vanity accessories to warm up the beautiful fixtures and tile. In some instances artwork was added to the walls, too.
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Master Bedroom: Before
The large master bedroom has a beautiful wrap-around window view which will be closed off (when necessary) by new window treatments, delivered two weeks after this initial staging session. A wrap-around balcony and terrace extends from the living room and kitchen, around to the master bedroom, and then around to the second bedroom. A four-poster bed was assembled earlier, along with a desk and other pieces of furniture. Now it just needs a little design magic.
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Staging the Master BR
Irwin eyeballs a piece of art for the new writing desk area of the master bedroom. A leather desk chair, new writing desk, accessories, and other furnishings are starting to give the master suite shape and function. It will be much easier for anyone to visualize themselves living here.
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Terrace View
Light fades as the staging progresses. Irwin works on the master suite while his assistant sets up the teak table and chairs on the terrace outside. Again, it's just staging, but the huge outdoor terrace will look much more inviting when prospects are shown the master bedroom and see that a world of outdoor entertaining can be theirs in this inviting space.
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Master BR Coming Together
Time to start fluffing the bedding and the accessories throughout the master suite.
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Master Bedroom: After
The stage is set in the master suite around the contemporary four-poster metal queen-sized bed.
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Master Bedroom: After
The wall opposite the bed in the master suite gets a stage prop mounted on the wall, a facsimile of a flat-screen television. It will let anyone know that they can add a flat screen to this wall for great from-bed viewing. A long dresser compliments the walk-in closet, on the wall to the left of the bathroom door, and a tray with staged coffee-serving vignette adds a welcoming touch. The master bath door has a frosted glass door which looks beautiful when closed and back lit.
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Master Bathroom
Beautiful details need little enhancing in the master bath. Dual vessel sinks perch on a frosted glass vanity top. Minimal staging details added some candles, vanity accessories like a soap dish, hand towels, a small piece of artwork, and beautiful linens in chocolates and tans hanging in the soaking tub area next to the ceiling-to-floor encased tiled shower.
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Dining Room & Kitchen
This open-plan main room in the penthouse has the living room grouping around the fireplace, and Irwin's team added a small dining table and chairs and kitchen counter seating to show the many possibilities for everyday living and entertaining. The kitchen boasts black granite countertops, a Sub Zero refrigerator, and wine refrigerator on the other side of the bar, and Viking appliances.
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Kitchen Staging
The table is set for a mod dinner for three at the kitchen island, with elegant glassware, silver, and other tabletop accessories. Cookbooks and spices on the shelves around the stove, some decorative cookware, and other items add warmth and appeal to the kitchen tableau.
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Living Room Staging
A subsequent trip to home stores has filled the glass-and-chrome shelving unit in the living room with modern designer glassware and other accessories. A silk orchid plant was added on the table between the two club chairs. Four chunky crystal candlesticks and light green candles to match the kitchen bar stools and other accent pieces now adorn the beautiful stone-topped coffeetable along with a gold dish. The rug ties the grouping together beautifully. Other additions that followed included Smith & Hawken fireplace tool set and screen, with more beautiful modern glass vases and votive candles to bring the mantlepiece to life. A bar cart was added to the right of the fireplace with a drinks tray, glassware, and drink mixes. Imagine a perfect evening by the fireplace in your new Manhattan penthouse!
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Hanging Around
Irwin adds stylish black-and-white photographs in a wall grouping in the living room area. He's on the home stretch, anxious to head home after an evening of staging.
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Staged Living Room
The living room pictures have all been hung, and subsequent staging steps went even further than shown in this last photo. First off: the wall color was extended to cover the utilities cover on the left side of the back wall (it was overlooked by the painters, but corrected in a subsequent walkthrough). Silk flowers were added in a dramatic grouping to the console table underneath the photographs, and three beautiful bright brown wood stools were tucked in under the console, slightly jutting out and inviting the new owners to bring them into the living room for additional guest seating.
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