Penthouse at Peloton, Boulder.

This was an exciting project for SpaceLift. This 1.5 million dollar penthouse had been on the market for over two years. Our client decided to bring us on board to stage this empty condo with a fairly tight budget. This penthouse consisted of three bedrooms, three bathrooms, an office, living room, dining and kitchen  space.

We started with a furniture plan and began shopping for the pieces we needed. We were 99% finished and a month and half into the project when this penthouse went under contract for pretty close to the full asking price. With the staging, the new buyer was able to envision his own items in the space and see how the difficult spaces could be used.

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Snowmass Circle

This client was one of our first.  She brought us in to redesign her master bedroom and since then we’ve been back to redesign her office, sitting room, and most recently her family room.

We  created a new furniture layout using her existing brown leather furniture and shopped her house for end tables and a very cool lamp she’d found at a garage sale!  An interesting piece of artwork was our inspiration for the dark red rug we chose to add more color and to pull the room together.  We hung tall, metal wall art and added decorative pillows to bring in more color.  Larger bookcases were used to organize her many books and mementos and a new floor lamp was placed next to her chair to create better lighting.  Against a backdrop of new paint, the room looks fabulous and is just what our client was hoping for.

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Dogwood Circle

In an era when many buyers want an open floor plan, the challenge in staging this vacant, tri-level house was to create harmonious, connected living spaces that would feel open and welcoming to family and friends.

We staged only the living areas, kitchen and bathrooms from our inventory.  We created a cheerful, useful front room using light-colored furniture, green accents and lots of light.  We brought in a small dining room set to make the eat-in kitchen look spacious and set the table with white and green accessories to tie in with the living room.  In the step-down family room we created a warm, inviting space using brown leather furniture and earth tones.  The furniture was smaller in scale so it would fit the space and not feel crowded.  In just a few months in a tough market, it sold!

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Boulder Condo Unit 301.

This was a small two bedroom, two bath condo at the Peloton in Boulder.  These are brand new condos, but until they are staged they are empty.  This condo did not have much interest from buyers as it had a few obstacles to overcome.   The condo was situated at the back of the building overlooking the entrance to the public garage and windows facing the side of the large community center.  The floor plan, however was great.  After the unit was staged buyers where able to see the great floor plan and envision themselves living there.  It had a lot more interest since staging and has since then sold.

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Peloton Unit 205

This condo has a great floor plan.  It is open and spacious, but sometimes an open plan can be confusing to many buyers. With an open plan it is hard to figure out the defined spaces, where the living room goes and where does the dining room table will go?  When we placed furniture in the room it is much easier to see the defined spaces and how the rooms might function.

This type of floor plan is so versatile and can furniture can be placed in many different ways.  It gives a buyer the option when they buy to be creative and decide how they want to furnish the condo.

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Peloton Condo #217

Vacant homes always show better when they are staged.  This condo is around 1400 sq ft, but when it was empty it felt quite small.  It has a dining room and living room that are completely open to each other and each space has spectacular views of the mountains.  With staging, potential clients can walk in envision themselves living there and will notice the view even more.  They can sit on the couch, relax and envision themselves living there.  Adding furniture to a space always makes it appear bigger and gives a potential buyer the ability to see their own items in the space!

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If you’re moving yourself, spend a hundred dollars and buy some boxes from U-Haul or Lowe’s. Pack everything possible in the boxes and label them–what’s in the box and what room it goes in. It’s easier to pack things up ahead of time, label your boxes, and stack them neatly in a designated area. I suggest buying from U-Haul or Lowe’s or some other box store because they’ll be uniform and easier to stack. When it comes time to move, just load them into the truck. They ride safely, then at the new location, you can stack the boxes in the garage or in one room, out of the way, and haul them in one at a time to the right rooms and upack them as you go.

When I helped Conor and Liz move last year, late in the afternoon, after making many trips up and down stairs, Liz stood in the middle of boxes piled in the kitchen, looking overwhelmed and said, “Tell me what to do.” Everywhere she looked there was work to do!

I know from experience that you will feel beetter if one room looks done, while the rest of the house looks like a warehouse. “Put your dining room table and chairs together, ” I told her. “Clear everything out of the dining area and you’ll have one finished room (albeit the easiest one.) So, she found a screwdriver, put the legs on the table, set the chairs around it, and even found the modern decorative bowl for its center–and felt better.

Which brings me to a final point. Make the place yours as soon as you can. That means hanging artwork and setting out your favorite things. It will make you feel at home, and the sooner you feel at home the better!

Paint-As I’ve said before, paint is the cheapest most wonderful way to add color and warmth and to update a room. She chose taupe for three walls and rust for the accent wall.

Entertainment Center-Downsize to a television stand and a smaller piece of cabinetry to house some of her collectibles. This would give her more options for placing furniture and take the focus away from the television.

Afghans-They were dated and made the room look like Grandma’s house. Fold them and put them in a basket beside the couch or hearth. Buy a colorful, modern throw and a few pillows to tie in with the new paint colors she chose for the walls.

Declutter-DVDs and CDs were arranged neatly on racks and on the entertainment center, but they contributed to the clutter. Since they rarely watched the DVDS or listened to the CDs, I told her if she must keep them, but put them away in a closet.

Doonies–This is a word my friend Julie usess to describe little stuff–mementos, souveniers, little gifts your kids gave you–you get the picture. To update a room, decide what really has meaning for you, get rid of what is there just because it’s always been there and think of new ways to display what you already have. For example, framed photographs. Why not buy a beautiful album and put your 8 x 10s in the album. Then set it on the coffee table so you and your guests can flip through and see your unique family.

Fireplace Mantel-Clear the mantel and decide what really needs to be there. Large pieces of art, pottery, or a vase with sticks or reeds may be all it needs. Add a large framed picture, either lean it or hang it (off-center is very now). Make the mantel a showcase for your finer things.

We get used to spaces we see every single day. If you haven’t changed a room in seven years, it’s probably time to take a fresh look. Of course, SpaceLift would be glad to help!

I have a very unusual, beautiful home in the foothills of Boulder that needed help in preparation for sale.

My first impression of the SpaceLift team was that they were friendly, professional and thorough. Their advice was very practical, well thought out and did not require large expenditures. They also knew how to take what existed and just rearrange it to make an incredible feel and visual difference.

For example, after their two-hour survey of my home they verbally conveyed some of the ideas that they had. In one instance I asked for a clarification. The next thing I knew they were running up and down stairs carrying furniture, lamps, etc. This was beyond what they had signed up for. They took one of the most important spaces in the house, the main one that you see upon entering, and turned it into something stunning. They used items that I was planning on throwing away–junk! For them, it was just a little rearrangement, but to me it was like magic. It was like something out of HGTV. I wanted to say OMG, but of course didn’t–maybe I did. It was a very powerful example of what they could do.

So, yes I recommend them.

Jerry