Property styling: designing into the architecture
108/540 Queen Street, Brisbane CBD: High ceilings, a statement pendant and soft light through sheer curtains called for a subdued, and tonal contemporary luxe approach and a classic layout.
One of the aspects of my job that I find most rewarding is matching the furniture selection for each property I stage with the architecture of the property. Well known designer, Kelly Wearstler sums this up as “being thoughtful about the architecture you are designing into”. This means paying attention to the exterior and interior fixed elements such as the flooring, architectural details, bathroom and kitchen finishes, lighting and a whole lot more.
4 Banek Place, Everton Park: An integrated solution for this masculine, eclectic boho renovation. Bold statements and warm colours were required
The aim of good property styling is for buyers to not realise that a property has been staged. The aim is for buyers to think that the owners ‘live like that’ and that they can too if they buy the property. If the design of the furniture doesn’t match the design of the house there is a disconnect and the property just doesn’t feel ‘right’ to buyers.
1702 11 Wharf Street, Hamilton: A modern Penthouse apartment with gallery white walls and black accents required a warm yet masculine look where the artwork (in this case an architectural print series that we used throughout the penthouse) was the star
There are two ways that this disconnect can happen. Firstly, if a stylist or styling company only has access to a specific style of furniture and uses that style in properties that require a different look and feel, the styling won’t be as successful. Also, at busy time of years when inventory levels drop it can be more difficult to pull a look together, whatever the desire.
23 River Park Place, Fig Tree Pocket: A Luxurious and contemporary new build with dark timber floors and black window frames that called for a bold contemporary yet luxurious look
Secondly, some stylists and styling companies like a certain style or feel safe staging in a certain way so this style is used across lots of different architectural types, not all successfully. An example of this would be a light boho look in a classic Queenslander or a formal classic look in a 1980’s brick.
There is nothing wrong in styling to a niche style, its actually a fantastic point of difference for a stylist. The point is that a niche style doesn’t work across all forms of architecture.
130 Pope Street, Tarragindi: Black cabinetry, timber floors and industrial lighting suggested an industrial look at this new build
One of the reasons I hire my furniture and not own it (aside from the fact that I don’t want to get caught up in the logistics of trucks, stock inventory and warehousing) is to have a large pool of furniture to draw from across all styles. I’m lucky that the furniture supplier I partner with has $4.5m of furniture across the majority of styles and if they don’t have the furniture that I need I’m happy to source it from elsewhere.
34 7th Avenue, St Lucia: Architect renovation using oaks, greys, brass and huge picture windows called for a light natural and relaxed look
Access to a good level of stock across different styles is particularly important when an integrated staging solution is required. When a client already has some pieces that tie in with the style of their house but need to hire additional pieces these need to blend in easily. This requirement is particularly seen in Heritage or Queenslander style houses that have older pieces that are in keeping with the property but the look needs to be lifted and lightened to bring the property a little more up to date
35 Stanley Terrace, Taringa: An integrated stage of a classic 1890’s Queenslander renovated in a French Provincial style and requiring soft and elegant styling
If you are an agent looking for a property stylist to stage your million dollar properties, it’s important to think about the styles of the houses that you sell and therefore what property styling and stylist would work best. Maybe a styling company is particularly good at staging Hamptons houses, whereas another is great at a cutting edge contemporary style. Perhaps there is a company that can work across all styles. Find out who can add value to the properties you sell by designing most successfully into their architecture to capture both the hearts and offers of buyers.
32 Joynt Street Hamilton: A Classic Queenslander that required a classic, charming and elegant feel, in this case we selected a Hamptons style
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