BEFORE AND AFTER ROOM MAKEOVERS

As you probably know,  I'll be moving in a few months and I've done some research into "staging." In case you don't know the term, in the housing biz that's another word for "where you put the furniture." Some of the best staging advice I've found came from before-and-after comparisons that I found on the net.  Take a look at these examples and see what you think.

By the way, Most of the interior decoration shown here isn't to my taste. I'm just isolating the elements that interest me and ignoring the rest.

 Wow! Compare the "Before" and "After" photos above. What a difference moulding makes! The architect made the ceiling too high but the moulding saves it.

 Boy, leather furniture (above) looks great in wood-paneled man caves but it doesn't work in suburban living rooms. It attracts too much attention.  Fabric covered furniture does a better job of fitting in.

This comparison (above) also underlines another truth, that hardwood floors should never be stained too dark.

Let me digress for a moment to address another issue: does white fabric covering on sofas and chairs really work? It certainly does here (above) but then again this was designed by a professional to look good in photography. Could ordinary people pull this off?  Is white too girly for manly men? Is it practical?  It'll show every spill, won't it?  I don't know what to think.

 I have lots of books that'll require shelves, so I won't need decorative, elephantine cabinets like the one above.  I do like the table in front of the stone wall on the "after" side,  and the two black table lamps look great. Ditto the window curtains. Ditto the hanging light. The desk design in the after photo doesn't work IMHO.

This is an interesting photo because the elements I singled out...the black table, the two lamps, the curtains and the hanging light... are all items which wouldn't impress me much if I saw them out of context in a store. Professional decorators seem to have an eye for what works well in combination.