Most interior designers aim to create a perfect living space for long-term use and comfort. But a whole slew of interior designers known as “stagers” do just the opposite: they stage homes for sale, adding the perfect elements to create a vision of an ideal life in the home to sell the property. And celebrity home stagers go above and beyond to sell their multi-million dollar properties.
Meridith Baer’s moving vans — carrying fashionable decor to her next staging adventure — are a familiar sight in L.A. Sometimes Baer does such a great job that top stars, such as Scarlett Johansson, choose to live with the new furniture and accessories. Even better is when the homes are sold with the furniture included, such as the $102 million cash paid for one of the homes Baer staged.
Staging generally makes the home appealing to all buyers by using traditional styles and neutral colors. But for unconventional properties, the staging can get to be unconventional, too. Here are some stand-out additions.
Live swans floating in the pool might not be commonplace, but they sure add to the opulence of the Beverly Hills Crescent Palace. Built by Mohamed Hadid, who has appeared on “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” and “Shahs of Sunset,” the palace has a 200-person ballroom and a 40-person movie theatre. Add swans and the property becomes irresistible — and worth shelling out $32.75 million. The home sold at that price thanks to a bit of imagination.
Helicopter views
Another home built by Hadid, Italian-style Palazzo di Amore, was showcased using helicopter photographs and video footage. The palace is currently the most expensive listing in the country: $195 million. But its other figures are impressive, too: two wine cellars that hold 13,000 bottles, a 50-person home theatre and a 15,000-square-foot entertaining room complete with a revolving dance floor.
Furniture and art
Baer and her team use furniture and art to set the stage in a home, too. For a $10 million Santa Monica beach house condo they brought in furniture that had a coastal but homey feel and was low enough not to obstruct the stunning ocean views.
Art is generally a large part of staging a home, but the decor for one particular $3.895 million listing in Beverly Hills went above and beyond. The home showcases world-class art selected by a gallery. The fluid lines even extend outdoors, in the form of a white Porsche parked in the open garage.
Paul Lester, a founder and partner of The Agency, said staging like this helps their real estate agents curate a luxury lifestyle experience.
High-end staging “combines not only great furniture, but bespoke art pieces from galleries, cars that might fit the lifestyle of the new owner, and if there’s an event, serving a wonderful array of foods from neighborhood gourmet restaurants and wine tastings from a local winehouse,” Lester said.
Full-scale furnishing
Staging is generally done in a few main rooms, but on occasion Baer and her team stage every corner of the home, as she did in a $14.985 million dollar listing in Pacific Palisades. Baer added a throw in the movie theatre, candles on the outdoor tables and everything in between.
Staging is about enticing potential buyers to step into the world encompassed by the home. And luxury homes demand extravagance.
