This project was actually a second project for my clients, who had hired me to redesign their new house. I was then asked to help get their previous house ready for market as they were still living in it while we did renovations on their new home.
This mount royal townhouse was a mix of redesign and occupied staging of key areas.
Mount Royal Townhouse Living Room
When my clients moved out they left their couch, chair, and coffee table to stage with – given that I am an exclusively occupied stager and have no furniture (and this would save them money). The furniture, though, was not enough to bring this space to life and make it feel welcoming.
The realtor, Travis Munroe, wanted colour brought into the home as it was quite stark. We wanted it to still feel modern and trendy, while not feeling cold.
We brought in small pieces of art that would not overpower the space, and would draw colour across the room from the various pillows – used to soften the look. The bamboo in the corner was a game changer with a beautiful glow at sunset (even the cleaner took photos of it!). I had fun styling the coffee table with a few books and larger pieces as the table itself was nothing to write home about, and the area rug grounded it all.
Living Room After
Living Room Before
Mount Royal Townhouse Kitchen
This kitchen was stunning. My clients spent quite a bit of money renovating the home when they purchased and this is where that money went. Unlike the living room where I was building it out, the kitchen just needed enhancement and ‘life’ to bring the emotion through.
With such a long island, and as the only dining area, I chose to stage it with full place settings so that people could visualize themselves throwing parties – since there was no dining table to cover that chapter. We brought the client’s dining chairs back from their new place as they were already a perfect fit. I also created two stunning vignettes, one with a sophisticated palette and the other with a bit more colour and quirk. Lastly, I hung stacked ‘kitchen’ art whose warm wood frame and black backdrop really suited the space.
Kitchen After
Kitchen Before
Mount Royal Townhouse Primary
The primary bedroom was part of the redesign to sell the house. This was an area of the home that was left out of the initial redesign and needed some attention before selling.
We painted the walls a beautiful warm grey and away from the dark beige. We also replaced the carpet, which was a very outdated high pile and stretched, with a clean warm grey low pile carpet with premium underlay. New drapery was added and spotlight bulbs were replaced.
For budget restrictions, we left this floor unstaged.
Primary After
Primary Before
Mount Royal Townhouse Walk-in Closet
This closet certainly became a focus. The bedroom had some quirks to overcome with its size and location, and so I was banking on this closet becoming that ‘dream’ closet suitable for the loft-style ‘whole-floor bedroom’. We replaced all of the wire racks and installed proper closets and organization systems. These not only make the space more functional and spacious, it brought it in line with the rest of the home.
Prior to the cabinets, we did the prep work of drywall repairs, new paint, carpet, lighting changes, and new custom drapes.
Walk in Closet After
Walk in Closet Before
Mount Royal Townhouse Bathroom
This bathroom was a tough one. It was not in the budget to redo and we knew that the new owners would be able to do amazing things with it – so we didn’t want to put much into it to have it be ripped out anyway. However, we also needed to do enough that it wasn’t an eyesore.
Goodbye bronze sink and copper faucet. Goodbye thick brown mirror frame and orange and amber lighting. And goodbye cheap chandelier above what should have been a tub! Hello new brushed nickle lighting, hardware, and faucets, and hello proper stand-alone tub and beautiful blue and silver vessel sink (which we found in the client’s garage).
We then of course painted the room a lovely green/blue to help create a spa feel and compliment the brown stayed.
Bathroom After
Bathroom Before
This project was unique in that we really prioritized the budget in a way that made the small things great and left the big things for the next owner to make their own – while truly laying out the foundation for them. And that was both challenging and fun!