I've been reading some blogs about our arch nemesis - wallpaper - and the struggle to convince some homeowners to remove it. I thought I'd share one of the houses we staged that was overwhelming to say the least! Plus - they loved decorating in a Victorian style. You must know that the clients had already decluttered by the time we arrived to take our before pictures. I know it's hard to imagine!
The house appears seemingly innocent on the outside
The call came from a Realtor for a Consultation and Color Consult. Her clients wanted to sell their house, but she knew that it wasn't going to sell in its current state. We were warned that they loved antiques and although she had them remove alot of their belongings before we arrived there was much work to be done.
Our consult was very detailed and the suggestions, of course, entailed removing the wallpaper that was in almost every single room. Fortunately the owners were willing to do whatever it took to get their house staged and ready. Colors were chosen and recommendations were made to remove many personal items.
Several weeks later they had stripped the wallpaper and painted every room. Although we staged the house we were asked to work with all of their furnishings and decor. Here are some pictures of the transformation.
The office before and the office after
One of the bedrooms upsairs. Amazing how much more inviting it is after the wallpaper is removed.
Here is another bedroom that had way too much happening on the walls.
The dining room had so many different thing going on - and the beautiful hardwood floors were completely covered.
The master bedroom still had a lot of furniture, but the painted walls made it feel much bigger.
We were lucky that the owners were receptive to all of our suggestions in transforming their home as it related to the wallpaper and painting all the walls. Although the furniture style was still quite specific, the canvas of each room was far preferable for potential buyers.
Do you have any before and after wallpaper rooms to share?
=========================================================================================
This vacant property was staged by Synergy Staging. Let us help you make your property stand out from the rest. Please call us at (503) 557-2244 for a free no obligation quote.
Ugh - the wall paper was even on the ceiling. This is roughly equivalent to the 4th layer of he-- for buyers. Nice job.
Has the home seen more activity or even an offer since the staging?
I would love to use thesepictures in some ofmy listing presentations!!!!
What a big difference I could have seen some of my clients walk into that and end up walking right back out because they though the home looked dated or old a lot of people cant see past that stuff. Great job on the house.
It doesn't even look like the same rooms. Great job staging, good luck selling!
Much better now... wall paper is a thing of the past now for most buyers... they prefer paint. er also!
Aloha David,
My worst nightmare, wall paper in every room! Great job in staging and thanks for sharing.
Peace,
Oh so much better!!! If this doesn't convince people, what will?
Wow!! Those are great before and afters - and it's amazing the sellers were willing to do so much.
I have to confess, I love wallpaper. Not the kind of wallpaper you see here, but historically accurate wallpaper, and even some, now that I think about it, that's not historic. I know that many buyers wouldn't like it but so be it. To each their own. At least two of the houses I've bought I purchased in part because I was so taken with the still intact vintage wallpaper.
Wallpaper is making a bit of a comeback and done well, usually by a decorator (you can almost always tell the difference), can appeal to a bigger part of the buyer pool than some wallpaper will. Not the right wallpaper and it can be the kiss of death - or an opportunity for a savvy buyer that can see past the relatively easy job of removing it and transforming the place.
Liz
Great job staging!
I dispise wallpaper and borders - what a nightmare.
Keep up the good work!
Erik ~ Yeah, the ceiling wallpaper came as a surprise even after touring the first level of the house!
Diane ~ There was some good activity, but unfortunately we don't know the outcome of the home as the owners had to move out of state, before the home sold, less than once month after it was staged.
Cindy ~ If you are interested in these photos please email me off line so I can get you images that are larger scale.
Heather ~ Thanks! As we know, buyers make up their mind in seconds, and something as simple as removing wallpaper and painting the walls can make all the difference.
Erika ~ It's amazing what a dramatic difference there is between the before and afters at this house. Thanks for the feedback.
Caron ~ You're right that wallpaper does date the home. There are exceptions in high end interior design wallpaper, but it still doesn't suit my personal taste.
Kimo ~ Aloha! Wallpaper can be trying enough in one room, but the whole house is a nightmare. Appreciate your comments!
Melissa ~ Thanks! I do hope this helps convince people the difference it can make.
Elizabeth ~ Thanks for sharing your thoughts - and the encouraging words. Wallpaper can work great in someone's home if it is their personal design choice and preference. But living in a home and selling a home are two different things. As you say, it can be the kiss of death for potential buyers - and in todays market most are not looking for any additional work, but move in ready.
Lorrie ~ Thank you for your comments. Borders can be just as bad!
I can't imagine too many tasks that are as insufferable as being in a wallpaper store, flipping through wallpaper books.
On a more positive note, one of my happiest memories of wallpaper was (oddly) in the midst of a dreadful job painstakingly removing old bathroom wallpaper. I took the opportunity to peel off the stubborn pieces while my then 9-month-old daughter took a nap. When she awoke, still in that puffy, sleepy-eyed stupor, I held her in one arm while peeling wallpaper in the other. Every time I successfully peeled off one of the postage stamp-sized pieces, she shrieked with laughter, and chortled with a big belly laugh! I had tears rolling down my face from laughing so hard...
David -- great use of the owners' specific style of furnishings in making the home look updated and fresh. Besides the wallpaper, I'm really glad to see you removed the offending lace doilies!!
You asked for Before & After examples of wallpaper -- here's one in a bedroom we staged not long ago ...
The client wouldn't repaint ... but they did at least agree to remove the wallpaper and matching window coverings!
Leslie ~ Thanks for sharing that nice story. Luckily we weren't involved in removing the wallpaper at this project. That would be worse than being in the wallpaper store!
Maureen ~ Thanks for your nice commencts and sharing your pics. That is one of my favorite of your transformations!
Great job. The house just looks so much fresher. Wallpaper like that just looks so old and musty to me.
Don't know if this will be useful info for anyone, but here's how I handled getting rid of wallpaper in my own homes upon moving in. I absolutely love the texture of hand trowelled plaster. So, I rip off as much wallpaper as I can and spray it with a water bottle to loosen up tougher bits. If it doesn't come off with water, it won't come off when you apply joint compound either. So rather than worry about every shred of wallpaper, I just remove what will come off with water, and then use joint compound to trowel over it. Now it has a great texture and I prime and paint.
Gulp. These are excellent examples!!
Congratulations. Your post is being featured in the group Staging Before & After Pictures.
Kathy
OMG!! What a difference. It just looks so much cleaner too. I bet they were really happy with the results. Great job.
Pangaea ~ I agree that wallpaper makes a house look so old! Thanks for sharing the tip of texturing walls.
Kathy ~ Thank you so much. Truly appreciate the feature...
Chrissie ~ They were really happy with the results and I'm glad you liked the cleaner look that was achieved. Sellers forget how cheap paint is in comparison to the value it adds to the home.
David, it' so much easier to see the house without the distractions of all that wall paper. Excellent staging! Here are some examples form a house that RE:STYLE staged. Every room (and some ceilings) had wallpaper that we removed. It sure does make a difference!
This was a little more extensive in the Master Bath.
Down with all wallpaper
Kathi ~ Thanks for sharing these awesome examples. Going up on the ceiling is icing on the cake! What a wonderful transformation. The owners must have been thrilled - or if not them - certainly the potential buyers! =)
Did these people own a wallpaper store in the 1970's! Wow -- it was really full of wallpaper! Great advice and wonderful results!
Margaret ~ You wonder where this all comes from, huh? Thanks for the comments.