Room staged by Lori Matzke, as seen in the Minneapolis Star Tribune

Furnishings inspire a buyer's imagination
Jim Buchta, Star Tribune
Dec. 7, 2007

The owners of this house in Maple Grove are not planning to put their house on the market until spring, but they have begun the process of preparing it for sale.

They started by removing the furnishings from their upper-level loft and staging it with furnishings and accessories from other rooms.

"You don't need to formally furnish a room to get the point across," said Lori Matzke of Centerstagehome.com. "Buyers simply need a point of reference to help guide their imagination."

Here's how Matzke helped buyers see the potential in this room:

Smaller items were sorted, boxed up and put in storage, awaiting use after the rest of the house is decluttered.

Blinds were opened, and the overhead chandelier was turned on high to maximize overall lighting.

A television set and nightstand were borrowed from the master bedroom and angled in a corner of the loft where they are not the first thing a buyer notices upon entry.

A colorful Tang-style horse from the owner's collection downplays the hard lines of the television and adds a sense of whimsy.

The vintage upholstered chairs were moved to another part of the house.

A futon couch that had been in a bedroom was placed directly opposite the television and accessorized with silk throw pillows. A side table with glass top and stone base was borrowed from the main-level family room and used behind the futon to display a luminous green plant in a glazed turquoise pot.

A bentwood and canvas occasional chair found in a storage area was positioned between the wall and windows to round out the seating area. A plant stand from the dining area holds a tall vase with dried branches, adding height to the room.

A maple sofa table from the guest room anchors the space and provides a place to display a hand-painted vase. Matzke put an Asian-style painting that was too overpowering for the formal living room above the sofa table to direct the buyer's eye to the high ceilings.

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