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Apple Valley Home Staging Before and After
Room staged by Lori Matzke, as seen in the Minneapolis Star Tribune

A living room that feels brighter and bigger
Jim Buchta, Star Tribune
August 18, 2007


Project: Formal living room in Apple Valley

Positives: Built-in bookcases, French doors and large windows

Negatives: Too much furniture and the room was too dark and cluttered

This formal living room is located directly off the front entry of the home. And while the space boasted several positive features, it felt dark, cramped and a little too crowded.

"The room itself is not very big, but it was the first room in full view, which is why it was so important to brighten it up and make it appear a lot more spacious and livable," said Lori Matzke of Centerstagehome.com.

To create the illusion of more space and to make it feel brighter, here's what Matzke did.

To let more natural light into the room, Matzke removed the valance over the windows and the window screens.

The walls were painted a creamy eggshell white and the ceilings got a fresh coat of bright white paint.

The owners replaced the worn-out gold carpeting with a lighter shade of taupe.

Two oversized wingback chairs were taken out of the room to create more room.

A side table with a lamp and silk flowers (not shown) was placed between the windows to balance the space.

Moving the piano eight inches down the wall creates more space at the entry point to the room.

After removing three-quarters of the contents of the bookshelves that surround the French doors, Matzke rearranged items and left several shelves bare.

Matzke replaced the mirror over the sofa with art of similar proportion; the mirror reflected the piano, which made the room feel too cramped.

To create the illusion of more space around the sofa, Matzke centered the pillows on the sofa to draw the eye toward the middle.

Matzke left one French door open to create better room-to-room flow and to lead the prospective buyer's eye through the house.

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