These are the before and after shots of my friend Mark's condo on the island of Oahu. It's really one part staging (using what he had, including a cool Danish-modern teak dining table) and one part interior design. It's what's often called "re-design"... using elements you already have mixed with new items. (And yes, we replaced the ugly fan and cheap pendant light!) Like many people, Mark likes a mixture of modern and traditional.
BEFORE: Living Room #1. Inexpensive and over-used "college-age" furniture is too big for this compact condo. None of the woods in the room coordinate, neither does the rug.
AFTER: Living Room #1. New colors, new furniture and a fresh perspective. Exciting pops of blue contrast well with the neutrals. The wood "coffee table" in the previous photo was painted espresso and re-purposed as the corner table. Instead of a side chair, the espresso colored ottoman keeps the view open when the drapes are pulled.
BEFORE: Living Room #2. Clutter everywhere. No place to store DVD's, books, etc. And that halogen floor lamp? Ugh.
AFTER: Living Room, #2. It's important to remember that Staging and interior design really are different. In this case, Mark really needed storage and a workstation. Normally, I would not fill up a space like this, but we got the storage and work area Mark needed while keeping it stream-lined. The modern milk-glass front armoire hides his computer, and the buffet with the milk-glass top makes a great entertainment console.
BEFORE: Dining Room. A great Danish modern table but the space has nothing else going for it.
AFTER: Dining Room. More pops of blue in the new end chairs and the art, plus a soft green on the accent wall, really dress up the space. An alabaster pendant light completes the scene.