Staging a TV Talk Show Set

One of the great things about using your creative talent to earn a living, and having your own business, is that you can do all kinds of interesting projects without having to ask anyone else's permission.

Many home stagers get into color consulting, interior redesign, holiday decorating or even professional organizing.

Another common practice is to work outside of residential real estate.

One Staging Graduate for example, decorated a bakery, I've done retail window display and styled a magazine photo shoot, and another student, Ana Hitzel, actually staged the set for a local TV talk show. She's also got a new AM radio show on decorating and staging— which is a long way from working in the Air Force!

This was just an office space until Ana Hitzel turned it into the set for a local TV talk show! > Read more of Ana's home staging career story here
Ana Hitzel shares her personal experiece about what it's like being a home stager: "After a 10 year career in the US Air Force, I didn't really know what direction I wanted to take with another career. Becoming a full-time mom kept me busy enough but something was missing. I knew I wanted to have my own business but it had to be something I loved. Staging has turned out to be the best choice I could have made. I love people, design and seeing the smiles on my clients' faces. I don't have to depend on a boss allowing me to take time off to be with my kids, and I make the money I want doing what I love. The Staging Diva Courses gave me the tools and insight into how to start a staging business successfully. I was able to start without going into debt and implement a sensible business model that set me up for success. My company has been in business 5 years and I'm having my best year so far." >I'd love to share your story too. Here's how to get featured! You can learn the staging business success formula I taught Ana through these: Staging Diva Simple Marketing Plan Companion 14 Marketing Ideas to Rev Up Your Home Staging Business Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program

What You Should Know About Staging Career Paths

5 Great Netural Colors for Home Staging

There are so many articles about how it's important to neutralize a home when staging it so that it will appeal to the greatest number of potential buyers. This advice isn't always appropriate because we're not trying to appeal to "everyone," we're trying to appeal to the likely target buyer of that property (given it's price, location and size).

If we think of a 5 bedroom home in a sprawling suburb, that buyer is likely to have a very different aesthetic sense than a bachelor looking for an urban loft for example.

Neutral or Boring?

There's a fine line between "neutral" and "boring" when it comes to decorating and home staging. I rarely paint walls white or a whole home "beige" but when I'm using Benjamin Moore colors, here are 5 of my 80 favorite go-to neutrals:

With the walls providing a neutral backdrop, I'll punch up the rooms with colorful accessories like: art, vases, baskets, flowers, accent cushions, throws, table runners, placemats, bedding, shower curtains and towels.

I almost always choose a signature accent color, or two, to repeat throughout the home. This makes it more visually interesting (ie: less neutral), and ties the different rooms together.

> Read more about repeating a signature color.

Need help with home staging color or design ideas?

Both new and established home stagers look for ways to make their home staging jobs easier. That's why I created these two guides in the Staging Diva Ultimate collection. They are based on over 20 years experience decorating homes and what I've learned the hard way working with hundreds of staging and redesign clients.

Each volume will save you significant time because you won't have to figure everything out yourself. Plus, the information in these two resources will give you more confidence for your next client meeting.

Stager Sees Red After Agent Mucks With Staging