Okay, okay, I was prejudging the show. I watched tonight's episode ($1.8 million home), and from the moment it started I LOVED IT! You're the bomb Matthew. I loved when you looked at your client's living room and WE ALL knew what you wanted to say..BUT YOU DIDN'T. Well, at least not in front of the client. (HUH, just millions of viewers). It was great! This was more realistic to me. STUFF, STUFF, STUFF...ahh a familiar mantra for stagers.
The painting of the faux paneling and the changing of the DR light fixture were definitely things to be addressed. Can you work around it? SURE, but why do that if they can be changed.
I still think TOOO much emphasis was placed on the artwork but in the end IT WAS PERFECT and obviously so because the house sold for over asking.
My daughter walked in on the last 10 minutes so I was trying not to be rude and I missed the final numbers for budget. I took fast glimpses of the after shots as well.
Was the initial budget of $6,000.00 kept or did you exceed that? Did that fee include your fee for the 5 days of work as well as the furniture rental? Please forgive me if this was listed at the end, I missed it! Would love to see a breakdown of these fees in future episodes.
I DO THINK THAT THIS SHOW WILL HELP THE INDUSTRY except for the fact that most of us, probably a large percentage of us, does not have the luxury of walking into a warehouse like DEKORA to choose our furniture, accessories and art. I'M JEALOUS! BUT IN A KIND WAY
If the following episodes continue in this trend then I would say YOU HAVE A HIT ON YOUR HANDS and STAGING AS AN INDUSTRY will be truly recognized.
Looking forward to more shows! Happy Staging
Phyllis Pafumi
Watching the second episode tonight made me wish that HGTV had followed the same schedule as the Canadian broadcasts and shown this one first - not only because it was livelier and funnier, but also because it showed some aspects of how Dekora works that weren't really obvious in the previous episode, most interestingly that the Dekora stagers use rental company furniture (I'd mistakenly assumed that Dekora had its own vast furniture inventory), as well as rental art. That clearly made the project more challenging for Matthew, since he had to find furniture that was within his budget, and the three beds he looked at in the rental company showroom all had different rental rates! But even with budget-constrained furniture choices, Matthew delivered rock star results and the house sold for $100,000 over the list price.
Update: In reading this background article:(http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080627.revanHomestagers0627/BNStory/RealEstate/home?cid=al_gam_mostemail)
I discovered that Dekora does have its own furniture inventory, but sometimes (as in this episode) that's supplemented by rental furniture.
I agree David this was soooo much better and more realistic than the first episode. I thought Dekora did own all the furniture, I was still confused by that aspect of the show. As I mentioned I was watching and talking with my daughter so I missed some stuff.
Phyllis Pafumi
This episode was much more realistic. From different mentions on the show what I could comprehend was that the rental budget was $6,000 and the overall budget for 5 days of staging work was in the range of $20,000. Yes the house did sell for over asking so in the end they paid for the staging and still had a profit. I would love that budget. Mathew is entertaining and creative. He takes the motto "beg for forgiveness" to the staging world. He handled upping the anty on the furnishings so that the wood could get painted with style. Obviously the owners of Dekora appreciate his skills because he delivers results. I will say the Dekora warehouse is still very impressive even though they supplement it with a rental company. Having stage different vacant styles it is very hard to have all the styles and furnishings in your own inventory.
I just saw the last 15 minutes of it, but I loved it. Can anyone clue me in on the organizational structure of Dekora? I too was suprised that an organization that size didn't own their own furniture...leaves some lucrative margin on the table!
I didn't see the first episode but enjoyed this episode and plan to tune in next time. I am jealous also Phyllis but not just of the inventory--I want to arrive at a staging job in a convertible instead of my staging mobile packed so tight there's just room for me and a cup of coffee--LOL
What else can I say?...it's my dream job! Big homes, bigger budgets and a convertible? Sign me up!
Phyllis, I really like this episode also.. Matthew did a fabulous job!! He is so funny... I want to know if they always use inflatable mattresses.. God bless,
This show was much better than the first. There was still a little too much melodrama.
Even though it was a multi million dollar home again - because of location- the house was a nice normal house.
Staging was interesting.
My husband knows to have the recorder planned to record every episode for me to see.
I wish I had seen this, darn, as I caught last weeks and was a little stunned that HGTV had put this on, and that Dekora had allowed it. I was worried, that everyone would think that Vancouver BC Home Stagers were that spazzy.
One thing I don't like Dekora is a US company, (I love Americans and their staging) but as a Canadian I would have liked to see a Canadian Company staging the city of Vancouver!
I am going to have to find a second airing of this episode as well as catch next weeks. Oh and for all of you not from Vancouver, homes over the million mark are very very common here.
Welcome to the condominium market, first time buyers.
Dekora IS Canadian.
Thank you everyone for enjoying what was the first episode! Its so tough to tell the story in 23 minutes. Hopefully, the powers that be may give us all an hour if you all tell them how much you love the show and really really need an hour for your fix - a time frame that is terribly needed to show every dirty moment of staging ie. packing, measuring, photographing, budgeting, COORDINATING, swapping client rejected items????. In 23 minutes...well..they love to show me worried. Triumphant....but also very worried. IS IT GONNA HAPPEN ...worried. My process comes together only in the 11th hour for some nerve wracking reason!!! Art and Real Estate - you gotta love Staging - I mean where ever did it spawn from???
Stay tuned for BRIDGET and MAUREEN, mother-daughter duo on THE STAGERS. Many of you may relate to them and their process (mine tends to emulate film designers) however, I'm not promising any of you any less drama! I think the two experiences on the show, mine and the girls, cover the different types of Designers that stage.
Love it or hate it, continue WATCHING IT! And continue commenting or ranting on Active Rain. (they're listening)
Matthew Finlason
I've read that the producers of "The Stagers" envisioned the show as "a sitcom in the office, with the staging almost a side issue". Obviously that's why it's called "The Stagers": it's more "stager personality" focused than "staging project" focused. In that respect, it's more like one of those reality shows on Bravo than the typical HGTV fare. Even so, there are plenty of moments where the staging process shines through - from the opening credits (Look, Matthew's ironing! That'll impress Melissa Marro!) to the amazing room reveals at the end. I love the show myself, I just think it's important to remember that while our lad Matthew may "call the shots" when he's staging, it's the editors/directors/producers who "call the shots" when deciding what footage goes into each 23-minute episode. And to keep the general public tuning in week after week, witty banter and heated arguments are more likely to make the final cut than scenes of packing and measuring. As Alfred Hitchcock once remarked, "Drama is life with the dull bits cut out." That said, I'm sure that a full hour for each episode of "The Stagers" would be anything but dull!
I found the second airing more realistic. Matthew is beginning to grow on me. I loved the talk about the cows and telling Matthew - NO MORE COWS! Can't wait for further episodes. Keep up the good work.
I sill wish I had those budgets to work with.
Mathew I apologize I believed I had read somewhere that Dekora was American....YEAH I am so glad that you are Canadian. You all do beautiful work. Keep it up...
I'm confused but I didn't watch this second show. I tivo'd it so I'll get around to it. I was really confused about who Dekora is, who Matthew works for, who employs the assistant, where all that inventory came from and why Matthew doesn't have that look of, "crap, that wall needs a piece of art, but I don't have anything that will work and I don't want to purchase anymore inventory right now." No, he just thinks to himself, I'll go to this massive warehouse where I can choose from anything and not discuss price. And who's Jay?
I don't know, it looked somewhat more realistic than the first shows but it still has a lot of explaining to do!
I really like the show. It seems that they could pack more into the 23 minutes because after a commercial break they seemed to do a rewind and show you a scene they've already shown you. A lot of the shows seem to do that. House Hunter, Designed to Sell, etc.
Amy: It's not surprising that you were confused. HGTV in the U.S. chose the second episode of the series to air as the premiere this past Sunday, so a lot of information that could be gleaned from the actual first episode wasn't apparent until it was shown Tuesday night.
Dekora is a Vancouver-based staging company (www.dekora.com). Matthew Finlason is on the company's roster of 15-20 designers who work as independent contractors on staging assignments. His assistant works for Dekora, probably on an hourly or per-job basis. Dekora has an extensive inventory of furniture, rugs and accessories in its 10,000+ sq. ft. warehouse. They also have "preferred relationships" with various vendors, including at least one furniture rental company and an art gallery from which the stagers can rent art.
Matthew may have the luxury to "choose from anything" in the Dekora inventory, but Tuesday's episode showed him going from bed to bed in the furniture rental company's showroom, trying to find one at a rental rate that wouldn't put him over budget.
Oh, and Jay is Jay Hodgins, another independent contractor/designer on the Dekora roster.
I took ''The Stagers'' off my DVR after the first episode very disappointed, but the lady's here at All in one Staging inc. did not and told me it was more realistic then the previous episode, so I had to take a peek.
Anyway my 2cent comment is that I wish they showed this episode first here in the US, & if Matt is indeed giving us an honest heads up on future episodes, then I will put you back on my DVR... I would watch it live, but it comes on at 9pm here in Chicago and were still working here.
Best of luck,
BB
Clearing up the budget confusion, I hope!
OK, I watched Tuesday's episode again tonight on my DVR and paid closer attention to Matthew's comment about the $6,000. That amount was NOT the budget for the whole project, and it was NOT the budget for furniture rental. What he said was that the furniture rental cost was based on a percentage of full cost, and the total VALUE of the furniture he was renting for the bedroom and living room had to be under $6,000. The actual rental cost wasn't disclosed (not surprisingly, since it's a preferred rate that would have been negotiated by Dekora with the rental company).
While I'm on that subject, I know that we're all curious about the details of the overall budget, but it's not really fair to expect Dekora to divulge that sort of financial information to the public (and by extension, to their competitors).
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