Two bedroom flat in Crouch End
This was a very interesting job insofar as I was not designing it to appeal to a specific person's tastes. This apartment had been bought by a couple who wished to renovate it and sell it for a profit: having transformed the utilities and the layout of the property they called me to help them furnish it in such a way that would appeal to first time buyers. Usually when you speak to a person who wishes for the interior of their home to be redesigned they will present you with certain principles and ideas that they feel represent themselves and the home they are attempting to create. In this case, however, I was given a very free reign as the home owners did not wish for the house to be a representation of themselves but rather an advert for the potentiality of the property.
I always feel that if one is selling or renting a property it is vital to present it as a somewhat 'blank slate' so that the interested party can envision what they might like to do with the available space. At this point one might contend that it might be wise to simply present an empty apartment: the problem with this is that many people are unable to visualise how much furniture can fit into an empty room. By putting unimposing furniture into the apartment it allows potential buyers to understand how much room they have and gives them an idea of how to maximise their space. The key word in the last sentence is 'unimposing' as one does not want the room to dominated by the furniture within it as most buyers will have already accumulated a vast array of furnishings that will likely be transferred into their new abode. Instead, the furniture should act in a supporting role and emphasise the dimensions of the room.
Seeing as most of the furniture in this apartment may not be actually used by its new owner it is important not to spend crazily. Furniture from Ikea will do in this case as durability is not a consideration, whereas cost is in order to maximise profit. As you can see, Ikea furniture can look classy and unassuming if used sparsely and without using too many colour variations.
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Talking of colour variations, notice how the walls are white - this allows the potential buyers to not be overwhelmed by colours and also serves to enhance the perceived sizes of the rooms. If one wished it would also be a good idea to perhaps wallpaper one of the walls in each room with a light flowery pattern in order to interject some more life into the room. Whether or not this is a good idea is debatable: on one hand it is important to be wary of the fact that one does not want to lose a buyer simply because they dislike a certain pattern of wallpaper (first time house buyers especially can be put off by small touches that they dislike even though they are free to remove them!), on the other hand if all the walls are white it can tend to be a little cold (although it is at this point that the buyer must employ their own imagination).
My job on this project was to use furniture that did not eclipse or dominate the apartment but that served to help potential buyers understand the space available within the apartment. I completed the planning of this project in a single day - it was tough but I was very happy with the results as I created a 'blank slate' of a room that, with a little tweaking, could be turned into something spectacular by the buyer: also, it was all done on a very limited budget!
Client Feedback
"We have approached Kia with a request to furnish the flat in such a way that would appeal to first time buyers and young, urban professionals.
During the duration of the project Kia was responsible, friendly and discreet. Her professional attitude together with her ability to work towards a tight deadline resulted in a fantastic, final result.
We are planning to use Kia in our future projects and if she does not work for us, I am sure that she will be an asset to any organization that she serves."