March 2022

How is the styling before the photoshoot different from the styling before the tour? Should the stylist be on site before the tour starts? Does a little touch-up before the house tour make a difference? A lot of people believe that styling a few days prior to the photography is enough. What they don’t realise is that the styling inventory is only for the photoshoot day and the house tour days. This means that all the rented inventory has to be returned in the same condition as it was upon delivery. Otherwise one will incur penalty fees. Some clients choose to pack away all the inventory after the photography on site. So the inventory is safely stored away until it’s time for the tours. A lot can happen before the tour days, especially in a household with small children. It’s not such a bad idea to have the stylist on site before the first tour, who can then check the changes made and help to rectify anything you forgot when placing back the furniture and decor.

Styling pre-tours differs from styling before the photography as it focuses on the physical movement, and meeting of potential buyers on site. A home styling or staging pre tour, makes it easier for the agent preparing to register every visitor, and other necessary arrangements with the bidding process. We don’t think it’s difficult to style for your house tour, since we have many years of experience and thanks to our partnerships with realtors we know exactly what prospective buyers want. After visiting a property, we can easily see what is needed and the right positioning. For example if there is a balcony then we see to it that there is an eye catching decor leading the prospects to the lovely atmosphere outdoors. Especially as the balcony has exponential potential to increase the value of the property.

Each home is unique and presenting it the right way requires a tailored approach. That’s why we always recommend that you don’t bargain away our offer of having a certified home stylist on site before the first touring of your property takes place. When on site, we exchange wilted flowers and plants for fresh ones. We take away some decor that mainly favoures the photographs. We also make sure the entire property looks inviting and perfect, as only a home stylist could.

Do you think it’s difficult to style a property pre tours? Call us, we are certified home stylists that are more than happy to get back to you with a complimentary styling proposal.

Go with peace and live with love and light,

Christiana Swalk

Are you thinking of selling? Selling your home is for most people one of life’s biggest business deals. Am I selling first or buying? Should I renovate or is a home styling presale enough?

We are giving you some advice so that you can have as stress-free property sale as possible. Prepare yourself by finding out what kind of information the agent and stylist will be needing. Get all the small repairs done, we rarely recommend a renovation, at least not large and expensive once. There is a lot a certified home stylist can do to elevate the overall impression of the property and attract as many potential buyers as possible. Below is a styling pre sale we at Christiana Swalk did. Very big difference right?

To take the load off, we recommend you hire a cleaning company. That way the cleaning will be done properly and make it easier for you to do all the decluttering that has to be done before the photoshoot and viewing. Personal items should be packed away. We recommend packing as much as possible, after all the main purpose is to sell the property fast so you can move out. The quicker you start packing, the less stressful the whole moving process will be.

To think about pre property styling:

It’s a good idea for you to find the plan drawing you got of the property when you purchased it, the home stylist and realtor will find it useful. Everyday toiletries should be placed in the cabinet, removing as much stuff as possible. This will make it easier for the stylist and yourself. It will be easier for you to see what needs to be done and let the right things shine. Irrespective of the agency you have chosen, you are free to go with the homestylist of your preference. You can alway compare a stylist of your choice with the one the realtor has recommended. Compare the stylists Web page and Instagram and choose the one you believe can elevate your property the best. Home stylists don’t do electrical installations, suckets should be ready for use. Sometimes the property needs repainting, and strong colours should be neutralised. This postpones the styling so book a time with the photographer and stylist as soon as you can. It also makes it easier for them to sync their schedules. Remember, the property is sold in its current standard so if the stylist needs to drill a few holes in order to perhaps hang some curtains, it is rarely something that could affect the sale negatively. That said, it is always the owner’s decision.

How does property styling work?

We meet you on site in order to get a feel for the space, find out who the ultimate buyer might be and see what needs to be done to the property. After our site visit, we send a proforma invoice, a brief and contract for the project. Upon the approval of the paperwork we finalise a date for the styling with the owner of the property. We use Mood Boards and the plan drawing to test style before making our way to the property. Alternatively we test style in our warehouse for quality control. Meanwhile you have received our removal list of what needs to be emptied out of the property. We take care of delivery and mounting of the furniture/decor that we provide, and style the rooms agreed upon. After 1-3 days the property styling is done. If you book a photo styling then we will branch over just before the photography and add some finishing touches as well as assist the photographer for 30 minutes so the pictures get the right feel. If you also order a viewing/tour styling then one of our styling experts will swing by an hour prior to the viewing and prepare the property for the tour, as well as retouch everything to perfection. Adding fresh flowers and some nibbles. You can keep the styling inventory for six weeks with the option of (for a small fee) prolonging if needed. We later collect everything and ship it back to our warehouse.

Go with peace and live with love and light,

Christiana Swalk

A photoshoot styling is meant to re-lay a feeling or exagerat a vibe in the room so that it’s easier for the right mood to be captured by the camera. For example with the help of storytelling, the styling can be created around a story, an event that’s easier to take a picture of. A happening that awakens positive feelings in the beholder. Create such a strong story is not easy. With the use of only textiles, different textures, lighting and interior details in a well balanced way, the stylist connects potential bidders to the property and motivates them to, for example, call the broker to book a preview of the residence. It’s not unusual that many listings sell before the official property tour, and a styling before the photoshoot is one of the few reasons why. The photographer’s magic has something to do with it of course. It’s the combination of the stylists creation, the photographers sixth sense and the agents drive and approche that elevate the listing so its full potential is marketed and a successful sale is realised.

We can’t emphasise enough how important it is to get help from the professionals, especially when endeavouring in what will probably be once biggest business deal. Because the styling takes between one to three days, the photography is 99% of the time scheduled the day after the styling is completed. Sometimes the photoshoot takes place many days after the home styling is finished. This means items could been moved around or that the fresh flowers may have wilted pre photoshoot and touring days. Let’s not even begin to speculate what the weather could have done to the balcony styling. There are many stylists that can’t make it to the photoshoot and therefore usually offer their services at a cheaper price. Don’t let the price be the deciding factor. Hire the right stylist for you. If you prefer the attention to detail and that special touch during the photoshoot, then make sure that those services are included. Unfortunately a stylist can rarely start from scratch and finish on the same day as the shoot. Look at the picture below. If a stylist is on site just before the shoot starts then he/she would iron the bedcover before the pictures of the property are taken.

Do you wanna see more before and after pics? Click here.

We offer photoshoot styling and Tour styling, upon ordering one of our home styling consultants will be at your property 30min to an hour prior to the showing. Replacing wilted flowers and plants with fresh ones. Before the tour the stylist will prepare light nibbles (wrapped candy, fruit, pastries) and drinks for the tour. The stylist will make sure there is a good balance between function and style, as well as create an attractive centerpiece that draws the beholders towards the focal point and ensures smooth movement around the property. Are you of the opinion that photo styling and tour styling is important?

Go with peace and live with love and light,

Christiana Swalk

Hi and welcome to our very first blog post! There’s a snowstorm outside in Stockholm, and we thought it best to get our blog page going by posting four blog posts at once. With the weekend around the corner you can get cosy under a blanket, with a warm cup of tea/coffee in one hand and three articles to look forward to!

Most of our home styling projects have been in the Swedish capital, namly Stockholm. Therefore we can actually only report on our experiences of the Home styling industry over here. That’s also why we decided to title our first blog post Home styling Stockholm. We can’t tell you about any differences between home styling in Stockholm and other parts of Sweden or differences between home styling in Stockholm vs home styling internationally. Nevertheless we hope our future blog posts will still be of interest to you.

The posts will be about some of our projects, some do-it-yourself projects you may want to try. Even some posts about the real estate market, interior design and of course a whole lot about home styling and home staging in Stockholm. Join us, as we go from the art of selling to the science of selling :)!

What actually is home styling?

In contrast to home staging, home styling is the decoration of an already furnished property . Professional home styling is done by a certified home stylist. Certified home stylists optimise an already furnished property, by removing disturbing details, adding decor in consultation with the owner, realtor, and developers of the property before selling the property. Home styling by a professional is important because its easy for sellers to get blind sighted in their own home. Knowing the balance of how much to add or take away is tricky. We have emotional attachments to our belongings as we should do, but the way you live in your home now, is not what you’re selling. Home styling is a job that requires a lot of planning, purchases, logistics, moving, lifting and light cleaning. Understanding the market and target buyer is essential. This is our speciality, we love what we do! Call us so you can focus on what/those you love the most and we can do what we do best, creating homes people long for.

My home is fine, why home style it?

We think you are perfect and that you’re home is too! Would you prefer to go to an important meeting, a life changing event with your nice but fairly used clothes or would you prefer to buy some new clothes, a pair of shoes, accessories etc that look nice, shiny, and up to date? Home styling is, dressing up your home so that it looks just right for that once in a lifetime meeting or event (probably your life’s biggest business deal). It’s perfecting that one and only first impression to make the best deal. Your home is perfect, all it needs is dressing up to make sure that one and only first impression goes perfectly too. You style yourself because you know what’s best for you. We style your home because we know what’s best for the photos of each room, for the house tour and for the speculators of your property. We style your residence so that it gets the attention of as many interested buyers as possible. Does that make sense?

Go with peace and live with love and light,

Christiana Swalk