Secrets Behind
The Stagers

The latest design show import from Canada The Stagers follows the employees of Dekora as they turn hum-drum spaces into showplaces.

Dekora differs from many staging businesses in that it owns a warehouse full of furniture which it rents out for its projects. The typical monthly rental on Dekora-owned furniture is 10% of the retail price of the item. For example, a $1200 sofa rents for $120 per month to the owner of the home that is to be staged. You can see how this really adds up in revenue to Dekora and makes their investment in furnishings really pay off over time.

For the most part, Dekora stages vacant homes where there is no one living in the house at the time. This is important to remember because you don't want a family using (and abusing?) your inventory of staging furniture. If the family is going to be living in a home, then furniture from a furniture rental company is a better way to go.

Of all the staging shows currently on television, The Stagers best matches the price point of the home to the staging choices it makes. Other shows have a set budget to do two or three rooms. Dekora bases its pricing on the number of rooms in a home (they do complete homes) and the amount of furnishings it will take to stage the whole residence. This is closer to reality.

Other TV shows ( Designed to Sell and Sell This House ) do more remodeling than The Stagers has typically done in its episodes. Each show has its own formula for attracting viewers and you will find that the formula dictates the types and extent of the projects that they choose to film.

Not everyone has a warehouse of furniture to pull from for their staging projects but there is still a lot to be learned from the design tips in each show. Listen to Matthew (if you can get past all the overacting and hysteria) as he chooses which sofa, or which chair to use in a space. He will tell you why he chooses one rug over another. We do think he has a great eye for just the right art (you will notice he spends a great deal of time and emotion on selecting art). Learn about finding art for your staged room from him - he knows what he is doing.

Think of The Stagers as just one of the resources to learn about staging and the business of home staging and not just entertainment on a boring weekend evening. You'll get so much more out of your time and you will learn something new and valuable each time you watch.

Go to our discussion of other TV shows about home staging from The Stagers.