Welcome to our first Project Focus blog post! In this post we take a closer look at a recently completed home staging project in the Mt. Washington, Los Angeles neighborhood.
The Client
Husband and wife duo, Lilya and Raz Soleymani, selected a desirably located lot on Oneonta Drive as their first fully independent development. An experienced builder himself, Raz has operated his own construction company RL Soleymani Inc. since 1986 and is well-versed in ground up construction.
It came as no surprise that they had already identified their target buyer demographic and desired staging aesthetic. Prepared and eager to bring their vision to life, we began collaborating.
The Property
Clearly having done their homework, the Soleymani’s excitedly shared their knowledge of the surrounding area. The covetable Mt. Washington neighborhood boasts a rich local history that dates back to the 19th century. Incorporating a vast variety of architecture, Mt. Washington is far from your cookie-cutter subdivision. Having become one of the more affluent neighborhoods on the East Side, it’s perfectly tucked away for a peaceful yet urban-accessible getaway for Los Angeles professionals.
Perched on the hillside, the home’s exterior is beautifully modern. Three stories of flat surfaces perfectly serve as viewing and entertaining decks to enjoy the magnificent vista. True to modern architecture, the structure of the home is minimalist and functional. Intertwined with urban iron railings, rectangular windows, and a contemporary wood panel garage door, the property offers a harmonious balance of sophistication, warmth, and charm.
Modern design elements cohesively extended into the interior where the natural yet modern wood floors and railings tied in with the similar eye-catching details from outside. Elevated ceilings, an open floor plan, and minimalist doorways contribute a fresh and crisp quality to the great room.
Contemporary stainless steel light fixtures, elongated chrome cabinet hardware, and glass backsplashes throughout the kitchen and bathrooms created seamless transitions across rooms.
The Buyer
Priced just under $1.7MM, the core demographic for this brand new, modern construction nestled in such an artsy, desirable neighborhood is undoubtedly an affluent professional LA couple most likely ranging from 35-45 years old.
The Design
Needless to say, we couldn’t be more excited to stage this property! As a home staging company that prides itself on being the One Stager For All Properties (very LOTR, we know), the buyer demographic and property design elements presented us with the perfect opportunity to mix two of our favorite design styles: mid-century modern for the base and contemporary as the tie-in.
Since this property provided such an open floor plan, the scale of our furnishings needed to be prominent enough to help distinguish the great room from the dining area. However, the functional, space-conscious design style indicative of the mid-century is rarely known for its prominent pieces. Fortunately, we were able to track down a striking dining table to specifically compliment this project and received it on time with the help of our good friends at Article — you guys rock!
Already in DD’s inventory, we opted to liven up the outset with a geometrically designed 9”x12” rug which worked perfectly to meet Lilya’s request for “plenty of color without bling”. These notable two pieces, plus a light beige mid-mod sofa, served as our baseline.
From here, DD’s lead designer on the project, Penny Bergstrom, fleshed out the design by bringing in earthy teals, warm golds, and burgundy tones. You can see how the palette is smoothly reflected in her selection of pillows, throws, and the two blue-leather mid-mod slope lounge chairs. At last, the simplicity of the contemporary coffee table set effortlessly ties the room elements together.
In the upstairs loft we flipped the script. Here we selected a white leather contemporary sectional to bring additional light to the room, contrasted by wood mid-mod end and coffee tables.
Lilya may have expressed that she didn’t want too much “bling”, but to us, artwork is like putting on that final piece of jewelry to complete an outfit. To properly button up the project we added large art with similar color palettes to that of the rug and other décor.
The Result
We are incredibly grateful that Lilya and Raz trusted DD to help bring their staging vision to life in this beautiful new construction. Soliciting their feedback early on in the process significantly helped us plan our design.
Additionally, we are thankful to have a reliable furniture partner like Article to help us navigate the supply chain delays that have been occurring for the past 1-2 years so that we can receive inventory in a timely manner.
Here’s to a successful sale!
Team DD