Carrie Wilson is the Stager you can’t sell without!
Remember my blog post on the importance of staging? No? What are you doing, go check it out! We’ll be here, waiting to make your staging dreams come true…
More on this powerhouse team of women at my Instagram @laurengoche
Welcome back! Now that you’re refreshed on the power of staging your home before selling, we are diving deep into Carrie Wilson’s staging business, ROUGHHOUSE Co. I didn’t give her nearly enough kudos, and I’m making up for it here and now.
I’ll go ahead and say it now: There’s no better stager in Portland than Carrie Wilson’s ROUGHHOUSE. I’ve worked with Carrie for years and what keeps me tethered — besides her amazing work ethic, mastery of color theory, and original artwork — is her ability to make every listed home shine. The ultimate, undeniable point of staging is to create a fantasy for a potential buyer. One where, the minute they walk into a house, they imagine themselves living there. No one does that like Carrie!
Carrie Wilson ROUGHHOUSE Co. Instagram — Follow her here! @ROUGHHOUSEportland
The WHY of Home Staging
When it comes to selling a home, a stager is like a fairy godparent to real estate. Hiring a stager to whip your house into shape (sorry, no stager can magically expand square footage!) helps buyers imagine themselves living in their dream home.
The 411
When it comes down to it, staging is the process of creating an environment that is both memorable and inviting to a potential buyer. With the help of furniture, artwork, and lighting, a good stager creates the following:
Harmony –Stagers make sure each room has its own personality, while ensuring that everything works together in harmony. They do this by introducing a color story, adding cohesive furniture, and accent pieces.
Clean slate –It’s super important that potential buyers are able to imagine themselves living in your home. This means getting rid of any clutter or personal items and replacing them with up-to-date furniture and décor.
Narrative – Great stagers are like storytellers for potential buyers. They know how to strategically rearrange furniture and add decoration to create distinct spaces in your home. What was previously just a living room, now includes the perfect nook to drink a morning coffee and the optimal seating arrangement every cocktail-party-go-er dreams of.
Why get a professional stager
Have you ever watched home improvement shows and thought to yourself, “Hey, I can totally do that myself!”? Well, some things are better left off the DIY list. Home staging is often time-consuming and includes
- Decluttering
- Market research
- Hiring contractors
- Access to furniture, accent pieces, and artwork
In truth, home stagers come in all shapes and sizes. Some stagers prefer to work with the furniture already in the house, whereas others start with a blank canvas.
Carrie exclusively stages houses that are empty and vacant. When I have a seller that is still living in their home, my team and I will do the staging ourselves (you’d be surprised how much throw pillows make a difference). And if a house is in need of a deep overhaul, I’ll use someone else to supplement the work.
About Carrie Wilson
As a Portland local, Carrie defines her creative process as “impulse and creation,” which is part of what makes her stagings so unique. “I’ve always loved design, art and DIY. Staging lets me get my hands dirty with those things”. After managing multiple coffee shops, she decided it was time to start managing her day to day instead. So, Carrie decided to finally grace us with her talents (Thank god!) and opened her own staging company, ROUGHHOUSE, in 2014.
Not only is Carrie a stager like no other, she is also a mother to a bubbly, brilliant 11-year-old girl, who is equally creative. She cites her daughter’s paintings as one of her biggest inspirations, next to Volodymyr Zelensky and joint compound (yes, the stuff you make plaster out of).
About ROUGHHOUSE
Since its inception in 2014, ROUGHHOUSE has made it its mission to breathe life into interior spaces with custom home staging for Portland real estate. The ROUGHHOUSE core values and Carrie’s approach to her business ensure that no matter how many projects she completes, she maintains a small business mindset. According to Carrie, the ROUGHHOUSE philosophy centers around “The act of making a space come alive. Any place with walls and a roof can feel like home. It warms my heart to transform something that may be an eyesore to some into a place one would like to cook a curry or take a nap.” She describes her approach to every interior space as an artistic opportunity, “curating a space that feels natural and alive with real plants and original art pieces.”
Carefully curated approach to color
I’m always blown away by Carrie’s incredible grasp on color theory. She knows exactly how and when and where to use it. And not just color, but the right times to use contrast, neutrals, and color to create a dynamic interior. “I always appreciate a bold and thought out less-is-more color palette” Carrie isn’t one to give her secrets away, so however she does it, it’s pure MAGIC to me!
Even if people don’t LIKE color in their homes, Carrie’s particular brand of color and staging makes people who are obsessively looking online for houses pause for the teeniest millisecond in their scrolling. I find that THAT is the key
Straight from the source
Oftentimes Carrie’s finishing touches to make a staging complete include hanging up her own original artwork. If she sees an interior is missing some pizzazz, she’ll whip up the perfect piece of art to complete the space. She states, “We are DIY and work completely from the heart.”
Just check out our before and after photos below to see some of her paintings!
Spaces that create conversation
One thing I love about working with Carrie is she treats every home as a separate, unique project. She isn’t afraid to take the risks other stagers shy away from, because she knows what will make your house pop.
“If you want everything to look perfect like a West Elm photoshoot you shouldn’t come to ROUGHHOUSE…hence the name. Come to us if you want something creative. It might turn out understated or it might turn out chaotic, but it’ll turn out lovely either way.”
Our FAVORITE Projects!
Alberta Arts District Score
This property sold 12% above the listing price, in 5 days time!
Key features Carrie highlighted through staging:
- Central color palette throughout
- Exceptional natural light with white decor
- Curated “lived in” decor with books, angled chairs, and precisely placed slippers
Vintage Woodland Classic
This property sold 26% above the listing price, in 4 days time!
Key features Carrie highlighted through staging:
- A show stopping deep-turquoise exterior
- Perfectly arranged hang out spots to invite conversation
- A cohesive color story
Stunning Kenton Craftsman
This property sold 25% above the listing price, in 4 days time!
Key features Carrie highlighted through staging:
- Classic wood features contrasted by sage walls
- Lived-in features like the artfully placed loafs of bread and watermelon
- Cohesive artwork and accent pieces to tie everything together
Adorably Artsy Kenton Bungalow
This property sold 8% above the listing price, in 4 days time!
Key features Carrie highlighted through staging:
- Funky accented wall to showcase the fireplace
- Green foliage to compliment the cozy bedroom
- Secret art studio sanctuary
Kenton Bungalow Kismet
This property sold 20% above the listing price, in 4 days time!
Key features Carrie highlighted through staging:
- An eye-popping front door
- Bold abstract artwork
- A cheerful porch you can sun-bathe in while waiting for the laundry
Parkside Brentwood Darlington
This property sold 13% above the listing price, in 4 days time!
Key features Carrie highlighted through staging:
- A warm and cheerful living room
- A splash of brightness from a pink accent wall
Artsy Arbour Lodge Beauty
This property sold 22% above the listing price, in 4 days time!
Key features Carrie highlighted through staging:
- Neutral furnishing to highlight fireplace
- The perfect yellow towels to compliment a charcoal gray bathroom
- Original artwork to complete a colorstory
Vibrant Reed Ranch
This property sold 9% above the listing price, in 4 days time!
Key features Carrie highlighted through staging:
- Vibrant accent pillows to match the fireplace
- Inspired buyers with the potential of color throughout their home
After all that, you may have guessed that I’m a staging enthusiast AND when I find something (or someone) better than the rest, I shout it from the rooftops! I get a rush out of seeing my sellers embracing the power of staging and reap the rewards of their trust. Carrie makes me truly excited to witness the transformation of a house into a multitude of buyers’ dream home.
Looking to sell your unique Portland home this year? Connect with me and I will make sure we have Carrie on our team! – get in touch with me here. I will hook you up with Carrie Wilson of ROUGHHOUSE, and together we will help your home SHINE!
