Taking a house and making it a home is an art us Real Estate professionals strive to master but sometimes a staging stylist is just the ticket. Maggie Nicols is the Creative Lead and Founder of Lay of the Land Staging company. When it comes to buying and selling homes, it’s important to have your buyers visualize themselves living in the home. Creating a picturesque living space from an empty canvas is Maggie’s masterpiece. I was excited to come across her amazing company and get to know the diva behind the design. From an average day in the life of a professional stager to Maggie’s love for vintage furnishings and the Etsy shop that started it all, this week we’re chatting about the importance of staging.

Q: When did you start Lay of the Land Staging?

A: January 2018

Q: What does your job entail?

A: My clients contact me when they have a house that’s ready to be listed for sale. We walk the empty home and kick around ideas to get a feel for the design and style. I then pull furniture and decor from my inventory that would look perfect for the space. When staging day comes, my assistant/husband and I load up the trailer, drive to the staging location and get to work putting everything in place. This is a meticulous process so it takes time and a lot of adjusting, re-adjusting and so on.

Q: Why do you think it is important to stage a home for a real estate agent?

Most people have a hard time envisioning their family and belongings in an empty space. When there is furniture and plants it becomes more of a home and helps to show an ideal way for the house to be laid out. It really makes a difference when you see the end result.

Q: What’s your favorite aspect of your job?

A: I love seeing the transformation of an empty house becoming warm and homey.

Q: Do you have any other hobbies or interests?

A: Yes, I also have an etsy shop where I sell vintage and bohemian furniture and decor. I absolutely love thrift shopping and scavenging for beautiful pieces, but I can’t keep them all so it’s amazing to able to share them with other vintage lovers around the world. That’s actually how I became a home stager. I had several large pieces for sale and a friend that is a realtor/developer asked if I would put a few pieces in a home he was listing. From there it just took off.

Outside of work, I try to squeeze in trail runs with my dog as much as possible. My husband and I have an amazing group of friends here in Pittsburgh so we are always out and about.

Q: Tell us about an average day in your life.

A: The best part of my life is that no two days are the same. I intentionally mix up my routine to keep me motivated and creative. I think a good balance of anything is important.  

You can see more on Maggie’s work with Lay of the Land on her website and social media sites below:

website – www.layofthelandstaging.com

instagram –  www.instagram.com/layofthelandstaging/