See How a Stager Totally Reimagined a 5,000-Square-Foot Home in Sunny California

When you think of a 5,000-square-foot house in sunny southern California, you’d expect it to sell pretty quickly, right? Well, that unfortunately wasn’t the case for one realtor, who was selling that exact home in Diamond Bar, California. The palatial, sun-drenched estate was on the market for months with little interest and absolutely no offers. So the realtor called a home stager, Pantea Bionki at Bionki Interiors, to figure out why the house wasn’t getting more interest and try to get the home back in market-ready shape.

The first thing Bionki noticed on arrival was that the house just … wasn’t working as a house.

“Upon conducting a thorough walkthrough, it became evident that the layout of the home posed a significant challenge,” Bionki said. “With its expansive space and numerous rooms, potential buyers found it difficult to picture themselves residing there amidst the layout complexities.”

Indeed, sometimes a house being unique can be a problem in and of itself — buyers might be overwhelmed trying to figure out exactly how they’d fill the space. Bionki addressed this problem by thinking outside of conventional room designations, and instead chose to reimagine the spaces so that they could be better used. 

What followed was a radical — and effective — retooling of the home. The initial dining room space, for example, became an executive office, thanks to shelves that already existed in the space.

What was traditionally the living room in the home became the dining space because it was so close to the kitchen. As for the initial family room, that was completely divided into separate living and family spaces. Bionki notes that the changes enhanced  “the flow and functionality of the area.”

Bionki’s thinking outside of the box paid off — after all the work was completed, interest in the property skyrocketed. Showings took off, and the house was sold within a month. The realtor was thrilled as well, sharing with Bionki that “before, potential buyers walked in and felt confused about how they could use the space. After her staging, we had great feedback and an offer.” The realtor said it was absolutely worth it to use a stager.

“I can’t even begin to describe how her staging totally transformed the house,” the realtor said.