joMcLaughlin Designs

We hired Jo to help us stage our large home for sale. I found Jo on Houzz, and she got back to me the very same day that I contacted her. Making the initial appointment was quick and easy. I was impressed on the phone that Jo did not in any way pressure me to sign on for a full scope of services. She described that her work can range from a walk through with an owner where she makes suggestions, to a full shopping and set up of a house. When we did our walk through, with our agent, I started off taking notes....sure that I was going to be able to do this myself. As I walked with them, i began to see our house through their eyes (and potential buyers' eyes)....and I realized there was more to do than I anticipated. So I asked Jo to do a full home staging, which included her purchasing items, bringing them to the house, setting up each room and coming back on the day of the actual photo shoot to help me with a last minute issue! Jo has a wonderful eye! She also respected the limits of our budget and our time constraints. We told her we were not up to things like painting or changing flooring...that we needed to work as much as possible with what we had. Jo had given us a list of tasks (like taking down heavy drapes and replacing them with sheers, taking up runners and throw rugs and massive decluttering). She was also very available by email as I was out looking for various items or in the middle of tasks. I would often email her asking her opinion of an item I had found or with a question about how many sheers should go on a window.. She always responded promptly with answers. When she arrived with a car stuffed full of items for the house, I was amazed at the things that came in the door, from pillows, to coffee mugs, to bedding, to quality decorative plants. I thought it might take us a couple of hours to set up everything. I did not understand the level of attention to detail and perfection that I was getting from Jo! We worked together all day and it was a great collaboration! Jo was steaming creases out of curtains, pressing comforters and expertly making up all of the beds in the house until they looked like something out of a pottery barn catalogue (which happens to be one of my favorite looks). I realized the true value of having Jo's expertise in several ways that day. First, our great room is full of dark beautiful hardwood. Jo advised that we try and lighten up the room and move away from the deep reds and golds we had inherited from the prior owners. She suggested green and cream as more modern colors. Well.....she walked in with some pillows that were GREEN! I mean, my first thought was we were going for the Kermit the Frog look! She laughed at my face and told me not to worry, that everything was returnable (she keeps very detailed receipts and records), but to give it a chance. Once the room was staged, I knew she was totally right. That pop of bright green was perfect, not overwhelming, and not Kermit at all! But if I had been the one shopping for the new color scheme, I NEVER would have been brave enough to pick that color. It showed me the value of a professional's eye. The next ah hah moment was when we took off the beautiful (but ornate) curtains in our office. Again they had been inherited with the house, but I thought they were lovely and was not convinced that they should come down. Until, of course, we took them down and I was able to see what Jo had seen...the beautiful architectural features of the grand window and the light pouring in. Another thing I would not have done on my own. Finally, on the day we were staging I realized that I had forgotten to find a coffee table for the living room. This was a key mistake, something we needed very badly for the photo shoot. Jo and I made a mad dash to a local antiques store 30 minutes before it closed and were looking everywhere for something to use. We looked at antique trunks (glad Jo and I opened the one that looked promising so we saw the mold inside!!), old suitcases to stack, etc....we were just about to give up hope when we spotted a hammered metal tray sitting on top of a luggage rack. She said it would be perfect.....I hemmed and hawed ...was it too short or tall, would it look right. Again, without Jo and her experience, I wouldn't have taken the leap to get these odd items to make a coffee table. But I trusted her judgment. We got it home....and it was perfect! We laughed and said it was our HGTV moment! I will be getting Jo the "after photos" so she can post the transformation for you all to see. I can't recommend Jo highly enough! She was professional, experienced, a clear communicator, responsive and has a great eye. But she was also really fun to work with, she has a good sense of humor and is just a lovely, down to earth person as well. You can't go wrong with Jo and if you work with her your house will look fantastic.

We recently relocated to a new house. We aren't certain how long we'll stay and Joanne provided recommendations which would appeal to us and not break the bank. Joanne made color and space recommendations that updated, lightened rooms and added appeal to our living areas. A dated oak wood fireplace was replaced by an elegant, modern one. She has a keen eye for color, lines and openness that refreshes the spirit. Staging isn't just important when you are leaving a house, its good for everyday living to reduce clutter and rejuvenate your house.

If you are looking to sell your home you came to the right place . We have sold a number of houses over the years without staging and have recently learned a lesson . Staging sells . The first house Jo staged for us sold in 2 weeks and we have just listed our second home using jo McLaughlin Designs . If you think you don't need a stager your wrong and Jo is the best . It is not expensive and it means everything to the presentation to buyers . It's the difference between the appearance of a steak on a plate and a steak dinner served in a nice restaurant . It's a shame to paint and fix up your house spending all that time and money and not stage it for sale . Jo works with you buy or rent what is needed to make your home look it's very best for the sale . Her focus is what the home looks like through a camera lens .

Jo came to us through our real estate agent who felt staging would be a critical element in selling our home. Jo consulted on colors for the rooms that needed to be repainted, placement of furniture throughout the house, and worked with the photographer to get each image absolutley perfect. With creative use of our existing furnishings and decor, Jo significantly improved the look and feel of our house with minimal purchases of decorative items. She was supportive, enthusiastic and very professional during a highly stressful time. We couldn't recommend her more highly!

Jo just completed a whirlwind staging of our contemporary home. She had specific suggestions about certain rooms which totally transformed them. Our house now looks fresh, stylish and current as opposed to the eclectic mix of furniture and art that we had. She decluttered, rearranged, suggested a few new things and presto, complete transformation of our home and done rapidly with a budget..just amazing. A real professional!