ABOUT
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After graduating with a degree in Interior Design, Laurie began a career in kitchen design which led to a focus on remodeling and eventually into new construction.
When her son, Ryan, became a real estate broker in 2015, he asked her for help staging his first listing. She thought “Why not? This could be fun”. It was fun, fast-paced, challenging and successful. The home sold quickly and for above the listing price at a time of year when that was not commonplace.
In the Fall of 2019, she traveled to Nashville to study for her RESA (Real Estate Staging Association) Accreditation with Kristie Barnett. The Program, "Expert Psychological Staging" focuses on a method of home staging based on the psychology of visual perception, emotional attachment, and buyer decision making.
From her many years of experience, she knew the huge role emotion plays in influencing how a client reacts to their environment and how that can influence their choices and decisions. She knew that this was the right program for her.
As a native of Seattle Laurie is familiar with the Puget Sound area and overall design preferences of its residents. Her aesthetic leans towards contemporary with a nod toward Mid-Century, Urban Farmhouse, and Transitional.
The definition of contemporary is “of the moment” and this is a very important element of staging. The home should reflect design in “real time” because clients are able to glean tremendous information from many sources and the staging must be in step with what they are seeing on TV in the media. Laurie customizes each home depending upon the style of the home as well as the needs and desires of potential buyers.
Ryan has run a successful real estate sales business in the greater Seattle area since 2015. He currently holds a spot in the prestigious International Diamond Society which puts him in the top 10% of Coldwell Banker real estate brokers around the world for sales volume. His mom, referred to only as “Stagemom” during business hours, has staged all of his listings to date. Ryan partially attributes his having a list-to-sale price ratio that is 3% higher than the King County average to Laurie's keen design instinct and sales savvy.
Ryan’s interest in creating functional and personalized living spaces dates back to the 90’s, when he realized his suburban, pre-teen bedroom needed more of an urban, Carrie Bradshaw feel. He fashioned a hip (and unstable) coffee table from an old poster frame and some cube wire shelving and begged his mom for a futon that would convert the space from bedroom to chic living area at his whim.
Once his candle sculpture collection, an elaborate menagerie of wax dragons, smiley faces, and hands displaying peace signs, was displayed to his satisfaction, any onlooker would agree - he was really bad at interior design. A couple of decades and many listings later, his taste has improved. But, he still leaves the creative heavy lifting to his Stagemom.