This penthouse is listed for $16.5 million.
And even though it's in a prime location
in New York City,
it's been on the market for a long time.
The home was previously staged by a different company,
but now, the building owners are bringing in
the top gun, Cheryl Eisen,
with the hopes that her staging expertise
will get the place sold a lot faster.
She's the go-to luxury apartment stager
in the New York area.
Cheryl: So, some ways staging can miss the mark
is really if you're telling the wrong story,
and we'll have to come in and restage it,
and that's what we're doing now.
Narrator: The three goals of this staging are:
Cheryl: We're gonna start with a giant area rug,
then we're gonna do a modular sofa,
we're gonna put an ottoman on one side,
a chaise on the other.
We're gonna do a really cool
vintage, sculptural coffee table.
We're gonna do two big fuzzy chairs
with a round table in between.
And then, near the fireplace,
we're gonna actually build in a long shelf hearth,
and it's gonna become seating.
Narrator: After the design plan is created and approved,
everything gets picked out at the warehouse.
Cheryl: So, sofa-wise, we want something low to the ground,
sort of low-profile, so that the ceilings look higher.
I love this piece, and it's modular,
so I can use, like, a whole different configuration,
however I want to play with it.
This is like a loungy, comfy,
and yet still elevated- and sophisticated-looking sofa.
We're gonna add some throw pillows.
So, I'm gonna choose this sofa
and a few pieces of it.
So, now I'm in the art department,
which is, like, really the key to elevating a space
and differentiating it from all other spaces.
Let's look at the giant piece
that's going in the living room,
which is game-changing.
Alexandra Newman: So, we've actually printed onto textile
a gigantic soup can,
and it's really gonna be interesting in that room.
It's not flat on the wall,
and it's also not a sculpture on a pedestal.
Cheryl: And the important part art plays
in selling real estate is that at this level,
buyers will have a collection of art,
and we want to show them
how they can display their art collection,
and this is a perfect way.
Narrator: Cheryl and her team work together
throughout the process to ensure
that all the goals they've set
are reflected in the finished design.
Cheryl: We wanted to bring in some richer tones
but not have way too much color going on.
So what we did was we used texture.
So, we've done that here, for example,
with this texture of the fur chairs,
and they're really big and oversized and cozy.
And then we did it with materials like woods.
Woods add a real warmth and an earthy moment,
but still with an upscale feel.
So, now we're going into the master bedroom,
and I'm gonna show you the progress there
and what the actual plan is.
So, the goal to warm up the master bedroom,
'cause it had that really cool brick aspect,
is to add some organic shapes and organic textures.
The tree in the corner, for example,
the organically shaped coffee table,
add some softer edges that you wouldn't even expect.
And then this giant, curved sofa
really softens the edges of an otherwise
squared-off, hard room.
Now we are entering our custom department,
and what we're doing today is
doing a gorgeous headboard,
because it's going on a brick wall,
and we want to soften that but still be elegant.
Let's see how that's coming along.
So, these are the drapes.
These are gonna be gorgeous in the master.
Where's the headboard?
Employee: The headboard is right behind that.
Cheryl: I want to bring this next to the headboard
so that we can just make sure
that the color tones are right.
It's perfect.
We're gonna make the dining room
really cozy and sophisticated.
So, we're gonna look for a softer,
rounded-back, you know, fabric chair.
So, these are, like, slightly Hamptons,
so there's something very cozy about them,
and yet they're still sophisticated
and they'll look great with this
extra-long dining table we're gonna do.
So, now we're gonna find a few other pieces,
maybe a side table, the dining table,
so come follow me and I'll show you more stuff.
Now I'm gonna look for a dining table.
And what we're looking for, again,
is to warm up the space,
'cause it was too austere and edgy.
And we've got a lot of them, as you can see.
I think this one's gonna be great,
it's nice and long and thin,
and it has some really cool detail on the corners.
So, for the dining table,
we want to do something really interesting.
We wanted, like, a bench on one side
and those chairs on the other,
just to give it a little more authenticity and interest.
So we've got this old vintage pew up there,
which I think is gonna go great in this room.
Narrator: One of the last steps
is doing a walk-through with her team
and making edits before the final reveal.
Cheryl: So, it's reveal day here at the downtown loft,
and I'm excited to show you
the things we made changes to
and all the things we added,
and we're gonna start here in the living room.
So, for example, we talked about that cool hearth,
built-in bench that we made.
What it did was really created
not only extra seating,
but sort of solved an awkward space.
We created ambient lighting in the nook
and a new seating area
where you can read a book or have a cocktail.
I love it; it's one of my favorite things.
So then, the giant artwork, it's everything.
It's really, like, popping off the wall.
This is a huge white wall,
what else do you do with it?
We give a really substantial piece of art,
a statement piece.
We wanted this really tall floral moment
to balance the art on this big white wall,
and I think it really accomplished that.
I think this space looks fantastic.
So, before we get to the kitchen,
I actually wanted to show you
these gorgeous pieces of art
that we created in the art department.
They really add, like, a nice continuity between the rooms.
Here in the kitchen, the changes we wanted to make
were a few. They start here
on this big, empty shelf that was here.
So, what we did is we added some cool sculptures
with some organic moments.
It really feels finished, but not overcrowded.
And I think we've really accomplished that.
Now, that said, the real transformation
happened here in the dining room.
So, we went with these curved-backed chairs
that are done in linen,
and we went with a darker, sort of, like, neutral color.
We also have the pew
that we chose in the warehouse.
And then the beautiful wood edged table.
But the major piece here,
which really grounds a dining room
that is part of another room,
is a statement chandelier.
And here we used beautiful crystal,
so that it doesn't block the light,
it really just sort of passes the light
all over the room.
So another major transformation
is here in this cool cocktail lounge.
One, we created this cool banquette,
but more importantly, we have this accent wall,
and we've added a few of these accent walls,
and they serve a couple of purposes.
One, to really differentiate this space
from that space, which is very close by.
Two, it pushes the wall back, believe it or not.
So it makes the room feel larger.
At the bottom of the stairs was a space
that had no functionality.
And we created a dual function here.
Not only is it a gallery moment,
which is really cool,
but now it's also a moment
where you can just sit here,
have a drink, read an art book,
and now it has a function.
So, here we are, having finished the master suite.
We added these beautiful fabric headboard walls
to soften the brick.
We've added some more rounded shapes
and texture, like in this pelt,
to soften the room and make it feel more luxurious.
The low-profile furnishings really help
make the ceilings feel higher.
So, the final story we're telling in this master suite
is one of serenity.
To, you know, soften the look, create a nice lounge,
the giant mirror leaning
reflects the window and the light
and makes the room feel more spacious and lighter.
So, here we are on the rooftop terrace,
where I'm finishing telling the story with staging.
I'm using accessories here
to show functionality here
and how you might use the space.
You're gonna have a nice glass of wine at night,
maybe, before heading over to the Jacuzzi.
Narrator: Cheryl's job is especially important this year
because the luxury market has been struggling.
Cheryl: The carrying costs every month for the seller
are painful, and it's very expensive.
So when we stage, we try to
get it sold in half the time.
Narrator: So, at this point,
all the furniture is in,
all the edits are made,
all the details are perfected,
and Cheryl and her team have created
a space with a new story.
Hopefully one that somebody wants to call home.