“I love luxury. And luxury lies not in richness and ornateness but in the absence of vulgarity. Vulgarity is the ugliest word in our language. I stay in the game to fight it.” – Coco Chanel
The iconic designer Coco Chanel has long been an influence in Timothy Stillwell’s life. His fight against vulgarity is taken up in the field of interior design and home staging. Where normally one sees inexpensive furnishings and artificial plants in a staged home, Stillwell’s refined artistic pallet includes luxury pieces from the likes of Century, Kindel, Knoll and Kriess, along with Waterford crystal, silver and grand pianos. His intrinsic style and the collection he has curated perfectly suit the multi-million-dollar properties he and his partner Randy Jensen have been staging with 44Park Design in the Denver, Colorado USA area since 1999.
Having just moved into their fifth property so far in 2016, we caught up with the dynamic designer to see how he can take a property that has been on the market vacant or paying for rental staging for years and get it sold in a matter of months.
His secret? Perhaps one of his happy clients put it best when she toured her home that Stillwell had just completed setting up. Her words were, “It just looks like a wealthy family lives here comfortably”. While that simple statement sums up exactly the goal, Stillwell understands that this is anything but easy. The overriding benefit is that the home is actually lived in by the two, who keep it fresh and ready for a showing seven days a week. Prospective homeowners just see a comfortably lived in property with furnishings that belong in a luxury home.
44Park Design has built a network of the highest-level realtors in the Denver area. Once a property sells, Jensen takes to the phones with the goal of sourcing a home to stage that has been vacant for some time and could benefit from the new life Stillwell’s touch will bring. Homeowners are very happy to work with this concept because the only cost is a one-time set-up fee; there is no monthly charge for this amazing service.
A very talented designer in his own right, Mr Stillwell’s client list includes corporate magnates, British Royalty and numerous private wealthy individuals. As a designer, he asks numerous questions of his clients to determine how best to work with them in creating their perfect environment. Once he understands how his clients will be living in and using the space, he stays one step ahead by anticipating the needs his clients will have as they live comfortably in their home.
What’s next for these two? Their goal is to relocate the live-in staging business in the near future to Luxury properties in California. Areas such as Atherton, Carmel or Beverly Hills have the level of homes that they would excel at assisting to sell. Are you representing a languishing luxury listing? Consider reaching out via email or learn more about their Live IN Staging concept at the 44Park Design website.
