Coming home - Raleigh IAHSP Regional Chapter!
After spending nearly seven months in Fallujah, Navy Corpsman Matthew Chutjian was relieved to be out of the war zone where he'd worked as a medic caring for injured Marines. It didn't matter much to him that his belongings were sparse back at Camp Lejeune. Recently engaged to Raleigh teacher Melissa Markus, Chutjian thought he might buy her a bed for Christmas; she still hadn't replaced hers, a waterbed that had popped when she moved into her townhouse near Crabtree Valley Mall.
But Markus kept refusing the idea. And last Saturday, Chutjian realized why.
The interior of Markus' townhome soon to be the home of the couple when Chutjian is released from the military in January was freshly painted, updated and furnished.
"I was amazed," says Chutjian. "I just thought I was coming up for a weekend and there were all these people standing in front of the house. I had no idea."
The makeover, which included fresh paint, new furniture and accessories, lighting and a new floor in the master bedroom was the brainchild of Janine Varney, owner of Well Dressed Homes and a professional stager and designer. As ambassador of the Raleigh Regional Chapter of the International Association of Home Staging Professionals (IAHSP), it was Varney's job to come up with a project for the organization's World Wide Staging Day.
She suggested to the chapter the project revolve around fixing up a home for a returning soldier.
"A lot of these soldiers don't come home to a nice home," says Varney. "A lot of them don't have things because they've been away for so long. Matt's only possession right now is his [TV] and that's not here, it's on the base for him. When we arrived, Melissa was sleeping on a blowup mattress. She's a teacher. I value her." And with Chutjian a soldier who fought for his country, Varney was determined to do a bang-up job.
Serendipity also played a hand in the makeover. While looking for a soldier candidate, Varney's fifth-grade daughter came home from Leesville Elementary one day and mentioned her teacher's fiance had just come home from Iraq. Varney contacted Markus, who was a little reluctant at first.
"It's a little unusual to have people come into your house and remodel the whole thing. Some people are hesitant of that," says Varney. One challenge was removing furniture and repainting, especially considering Markus still has a roommate, a fellow teacher who agreed to go along with Varney's suggestions. "She was a real sweetheart," laughs Varney.
Varney is quick to point out that Markus' townhouse was nicely decorated to begin with, but female-inspired and eclectically furnished. After talking with Markus, Varney decided to create an atmosphere of urban chic, a home that would be welcoming for both sexes.
Ten to 15 members of the IAHSP's Raleigh chapter descended on Markus' townhome (she was safely tucked away at Varney's) and overhauled the home in two days, working late into both nights. The kitchen was repainted sage green and the light fixture changed. New dining room furniture was purchased, as well as rugs, pictures, silk draperies, accessories and a fresh coat of paint an earthy rust color to tie the dining area and family room together.
A half bath off the hall went from pastel to neutral, also gaining a new light fixture, and the master bedroom upstairs underwent the biggest transformation. The new champagne color of the bedroom is highlighted by a horizontal seafoam blue stripe and boasts all new bedroom furniture, bedding, draperies and accessories. The master bath was painted to match and includes a vanity updated with new hardware and a decorative paint treatment. There is also a new vinyl tile floor, installed with the help of one of the stager's husbands.
The couple agreed the new bedroom was the favorite room.
"Our bedroom was one area I didn't even touch when we moved in, and I felt bad because I still had Care Bears and stuff from when I was little," laughs Markus. "It was such a girl room and with him moving in I wanted it to be his room too."
Varney was able to find some generous donors, including Cort Furniture and American Furniture Rental, as well as Lowe's Home Improvement. But a lot of the donations and money came out of pocket-to the tune of about $2,500 from all the staging professionals who worked on the home.
In addition to money, the ladies put in a lot of elbow grease as well. But it was worth it seeing Chutjian and Markus walk through the door for the first time.
"It's the holidays and it made me think about how lucky we are," says Varney, who admits she was exhausted and relieved by the time the transformation was complete. "But then I felt selfish. The light bulb went off and I thought, ‘I've spent two days doing someone's house as a gift, and he's been over in Iraq fighting for us for seven months.' Then I thought, ‘I need to do more.' "
And next year, she will. Varney's already looking forward to next year's project and is hoping for more donations and continued awareness of the program. Markus, who was in on the surprise, had tears in her eyes when she toured the transformed space.
"I'm shocked with what they've done," Markus says. "They did a really good job. They took all of our stuff and incorporated it with the new items. I don't even know how to thank them."
But Markus kept refusing the idea. And last Saturday, Chutjian realized why.
The interior of Markus' townhome soon to be the home of the couple when Chutjian is released from the military in January was freshly painted, updated and furnished.
"I was amazed," says Chutjian. "I just thought I was coming up for a weekend and there were all these people standing in front of the house. I had no idea."
The makeover, which included fresh paint, new furniture and accessories, lighting and a new floor in the master bedroom was the brainchild of Janine Varney, owner of Well Dressed Homes and a professional stager and designer. As ambassador of the Raleigh Regional Chapter of the International Association of Home Staging Professionals (IAHSP), it was Varney's job to come up with a project for the organization's World Wide Staging Day.
She suggested to the chapter the project revolve around fixing up a home for a returning soldier.
"A lot of these soldiers don't come home to a nice home," says Varney. "A lot of them don't have things because they've been away for so long. Matt's only possession right now is his [TV] and that's not here, it's on the base for him. When we arrived, Melissa was sleeping on a blowup mattress. She's a teacher. I value her." And with Chutjian a soldier who fought for his country, Varney was determined to do a bang-up job.
Serendipity also played a hand in the makeover. While looking for a soldier candidate, Varney's fifth-grade daughter came home from Leesville Elementary one day and mentioned her teacher's fiance had just come home from Iraq. Varney contacted Markus, who was a little reluctant at first.
"It's a little unusual to have people come into your house and remodel the whole thing. Some people are hesitant of that," says Varney. One challenge was removing furniture and repainting, especially considering Markus still has a roommate, a fellow teacher who agreed to go along with Varney's suggestions. "She was a real sweetheart," laughs Varney.
Varney is quick to point out that Markus' townhouse was nicely decorated to begin with, but female-inspired and eclectically furnished. After talking with Markus, Varney decided to create an atmosphere of urban chic, a home that would be welcoming for both sexes.
Ten to 15 members of the IAHSP's Raleigh chapter descended on Markus' townhome (she was safely tucked away at Varney's) and overhauled the home in two days, working late into both nights. The kitchen was repainted sage green and the light fixture changed. New dining room furniture was purchased, as well as rugs, pictures, silk draperies, accessories and a fresh coat of paint an earthy rust color to tie the dining area and family room together.
A half bath off the hall went from pastel to neutral, also gaining a new light fixture, and the master bedroom upstairs underwent the biggest transformation. The new champagne color of the bedroom is highlighted by a horizontal seafoam blue stripe and boasts all new bedroom furniture, bedding, draperies and accessories. The master bath was painted to match and includes a vanity updated with new hardware and a decorative paint treatment. There is also a new vinyl tile floor, installed with the help of one of the stager's husbands.
The couple agreed the new bedroom was the favorite room.
"Our bedroom was one area I didn't even touch when we moved in, and I felt bad because I still had Care Bears and stuff from when I was little," laughs Markus. "It was such a girl room and with him moving in I wanted it to be his room too."
Varney was able to find some generous donors, including Cort Furniture and American Furniture Rental, as well as Lowe's Home Improvement. But a lot of the donations and money came out of pocket-to the tune of about $2,500 from all the staging professionals who worked on the home.
In addition to money, the ladies put in a lot of elbow grease as well. But it was worth it seeing Chutjian and Markus walk through the door for the first time.
"It's the holidays and it made me think about how lucky we are," says Varney, who admits she was exhausted and relieved by the time the transformation was complete. "But then I felt selfish. The light bulb went off and I thought, ‘I've spent two days doing someone's house as a gift, and he's been over in Iraq fighting for us for seven months.' Then I thought, ‘I need to do more.' "
And next year, she will. Varney's already looking forward to next year's project and is hoping for more donations and continued awareness of the program. Markus, who was in on the surprise, had tears in her eyes when she toured the transformed space.
"I'm shocked with what they've done," Markus says. "They did a really good job. They took all of our stuff and incorporated it with the new items. I don't even know how to thank them."
Authored by: Christa Gala - Published in: http://www.triangle.com
posted by StagedHomes.com at
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