This poor house. It was built in 1953 in Buffalo, New York, and hasn’t gotten much love in recent years. As you can see by the “before” photo above, the house was in pretty bad shape with piles of trash and clutter everywhere. Unlike some other Realtors we know, agent Scott Akdogan cleaned it up and had it professionally staged by interior decorator Artie Vanderpool to get it ready for market.
Here’s how the kitchen looks now, without all the junk cluttering it up:
It’s like stepping back in time to when the house was first built. I’m crazy about the floor. This is going to be a dream house for someone who loves that retro Mid-Century style.
The entire house was staged by Artie, who writes the blog Color Outside the Lines, and you can see all of the jaw-dropping before and after photos of the house there. He definitely had his work cut out for him!
Thanks to Lindsay for telling me about this house and to Artie for letting me share the photos with you. Listing info here.
If You Love Before & Afters, Click Here to See More, Including a Hoarder’s House That got a Fresh Start.
Unbelievable! I believe in the power of staging, but this effort took it to another level…Janell
.-= Janell Beals´s last blog ..Master Bedroom Redesign – Ive Been Distracted =-.
OMG – the before pictures…..why aren’t those people on Hoarders?
and as far as the after pictures, did anyone else immediately see shades of the Draper kitchen from Mad Men?
I like mid-century modern, and although this kitchen is very dated, it still works for me. I’ve never seen old appliances in such good shape. (At least, from what we can see in the pictures.) The ovens look like they were installed yesterday!
Wow! Fantastic – would not change a thing…Artie and Scott are amazing! It’s a dream of mine to take a mid-century modern home and decorate it with the proper, era-appropriate materials. Voila! Here it is right before my eyes! Thanks for making me smile
Not only is the transformation amazing, but I LOVE that kitchen!! So cute!
HOLY. COW. that looks great. how fun to see such a transformation and i’m glad they kept it within the time of the house in it’s ‘new’ decor. great find.
You’re “crazy about the floor,” I’m crazy about EVERYTHING! Amazing restoration! I hope the next resident cares for it and doesn’t change anything.
It’s unbelieveble how people can live with all that trash….omg
.-= Renato Alves´s last blog ..Comerciais de TV americanos =-.
Wow! Just a little bit different now! It’s really a large wonderful looking kitchen. A little dark but look at all of that space!
Be a sweetie,
Shelia
.-= Shelia´s last blog ..Im Still Fallen =-.
Wow, I was hoping when I scrolled to see the after pic that they had remained true to the era in which the home was built. But hoarders drive me crazy!!!!
Wow! I’d love to know why he did all of that. I mean, it’s definitely going above and beyond the call of duty.
I know that if I bough that house I’d change it *but* I do think it’s great the way it is…now.
.-= Amy Button´s last blog ..Two Posts In One Week =-.
Oh my word, I’ve never seen so many wood-clad surfaces in one place! They did an amazing job…it looks like a page out of Better Homes and Gardens 1953. How cool that the kitchen has original stainless ovens and a stainless edge around the counter. Now that I think about it, I believe one of my childhood houses had those exact cabinets with that huge dish-plate hardware (but it didn’t look cool in our house).
.-= Holly´s last blog ..The Final Blogiversary Giveaway =-.
Wow, this is AMAZING!!! What a beautiful job! I wonder what the future owners will do with it?? I was already thinking to myself, “I really don’t like wood paneling and would probably paint it….but it’s solid mahogany!!! Cripes!!” Thanks for sharing!!
.-= Lindsay@Tell’er All About It´s last blog ..Is it too early for Halloween! =-.
Artie had his work cut out for him!!! I tried to see the “Before” of the floor, but you couldn’t even see it. What a great makeover.
.-= Amanda @ Serenity Now´s last blog ..Customer Service- Where Did You Go Talkin to You- Verizon! =-.
I think all that junk lying around was protecting the original surfaces! I loved seeing this trash to treasure story. It’s amazing.
That’s not clutter, its just non-conventional protective packaging, so future generations (us) can see how our grandparents houses looked when they moved into their empty nest.
Thank you Julia for posting these pictures and linking back to my blog! I so appreciate it! That was definitely hard work – and it’s nice to get some praise!
.-= Artie´s last blog ..FRIDAY- Vignette Fridays =-.
Crazy how trash can act like a “preservative” sometimes! On a similar note, I’ve had design clients that built their dream home back in the 60′s and 70′s and maintained it impeccably until one day they were hit with a fire or mold abatement and want to restore everything that was ruined back *exactly* like it was before. That is so hard to do! Flocked wallpaper and heavy casement drapery is difficult to come by these days!
When I first saw the top photo I thought no amount of staging is going to help that horrid little kitchen! But it is CUTE!! I’m shocked. That is one amazing transformation.
.-= hip hip gin gin´s last blog ..Happy October! =-.
It does look FANTASTIC once it’s fixed up. To be fair, I wonder if a lot of the stuff that we’re seeing strewn all over the place was in cabinets and drawers and closets before the heirs went through looking for hidden treasure. My mom’s house always looked kind of cluttered, but not like a candidate for reality television; however, by the time we had emptied all the closets and cabinets (and the attic!) it looked a lot like these pictures. At a certain point there’s just not enough room for everything, once it’s “unstored,” and it ends up on counters and floors and furniture. It took us MONTHS to go through it before the estate sale (and another couple of weeks after that to get it in shape to show). These folks have my admiration for doing it in just a few days!
Wow. Someone lived like that? That poor brave Realtor.
.-= Juju at Tales of Whimsy´s last blog ..Over the Moon Book Review & Contest Too =-.
Yikes! How did the previous owners get any cooking done in that mess? But the after pic, wow…an unbelievable transformation!
.-= Cheri@IHeartOldHouses´s last blog ..Where’s the Wastebasket =-.
Wow Julia, great house for that genre. Woo hoo to Artie!! Great job on staging.
I am posting pink today!
Karena
Art by Karena
.-= Karena´s last blog ..Posting Pink and the French Basketeer Winner is =-.
The before photos really do look like a house from that show “Hoarders”. Although the mid-century retro isn’t my personal style, I think the house is so super cute and will make someone really happy!
Wow! Staging must have been a huge undertaking to say the least. They did a great job though. Now you can see the great original detail.
.-= Pamela @Atmosphere ID´s last blog ..Top Ten- Round Accent Tables =-.
I was going to write the same thing at Mike – are we sure this is not a Hoarders episode?
Wow what a difference. How can people live in a house that messy? I would go crazy. At least the house will sell much better now.
This is great! I love mid-century modern, and this is a priceless example. What fun to see a mid-century ranch staged so beautifully!
.-= Richella at Imparting Grace´s last blog ..Show us your life- the dining room =-.
Not my style at all, but he did an awesome job with the clean-up! It really looks nice!
.-= Our Nifty Notebook´s last blog ..Links I Like- Edition 23 Candy Corn =-.
Love it. Those birch/maple cabinets just glow.
.-= stuccohouse´s last blog ..Timbermake that Half Timber =-.
Wow! They did a great job staging. The most have been A LOT of work.
.-= Vicki @ In The Sandbox Comic Strip´s last blog ..Business Travel =-.
I love it. Amazing what a little love can do. It gave me a few great ideas for when we really remodel our house.
.-= Holley´s last blog ..Everything is new =-.
What an embarrassment to that family – if I left my parents home in that sort of shape to be sold they would be rolling in their graves! Thankfully I will never have to deal with a mess like that. I would hire that Realtor in a heartbeat – it’s so refreshing to hear of one who puts his heart and soul into a sale. Hats off to him and Artie for an amazing transformation!
.-= Kristen @ More Than Mulberries´s last blog ..Wedding Day! =-.
Really amazing work, guys!
We also live in a 1950′s multi-level and the kitchen layout is almost identical to ours (my jaw dropped!) – but those cabinets are sooooo much nicer. I don’t know how to share pictures, but this is from when I posted our kitchen on Rate My Space (deperate times call for desprate measures!!!)
http://www.roomzaar.com/rate-my-space/Kitchens/1950s-called—wants-their-kitchen-back/detail.esi?oid=14253338
Who the heck would ever list their house looking like that? And have the realtor clean it up and stage it? It looks great now though.
.-= Sara @ Russet Street Reno´s last blog ..And a project ruins another weekend =-.
That kitchen is so similar to the one in my late grandma’s house that I feel a little pang of longing.
OK, now I’ve looked at Artie’s blog and saw more photos. Not only does the kitchen look like my grandma’s, but the furniture in the master bedroom looks like my grandma’s furniture! It’s almost surreal for me.
Holy Carp! It looks fantastic! I wonder if all that clutter actually preserved the kitchen…gonna go check out Artie’s blog. I love when houses are preserved in their original state & I hope a Mid-century lover will buy the house.
Honest to God, how do people live like this? Even pigs are cleaner. Poor piggies.
Sara,
I must prefer your cupboards.
Amazing Julia isn’t it – The Power OfStaging®
Every home listed should to some degree be staged …..
Wow-he did an amazing job. I too like the retro look in this home, and the kitchen is a real neat place! It would definitely draw my attention! He made the wood, along with the clean appliances, really shine and look great. Wow.
.-= Josanne´s last blog ..Fall Chocolate Centerpiece The Children Can Help Make! =-.
Oh wow, that is a serious before & after. I can’t believe the clutter!! You’re right, it is kinda like seeing the place in it’s former glory in the after photos. Happy weekend to you
Nancy
.-= Nancy@marcusdesign´s last blog ..trendspotting- lovely lacquered walls =-.
Wow! What an amazing transformation. They did a great job! I love the cabinets and those beautiful double stoves.
.-= Amy´s last blog ..Space Camp =-.
Wow! That’s incredible! I love older houses, they have so much character.
This was an amazing transformation!
Great job to both Scott and Artie!!
Wow – some days I worry I might end up like that first photo. I think I will go clean, RIGHT NOW!
-Trish
Ugh. I read the stager’s blog post and feel bad now. He sounds like a jerk. Clearly whoever owned it had some issues, and we can all hope we aren’t in a similar situation when we are older. Obviously the stager has a financial stake in the sale so he should just move on, accept it and take his cut when he gets it.
.-= Amy´s last blog ..Space Camp =-.
I have to say I’m baffled by your reaction. I thought the work he and the Realtor did was admirable. -Julia
Hi. I replied to your email with more detail, but thought I’d post an explanation/clarification here too.
I don’t think the heirs were the source of all of the hoarding. They may have added to the mess in their search for “family treasures”, but who really knows what the heirs’ reasons were for leaving the home this way? Maybe the heirs were in mourning and just couldn’t deal with the job. Maybe they’d spent a good chunk of their life trying to help the owners with their hoarding and felt that hiring professionals to deal with the estate was all they had energy to do. I don’t see anything wrong with the family trying to retrieve whatever they felt were meaningful items and then hiring professionals to take it from there.
Either way, it struck a nerve and it seemed unprofessional for him to be ripping on the heirs when he and the Realtor are profiting from the situation. If they didn’t want the job then they should have told the estate to hire someone to clean first.
Feel free to delete my comment if you feel it is too blunt. I seriously wouldn’t be offended, but I felt the need to say something.
.-= Amy´s last blog ..Space Camp =-.
I’m sorry it rubbed you the wrong way. I think he had the right to tell it like he saw it, though, whether he was being paid for the job or not. It was a sad situation for sure. -Julia
No need for you to be sorry! I know he has the right, I just felt like it was mean. In my opinion, there’s too much of that in the world. His critique of the heirs and homeowner didn’t really add anything and seemed unprofessional. For me, it detracted from focusing on the lovely transformation. Cheers!
.-= Amy´s last blog ..Space Camp =-.
Well they sure did a nice job! Today’s the open house I noticed on the Realtor’s site. Too bad I don’t live in Buffalo!
.-= Daisy´s last blog ..Top 10 Movie Halloween Costumes for 2010 =-.
Wow what a beautiful and much cleaner kitchen.
.-= Dean´s last blog ..Bathrooms that Hardly Look Like Bathrooms =-.
sidenote, I saw a car that was the equivalent of the before picture driving today… so gross
.-= Dean´s last blog ..Bathrooms that Hardly Look Like Bathrooms =-.
An incredible transformation! I love a great before and after, Artie and his crew should be really proud of themselves and all their hard work. The counter tops and appliances are gleaming!
.-= Bre´s last blog ..Haunting Holiday =-.
Wow! At first glance I envisioned totally remodeling that kitchen. Then after I stared at it for a while, I decided that I would leave it almost exactly as-is! It’s in remarkable good shape and is so cool and retro.
.-= Amanda´s last blog ..The lawner is a yawner =-.
Hey – a house in my hometown! So glad I saw this and Artie’s blog.
.-= Jessica´s last blog ..The Fall Mantel =-.
Awesome Job! Love to see the before and afters of a professional who does it right!
wow. just wow. had to post it at http://www.Uglythenpretty.com
.-= UglythenPretty.com´s last blog ..Mid Century Ranch Staging =-.
The people who buy this are going to be so lucky!!!! I could die for that house. LOVE those orange pitchers.
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