You wouldn’t leave the house without brushing your hair (well, most of us wouldn’t), so why on earth would you put your house on the market without making it look its best?
“Styling” has become one of those words people roll their eyes at, as though it automatically means scatter cushions in improbable colours, £400 candles, and a faint air of smugness. In reality, it’s none of that. It’s just the grown-up acknowledgement that sometimes you need an expert. We don’t all cut our own hair, after all.
And when it comes to selling, a bit of expertise can make the difference between your house languishing on Rightmove and somebody falling madly in love with it. Standing back and looking at your home as a stranger would — smells, flow, clutter, quirks you think are “charming” but which may in fact be “deeply off-putting” — is almost impossible. A stylist can do that for you, and usually without spending a fortune. The clichés are true: a small outlay now can mean a much bigger return later.
Sussex-based stylist Alexa Easterby is particularly brilliant at this. With a background in creative production, she knows exactly how to make people connect emotionally with a house. Her own place — warm, clever, light-filled — is proof. She turned it into not just a home but a self-contained guest apartment and community studio. Stylish and practical: the dream.
We worked with Alexa recently at Brasses Farm in East Sussex, a beautiful old house that needed a light touch. Nothing OTT, just subtle tweaks that made its history sing and its contemporary side shine. The result? Viewers could instantly imagine a whole life there, not just a house.
£1,599,000 – click here for the image gallery, floor plans and description
We’ve also seen the clever and effective styling work of another Sussex woman, Nicky Perceval. Her own home in Hastings is testament to all that is good in interiors without ever being fussy, over-considered or lacking in personality. And that’s what good stylists do so well – they make you look better, make you stand taller and feel as if you can face anything in the world. So it should be with houses too. Invest now and reap the rewards down the selling line.
Another beautifully styled home in Brighton:
£3,250,000 – click here for the image gallery, floor plans and description
Proving that it’s not always necessarily the most expensive properties which have the most iconic design features:
£335,000 – click here for the image gallery, floor plans and description
And a really beautifully considered and presented home in The Cotswolds:
£1,000,000 – click here for the image gallery, floor plans and description
At Unique, we love homes with stories: listed gems, eccentric conversions, jaw-dropping modern builds, even the odd 100-year-old barge. But even the best stories sometimes need an editor. That’s where we — and clever people like Alexa — come in. Because a unique home deserves more than “just shove it on the market and hope.”
Have you enjoyed the Sunday Supplement?
Then click here to get more weekly home and design inspiration, delivered straight to your inbox every Sunday!
