The world of home staging is getting bigger by the day, so I thought there was no better time than now, to get to know a few of the faces behind Australia’s staging scene. Today, marks our second article in what is a monthly series where we highlight an Aussie stager, meet Adam and Donielle Luttrell.
Opening their Hobart-based business Shift Property Styling in 2006, husband and wife Adam and Donielle Luttrell were the first people to introduce property styling to Tasmania. “It was a time in the Hobart real estate market where only the most premium of houses had professional photos taken,” explains Adam. “So introducing something as bold as property styling to a quiet and geographically small market, was always a risk.”
However, the risk paid off. With now, some ten years later, the couple having two assistant property stylists and a 900sqm warehouse chock-full of their own inventory (there’s no rental companies in the state). With a day’s work including not just styling projects, but managing stock, taking and processing photos and managing new leads for business, no day is ever easy. But neither Donielle, a qualified pharmacist, or Adam, an ex-advertising rep, regret leaving their former careers. “The transition to being self employed is always scary and fraught with risk,” says Adam. “But if you don’t take the leap you will never know your true potential. We love not being confined to an office and being able to plot our own path for the future. This means more flexibility around life, our family and choosing when to be busy or not.”
While they now have an ever-growing client base it wasn’t always the way, with it taking six months back in 2006, to get their first home staging job. But as Adam says it’s important to be patient, if you’re persistent you’ll reap the rewards. “Be committed, take it slowly and be prepared to put your business ahead of your personal wants. Build a strong network around you, particularly real estate agents who value and understand the difference styling can make to a property. These guys are your future advocates and resellers.”
To find out more visit their website.
— Adam and Donielle Luttrell own and run Shift Property Styling in Hobart, Tasmania. Having introduced property styling to Tasmania, they work with clients and agents wanting to add value to their property through styling, to ensure buyers are presented with an aspirational property they will want to own.
