Downtown is never neutral.
Guildmark stages lofts and apartments below 23rd Street and across the river, for brokers, sellers, and developers.
Staging with an editor's eye.
Neutrality offends no one. It also moves no one. We read the architecture and the likely buyer, then furnish each room as if someone with discernment already lives there. Pieces come from our own inventory and from vendors we have tested, in a mix of new, vintage, and pre-loved.
We work below 23rd Street, and across the river. Nowhere else.
Chelsea, Meatpacking, Flatiron, Greenwich Village, the West Village, NoHo, the East Village, Soho, NoLita, Tribeca, the Financial District, Williamsburg, Dumbo, Downtown Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights and Cobble Hill.
What Guildmark does for a listing.
Staging is the editorial furnishing of a home so buyers connect with it on first sight. In Lower Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn, where lofts and apartments compete on feeling as much as floor plan, it is what makes a listing photograph well, show well, and close at the top of its range.
Interior design serves the person who lives there. Staging serves the person who will buy. We work below 23rd Street and across the river, and nowhere else.
Who we work with.
- Listing brokers. Most of our engagements come through the listing broker. We schedule around your listing date and stay out of the way of the sale.
- Sellers. Owners can reach us directly. We read the home and the likely buyer, and quote to the residence.
- Developers. Creative direction for new buildings: one visual language across the model residences and the sales story. For furnishing model units at volume, see For the Trade.
- Conversions. Loft and new-construction conversions, staged to the architecture rather than to a template.
From walk-through to de-install.
- Walk-through. We visit the residence, read the architecture and the likely buyer, and measure.
- Scope and proposal. Quoted to the residence: its rooms, the length of the listing, and the depth of sourcing.
- Sourcing. From our own inventory and tested vendors, tuned to the building.
- Install. Delivered, placed, lit, and hung. Packing leaves with us.
- Editorial styling. A final pass before the camera.
- On the market. The staging stays for the term of the listing, and can be extended if it runs longer.
- De-install. On a scheduled date we remove everything we brought in and leave the home as we found it.
Three ways to work together.
- Full residential staging. Complete authorship of a vacant or near-vacant home: sourcing, furnishing, lighting, art, and the final styling pass.
- Editorial direction. Photography-day styling, open-house dressing, and listing image direction.
- Developer creative direction. Model-residence direction and one visual language across a building.
Frequently asked
What is property staging, and why does it matter in downtown New York?
Property staging is the editorial furnishing of a home so buyers connect with it on first sight. In Lower Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn — where lofts and apartments compete on feeling as much as floor plan — staging is what makes a listing photograph well, show well, and close at the top of its range.
What staging services does Guildmark offer?
Three: Full Residential Staging for vacant and near-vacant homes, Editorial Direction for photography and open houses, and Developer Creative Direction for new buildings.
How much does luxury home staging cost in Manhattan?
Every engagement is quoted to the residence, reflecting its architecture, the number of rooms, the length of the listing, and the depth of sourcing involved. As a lean studio we take a limited number of engagements each quarter; reach out with the address and listing timeline for a tailored proposal.
How long does a staging engagement take?
A full property staging typically runs three to six weeks from walk-through to install, depending on scope. Editorial direction for photography and open houses can move faster. We schedule around your listing date.
How far in advance should we book?
As soon as you know the listing date. We take three to five staging engagements a quarter, so earlier dates are easier to hold.
What happens at the walk-through?
We visit the residence, read the architecture and the likely buyer, and measure. A scope and proposal follow.
Which neighbourhoods does Guildmark serve?
We work below 23rd Street and across the river — Tribeca, Soho, NoHo, NoLita, the West Village, Greenwich Village, the East Village, the Lower East Side, the Financial District, Flatiron, Chelsea, Meatpacking, Dumbo, Downtown Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill and Williamsburg. Downtown New York is the whole of our practice.
Do you stage vacant listings, occupied homes, or new developments?
Our purest work is in the vacant home. We also provide creative direction for developers and new-construction conversions.
Where does the furniture come from?
From our own inventory and from vendors we have tested, in a considered mix of new, vintage, and pre-loved pieces tuned to the building.
Can you style a listing just for photography or an open house?
Yes. Editorial Direction covers photography-day styling, open-house dressing, and listing image direction.
How long does the staging stay in place?
For the length of the listing, as agreed in the proposal. If the listing runs longer, the term can be extended.
What happens when the home sells?
We de-install on a scheduled date, remove everything we brought in, and leave the residence as we found it.
What is the difference between staging and interior design?
Interior design serves the person who lives there. Staging serves the person who will buy; we read the architecture and who belongs in it, then arrange the room so it feels that someone with discernment already lives there.
Do you work with sellers directly, or only through brokers?
Both. Most engagements come through the listing broker, but sellers and developers can reach us directly.
Do you also furnish model units and amenity spaces?
Yes, through the trade side of the studio: FF&E sourcing, procurement, and installation for developers, designers, and architects.