by Carolyn Edlund
Interested in growing revenue for your art business? The real estate market can provide opportunities and repeat customers for artists who work with stagers.
“Splash I” and “Splash II” india ink on canvas, 36″ x 48″ by Joyce Creiger
Stagers are professionals who work with real estate agents to help them sell homes by enhancing interiors for the best possible presentation. Realtors know that selling is more effective, and perceived values increase, when prospective customers walk through rooms that are beautifully designed and decorated. This is where the stager can be an essential partner to the agent and the seller.
Interior furnishings and accessories are the stager’s stock-in-trade. Artwork is frequently needed to complete the look and encourage buyers to make an offer.
Stagers may work with art consultants to find artwork suitable for their use, but can work directly with stagers as well. I recently interviewed Joyce Creiger, founder of Boston Art Rentals and Art Specifier. We spoke about the staging business and how artists can participate and profit from this market.
AS: How would you define the opportunities that artists have today to work with stagers?
JC: I think the greatest opportunities might be with local stagers within a 50-mile radius of your studio or where you store your artwork. Generally, stagers like to actually see works of art in your studio, or at least on a well-organized website where they can make selections. Going further than 50 miles is a stretch for both the stager and for the artist. Many stagers want the artist to bring the works to the home or condo they are staging once they have made selections. The 50-mile radius is about the max that makes sense both from a financial and practical point of view.
Most stagers have a number of artworks that they’ve acquired over their career. However, they rarely have enough for all the homes they are staging. The time of year when homes sales are at their peak would be the most opportune time to work with them. I highly recommend contacting them when business is slow so you can get their attention. As the season improves, they get very busy and have little time to visit studios, or to even take a phone call for that matter.
Developing a relationship with the stager is key. Get to know how they work, what they need, and how to be their right arm. They need your help, but often are so busy with other areas of staging that the art drops to the bottom of the list until the end when they are rushed and cranky.
“Stripes” digital painting on canvas, 36″ x 72″ by Eddy Stahowiak
AS: What types of art are appropriate for placement in properties that are for sale?
JC: Like any business, knowing your client is key. Many designers only do one type of design work that they are known for, but that is not true with stagers. Stagers must stage for the home they are given by the realtor. It could be a contemporary house or condo one time and the next a Tudor. It’s important to be able to recognize what type of art is appropriate for each type of home.
If you are an abstract painter, you might be limited to working on contemporary homes. The opposite might be true if you only paint traditional landscapes appropriate for a more traditional home. However, stagers will differ, and some like to mix things up a bit to appeal to a broader audience. Remember it is their job to stage the home so anyone would feel comfortable in the environment and see themselves living there.
Knowing the designer or stager and how they work is key. I often recommend visiting their website or the website of the realtors they work with to get a better handle on what they like to use for artwork. You might be surprised that the most traditional home gets a very contemporary update, and the most contemporary home gets played down a bit to attract a broader audience. It can be tricky, but look at the past projects sold by the realtor using that stager. Or view the stager’s website, which will clue you in to a lot of information you might not glean from just speaking with them on the phone.
Be prepared, know your client, know your realtor and deliver what they are looking for. This is a case where selling doesn’t work. They know what they want, and they want you to listen to them.
AS: How can an artist expect to be paid for their work, and how are contracts written?
JC: Depending on how well and how often you work with a particular stager, you might bill them or bill their client. It often depends on how the stager bills for their services. The stager will tell you up front what they expect and when you will get paid.
I prefer to get paid in advance by their client and bill their client directly, but that doesn’t always happen. Don’t expect this to be a get rich quick scheme; it is a long haul and repeat business is the best. You might earn around $25-$50-$75/month for each piece, depending on the size. I prefer to have my own installer install the work, so I know that it is well cared for and properly transported, and I charge extra for that. The smaller the piece the less you will receive, and the larger the piece the more you should expect. The larger pieces are more expensive to frame and to handle, so it is only fair to get more money for them.
AS: If an artist wants to get involved with selling and renting to stagers, how can they research opportunities and contact prospects?
JC: Your local Google listings should identify most of the interior designers in your area. Most of them now do staging, but a simple phone call would let you know. In the meantime, when you call always ask them if they would like to see your artwork. You never know if they have a client interested in artwork and yours is the perfect piece. When marketing yourself, never lose the opportunity to get in front of a prospect.
I find LinkedIn is a great resource for finding prospects as well. There are also national organizations that you can research for stagers. Like any professional, going to the national or regional or local organizations always is a great place to start. Local staging organizations often hold meetings where they invite guests to talk about their products or services. These are often held at designer’s offices or even local furniture rental places.
This excellent article accurately portrays the salient issues regarding how stagers work. However, as both an artist and former stager, I suspect that renting one’s art to stagers would be insufficiently remunerative for most artists. It works for rental galleries because of their depth (many artists’ work on offer) and their breadth (various styles available and a large clientele of prospective renters). But an individual artist, limited in both respects and who rents onesies here and there with the attendant overhead of a single rental transaction, is likely to find it uneconomic.
When I was staging, I would occasionally rent large, high-end pieces from a rental gallery in nearby San Francisco—typically when an important piece would enhance the staging of a large, high-end home enough to warrant the cost and logistics required—but this was the exception. Typically I selected art from among my own inventory of 350 pieces. These were mostly reproductions but also included quite a few originals, the latter procured mostly at open studios sales. In staging over 100 homes during eight years, I probably rented art only five times.
The staging business is demanding and stressful, and stagers are chronically short of time. Ms. Creiger’s advice to know “how to best be [a stager’s] right arm” is born of that understanding. I know that I favored vendors who would go the extra mile. For example, one salesperson who worked at a resale store that I frequented called me as soon as she received merchandise she knew I would like before someone else snatched it up. I typically dropped everything and ran to her store and bought what she had selected for my furniture inventory (which was extensive).
In keeping with that thinking, what MIGHT work for artists seeking to find a market among stagers is a service to provide all of the art for a home from among several artists’ works. From the stager’s POV, this amounts to a giant item crossed off the to-do list, the value of which should not be underestimated. In such a scenario, an artist with good design sense could assemble a consortium of local artists who work in staging-appropriate styles, subject matter and palettes (read: art that comports well in most settings, like contemporary art, landscapes and botanicals). He or she could select all of the art for a home being staged and charge a fixed fee for not just the art rental but also for specifying, delivery, installation and pickup. (The initial fee should include 2-3 months’ rental with additional months priced separately on a monthly basis.) This person would need a modicum of business sense (e.g., to appropriately price services and equitably divide the proceeds among the artists, specifier and installer). He or she would also need to share the same sense of urgency as the stager because any service provider who is a net time-sink gets only one assignment before being relegated to the “Do Not Use” list of vendors.
Admittedly, this would not work for many artists. But for those with the skills and desire to build a community with a business purpose, it could be a lot of fun and may even bring in a few bucks.
Mary Anne, Thanks for sharing those insights and your experience in the business. Admittedly, working with stagers isn’t for everyone. However, given that many artists have shown a desire to work with interior designers (many of whom do staging as well) it makes sense to understand different types of arrangements and how the artist can earn.
I really appreciate this article. Thank you for taking the the time to write it. In your experience, how often does the art being used for staging turn into a sale? I’ve recently had opportunities to show my work in multimillion dollar luxury real estate settings. Rather than being paid a rental fee, I lend my work for the exposure and possible sale. I wonder if this is a wise use of my resources.
Diane, I am a photographer who also lends art to stage multi-million dollar homes in the Hamptons. I typically rent a piece for 10% of its purchase price per month, and tend to sell about one piece with every installation. I also make a point of photographing my work while it is hanging in a beautiful place. Because I often work with one interior designer, we use the same pieces fairly often, and she will fill a house with my work. Sometimes I make new pieces for a particular home (which is offset by the rental somewhat) which is a great way for me to add to my inventory. My biggest problem is storage after I get the pieces returned.
Don’t give your pieces for “free” or “exposure”. You are adding value. You need to be paid for that.
I’m an artist who recently corresponded with a stager. The stager charges a daily fee of $25 to use an artists work, with an average of 15-30 days of use. Is this becoming customary? It seems like a way to manipulate new artists in to paying for exposure.
The stager is charging the artist? That’s ridiculous. The artist should be paid by the stagers. Typically the rate can range from $25 – $100 per month for each work of art that the artist provides for the staging company, which is benefitting by having artwork to enhance the presentation of a home for sale.
Thank you for your feedback. I thought the idea was absurd, but I wanted to get another professional opinion.
Hi there,
I know a few realtors, property developers, and interior designers in my area who I’ve been meaning to contact about possible staging opportunities. How do you suggest beginning this conversation? I appreciate all your advice!!
Lauren, if you know some of these people, ask for an introduction to a stager. The best way to get a referral is word of mouth.
I’ve had a real estate agent express interest in my art work but the purchase price was too high for her, esp in this covid market. Although home sales in San Francisco typically sell for over a million easily. Charging $100 a month seems low for our market? But I was curious if anyone has experience w markets such as these?
Also, if it $25-100/month per painting?
Or has anyone ever charged a flat fee per month for access to multiple paintings? If so any recommendations for such?
Also is it done by contract or person to person agreement?
Thanks
Fantastic insights on how artists can tap into the real estate market through collaboration with stagers. Understanding the importance of local connections, adapting to diverse home styles, and building strong relationships with stagers are key takeaways. How do you navigate the balance between maintaining artistic integrity and catering to diverse staging needs?