About Today’s Episode with
Dara Donovan

If you’re a home stager working in a competitive market, having an incredibly distinctive point of view and signature style is absolutely critical to set yourself apart, which is exactly why Dara Donovan is here.

Dara has spent her entire career bringing a California sensibility of aesthetics into the modern home, as both a stylist for Pottery Barn and other brands, and now with her own successful staging business, Paloma Home. Dara loves to draw upon the long, rich history of international fine art and design from the Mediterranean, Japan, Scandinavia, and the American Southwest.

Learn the hustle culture of photo styling on set, what photo stylists actually charge, the emotional response of staging, and how storytelling through your staging will help homes sell so much faster. It’s time to set up your long-game strategy!

This Week on The Home Staging Show Podcast

• Dara introduces herself and talks through her “boutique” experience (00:05:42)

• Dara explains what it was like to launch her home staging business during the pandemic (00:06:56)

• Inside the Bay Area real estate market and why some houses with “quirks” are sitting longer (00:08:38)

• Dara reminisces about her experience in yoga teacher training and how that eventually led to a dream opportunity styling for Pottery Barn (00:11:09)

• How Dara transitioned from selling to staging (and why the travel, long hours, and hustle wasn’t lighting her up anymore) (00:15:41)

• Dara shares how scrappy her home staging business was in the early days (00:19:34)

• The hierarchy of roles that can sometimes show up on set (00:21:49)

• The beauty of building your own brand through staging and executing your own vision (00:22:58)

• How to build a story and a narrative as a photo stylist (00:26:25)

• From shooting with Polaroid film to going digital (00:30:13)

• Hear from Dara how much photo stylists ACTUALLY make and how it can feel limiting as a long-game strategy (00:32:01)

• A smart way to extra revenue in your staging business by offering inventory for TV shows (00:36:37)

• Dara reveals the very different etiquette observed on a set (00:39:09)

• The secret sauce of “adaptability” in a home staging business and why you need to create a business that works for you (00:41:10)

• The importance of curating a strong, aesthetic point of view in your work (and how Dara developed her own signature style) (00:45:01)

• The emotional response of staging and how it helps sell a home (00:49:20)

• Knowing your audience is key – Dara is now getting staging projects for 5,000 square foot luxury homes! (00:51:36)

• Dara shares her top two tips for home stagers when it comes to starting and growing their home staging business (00:54:34)

Connect With Dara

• Dara’s Website: https://www.palomahome.studio 

• Dara’s Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/dara.donovan.7121/ 

• Dara’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/palomahomestudio/

• Dara’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daradonovan/ 

• Dara’s Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/palomahomestudio/

Links & Resources Mentioned On Today’s Show

• Learn more about our partner, 17hats: https://www.staged4more.com/17hats 

• If you’re ready to dive deep into your home staging business, join me and Elaine Penhaul in Italy this October 2nd-7th for a special Working Retreat for Home Stagers. 

• RSVP to our free community talk on August 17th at 10a PT with Ashley Tapley of House Candy Home. Ashley was a finalist in the International Home Staging Awards and will share the before and after and behind the scenes of her process. Missed the live event? See the replay here.

• Ready to build your home staging career but don’t know where to start? Join me on September 13th at our Open House and participate in live talks and Q&As, while learning about our offerings.

• Dara’s new website just launched. Learn more about her services in interior design and staging: https://www.palomahome.studio/services 

If you enjoy the show and would like to support the show, there are 3 ways:

1. Leave a review and ratings in Apple Podcasts

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If you want to support the show and keep it going, you can do so by leaving a review and rating on Apple Podcasts, that will help other people to find our show. If you find the podcast helpful to your home sale and would like to donate a few bucks to help with the hosting of the show, there’s now a donation button on the blog sidebar to your right, you can donate $5 or more to help with costs associated with the show.

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