Nancy Miller

Here at Sheffield, we know there are many ways that a student can turn a Sheffield certificate into an exciting, well-paying profession. Of course, many students go on to work in design firms, or to open their own companies. Some students focus on one aspect of design, and go on to design furniture, or to open a custom drapery store.



Nancy Miller, of Denver, Colorado, concentrates her work on staging homes for real estate. In this line of work, a designer is hired — usually by the realtor, sometimes by the homeowner — to fix up the interior of a home before it goes on the market.

This work involves much more than just applying a new coat of paint or adding some flowerboxes to the front windows; to be a great stager, one has to look at the home and discern exactly what changes in the interior decorating will help move it from blah to ta-dah! Sold!

"I enjoy real estate staging because the home owner is open to my ideas to help them sell their home faster and for more money," she said. "They are not as particular as they would be if we were designing their home to live in."



Part of Nancy's work involves simply explaining to the client how this kind of interior is different from other kinds.

"I explain that they need to live differently in their home when it is for sale," she said. "Basically this means no clutter, and arranging their home to highlight the architectural features and views. Their house should look like a ‘model home.'"

Nancy started her business in May 2004, after reading an article in the Denver Post about home staging. After doing some research on the Internet, she found a course on home staging, and through that course she heard about Sheffield and realized there was still more to learn. She's still a Sheffield student, but her career is already taking off.



"I meet with realtors to inform them about how staging a home would lead to faster sales, more money for them and their sellers, and lead to more referral business," she says.

Her favorite thing about doing this work is her ability to help people make changes in their lives.

"I like being able to help someone transform their house to a more saleable property and allow them to move on to their next home," she said.



One of the big challenges in this kind of work is that whereas people who hire a designer usually are happy to spend the money it takes — as long as it's within their budget — people hiring a designer for staging are looking to spend as little as possible, Nancy said.

Nancy also finds the competition among designers keep her on her toes at all times. "Interior design is very competitive and you have to differentiate yourself from other designers," she said.

"People selling their home do not want spend much money or time in preparing their home," she said. "Whereas someone designing a home to live in is excited to do more to create a beautiful surrounding."



For Nancy, the Sheffield Course has been helpful in finding her new business and keeping it growing, "especially the lesson on furniture placement," she said. "I plan to complete the Course and incorporate the design work in peoples' new homes."