House doctor's home visit

As a child Chloe Darker knew she wanted to work in property, now she helps people move house. Grace Hammond reports.
Chloe Darker dishes out prescriptions to help sell your home.Chloe Darker dishes out prescriptions to help sell your home.
Chloe Darker dishes out prescriptions to help sell your home.

When properties stagnate on the market month after month, or only attract offers way below the asking price, more drastic action is called for. Sellers can either drop their price - or figure out why their home isn’t appealing to house-hunters and make changes.

De-personalising and de-cluttering, neutralising and modernising… we’ve all seen the TV shows and recognise the phrases in the property guru’s mantra.

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“But putting them into practise can be incredibly difficult. Because of their strong emotional connection to the property, many people can’t see it through the eyes of a stranger,” says South Yorkshire’s self-proclaimed Home Doctor.

Interior Designer Chloe Darker at a property in Woodseats she dressed for a client
Picture by Dean AtkinsInterior Designer Chloe Darker at a property in Woodseats she dressed for a client
Picture by Dean Atkins
Interior Designer Chloe Darker at a property in Woodseats she dressed for a client Picture by Dean Atkins

Expert home-stager Chloe Darker is the go-to stylist for a growing tide of home-owners desperate to sell. They call on Chloe to do what they can’t - get ruthless. Chloe chucks out the things that are putting house-hunters off, and replaces them with an instant new interior - a ready and waiting collection of stylish furnishings.

The end result? A home that oozes quiet, classy aspirational chic.

There are a number of common problems that cause a property to stick on the market, says Chloe, 34.

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“Viewers make very quick decisions, often the moment they cross the threshold. If your style of decor is quite radical, a buyer can find intimidating. If your home is bland, it isn’t memorable to the stranger walking through. If your home is dated, viewers think they are going to have to spend a fortune on modernisation.”

Chloe at work styling a home.Chloe at work styling a home.
Chloe at work styling a home.

Chloe, who has appeared on TV and radio regularly as an interiors and house-move expert, also points out that an empty property can be just as hard to sell as one stuffed to the gills.

“A place without furnishings is devoid of personality so home-buyers can’t warm to it. And all that empty space does not speak volumes,” she explains. “It confuses people. They can’t visualise what they can fit in and perceive the rooms are much smaller than they actually are.”

Chloe was only a child when she decided she wanted to work in the property market.

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Born in Mauritius, she lived for many of her early years in Singapore and Brunei and on coming to the UK with her mum, moved home several more times.

Interior Designer Chloe Darker at a property in Woodseats she dressed for a client
Picture by Dean AtkinsInterior Designer Chloe Darker at a property in Woodseats she dressed for a client
Picture by Dean Atkins
Interior Designer Chloe Darker at a property in Woodseats she dressed for a client Picture by Dean Atkins

“I remember all the upheaval and lots of hard work, of having to spend ages packing and then weeks of living out of boxes in the new place because deciding where to put things was difficult. I thought there had to be a better way,” says Chloe .

She decided on a business plan while at university studying East Asian Studies and Business Studies and set up SmarterMoves in 2003 to make moving home a doddle for other people.

“I arrive with a team and carefully pack everything - last week I had to hand-make boxes to safely transport a client’s valuable paintings.

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“I ensure all boxes have detailed labels so items can easily be found. And then I unpack it all and set the rooms up. I even do the food cupboards and wardrobes. All the client has to do is feed their kids and open a bottle of wine.”

Chloe at work styling a home.Chloe at work styling a home.
Chloe at work styling a home.

Chloe, who had been running SmarterMoves for several years, discovered she had a knack for home-staging when a male friend having no luck selling his house turned to her in desperation.

“His place had been on the market for six months with no interest whatsoever,” recalls Chloe. “I could immediately see why. He had been renting it out for a while, it was only partly-furnished and looked unloved and a bit too masculine.

“I whizzed in with cushions, lampshades, throws and ornaments. I set the kitchen table with lovely crockery and glassware and made up the beds with lovely linens.

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“It took me three days to turn it into a home and it sold within a week. I like to think it’s because viewers could picture themselves living there.”

Her second success was an expensive house in Todwick which had sat on the market for 18 months. “The main issue was its very bright, bold decor,” says Chloe. “I moved in with pots of neutral Farrow & Ball paint (I never use Magnolia) and re-furnished it with relaxed, stylish pieces. It took me four weeks to totally transform it and it sold in three months.”

Flushed with success, Chloe invested a hefty sum in her own stock of wow-factor furniture and home accessories. She sought out huge mirrors, a curved white bed, silvered trunks, sofas and ornaments.

Initially she needed storage space for it all, but not any more. Her ‘instant home interior’ is constantly out on loan. Home-staging clients hire it in for three-month periods for fees ranging from £1,000 for a small terraced property. When houses sell, their contents are shipped off to others awaiting Chloe’s light touch. Chloe Darker Interiors now encompasses Chloe’s established companies SmarterHomeStaging, SmarterMoves and SmarterInteriors. The ‘home doctor’ works on intuition rather than professional industry training and her trademark look is also in demand from homeowners who have no intention of moving.

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“I work across Derbyshire, Sheffield and Rotherham and I have been in some truly fabulous houses,” she says. “I walk out of somewhere I’ve just transformed with a huge sense of pride. But that’s nothing to the thrill I get when I hear the owner has found a buyer.”

CHLOE’S TOP TIPS

First impressions count – tidy up the outside of the house. Put matching planters either side of the door, get shiny new door numbers so people know where to find you, hang a decorative wreath and hide the bins.

De-clutter all surfaces and bookshelves. You need to depersonalise the property as much as possible and give the illusion of space.

Make sure everything is CLEAN – even the windows

Update your curtains and blinds (no nets please) or just make sure they have been laundered. They frame your windows and have a drastic impact on the look of a room

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Update an old sofa or suite with plush throws and funky cushions.

Change your bedding to crisp white. Put a throw across the bottom of the bed and prop two co coordinating matching cushions in front of the pillows.

Try to neutralise your colour schemes – you may like bright green but not everyone does! Go with the current trends and opt for warm greys, metallics and neutrals.

Contact Chloe Darker on 07767 491135.

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