Show homes & staging in Bristol: October's projects

We’ve been deep in planning and sourcing for two projects, both very different but equally inspiring. 

The first is a beautiful five-bed Victorian home in Knowle, coming on the market in early November with Boardwalk Estate Agents , who have recently become B Corps. It’s an incredible property and we’re staging it over two days. I will then spend time styling the final touches before Leighton James photographs it. I can’t wait to share the results, it’s going to be a stunning transformation. 

 

Our second project is a show home for a brand-new development in Wiltshire with Kipling Build. I met Gary Kipling recently, he’s brilliant to talk with, and it was clear straight away that he and his family-run business have poured real care into this site. They’ve built three four-bedroom homes, each with lovely private gardens, parking, and long countryside views that make you want to slow down and breathe. 

 

For the interiors, we’re going with a classic Cotswold feel but giving it a modern twist and will be using our antique and vintage pieces - and original art. I’m keeping the palette soft and natural, with artwork that reflects the trees and rolling fields visible through the large Velux windows, the biggest I’ve seen in a long time. The aim is for the interiors to echo the landscape, connecting the inside with the outside. We’re also dressing the garden to show the full lifestyle potential.  

 

Once buyers step into the staged show home here, they’ll easily be able to imagine themselves living there, and picture how the same layout in the other two homes on the site could look. That’s part of the magic of staging: it turns an empty house into a home you can feel. 

 

Of course, with all this designing, sourcing, and logistics, things behind the scenes get very busy. Staging is as much a logistical operation as a creative marketing one. Between our warehouse, storage unit, and my home (which is currently full of artwork and accessories), there’s always something to collect, move, or replace. Every project needs slightly different pieces, a sofa that worked beautifully in one home might not suit the next (or fit in the door). So we are constantly editing and refreshing what we have. 

 

When the calendar fills up, I rely heavily on my brilliant team, Sara, Rony, Abby, Nagea, my sister, my brothers, and our wider network of contractors for cleaning, decorating, and maintenance. I’m still learning how to delegate and prioritise, but I’m lucky to have such a supportive group around me. If I could, I’d have everyone on Porter & Gold time every day but for now: we’re focusing on doing our absolute best work, one project at a time. 

 

There are always hiccups, of course. A past (and amazing) business coach of mine, Gary Keating, once told me, “The obstacles are the way,” and it’s something I remind myself often, sometimes through gritted teeth haha. Not every property sells immediately, and that can be tough. In this unpredictable market, staging is more important than ever. If life circumstances mean you need to sell now (instead of waiting for the budget), the way your property is presented, photographed and marketed makes all the difference. 

 

Sometimes there are challenges staging can’t completely overcome, a dark basement flat, a house on a busy road, or a flat with unusual quirks or expensive management fees (we also had a recent project with a sheer cliff wall just outside the kitchen window!). But even with these more complex properties, staging helps your buyer connect emotionally, and that connection is a powerful. 

 

I’ve also been working on expanding the show-home side of Porter & Gold, which, funnily enough, was the original goal when I started the business. It began as a mission to offer developers a more sustainable, design-led alternative to the bland, mass-produced furnishings that often fill show homes. I’ll never forget seeing one beautiful Bristol development years ago (2019), filled with cheap DFS-style sofas and printed artwork, it felt like such a missed opportunity. 

 

Now, as we grow, we’re beginning to work with more developers across the South West, from Bristol to Bath, Wiltshire, and the Cotswolds and even as far as Cornwall. It feels like the vision that started Porter & Gold is really taking shape. 

 

If you’re a developer or homeowner looking to stage a property, whether it’s a new build or a lived-in home, we’d love to help. We’re continuing to grow, learn, and create homes that truly feel like home, and I can’t wait to see where the next few months take us. 

 

Thank you for reading all this! You can also follow along with us @porterandgold on instagram, or link with me on LinkedIn too. 

 

Have a wonderful rest of the week, 

 

 

 

Samaya  

(Director, Porter & Gold)