If you’ve ever walked into a staged home that left you feeling flat and emotionless, it clearly was not staged by Nickole Newell and her amazing team at Sage Staging and Interiors. Nickole is known for her warm, inviting, cozy style that is evident in each room of the homes she stages and pretty much makes you ready to purchase as soon as you enter. And as we all know, a well-staged home sells three times faster, sells for more, and often gets multiple offers. People are visual, so staging is key.

Still, her success has taken a lot of hard work, which is something she has never shied away from. Having grown up in what was known for years as Laurelhurst’s ‘Christmas House,’ she learned this early on from her hardworking, entrepreneurial parents—Bob and Colleen Granston. In fact, one of her dad’s favorite sayings when she was growing up is now her company’s tagline:

As for how Nickole settled on staging and interior design for her business, it happened rather organically. From an early age, Nickole loved helping friends and families make decisions from choosing wall colors to fully remodeling bathrooms. Her knack for design, spatial awareness, and texture pairing was evident even then and her beautiful and unique designs made every room come to life. After inadvertently ‘flipping’ eight homes with her husband, Adrian, something she admits was probably their way of figuring out where they wanted to land, a friend suggested she start a staging company. When her third child started school, that’s what she did.

Nickole put her Laurelhurst home on the market, sold every worldly possession she owned, and bought stuff to stage the house she was selling. The realtors took notice, and she was off and running, launching Sage Staging and Interiors in 2019 with the help of her mom, her husband, and her cousin Dawn Morrison-Wolfe. Since then, her company has tripled its volume of business and the team has grown to include Lisa Hanson, Stager, and Head of Business Administration; Colleen Granston, Jack of all Trades, and team lunch maker; Brooke Porter, Stager, and Instagram Whiz; Hayden Porter, Stager, and Marketing/Sourcing Person; and Brian Hissong, Head Mover. Even Nickole’s 17-year-old son Easton and his friends help with moves during the summer.

The team was staging during our interview, and it was clear from the friendly, humorous banter going on just how tight this team is. The company offers both staging and interior design, and no job is too small. Each design is customized to the home, so although Nickole has her signature style, no two homes will ever look identical. As she explains, “Every single piece is chosen to highlight that particular home.” Another thing that sets them apart is their constant communication with each client throughout the staging.

As for making each home feel ‘cozy,’ Nickole uses a mix of textures and the right colors to add warmth. As she says, “I want anyone who walks into a home I’ve staged to feel they belong there.” She’s been told by realtors that her gift for spatial awareness sets her stagings apart as well. “We don’t leave any room flat. If we get it staged and feel it needs a bench, we bring the bench. We don’t overdo, but we don’t leave things stark and lifeless either,” she says. If a realtor does want something changed, which is rare, Nickole and her team are quick to accommodate them.

Her process is simple. She either goes to the home directly to look at the space and offer a bid or goes off a detailed video from a realtor who is walking through the home showing her every wall. “I never want to keep my realtors waiting, so whatever works best, we do,” she says. “I consider my realtors and my team all one team as we are all in it to get to the same result. I want to do the best for them so they can do the best for their clients.”

When asked what personal strengths make her good at what she does, Lisa chimes in. “Nickole won’t talk about herself, but having known her before working for her, the thing I have always noticed is what a hard worker she is,” she says. “Staging is hard work, and you need to be creative with solutions as well. Nickole can look at a space and know something will fit while the rest of us are thinking, ‘no way,’ and she is right,” she says laughing. “She doesn’t even measure. Her spatial awareness is amazing!”

With 90% business word-of-mouth, Nickole is proud to say that 98% of the realtors who use them once come back to them exclusively for all their future listings. The only thing Nickole loves more than building relationships with her realtors is working with her team. “I feel so lucky to work with such awesome women,” she says with gratitude.

When Nickole isn’t working, she enjoys spending time with Adrian and their three kids—Savannah (19), Easton (17), and Fisher (12)—although Savannah is now a freshman at University of Oregon. They enjoy traveling, going to movies, attending sporting events, and going to her parents’ place on Camano Island, a family favorite.

To learn more, go to www.sagestagingandinteriors.com or visit Sage_Staging and Interiors @Instagram.