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Luxury Does Not Have To Be Expensive, Says Designer and Stager Cheryl Eisen

The founder of Interior Marketing Group has a soft spot for double-height ceilings

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Cheryl Eisen is a celebrity interior designer, luxury home stager and founder of Interior Marketing Group, Inc.

Composite: Jeff Tse Photography; Donna Dotan Photography
Cheryl Eisen is a celebrity interior designer, luxury home stager and founder of Interior Marketing Group, Inc.
Composite: Jeff Tse Photography; Donna Dotan Photography

Manhattan-based interior designer and luxury home stager Cheryl Eisen has worked with clients including Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner and Daniel Craig, helping to fix up homes and sell them faster, too.

After closing her C-level job placement company in the early 2000s, Ms. Eisen switched careers and got into luxury home staging. She founded Interior Marketing Group (IMG), which is the largest full-service luxury interior design and marketing firm on the East Coast.

A native New Yorker, Ms. Eisen says she’s still always amazed at just how luxurious real estate is in the city. She talked about that, and more, with Mansion Global.

Mansion Global: Describe your dream property.

Cheryl Eisen: I love double-height ceilings. And I always want to live near a park. I grew up on the Upper East Side, so that still feels like home to me.

More:Advice From Hollywood’s Megamansion King: Build for Your Lifestyle and Ignore Trends

MG: Do you have a real estate property that got away?

CE: There’s a property in the condo building I live in that was really beautifully renovated and I was interested in buying it. I was told the owners weren’t interested in selling, and then they sold it anyway. That was frustrating.

MG: What does luxury mean to you?

CE: It doesn’t mean expensive. As a designer, I create luxury, because it’s how people envision themselves living, but I don’t spend a lot of money doing it. I make sure I choose things cozy, comfy and textured. They feel luxurious, but don’t need to be designer-brand names—especially when it comes to things like drapings and furniture.

It’s about creating a space for everything and functionality in the space.

From an aesthetic point of view, luxury is an uncluttered, non-chaotic comfort zone.

MG: What’s the biggest surprise in the luxury real estate market now?

CE:The economy for the very top of the luxury market has continued to grow in the last few years. It was sort of shocking to see how it’s kept growing and growing. I think everyone was surprised.

I think one of the things that’s most surprising, though, is when I go to celebrity homes or homes of very wealthy people that I’m about to stage, and they live like we do. Most people are non-dramatic. A lot of people have Pottery Barn furniture.

More:Integrate—Don’t Decorate—the Outdoors, Says Landscape Architect

MG: Where are the best luxury homes in the world and why?

CE: I’ve always been shocked by the incredible homes here in New York. We once did a penthouse here with outdoor space that was so huge there was a guest house on it. That speaks to the level of decadence in a booming luxury market.

MG: What’s your favorite part of your home?

CE: I have two. First, my double-height ceilings— they make everything feel huge even though it’s not a huge space.

And when I open my front door, I’ve created such a gorgeous view down the hall to the living room. It feels luxurious. I have gorgeous drapes, textured rugs and a beautiful coffee table.

That immediate view is so important.

MG: What best describes the theme to your home and why?

CE: Light and ethereal. I love as much of the color white as possible, and then adding in soft textures and accenting with brass and gold to offset the all-white. That’s a crowd pleaser. You’re not competing with the beauty of a home that way.

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MG: What’s the most valuable thing in your home?

CE: I used to paint, and some of the artwork that I’ve done is very valuable to me. But honestly, I’m quite frugal and austere.

MG: What’s the most valuable amenity to have in a home right now?

CE: Homes in New York are small. Having a wine room and a swimming pool and home theater feels convenient. Buildings without amenities are struggling to compete.

People also love the convenience of white-glove service.

MG: What’s your best piece of real estate advice?

CE: If you’re buying as an investment, and there are two apartments that are identical, you might as well buy one that’s furnished—there’s value there.

At the highest price points, buyers are buying our homes totally staged—mattresses and all, either because they want them to be rented out or they just want them to be ready to move in to.

More:Mauricio Umansky Can’t Believe Los Angeles Home Prices Either

MG: What’s going on in the news that will have the biggest impact on the luxury real estate market?

CE: It’s all about fears of natural disasters affecting popular areas. Even downtown Manhattan has been flooded— that could have an impact on luxury property.

MG: If you had a choice of living in a new development or a prime resale property, which would you choose and why?

CE: I’m very visual, so whichever I think is the more beautiful space...with the convenience of a doorman.

Many new developments are like white boxes, prosaic in their design. Some of the older ones have a little more character, and that’s what I look for in a home.

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