Stylish Master Bedroom and Living Room

Homeowners Melanie Mace and Karl Bakker are selling their Chicago home so they can move back to Karl's native Australia. The couple has lived in their 1,200-square-foot, three-bedroom home for over three years. The Designed to Sell team is on their way over to help them turn it into a quick sale.

Real estate expert Bethany Souza is the first to arrive to provide her professional opinion. From the outside, she is impressed by the home's classic style, front porch and bay window. However, she is not so impressed by the inside. Souza thinks the living room looks like a cheap apartment because it has a modern, flimsy feeling. The rinky-dink dinette table doesn’t work well in the big cavernous dining room. Souza feels the space needs to be staged as a formal dining room. She likes the high ceiling and the nice airy feel in the master bedroom, but, she says it seriously lacks character and color.

Designer Monica Pedersen agrees with Souza’s assessment and has a $2,000 plan that will have these homeowners Australia bound.

Step 1: In the living room, highlight the selling features and edit out some furniture.

Step 2: Redefine the dining room as a grand and formal space.

Step 3: Add personality to the master bedroom making it masterful and elegant.

Carpenters Robert North and Chad Lopez are the skilled duo who will get the job done.