This is our mudroom as it was shown in Cottages and Gardens magazine last month. Of all the rooms that were primped and styled for the shoot, this one is the most dramatically different from how it really looks every day. Shelter mags give us a voyeuristic glimpse inside other's homes, but it's also part fantasy. Just like models in a fashion spread are professionally dressed, made up, styled, and photo shopped...the same holds true for decor mags. We willingly suspend reality when we read magazines. The day of the shoot, Lauren Muse of Muse Interiors, was here with two assistants, Ryan and Heather. There was the photographer, John Bessler, with one assistant. The stylist, Karin Lidbeck-Brent. And, then of course there was me, taking photos of the whole ordeal.
A staging area, this is our bar room, not part of the photo spread.
Getting the perfect shot, the equipment alone blew my mind!
No detail is too small...placing bubble wrap behind a pillow to prop it up.
This is our mudroom as it normally looks everyday, as shot by me.
{after I put everyone's stuff away and cleaned it a bit!}
66 comments:
interesting to see both. it looks lovely on the last shot too. natural is always authentic...happy new week!
The magic of magazine hey! Looks pretty fab in your own shot too :) Nicolex
This made me smile, magazines are not selling real life we have enough of that every day. Your mud room looked nice before, life. Thanks for sharing.
the only situation where any house would look perfect and hide its natural everyday mess would be ..precisely, taking for the scope of taking pictures.
your mudroom is the picture I remember most!
Ya know.
It doesn't look far off from what your picture reveals.
Certainly excited about the feature none the less.
Rashon aka Mr. Goodwill Hunting
It is so sweet of you to reveal the everyday look of the mudroom..it helps to know that everyday life need not be picture perfect! have a lovely new week! xx meenal
thanks for sharing Sue, your home is beautiful and its great to see everyday pics!
How interesting. There is a lot of work that goes behind a scene shoot. Your home is just stunning and I wish I had a mudroom.... it would have been great especially when my kids were younger and played in the snow! Love the floor details... perfect! xo
I do like the lived in look as shown in the last shot! Hard to believe the amount of preapration that goes into a shoot
Oh well done for sharing this. Staged or not, your home looks fab. xx
I love your home Sue and can imagine it looks lovely, warm and stylish whether cameras are around or not. I think you are awesome.
xx Charlotta
It is so much fun to see the behind the scenes look! What a fun experience to have them shoot your house. And btw, I like your mudroom au naturale better :)
Love the behind the scenes peek! It's funny how they removed all the bulky backpacks and sport bags. Because really, the whole point of a mud room is to contain that carp. Thanks for keeping it real.
I don't think your "before" shot is so bad at all? I'd be thrilled if that's how neat my mud room looked!!
Your mudroom looks gorgeous in every photo! What a wonderful space - I love that floor detail! It's interesting to see all the work that goes into a shoot - thanks for sharing it with us!
Yep. Getting ready for a shoot is a THING.
I have brought in an SUV full of props!
Fun though. I think the idea is to make the viewer feel that their life would be perfect if only they lived there! :-)
Lynn from Decor Arts Now
Absolutely loved this post and of course anytime you feature your home! I think your worst day of clutter is probably my best!! I have always loved the idea of an interiors career with photography. After tagging along with my designer friend in Dallas, the amount of work and props that go in to a shoot is forever ingrained in my head. It's truly a work of art!! XO, Kelly
Either way...the mudroom is gorgeous. I love it, and the three comparments each with their own big basket and cubby is so clever. Well done! Thanks for giving us an honest look at what really goes on...because so often I think people see homes in magazines and such, and are just wowed and somewhat intimidated but not realizing its all staged,etc....we had a commercial filmed in our old house and we got a birds eye view into how this is done...and the comparison was spot on about how models are also primped and molded behind the scenes, the finished product does not always reflect the space and how its lived in day to day. Great post~!
Oh, that's a hoot.
Thanks for the behind-the-scenes glimpse!
I agree - your mudroom looks great in your own photo. Of course, the styled photo is not reality but pretty to look at too!
Fun to see the difference but I have to say the real life shot looks pretty darn good to me as well!
It makes me feel so much better knowing that the magazine photos of real people's homes are "zhushed" a bit by professionals for the pix. Your home is really beautiful either way.
Love you mudroom, before AND after!! It's amazing what goes into a photo shoot.
I can tell yours was very realistic...some photo shoots are literally 90% "smoke and mirrors" and tons of props are brought in to craft the story! I resorted to using cotton balls once to prop up a bar of soap to get the right angle for a bathroom shoot! I am crazy about your mudroom!!!
Thanks for the behind the scenes peak at the process. Have to agree that the mudroom looks great from any angle!
Jeanne
Love it both ways.. very cool to see the process! Thanks for the inside look :)
I know how this works after seeing my daughter's commercial- so amazed by how much primping etc. goes into these things. Loved this behind the scenes look but no matter how/who takes the shot, your home is GORGEOUS!!
Such fun to sneak behind the scenes!
You've gone a glorious job with your home.
I thought of you in Egypt when I spotted a hilarious bedside lamp with a black shade and a massive Chanel logo for the body.
Wish I'd had my camera -- would've made for an excellent random Chanel item ;)
Cheers, Alcira
nerochronicles.com
Loving the behind the scenes tips. Thanks for sharing! Also, your "reality" version isn't too shabby or messy either.
Happy Monday!
Thanks for sharing, Sue! I think it's so important that we remember we do NOT liiive in a magazine -- Our homes are just as beautiful messy and lived in as they are styled for a photo shoot.
Any way you look at it, your home is gorgeous!
I think your before is pretty fabulous, our messy cupboard is exactly that!
So interesting! I adore the compass on your floor. Such a wonderfully nautical/magical touch.
love that you are keeping it real, lady! and i think it still looks pretty fab even without the styling crew :)
Thanks for sharing this - I just love seeing what goes on behind the scenes! I just love your mud room! Happy Monday, Sue! xo
Your mudroom still looks fantastic in 'real life'!
love this! the later shot of your mud room looks more like ours although the first would be much better for us since ours is also part of the main entry.
Oh indeed! I know the behind scenes very well!!
Your mudroom looks gorgeous even in the everyday look!!
xx
Greet
So fun to see behind the scenes - thanks, Sue!
Zhush,
This is such a fabulous post! As we discussed before, it is amazing how much work goes into professional shots of a space. Your post brings the reality of the work and equipment that goes into showcasing a space from it's best angles and best styling! Your mudroom is a favorite of mine, styled or not...it is fabulous and your added touch of the cork board is genuis!
such a pretty and organized space!!! xoxo jcd
(ps im hosting a link up for interior spaces and inspiration! cornflake dreams )
So fun to get a behind-the-scenes look at it, Sue! I love your mudroom; it's gorgeous and the cubbies are brilliant.
xo Josie
http://winksmilestyle.blogspot.com
Sue this is so fun to see behind the scenes!! I love how functional your space is, perfect for the after school stuff!!! Happy Monday, Kathysue
So fun to see. We always laugh at my husband looking at the shots of our house and saying "I wish I lived there".
Stylist secrets...love the behind-the-scenes view as well!
Either way you look at it, your mudroom is beautiful! Fun to see what goes on behind the scenes!
Georgeous mudroom!!! Just love the cottage feel ... and also fun to see what really happens behind the scenes! Thanks for sharing the fun! xo
Makes me feel better about my photos not turning out so hot.
I am totally coveting your mudroom lighting. Lol, not something I usually expect to say, but I love the simplicity.
I love your mudroom. The storage system is fantastic. This post makes me feel better about how poor pictures of my home turn out.
well done you ! Getting the behind the scenes info is always really interesting !
Love the behind the scenes shots. Your mudroom is amazing with or without the professionals!
I am seriously having a mudroom envy moment now. You mudroom is so fabulous, it's bright and spacious. Thanks for sharing!
Jessie
www.mixandchic.com
I love your mudroom, both in the magazine and your shot. Great, functional storage. Love that globe ceiling lamp too and of course the floor is fabulous!
Love behind the scenes things and this is great - love the bubble wrap thing. And believe me even pre-shoot your mudroom looks wonderfully tidy!
Thank you for sharing this. Since I've started to blog and have had to take pictures for it, I have a new appreciation for magazine photographers. I'm glad to hear that it is quite an ordeal and they in fact have a lot of equipment to work with. I've always wondered about that.
Your mudroom is such a great space- it's so spacious. I wish I had a little more room in mine. Thanks again for sharing! Michelle
Your mud room looks fantastic even on it's day "off"!! had a shoot at my house this week too. Boy is it hard to get things neat and orderly and finished!!
Where can I get a mud room, my 1965 ranch rambles but doesn't give me the room, I do get mud though with four kids. Thanks for bringing us along.
even with the "mess" your mudroom is still fabulous! how fun to have a magazine photoshoot in your home!
I love you for keeping it real. Real beautiful and really real. XO
"behind the scenes" are my favorite posts! Your mudroom is fantastic!
How cool to see the behind the scenes like this Sue!! Bubble wrap?? I would have never thought!
Nancy xo
Your 'Mud Room' is a dream....unstyled!!
And how true your comments are about what we all buy into when we look at beautifully styled, photographed and photoshopped interiors!
We know that all this is an absolute art in itself and to just get the composition of a shot right is no mean feat!!!
It all looks so effortless.....BUT WE ALL KNOW BETTER don't we??
Thank you!
This looks so exciting! I definitely like your mud room. Very organized, spacious and just perfect!
I just love this space in your home. So useful and pretty!
So fun to see behind the scenes!! Your mudroom is fab, even in real life haha
fantastic looking, and I love the lived in look much better than the stylist's take. Sue-hope to see more of YOURS and THEIRS! Gaye
Post a Comment
Got something to share? Would love to hear it.