How Quarantine Changed Our Homes: A Conversation with Cygridh Rooney<!-- --> |

How Quarantine Changed Our Homes: A Conversation with Cygridh Rooney

Sep 29

Written By:  Mackenzie Kirk
How Quarantine Changed Our Homes: A Conversation with Cygridh Rooney

Welcome to the “What We’ve Learned” series. From the beginning of our journey in 2021 to the present day, Freemodel strives to deliver a great customer experience and offer compelling profits to homeowners, all while keeping agents at the heart of our projects. As the pre-sale renovation and interior design industries evolve within the California housing market, we will keep you up-to-date with the latest trends according to professionals in the field.

Freemodel project by Project Director Mark in Sonoma, CA

In recent years, as we began to spend more of our time at home due to COVID, the comfort and function of our residences have become more important than ever. Many of us have transformed odd corners into home offices and makeshift gyms. The practicality of each room has taken center stage, as well as the usefulness of outdoor entertainment spaces.

How specifically have the home remodeling and pre-sale renovation industries changed over the past couple of years? We caught up with Freemodel’s Project Director and interior designer Cygridh Rooney to learn more about her experiences in the field, and also got her take on what upgrades and styling choices are most important.

How did the pandemic and its ongoing effects shift the way that you approach your job?

  • I started working at Freemodel about a year ago, during the pandemic, and the main effect that I’ve felt is the catastrophe that’s going on with the global supply chain and inflation being so out-the-door. I sense that time is of the essence for realtors because they’re trying to sell as quickly as possible before the market changes too much.

How have you seen buyers’ priorities or behaviors change as the pandemic has evolved?

  • I sense that homeowners are a lot more sensitive to spending money. Before, it felt like my clients had more money to spend on redesign projects. Now, they’re hunkering down a bit more with budgeting and trying to be more conservative, as they are unsure of market conditions.

Are you focusing more on sprucing up outdoor spaces since the pandemic?

  • I personally feel like upgrading and thoughtfully staging outdoor entertainment spaces is the most important aspect and most in demand. Fixing up backyards was something that we used to pass up on staging before COVID, and now, we make sure to highlight the beauty and potential use of an outdoor space.


Freemodel project by Project Director Susan in Venice, CA

What are the most important rooms that you look to fix up and to focus your staging efforts on?

  • The majority of my clients have prioritized remodeling their kitchens and bathrooms. This is because they’re spending a lot more time in their homes and want those spaces to be more useful and aesthetically pleasing. In the past, people probably spent one-fifth of the time in those rooms that they do now, because they were never home and weren’t paying close attention to the details.

What are some high-priority cosmetic fixes that you think about when first approaching a project?

  • Flooring is probably the most important upgrade that I consider during pre-sale renovations. Normally, a lot of older homes have carpet, damaged floors or cracked tiling. So flooring is one of the key features that I start with. Second to that, I would say landscaping is important, which calls back to maximizing the appeal of outdoor spaces. And then painting would come in third on the list of priorities!

Without giving too many of your secrets away, what is your favorite staging style of the moment?

  • Speaking generally across the board for homes in California, I think Modern Transitional is a really great staging style. It celebrates natural light and creates a warm, but modern aesthetic. But don’t tell anyone I told you so!

Background: Cygridh Rooney studied Interior Design and Urban Planning at San Francisco State University and also attended the MIT School of Architecture and Planning. She has lived and worked in the Bay Area for over 20 years and has an expansive background in the interior design industry. She now works on freelance jobs with Freemodel and other clients.