Vesta, a prominent home staging firm that has worked with top agents in L.A. and around the country, announced Nov. 9 that it has acquired two furniture rental companies, Feather and Fernish, for an undisclosed amount.
The group of companies will develop an interior design and e-commerce home goods business with a national scope under the umbrella of a new parent company, called Showroom, which will keep its headquarters in Los Angeles, said Julian Buckner, Showroom’s CEO and co-founder.
The Vesta staging business will serve as an organizer of open-house-style events and showings inside homes for sale, where the public can view both the house and the furniture for potential purchase.
“I saw this opportunity to use home properties for sale as the next frontier of retail distribution,” Buckner told The Real Deal. “It’s a marriage between physical showrooms and digital e-commerce solutions to give consumers a new way to shop furniture.”
Showroom will offer furniture for purchase from its websites for Vesta, Fernish and Feather. Customers also will be able to work with the company’s interior designers to develop their own look, he said. The company will continue with furniture rentals.
Showroom will employ more than 200 people, with offices in L.A. and New York City. The company will reach nine-figure revenue in its first year, Buckner forecast. Home staging for real estate agents will remain an integral part of Showroom’s business.
Vesta started in 2017 and has worked with top agents and firms in L.A. such as AKG Christie’s International Real Estate, The Beverly Hills Estates and Tomer Fridman of Compass as well as Tracy McLaughlin of The Agency in Marin County. Vesta has appeared on reality TV shows such as “Selling Sunset” and “Million Dollar Listing.”
Aaron Kirman of AKG Christie’s International Real Estate said that the business of staging is highly competitive.
“For staging to be good, they need a lot of furniture. It has to be new, it has to be on trend with the market. Styles change every six months,” he said
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More than six years ago, Vesta’s co-founders Buckner and Brett Baer were sued by Baer’s aunt and former employer, Meridith Baer of the self-named Meridith Baer Home, for allegedly stealing trade secrets and clients.
An article in The Hollywood Reporter said that the lawsuit created waves in L.A.’s luxury real estate business. “Some agents are taking sides,” an unnamed source told the trade paper. “You are either Team Brett or Team Meridith. It’s not pretty.”
The lawsuit was settled in July 2023. Details of the settlement were not disclosed.