Over eight years of listings, more than 540 days on the market, and this home couldn’t sell. We gave it a proper refresh, and it sold in 29 days.

The apartment, owned by Ricky Martin, came to market again and again, rented out between listings. Its building, the famous Peter Marino condominium, draws two kinds of buyers: families who live here full time, and pied-à-terre owners with homes in other cities. Both walk in expecting to feel the prestige of the address, and this apartment wasn't giving it to them.

So we were brought in to make it read like the glamorous escape it should have been. The blank white interior got fresh paint for depth and warmth; the living room in Stirabout and the primary wing color-drenched in Mouse's Back. With no direct park or water views to sell, we ran six full-length mirrors down one living room wall, pulling the sliver of park inward and flooding the rooms with light. And where the floor plan showed two ordinary bedrooms, we staged one private suite that closes off from the rest of the home, the retreat that buyers in this building are really after.

Once people could envision how they would live there instead of having to imagine it, results followed. 8 years on and off the market, and it sold in just 29 days.