Douglas Elliman agent and designer Kevin Hart shows brokers 'how to design a house for sale'.

Douglas Elliman agent Vickey Barron doesn't just show residences. With her latest marketing project--a spacious seven-room cooperative at 333 Central Park West, Apt. #81, the residence became the show, if not a staged showhouse recently at a number of co-broker events this summer. The audiences, the city's "A-list" brokers were potential co-brokers on the residence. Before the days were through, they had grasped the full sensory experience of what the home was about. They received celebrity designer tips from Kevin Hart on preparing a home for market.

Vickey Barron persuaded superstar designer Kevin Hart, whose work has been featured in cover stories in "House Beautiful" and "Metropolitan Home," to offer the co-brokers in the audience tips on "How to Design a Home for Sale/ How to Design a Home for Living," in short, simple things that brokers can do themselves to make a residence "show better."

Barron, with the informal suggestions of Kevin Hart and with the blessing of the residence's current owners, a prominent photographer and spouse, who had lived in the neighborhood for over 20 years, gave the cooperative at 333 CPW, a "mini-celebrity makeover."

Hart presented a number of floor plans to the brokers, the do's and don't for designing for odd shaped rooms, lighting, and a Q&A of the simple things a broker can do to help make a residence "show well."

"We showed the brokers the room-by-room elements involved in creating a 'feel good' atmosphere within the home," said Hart. "Vickey Barron came to me with the idea for this event and I think it was a great service, to have co-brokers understand composition, and what works and doesn't in a space."

"We stressed the key elements of scale, proportion, good lighting, setting moods like romance in the bedroom, and entertainment possibilities in the riving room," added Hart. "One thing I notice is that kitchens very often don't have good lighting. What are some of the possibilities to warm up a kitchen? The kitchen is at the heart of the home. You want to warm that up. You don't have a second chance to make a first impression.

Hart took the group through his rules of thumb for successful home designing:

* "The primary intention of a home is to feel good, safe, nurtured and inspired. Then focus the assets of each room by using color, lighting and fabric. What's the first thing you see when you enter the room? Is that what you want to be left with?

* "Then, evaluate the size, scale and proportion of all the elements in the room. When creating room settings there must be a relationship with all the elements (large, middle to the smallest scale).

* "And then, lighting is everything. Lighting leads the eye through the space. If you don't have good lighting, buy beautiful lamps and place them strategically near sofas, comfy chairs. No halogen torches!"

* "Harmonize color," Hart advised the brokers. "Consider each room as a three-dimensional painting. The ceiling, walls and floor is the background of the 'canvas.' Light colors come forward, dark colors recede. Study paintings: do you respond to Caravaggio or Motherwell?"

Finally, Hart advised the brokers:

* "Create a mood for each room that inspires the activity. For the living room, create a setting that is welcoming and comfortable. For the kitchen, display fresh fruits and vegetables, Beautiful bowls and utensils. In the bathroom: display beautiful towels, soaps and fresh flowers."

"I may have gone a little overboard," said Barron about the presentation, "but because ours is a business about people, not buildings nor money, I asked the owners if I might exercise a little initiative. They graciously agreed."

Barron, who is an avid believer in co-broking, said she is convinced that to get top dollar for her seller, she must welcome all licensed brokers with open arms.

"This is my way of saying thank you to the brokers," said Barron, "by allowing them an opportunity to spend real time in the apartment, so they can take away with them a first hand experience of how to prepare a residence to show well."

The prewar apartment #81 at 333 Central Park West, is an exquisitely renovated eight-room apartment, now converted to a spacious seven. It consists of an expansive living room with direct park views, a massive chef's kitchen that opens to the dining area, three bedrooms with an abundance of custom closets, home office, two renovated full baths, washer/dryer unit and a five-ton central air conditioning unit.