Meridith Baer, chief executive of home staging and interior design company Meridith Baer Home in Vernon, didn’t realize her hobby would become a business until it got her kicked out of her Brentwood rental home.

“I had been a screenwriter and I think I was sick of writing,” Baer said. “I spent all my time rearranging furniture and working in the garden, and when the owner saw it, he said, ‘I love what you did, but you’re going to have to leave.’” He realized he could get a top price for the improved house and he sold it.

At the time, a friend was selling his home and Baer saw a chance to temporarily store her furniture there while helping him stage the house to make it more attractive. The plan worked: She said the house sold within a few days for $500,000 more than its asking price.

That was the start of her business, and now Meridith Baer Home has expanded from home staging for primarily residential properties to commercial spaces and hotels, as well as furniture leasing and interior design.

The company’s revenue reached $13.1 million last year, up from $6.9 million in 2011, making it No. 62 on the Business Journal’s list of Fastest Growing Private Companies.

The timing of the company’s quick growth in the last three years coincides with its move into manufacturing. It started making its own furniture in 2011.

But Baer credits the company’s growth to the recovering housing market, which has boosted demand for furniture and for home staging. Meridith Baer Home has done more than 1,100 home installations so far this year.

“Once the economy started coming back and homes started selling, everyone wanted to get the best price possible and sell as quickly as possible, which is where we come in,” she said. “We’re taking a usually empty home and showing the ideal way to live in it.”

Also boosting the company’s sales is an increase in the number of international clients from countries such as China, India, France and the Philippines. These are clients who have purchased a home here but want to take out the hassle of buying furniture.

“They don’t want to shop. They don’t want to go through an interior designer and pick fabrics,” Baer said. “They’ll say, ‘We want this style. Here’s our budget.’ And we’ll come in and furnish it. We call it an instant install.”

Baer established Meridith Baer Home in 1998, the year she turned 50. It now has 150 employees working in manufacturing facilities and warehouses in Vernon and South Gate.

As the company continues to grow, Baer said her focus is finding a new system to help manage inventory as well as beefing up the executive team.

– Subrina Hudson