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A Simple Guide to Staging Your Home

May 18, 2015

Whether you’re getting your home ready to sell or preparing it for guests, the following tips will help you stage your home to make it look clean, polished, and inviting for any occasion.

1. Remove clutter. Organize your belongings and remove unnecessary decor to go with a more minimalistic approach. Follow this general rule: for each thing you bring in, two items must be removed.

2. Brighten up areas with light. Aim for 100 watts of light per 50 square feet of space. Do not underestimate the power of natural light! Windows and natural sunlight can do wonders for a room. Make sure there are three different types of lighting per room for maximum effect.

3. Repurpose your multi-purpose rooms. If you have an office or third bedroom accumulating junk, repurpose it with some new furniture pieces and a coat of fresh paint. Turn it into a craft center or work-out area, or even a cozy lounge.

4. Mix up your wall art. Avoid the invisible highline that many use to hang art and pictures. Try different groupings and patterns to make your wall art stand out. Show off your space!

5. Bring the outdoors inside. Using nature as inspiration, accessorize your living space with fresh cut flowers, neutral tones and accents, and low-maintenance house plants.

6. Group in threes. Odd numbers are preferable when grouping accessories and decor. Organize your decorations by color, shape, or texture in groups of three.

7. Give your kitchen a face lift. If you cannot afford to completely renovate your kitchen, get new doors for your cabinets, and new fronts for your drawers. Paint your walls to match the new faces and add new hardware.

8. Add new color. Paint a room in a neutral color, like tan or soft blues or greens, to tone down any dated finishes in the space. Paint adjacent rooms in the same hue to make the space look bigger. Use deep, rich tones in a bathroom, dining room, or bedroom to make it feel warm and inviting.

9. Switch up the layout. Move furniture away from walls to open up the room and make it appear larger. Position decor into cozy, conversational groups and be mindful of the flow of foot traffic from room to room.

10. Clean, clean, clean! Wipe down counters, dust light fixtures and blinds, and clean the windows to see if there are any other changes that need to be made. Clutter can be significantly minimized with a thorough room cleaning.

There are a number of accessories that can be used for staging your home. Use mirrors, fake plants, rugs, lamps, and patterned throws and pillows to bring new life to any room. Check out our blog for more tips on preparing your home for sale.