Home Staging: Room by Room

Home Staging 101 – Room By Room Guide

Sometimes we need to get specific when we talk about home www. For general, easy home staging tips, please visit our Common Quick Fixes page. On this page we’ll go room by room and tell you everything you need to know about staging your home for showings.

Entry Way – Creating an open and inviting space when potential buyers enter your home is crucial.

• This is the first thing the potential buy will see inside your home, make it count, to see what they need to see from the outside then visit our Home Staging- Exterior page.
• De-clutter your foyer – Less is more
• Make one object the focal point – a painting or a piece of furniture
• Use a lamp to create warmth (floor lamp if you do not have a piece of furniture)
• Place fresh flowers on the table
• Remove anything unattractive and boring
• HINT: No matter the time of day always keep your foyer lamp on while showing

Living Room – Find your focal point and accent it. For instance, if you have a great fireplace, draw it out of the space by placing a mirror above it, flanked with candles.

• First impression of the living room is vital, this is where they will be spending a lot of time with their families and guests
• Furnish the room with smaller furniture, rather than over sized pieces to make the room appear larger and more open
• Group furniture together for easy conversations
• Accent the room with bright colors – fresh flowers, pillows and blankets
• Clear the space in front of windows and doors, you want to be able to bring natural light in while showing
• A common mistake that homeowners make is to push furniture against the wall to make the room seem bigger, this is not true! Floating furniture makes the room appear more spacious
• Arrange furniture so that guests can spot obvious traffic flow through the room
• In a large space stick to more neutral colors for paint, then throw in brightness with pillows, flowers, or artwork
• The character of the home should match the accessories. For example, a 1920 home should not have a modern lamp
• Make the potential buyer comfortable and relaxed. In the summer months crank the air conditioning up so they can escape from the summer heat. Likewise, in the winter months make sure the fireplaces are on to create a warm atmosphere.
• If you have a dark corner, add a lamp to bring light to the entire room

Dining Room– In the dining room, less is more so put the bric-a-brac away and anything else that does not belong.

• The dining room is the most formal room in your home, remove all family pictures, excessive plates and keep it simple and elegant
• One thing to include would be a large painting or beautiful artwork
• There should be little furniture in the room, it needs to be easy to navigate through
• Hardwood is a must, more elegant than carpeting
• If your table is not up to your standards, purchase a white tablecloth
• Two large candles in between a floral arrangement go a long way
• A lamp or two on the buffet will bring light if it is needed

Kitchen– This is the room you home revolves around and the room that buyers are usually most excited to see. The kitchen has to be spotless and very organized because the potential buyer will open everything, seriously every cabinet, drawer, and door they can. For tips on how to organize your storage space visit our Home Staging- Storage page.

• The cabinets, appliances and counter tops should all come together so the room has a nice flow
• Matching cabinets is key, white is more open and inviting
• Large fruit in bowls brings color to the room. Stick with lush red apples, oranges and grapes
• Put some fun cookbooks on the counter or in some place visible, it brings excitement to the room
• Remove almost all of your appliances, the point is to be spotless!
• Make sure your dinner table is neat, clean and has plates with napkins

Bedroom– This is what they have been waiting for, the oasis in their new home, make it count!

• Make the bed seem irresistible with luxurious bedding and soft tones
• For show the bed frame is much more important than the mattress so splurge here if you can
• One thing to never forget is to make this room unisex, appeal to both parties
• The most important and obvious thing to remember is that your bed is well made, with plenty of pillows!
• The bed is your focal point, make it stand out and be the first thing they see when they walk in
• This room needs to be peaceful, calm, and inviting. Don’t have anything too crazy and out there
• Like in every room de-clutter and organize
• All of the furniture doesn’t have to match but it should flow well together
• When decorating the nightstand keep it to a maximum of three items
• Simple artwork, the mind does not need to be racing when trying to fall asleep
• Finally, pillows are your secret weapon

Bathroom– A grimy bathroom is a deal breaker, use these tips and your bathroom will be perfect

• If you have old tile, get it professionally pained to make it look brand new
• Pedestal sinks in a small bathroom make it seem much larger, and more sophisticated
• Put a little basket with some spa treatment items near the bath tub for cute touch
• Candles lining the bathtub is also a homey touch
• Fresh, clean and neatly folded towels are a must, no one wants to feel dirty
• Put two large towels over the rack with two small hand towels over them, classic and elegant
• Final rule: hide your toothbrush, face wash, and all other unnecessary accessories a stranger would not want to see

Bonus Room– Staging this room can be a challenge because everyone has a different idea of what they would want to do with it. As long as you keep it simple then their imagination can do the rest.

• Be inviting to both the children and adults, neutral is best here
• If this room does not have storage try adding some shelves
• Make sure the room is comfortable and fun, this is where the family gets to relax together
• If you have small children, hide their toys
• If you have teenagers, also hide their toys!

Sun Room– This is where you get to enjoy nature while still being inside your home, try and keep the electronics to a minimum here.

• Paint the room green, it will fit well with the surrounding nature
• Simple seating and plenty of open space
• This is a place where you can sit and read the paper in the morning before work, make it feel relaxing before a stressful day
• When showing keep the door open to bring in the natural light

Baton Rouge real estate agents are full of great tips on how to make your home perfect for staging, to see their advice visit our Advice From Our Agents page.