Add Value to Your Home with Staging
When staging a home for sale, use neutral colors in flooring, upholstery and window dressing to enhance brighter accents.
1. Use Color: Adding the right punch of color to accent walls or trim can create depth, enhance kitchen cabinets or bring a boring bathroom to life.
Find pops of color in accessories, such as throw pillows, coffee-table books and decorative canisters. The key is to experiment and not be afraid to add extras such as exciting wall art or a playful chair or an area rug. Different colors have different effects.
• Red is stimulating and encourages self-confidence.
• Orange promotes happiness and celebration.
• Yellow is uplifting and light-hearted.
• Blue is calming in softer tones, promotes clarity in deeper ones.
• Green is the color of nature; it feels fresh and rejuvenating.
• Aqua is restful while pink is gentle and sweet—making a great pair.
• Purple tones bring out a sense of compassion.
2. Less Can Be More: Take care not to clutter spaces and aim to keep rooms inviting, comfortable and memorable. This requires appropriate-sized furnishings that allow for maximum seating without crowding. Use fewer accessories and try not to overstimulate. This makes living spaces appear much larger.
3. Focus on the Home: Homeowners achieve better results by displaying only their most important collectible treasures in a bookcase, a see-through furniture cabinet or open shelving. The focus should be on the house, not the current homeowner’s knickknacks.
4. Know the Latest Trends: Design trends have been moving toward simple clean lines, an organic approach and a more relaxed look overall. Flat-screen TVs, laptop computers and other technology have changed the need for heavy, deep pieces.
5. Even Small Changes Reap Rewards: Even a small decorating project can make a significant difference. Interior design gives home sellers a great opportunity to make a good first impression. Simple staging can be livable as well as sellable.