10 Home Staging Tips

Selling your property can be a real challenge when you haven’t made the most of what your home has to offer. Here’s 10 of our tips to help you get on the right path.

1. Declutter, Deep Clean

Before anything else, make sure your space is free of clutter and thoroughly cleaned. This may seem obvious, but it only takes one thing left where it shouldn’t be to turn a potential buyer off. No one wants to walk into a dirty bathroom or a smelly bedroom, so gut your property from top-to-bottom. Get into every nook and cranny. Make the home the best version of itself by making it the cleanest version of itself.

2. Go Neutral

Everyone loves a bit of colour in their home. But everyone has their own idea of what colours they’d like to use. If someone walks into a living room and tries to imagine what it would look like with baby blue walls, you’ll make their life easier by providing them a blank canvas to work with. Go for whites and neutrals colours if ever in doubt; if they walk into a beetroot-red room they aren’t too keen on, they’re going to be spending more time envisioning how it might look upon improvement rather than enjoying what’s before them.

3. Cohesive Décor

But not all colours are bad, especially if used in a cohesive and well-thought out manner. Avoid contrasting colours (ie. Red and Green, Yellow and Purple) unless you reallywant to make a statement. Complimentary colours, textures, and patterns – like varying shades of calming blues – will be gentle on the eyes and pair well with an otherwise neutral environment. We’d recommend achieving this through cushions, pillows, throws, and wall art.

4. Make it a Lived-in Space

You want potential buyers to imagine living in your property, so you want to make it feelinviting. No one has a perfectly organised house all the time – there’s usually something left out where it shouldn’t be or more mess than you’d like to admit. But that’s what makes it feel like someone actually lives there. While you don’t want to leave dirty washing on the bedroom floor or overripe fruit out on the worktop, you should make a conscious effort to bring character to the space, as if someone was relaxing there only moments before (and didn’t leave a mess behind). That could mean some intentionally placed magazines or a well-loved novel in the best spot for reading, or even a soft throw left out on the most inviting seat on the sofa. Make the potential buyer’s life easier by showing them what it’s like to make your house their home.

5. Rugs, Rugs, Rugs

Invest in rugs that complement the décor. Whether that be with matching colours or patterns, get something that acts as a centrepiece. If in the living room, make sure it’s not too small either – if in doubt, have the front legs of the chairs or sofas touching the rug. If well placed and the ideal size, shape, colour, or pattern, it will end make the room appear larger and more cohesive.

6. The More Mirrors the Merrier

If you want your rooms to feel bigger than they are, mirrors are your best friend. Whether hung on the wall or standing floor-to-ceiling, they not only bring light into the room but they open up the space as well.

7. Reorganise Bookshelves

If you have bookshelves, think about how best to organise your books. You could leave some space bare for decorations and trinkets, or perhaps turn the books around so the pages are showing instead of the spines. Colour co-ordinated bookshelves are an option too, though don’t go too overboard or they may be catch the eye more than you intend. Have something that feels personal, adds character, and allows that extra creativity. 

7. Open all Doors, Let there be Light

It may sound obvious, but another way to make your property more inviting is to open your doors. Allow the rooms to breath with some fresh air and show you’ve got nothing to hide. Allow potential buyers to see the property for what it is: Give them the option to explore and discover what awaits them. Likewise, no one wants to walk into a dark, uninspired space. So pull back the curtains and if it’s not too cold, open the windows too! 

8. Plenty of Plants

Rule of thumb: Include as many plants as possible (without, of course, turning your home into a jungle). Instead of opting for a traditional methods, our top tip is to use plant pots and pot stands that raise them above the ground. If you want something more temporary, we suggest investing in a nice vase and using a bouquet of flowers. Either way, adding more plant life is always a bonus for making your property feel like a home worth buying.

10. Consult a Professional Home Stager

If any (or all) of this sounds like a mammoth task, then of course, we suggest going to a professional. Here at LJ Interiors we have interior designers with plentiful experience working with developers across London and the south of England. We understand what appeals and improves underperforming properties. If you’re struggling to bring your vision to fruition, then seeking the help of professional home stagers is perhaps the safest option.