Continuing on from last weeks post Home Staging and How it Works I thought I would share a few tips on how to stage a home without breaking the bank.
Un clutter the clutter! Clutter is a huge no no when selling a home and places like drawers, coffee tables and counters easily become the victims to our stuff which is totally not what they are meant for. When Staging this is your opportunity to throw that trash away and start fresh. Anything you actually need can be stored neatly in baskets, and filing units so they are away and not available for potential buyers to see.
Float your furniture. What does this mean? Don't have all your furniture against the walls and don't get stuck in the old rule of everything being symmetrical; Just because you have a chair on one side doesn't mean you have to have one on the other you can mix it up with a pouf or bench instead.
Often times people want to see how a room should be laid out so decide on where the focal point of the room is and position furniture to that not the walls around the room. For example if there is a fireplace position your couch in front of it and add in your accent furniture around that to fill in the empty spaces. This tip often helps in open concepts where rooms are not defined.
The Magic of Green! I believe it is mandatory to have plants in a home when staging and just living. There is nothing like Plants to breathe life into a space. They provide colour, improve air quality, can absorb sound to help with noise reduction and some say they even help with health and focus. Now I know some of you are thinking that you can't even keep a cactus alive so how would you keep others going? Well good news is fake plants have drastically improved over the years and almost look as genuine as the real deal. If you are opting for faux plants always pot them, never go for silk as they collect more dust then black furniture and use them in moderation. Just because there is no maintenance doesn't mean you have to put them in every corner unless you're going for a green room sanctuary but then if that is the case real is the only way to go.
The Rule of 3. The rule of three is design magic that will change the way you accessorize forever. Have you ever put an object on a shelf or table and thought, hmm this doesn't seem right and couldn't figure out why? Well I guarantee if you had two more objects beside it, it would have felt perfect (If they were the right size and shape that is) The rule of 3 is super easy to master you just have to remember to place your accessories in groups of 3 in different height and shape variations. For example you would place a tall vase with medium sized square candle and a small glass ball. If you feel that three isn't enough to decorate a space then continue to add in odd numbers 5, 7 ,9 etc. This works because our eyes are drawn to odd numbers as patterns. You can even use this rule with colours in the space. Chose one main colour to take up 60% of the space (majority of walls), pick a secondary colour (accent walls, large furniture item and art) to take up 30% of the space and then third colour to add a bit of a colour punch (accent pillows, throws or small rug). Now the room will feel balanced and cohesive.
Throws! lots of throws! and accent pillows, you can never have enough pillows!
I love throw blankets and accent pillows, they can make a couch look pristine and untouchable to screaming for a cuddle session and they are an amazing way to finish off a room. Just a sofa with nothing on it would seem dull or incomplete just as a bed would look plain and uninviting. These two accessories give the room colour, texture and personality. You can place them in obvious places like mentioned or even toss them in a basket on the floor next to an accent chair or place a throw on a ladder in a reading nook to add a little something extra.
If you aren't staging to sell these are also great tips to use for yourself in your own home too.