11 Room Staging Tips

As an interior designer, I always have friends asking questions about their houses. There are a lot of things you can do to your house to make it look like you have had a professional come in and work on it. I've picked 11 staging tips to share with you today that are easy to do and don't cost a lot of money. 

De-clutter
This is a huge thing that doesn't cost a dime! Accessories are great, but only if you don't over-do it. If you have 14 different things on your fireplace mantle, put some of the items in a bin and rotate them every so often. There is no need to fill every side table in your living room with lamps, pictures, figurines, etc. so that a guest can't even set a drink down. Pick a few things that you love and get rid of the rest. It will make the room seem more open and inviting.

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Have a focal point
It's easy to make a focal point in a room. Choose what you think is the most important aspect of the room and make it stand out. A fireplace, if you have one, is a natural focal point in the living room. Paint the wall a contrasting color and hang a large picture over the mantle to create a focal point. The dining room table is usually the focal point of the dining room. Put a table cloth on it and create a centerpiece in the middle of it. If you have floor-to-ceiling windows in a room, arrange your furniture to face the beautiful view outside. 

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Furniture grouping
Rearranging furniture in a room is a great way to update with what you already have. Try to create seating areas that are cozy and comfortable. Place 2 sofas (or a sofa and a couple of chairs) facing each other with a table in between, or a sofa and love seat in an L shape. Use 2 accent chairs for extra seating next to the fireplace. There are a lot of different types of arrangements you can use. Just play around until you find something that you like. (Keep in mind the focal point of the room!) Also remember that furniture doesn't have to be placed on the walls. A sofa in the middle of a room with a sofa table behind it can be even better than shoving everything against a wall. 

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Different types of lighting
Using different types of lighting is a great way to make your space feel homey. There are 3 main types of lighting. Ambient lighting is general, overhead lighting, such as can lights or ceiling fan lights. Task lighting is lighting used for certain types of things, such as the light over your stove or kitchen island, a desk lamp for doing homework, etc. Accent lighting is used to enhance certain features, such as track lighting focused on a gallery of pictures or under-cabinet lighting in the kitchen. Use all three types of lights in one space and it makes for a beautiful room! 

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Neutral with accents
Using neutral colors in your home will appeal to many more people than using bright or dark colors, especially if you are trying to sell. Paint the walls a nice shade of beige and use neutral colored furniture to create a sort of "blank canvas" to work with. Create colorful accents with pillows, throw blankets, or even painting one wall a different color. Try to stick to 1 or 2 colors for your accents. Using different shades of 1 color is a great way to go!

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Odd numbers
One mistake people often make is using the wrong number of accents. Using odd numbers has been proven to be more pleasing to the eye (especially groupings of 3) than using even numbers. For example, in the picture below, the vase with the reeds is one element, the books with the bird is another, and the bowl of rocks is the third. On my mantle right now I have 3 candlesticks on one side, and a picture, bird cage and vase on the other. 

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Fresh is best
Using fresh flowers, plants, or even sticks from your own backyard is a great way to liven up any room. It brings the outside in and usually makes a colorful impact. Obviously, if you don't have flowers or plants you can pick from your garden, you can make a trip to the local florist. This is a fabulous and inexpensive way to change your room, depending on what flowers are in season. 

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Vary textures
Using various textures in a room creates a warm, cozy atmosphere. There are lots of ways to bring in different textures. If you have hardwood or tile floors, use a shag rug on the floor. Use a different material on your throw pillows than what you have on your couches. If you have a quilted bedspread, use silk throw pillows and a chenille blanket on the end of the bed. Using exposed brick or adding window treatments to a room are other ways to add textures. 

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Update outdated
Updating outdated appliances, hardware, or even colors is a great way to make a room look new. It's a little more expensive, but it makes a big impact and is definitely worth the money if you are trying to sell. You will make the money back, I promise! If you have old oak cabinets and want a change, paint them white, add some new knobs and pulls to the doors and drawers and you have a brand-new look. Replace white appliances with stainless steel and old laminate counters with granite to create a gourmet-looking kitchen. 

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Traffic flow 
An important aspect of staging any room is to make sure the traffic flow makes sense. This means that people are easily able to maneuver around furniture without having to take indirect paths. Make sure there are uncluttered pathways from room to room, you are able to get to the sofa without tripping over the coffee table, etc. In the kitchen, there needs to be what is called a work triangle between the oven, refrigerator and sink without anything in the way. 

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Make it bigger
There are a lot of ways to make rooms look bigger. A couple of ideas are to use mirrors on the walls, paint with light colors, and hang long window treatments. Using mirrors helps the room look larger because it reflects surfaces and creates the illusion of depth. Light colors help open up a room as well, especially if you paint the wall a light color and use the same light color as accents in the room. Long window treatments can make a room look taller, if hung right. You want to hang the curtains close to the ceiling instead of at the top of the window. This fools the eye into thinking your windows are bigger, and thus creates a taller-looking room.

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Those are just a few tips that I have learned along the way. If you have any questions, I would love to answer them for you!  

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