When you see an eye-catching home in a magazine layout or on a television show that makes you want to live in a house like that, you can bet that people spent plenty of behind-the-scenes time to get the details exactly right. The same process can occur when staging a home for sale. 

When selling your home, you’ll want to attract qualified buyers for an efficient sale at the highest profit possible. These prospective buyers have often looked at numerous other homes and, when they view one that feels like home and allows them to visualize living there, an emotional connection can take place. The environment pulls them in and, when that happens, it’s more likely that they’ll choose this home to buy. 

So, how do you stage your home to facilitate this important reaction? When done well, staging for houses highlights the most appealing features in a way that feels eminently livable. Here, we’ll focus on three areas that real estate agents say are most important: living room staging, staging in a kitchen, and bedroom staging. 

Living Room Staging

HGTV.com shares its most important tip first: get rid of clutter. When you’re living in a home, you may appreciate the amount of furniture included in your living room, but you’ll want your buyers to easily see the most attractive features: a built-in bookcase, for example, or stunning fireplace. 

Professionals who perform staging for houses often remove as much as half of the room’s belongings. You can then deep clean the room, paint, and make necessary repairs. This decluttered space helps to make the room look bigger and allows potential buyers to freely walk about the room. As part of the decluttering, limit the number of items on the tables and avoid having too many pillows on couches and chairs. 

Here’s one more tip from HGTV. Embrace neutrals to make your home enticing to as many buyers as possible without being boring. How? By using the 60-30-10 rule. Sixty percent of the living room will be the neutral shade, which could be gray, white, or beige, while thirty percent is a complementary neutral color to add engaging depth. The remaining ten percent can be an accent color that’s either vibrant or pastel; it can make sense to have this shade be seasonally appropriate: Earth tones in fall and floral ones in spring and summer. In the example given by HGTV, the room was white, gray, and lilac. 

HomesAndGardens.com also offers living room staging strategies. First, consider the dimensions of the room. If it’s relatively small, place a large or tall piece of furniture in the room’s far corner (away from the entryway). If the room is larger and you want to make it seem more cozy, put that piece of furniture by the entryway. Then, choose a focal point for your seating arrangement. This can be near a window or piece or art or by the fireplace. You’ll want prospective buyers to see how functional this room can be. 

In the living room staging tips by HouseDigest.com, their experts recommend checking your textures. Are curtains the right thickness or are they too heavy or sheer? Do they allow in the right amount of light? (And, speaking of light, freshen up older lampshades and, as needed, strategically place mirrors.) Add houseplants that will do well in your living room’s amount of light and that fit, proportionately, in your room. Choose pots that fit your home staging decor and place them in ways that spotlight the room’s best features. 

Staging in a Kitchen

High-level recommendations for staging in a kitchen are similar to living room staging: declutter, clean, repair, paint, and avoid decor that’s too taste specific. 

ProfessionalStaging.com recommends painting cabinets that are in good shape but a bit outdated. Pick a neutral color that matches the countertops and, when done, add new hardware. If countertops need to be replaced, this can be a good investment. 

To nearly instantly make the kitchen appear more modern, update the lighting fixtures, using contemporary or classic styles. Avoid bulbs that provide a yellow glow. 

Then, StageMyOwnHome.com recommends a focus on the countertops, keeping the home staging there simple and uncluttered. Without going overboard, you could include the following items on the countertops when staging in a kitchen:

• Classic appliances like mixers and blenders in an eye-catching color
• One live green plant or vase of flowers
• Cupcakes or cookies on a tiered stand
• Bowl of colorful fruit
• Vignette of oil and vinegar bottles, a loaf of artisan bread, and a breadboard on a tray

You can do the same with a kitchen island. Don’t put too many chairs around the island—even when there’s enough room for them. Artfully arrange two place settings that include placemats in your accent color, and make sure there’s three feet of space around the island for prospective buyers to maneuver. 

When staging a kitchen, NorthofNYC.com points out the importance of organizing cupboards and the pantry. Cupboards that are too full will give an appearance of a lack of space, so remove excess items as well as ones that give a mismatched appearance. Then, organize what’s left in an attractive way. Do something similar in your pantry. 

Anywhere there’s open shelving, leave open space between strategically chosen items: one set of matching dinnerware, for example, or your best cookbooks. 

Angi.com offers up an important tip that’s especially relevant if you’re still using your kitchen: be hyper aware of kitchen odors. Potential buyers won’t be impressed with a room, no matter how good it looks, if it doesn’t smell fresh. Deep cleaning can take care of built-up odors, but cooking fish or using garlic in a meal can give the space a pungent scent again. Even when wafts of delicious food are pleasant while you’re cooking, when that settles down, the result can be stale. 

Bedroom Staging 

Although attention given to the master bedroom may have the largest impact, bedroom staging overall can be effective when wanting to quickly sell your home at a desirable price. So, use the applicable home staging techniques described when staging a kitchen and living room—and then put plenty of attention on the bed. TheSpruce.com states that a properly made bed can “win over any buyer.” Go neutral, dressing the bed according to the season, and use plump pillows  in your accent color that catch the eye. If you’re no longer living in the home, then you wouldn’t need to use sheets and, if helpful, you could use an air mattress if you’re already using your real mattress elsewhere.

In some ways, as HomeLight.com points out, bedrooms can be the easiest rooms to declutter. Clothing and shoes worn can vary by season, and you can remove any that don’t fit the current one. You can also remove most personal photos and knickknacks, leaving just a few to give a homey appearance. You can also remove extra sheets, blankets, and so forth. 

After you’ve removed these items to be stored elsewhere, you can organize your closets well and stage your nightstand. Yes! Effective bedroom staging can include careful attention to the appearance of nightstands; choose simple items in eye-popping accent hues.

When arranging bedroom furniture during home staging, you’ll want to make the bed your focal point. To do so, ProfessionalStaging.com  recommends a headboard that will grab people’s attention. You can also put an attractive folding screen behind the bed or hang curtains behind it in ways that add “elegance and luxury.” 

StageMyOwnHome.com offers bed placement ideas for optimal bedroom staging. When possible, place it opposite from a focal point like a beautiful window or French doors with the foot as far away from the door as can be. Don’t place it close to the entry point or where it’s difficult to walk around. Also consider an area rug to add color and style to the decor. When deciding the optimal size, have at least six inches between the rugs’ edges and the walls and no more than eighteen inches. 

With bedroom staging in a child’s room, make sure to remove enough toys to streamline the space without depersonalizing it completely. Arrange the remaining toys in the room in baskets.

A Word About Virtual Staging

Staging for houses has, until recently, been strictly a physical form of home staging. More recently, though, a virtual staging option has become available that’s ideal when prospective buyers would be viewing your home online. With virtual staging, specialized software is used to select furnishings and decor to display in the home, and this option has become more popular as the technology has advanced; as homebuyers are becoming younger and more tech savvy; and the increasing familiarity, overall, with remote options because of COVID. To let potential buyers know that the home doesn’t look exactly like this, viewings with virtual staging will come with a disclaimer. 

This can be a flexible, cost-effective form of home staging—especially when buyers are comfortable with the concept of virtual staging. As the technology is still evolving, though, sometimes the photos produced aren’t of the highest quality; other times, the photos are so enticing that potential buyers are disappointed when they have an in-person showing of the residence. Virtual staging, then, isn’t “good” or “bad.” It’s another tool to consider when home staging.

Home Staging for Luxury Homes

Although the same general staging for home concepts can work for luxury homes, their unique architectural beauty and glamorous touches like, for example, crystal chandeliers, can make the decluttering process even more powerful. When they’re surrounded by nature’s beauty, like it would be when staging a piece of Amelia Island real estate, the effect can be especially persuasive and compelling. 

Luxury home staging trends for 2023 including blurring the indoors and outdoors, which can be quite doable with Amelia Island real estate and our appealing climate. Another trend: home bars and lounging areas. These are amenities that potential buyers may want and, by providing this in your home staging, you can help them to decide that your home is the right one for them.

Other current luxury home staging trends include putting attention on home offices. As more and more people are working remotely, being able to see how they can work in a spacious home office that’s well lit and comfortable can attract this type of buyer. If you’ve got smart technology in your home, showcase that because that’s also important in a work from home arrangement.  

Plus, including artisanal touches in the home can be appreciated. If, for example, you’ve got custom-made furniture, you can highlight that in your home staging. Other items of interest can include locally-sourced artwork, fabrics, and so forth that truly give your luxury home an intimate feel. You could use these as anchor statements, especially if they’re larger. As you place them in a room, consider their shape, form, and function. 

Amelia Island Real Estate 

If you’re looking for a new home—and are looking for the ideal place in Amelia Island—then our experienced and passionate real estate agents can help you to find the home of your dreams. Residing on Amelia Island combines the best of a luxurious lifestyle in a small town atmosphere, surrounded by pristine natural beauty, including the abundant waterways and its stunning beaches. 

The southernmost of the Sea Island chain, it’s Florida’s northernmost barrier island, Amelia Island combines the best of both worlds because you can seem a world away from the hectic pace of life while being close to major highways and an international airport in Jacksonville. When you’re considering Amelia Island real estate, options include the towns of Fernandina Beach, Amelia City, and American Beach. In each, you can enjoy the warm climate and moderate sea breezes. 

You can search for Amelia Island real estate on our website, including for incredibly gorgeous luxury homes, or you can reach out to Amelia Island Real Estate Services for professional guidance.