Within the world of real estate, home staging is becoming an ingrained part of the selling process. There are many benefits in getting your home staged for sale, but the main purpose is to make the property appear more desirable to potential buyers.
One way to make the home marketable is the smart placement of the furniture, with the intention to enhance the perception of space and light. Though this may seem like a difficult task, there are some basic guidelines that professional home stagers follow.
In this article, we have narrowed it down to the eight most important rules our team always sticks to when arranging furniture in homes for sale.
1. First impressions count
“The styling is what always grabs the buyer’s attention!”
“The styling is what always grabs the buyer’s attention!” – this is what we hear time and time again from many of the real estate agents we work with.
This statement truly highlights the power of creating amazing first impressions and the importance of proper positioning of the furniture.
Our Stylists always ensure to angle all furniture and accessories towards the entry point of the room to create the biggest impact. Did you know that all it takes is seven seconds for the buyers to form their first opinions?
2. Keep the sofa off the wall
This may seem counterintuitive, but pushing the sofa all the way to the wall will make your room appear smaller. Physically you might have more space in the room, but visually the area will feel more crowded.
Simply pulling the sofa 10-30cm off the wall, will allow shadows to be cast behind it, influencing your perception of depth, therefore making the room seem optically larger.
3. Keep the lighting consistent
Using the same light bulb colour temperature across all light fixtures creates a nice sense of continuity throughout the house. It’s also very much appreciated by real estate photographers, saving them precious time editing the pictures for online listing.
The team at Stage & Style Co. prefers to use cool white lightbulbs, as they’ve proven to present properties the best.
4. Never cover the windows
The goal of home staging is to make the property look as bright & spacious as possible; therefore, every ray of natural light needs to be maximised.
In bedrooms, avoid using bed heads if they cover the windows or pillows that overlap the windowsill. This will allow more natural light to enter the room and make it appear more spacious.
In other areas of the house, watch out for tall items like pot plants, floor lamps or even some pieces of furniture (eg. high back couches) that could potentially cover the windows.
5. Ensure there is adequate seating
This is one of the most overlooked rules by home stagers. It’s easy to get caught up in the visual aspect of the styling and completely disregard its functionality.
For example, a 3-bedroom house needs more seating options than just a small 2-seater sofa. It may look great in the space, but when a family of five is walking through the house, they would find it difficult to picture themselves living there.
The general rule of thumb when it comes to interior styling is ensure the number of seats (incl. dining chairs) is higher than the number of bedrooms.
6. Correct ruz sizing and orientation
Rugs in the living room are an absolute must when it comes to styling. They not only tie space together, but they can also visually separate the zones and help buyers make sense of the floorplan.
For rectangle rugs, our rule is to place the rug lengthwise with the sofa (the longer side of the rug goes parallel to the couch). This makes the room look wider and more spacious.
To tuck or not to tuck?
Whether the rug goes under or in front of the sofa is up to everyone’s personal taste. As Home Stagers, we must consider the health & safety of people walking through the open home, which is why we like to put the sofa on top of the rug to hold it in place and minimise trip hazards.
7. Go with the flow
If a home flows smoothly, then it is a well-designed space that allows the occupants to move easily within the home, promoting and ensuring a comfortable lifestyle in every room. When it comes to styling a property for sale, thinking about the best orientation of furniture or correct sizing of furniture is key to making the most of each room.
Sometimes when vendors are still residing in the property they can have the incorrect sizing of furniture in the house, the styling allows us to swap these items out for something more suitable.
Two of the most common furniture pieces we find are incorrect sizing for a room is beds or lounges; where the use of them may be more ideal to live with and a personal preference, more often than not they are the wrong size for the space.
8. The importance of artwork
Amongst all of the machine-made items in our homes, it’s nice to have something that can effortlessly bring life back into a room. When it comes to styling a property, choosing the correct artwork is key. Having the appropriate sizing and colours or tones is crucial when styling a home, allowing us to tie in cushions and throw rugs which makes one cohesive look throughout the property.
Giving your home a theme or specific look when selling allows potential buyers to visualize or foresee what potential the home has. Many buyers have similar tastes or interests when it comes to buying a home, so having them styled to suit these particular tastes can evoke emotion in the buyers and entice them into putting in an offer.
Our Top 3
Seating
Having adequate seating in a home is key when styling, this often refers to the dining areas or living rooms as buyers will be visualising themselves or their families in these spaces.
Artwork
This is a great way to create a cohesive theme throughout a property and spark emotion with buyers. Choosing the correct sizing of artwork is also important as it needs to be proportionate to the wall space.
Flow
Creating a flow with the furniture layout and presentation is essential. Make sure everything works harmonically and the furniture is the appropriate size for the space it is going to be in.
