The home staging process can be tricky, especially if you are undertaking it on your own. You want your home to look put-together, but not overdone. You also want it to have style, but not so much personality that it becomes unattractive to some buyers. This week CORT brings you home staging shortcuts for a home that is perfectly planned and inviting to buyers. None of these rules are hard-and-fast, of course, but they do make great guidelines when it comes to home staging.
Choosing a Paint Color Scheme
The trick to choosing paint colors for home staging is to aim for a universally appealing color scheme. Dramatic statements and dark walls, while great for individual tastes, might not make the best impression on potential buyers. Opt for light neutrals, like variations of white and light grey, to make every room into a space win which a buyer could envision his or her own décor.
Arranging Your Furniture
Whether you choose to use your own furniture or opt for furniture rental to outfit your home during the home staging process, the way you arrange it can be the difference between awkward and inviting. If you are choosing to buy or rent furniture, it helps to measure your room and your potential furnishings, then make small, to-scale paper cutouts to create a template of your room. This way you can experiment with the arrangement of the room before making any commitments.
Hanging Curtains
Curtains create the illusion of a taller, more spacious room. When hanging curtains, make sure you install the curtain rod significantly higher than the top of the window – all the way up to the ceiling, if you’d like! If the curtains are long, the hem of each curtain should just barely brush the floor. You could also choose to let them pool on the floor, either a little or a lot, but the room will have a romantic or dramatic feel, which will detract from the neutrality of the room. If the curtains are short, the most acceptable lengths are either just resting on the window sill, or just below the apron. Curtains are the finishing touch on a room, so choose your length wisely!
Hanging Frames
There are lots of different philosophies when it comes to deciding how to hang frames. In the end, it comes down to what you think looks most comfortable in your house, since each space is different. However, there are some good home staging rules to follow for hanging frames on your walls. The average person’s eye level is 57 inches from the floor, so that is where the center of your picture (or group of pictures) should hang. Keep the spaces between them to 2-2.5 inches, and leave at least 9 inches between the frame and the tops of furnishings like sofas and chairs.
More Home Staging
Need more home staging ideas? Check out the CORT Pinterest board Home Staging Inspiration for painting tips, color schemes, design philosophies, and general rules of thumb! You can also read CORT’s past posts about home staging tips for the exterior, home staging feng shui, home staging on a budget, and more. Be sure to find us on Facebook or Twitter and share your best home staging tips with us, too!
