Decorate Like a Home Stager

Whether you’re getting ready to sell or simply looking to redecorate and add new life to your living space, a small change can go a long way. Use these quick tips that home stagers and decorators swear by to DIY your space in style.



How to Decorate like a Home Stager – Quick Guide

1. Remove furniture.
2. Hide wires.
3. Highlight architectural details and create feature walls.
4. Rely on neutrals with seasonal accents.
5. Use metallics and mirrors to enhance room lighting.
6. Decorate bookshelves deliberately.
7. Create visual impact in outdoor spaces.

How to Decorate Like a Home Stager

1. Remove furniture.

Decorators recommend choosing one piece of furniture from each room and moving it to storage or donating it. The additional space makes the room feel lighter and more comfortable for visitors.

2. Hide wires.

The visual impact of hiding wires is unmistakable. Add extensions where needed, run all lines along the baseboards wherever possible, and purchase cord covers. Cord covers can then be painted to blend in with any interior walls.

3. Highlight architectural details and create feature walls.

Home decorators look for points of interest to highlight in every room. Molding, archways, cut-outs, mantles, chair rails, Wainscoting, bay windows, and vaulted ceilings are all examples of details to feature with fresh paint or lighted accents. Create a feature wall by using sticky wallpaper or a contrasting, bold paint color.

4. Rely on neutrals with seasonal accents.

Go in a white, beige, or grey direction and consider whether the room is better suited with warm or cool tones. (As a rule of thumb, warm tones work better in areas with less natural light and cool tones work better in rooms with a lot of natural light.) Then, choose accent pillows, throws, and other décor in one or two seasonal colors which can be easily changed with the seasons. Accent minimally and rely on neutrals for the heavy lifting.

5. Use metallic accents and mirrors to enhance room lighting.

Without buying a new lamp or installing a new fixture, you can greatly enhance the amount of light in the room by strategically adding a mirror or accenting with copper, silver, or brass. Metallic paint is available at your local hardware store and mirrors can be bought at any thrift store and refinished to work best in your space. These items help to throw light around and make the room appear bigger than it is.

6. Decorate bookshelves deliberately.

Home stagers typically remove all personal effects in favor of specifically chosen, thematically and seasonally appropriate items. If you’re selling, remove personal items. If not, balance your personal photographs in neutral frames with items that are decorative and with monochromatically arranged books. (At any thrift store, you’ll always be able to find 8 to 10 books with similarly colored spines that match your accent colors and/or a quirky, or interesting, statue or focal piece, which can be painted to fit the space.)

7. Create visual impact in outdoor spaces.

The best decorators will encourage you to spend as much time thinking about your outdoor spaces as your rooms indoors. Make your front door a welcoming focal point by repainting the door and railings, adding colorful flowers deliberately, changing out the welcome mat, and proudly displaying your house number. A visitor’s first impression of the entranceway is critical to creating a friendly, caring atmosphere.

In the backyard, install warm lighting using lanterns and string lights. Don’t underestimate the visual impact of colorful chair cushions in thoughtfully conceived, conversational seating arrangements. Try and view the space with fresh eyes, as a guest might, and use that to guide your choices.

You can DIY design your house like a pro on a budget, using these tips from lead decorators and home stagers. Making small updates and deliberate changes can impact your living space for the better, and if you’re ready to sell, get your home staged in style.

Related Post: Should you update your house before selling? Ask a Realtor® [INFOGRAPHIC]