The comforter you have on is pretty bright, in a sea of neutrals. My eye is immediately drawn to your bed, instead of the size of the room, all the natural light, the ledge, etc. Maybe your real estate agent thinks a more neutral bedspread would put the focus more on the room and less on the bed? I happen to think that it would.

Most people know to not pay attention to furnishings, but sometimes you have to help them along.

Your walls are great, but the coverlet you have on the bed is really not compatible. Go to Tuesday Morning, Home Goods, etc. and find: a beige matelasse coverlet & shams with the same tone as your walls...or a white matelasse coverlet & shams. Then add a contrasting (white on beige coverlet or beige on white coverlet - no flowers, but could be a subtle stripe or geometric in neutral tones) to fold at the base of the bed. Place the shams that coordinate with the duvet in front of the others. You could also add a throw pillow in front of the shams for a punch of color. If you can afford it, change the lamps - earthy neutral, but contrasting, textured ceramic. Take away the faux plants from the ceiling niche.

All white bedding would look serene and lovely. No pattern or other color. I agree you should get rid of the silk plants, but otherwise I would keep it as is. It will look fresh and clean and spacious.

I agree with the above - cream or white matelasse
Probably white to match the shams you have. Then get 2 coordinating lumbar pillows - one for bed & one for chair.

What about using your desk as a nightstand where you have the round decorator table?

Smiles:)

The RE agent told me to take out the desk and chair. I have a green tablecloth for the decorator table I use for one of the nightstands. I will look for a white coverlet but I dread using one because I have 3 kids that use my bed as a trampoline. You guys are right though about getting it neutral. I think that I need something up on the ledge. I had birdhouses that I took down but left the silk plants. I will see what I do to transform the room.

Just buy a king sized white striped sheet. Cover your bedspread with that, add white matching pillowcases. Much cheaper and very simple and expensive looking.

Actually, I found a duvet cover cheap at Penneys like what I was thinking for you. This will definitely do the trick, and the combo they have shown would go perfect in your room.

I agree, the floral comforter is way too much, and fake plants have no place in a home for sale. You want to show off the room, not your taste in decor.

I think a simple print or two above the bed would draw the eye up as well.

Also, frame your window with panels; the window looks too bare without anything.

You have to do some work to sell a house, but it will make your home look more expensive and elegant and that will drive the price up. Spending $100 can make or break a sale for buyers who can't see the house with their own decorations (and there are a LOT of people who can't see past paint that isn't their taste!).

Here is a link that might be useful: duvet cover

Personally, I think that there is value to be had in staging a house for sale when you're talking about furniture placement to take advantage of existing spaces and clearing clutter and personal effects, etc. However, I do think that many real estate agents sorely underestimate the intelligence of the average househunter. Most of us really do have some imagination, and we really can envision how a bedroom would look like with our stuff in it, regardless of whether the existing comfortor is plaid, floral, white, what have you. Just my 2c.

With that said, I think that simple fluffy white bedding with a simple white bedskirt is always a winner, but if it's not in your budget to buy a new comfortor, esp, with all the expenses you're bound to be facing with your home sale, than don't even bother. Easy for your agent to tell you to buy all this new stuff when 1) it's going to help her and 2) she's not paying for it.

Lovely room. My recommendations are also, put up some simple curtains to frame the windows, remove the desk, white cover of some kind for the bed, remove the fake plants. If you have some large pottery you could stick up there, that might be nice. Day of open house, put out fresh flowers here and there.

Those baskets on the floor, are those laundry? They are bugging me. Maybe you should stick them in the closet also. I don't think they add to the decor and they are taking up space and you want to give the illusion of lots of space.

I don't know if this is possible or will look right, but I just had a thought. I've seen this in rooms and maybe it will work for you. Put the desk where the chair is. It will function as a desk and nightstand. The little table is insignifcant and I think the dresser, with the lamp on it, will look better. Then put the chair where the desk was.

As I say, I'm not there so it's difficult to get the feel for everything. Let me know if it works.

m2mom, I disagree. I was an interior design major and have watched many of the HGTV shows and love to look at houses, I have seen SO many people walk out of a house because they don't like the pink wallpaper in the bathroom. They can't see it painted and to them it is a dealbreaker.

Many people don't have the creative talent to put together their own room, that is why you see so many rooms that are exact replicas of a page from a Pottery Barn catalog. While it looks beautiful, it isn't their own creativity.

I do home visits quite often, today I saw a house where all the pictures were hung about 10" from the ceilings. This is why this forum is one of the most popular, many people can't see and want help.

That being said, Parkejo, I LOVE your bed, and by using flatter pillows (or just one per side) it would show off your beautiful headboard which is artwork in itself.

I love the furniture in your bedroom and everything but the flowery bedding. I think a white or beige duvet would look wonderful in your room or a comforter. If you have a JCPenney near you, they have a great return policy.

I agree 110% about the white bedding suggestions.

Brutuses stated exactly what I was thinking in regards to the furniture & baskets.

I think that real, down-to-earth people fall somewhere in between when it comes to looking at houses to buy. I do believe that you should stage & de-clutter. We tend to accumulate things & become accustomed to things in our own homes. I think that many of the shows on HGTV are showing us buyers that are a little on the far side though.

I can easily see past things like crazy pink wallpaper but I can't see past a mess or serious clutter.

Typically my rule of decorating for myself is the same rule as getting dressed to go out: 'Take a final look in the mirror & remove 1 item of extra clothing or accessory.' For staging a house to sell I say: 'Take one final look around & remove 2 items instead of 1.'.

I would put nothing on the ledge and just leave it bare. It will make the room look more open and spacious. People will hardly notice it instead of the eye being drawn to whatever is sitting up there. I just think these ledges are big dust collectors and wouldn't want to draw any attention to it. (I have one and wish I did not.)

I took out the 2 basket hampers and the chair and desk out of the room. It makes the room more open.

As for moving the glider chair to where the desk was, it is right next to the door and in the walkway to the closet so there is no room. I want to keep the decorator table in there but need to find a tablecloth that is more subdued than a hunter green that I have.

I am debating on the striped duvet that Michelle phxaz suggested or the white coverlet. Would a sage green striped duvet look okay with my white matelasse pillow shams in this room? I found one on the Jcpenney website and going to the store and see if they have one in stock (or call).

I would get a soft green or blue solid duvet cover and put the comforter in that as the stuffer. Put the sleeping pillows in the closet when you are not sleeping, just have the white shams there, lying flat on the bed so as not to block the headboard.

Take down the plants on the ledge - you don't need to draw attention up there, and they are really too skimpy for the space anyway. Plus, the eye is then drawn to the textured ceiling, which is often not a great selling point.

Put the baskets in the closet - no one wants to imagine dirty laundry while they are looking at the room. Then move the armoire further to the right, to give some breathing space to the desk and chair. Get a lamp on the desk, and maybe a small plant, plus a cushion on the seat in the green or blue you choose for the duvet cover, to bring some color to that wall.

Switch the nightstand and the decorator table. You have all the darker wood on the right side of the bed, and it feels crowded. Keep the rocker where it is, add a pillow in the green or blue. The rocker will then also be able to share the wood nightstand as a side table. Also, get rid of the doily. If you are worried about scratching the wood, they sell the little pads to stick to the bottom of things at the home centers or places like Hobby Lobby.

Get a floor-length tablecover for the decorator table (they are not meant to be used uncovered) again in the green or blue family, put the glass over the top of it.

Move the mirror over the dresser so that it hangs to the left half side, and several inches lower. It is too small to be centered over the whole dresser. Then add a lamp on the right side of the dresser. Also, slide the dresser a couple of inches closer to the doorway - no need to center it on the wall, and it will make the space by the night table feel a bit more open. Move it so that the right end lines up with the right edge of the light switch above it.

Simple floor-length panels in a blue or green hung on either side of the window, just covering the edges and with the rod about halfway between the window and ceiling, will soften the look of the window and tie everything together. Get a white wood rod to pick up on the trim color and look crisp on the wall, and just shirr the panels on that.

I would hang some kind of inexpensive poster print over the bed, something restful and that pulls out the accent color (blue or green) that you have chosen. Make sure it is at least a third the width of the headboard, if not more, so that it doesn't look lost on that wall.

You have a great start in the room - a neutral wall and floor, nice furniture. Just tweak the details and you will be all set! JC Penney has some coordinated bedding and accessories on sale that could work for you and be reasonably priced. Maybe do the green (or the navy) and get the duvet cover, the panels, even the accent pillow for the rocker, from this collection.

home expressions

Here is a link to a tablecloth at JCP that should come in the size you need, also on sale. If you go with the navy bedding, do the lighter blue tablecloth, or just do white.

cobblestone table linens

Here is a toile chair cushion that you could get in the blue or green to put on the desk chair:

toile chair cushion

Update:
I went and purchased a white duvet (I need to exchange the white comforter for the inside because it appears too lumpy) and accent pillows. What do you think? Which pillow do you like better? The smaller one that is tan has the paisley as in the white duvet print. I am stumped on what to do with the windows. Just plain white curtains? More help please.

I also took back the other nightstand we had in my son's room to replace the decorator table. I think it looks a lot more calming in here now.

Use both pillows: put the smaller pillow in front of the larger one.

Plain white curtains, with a pretty tieback would be nice, I think.

Something like this. . . .

Here is a link that might be useful: Plain Voile Curtains

Sorry, I keep forgetting to add things. You could also use a tassel tieback to pick up the color of one of the pillows on your bed.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tassel Tieback

Since you don't have a light on the fan, can you add a light kit? That would be something I would notice if there wasn't a light in the room.

I think your room looks great now. Some simple shears would look nice. I love the white bedding.

The pillows will look better flat, not propped up. No accent pillow is needed. If you prefer to have one, then the neutral one. Plain white curtains or sheers and make sure to fully raise the blinds when you have a showing.

It will look better without the greenery on the ledge.

I agree with Fussy, put the pillows flat down on the bed and show off that headboard! No accent pillow needed.

I LOVE the white cover. It makes your room much richer and spa-like. As for curtains, I think a panel on each side of the window would frame it perfectly, I think a brownish red would be nice, or soft blue.

I agree with getting that shelf cleared off. I prefer nothing on those shelves, it is a much cleaner look.

Yes -- place the pillows flat on the bed with the small pillow up against them.

Simple white sheers hung near to the ceiling would work great!

Yes -- remove the greenery -- and let the shelf remain empty -- easier for you and the buyers!

If possible -- add a vase of fresh flowers to the right-hand side of the dresser on "showing" days.

Jan

So much better! The white is elegant and soothing.

I agree with fussy chicken, michelle phxaz, and teacats -

Place the shams flat. Put the sleeping pillows in the closet.

You don't need accent pillows, but if you want them, exchange those for neutral ones.

Trust us, you need to remove the faux plants from the ledge...forever!

Classic white curtain panels or sheers.

Fresh flowers in a vase on the dresser for staging, but you will enjoy them too!

Lots of luck!!!