I was just wondering if you're getting ready to sell your home (therefore the staging) or just want to see your MB with new eyes?

Personally, I think it's funny how they (HTGT) goes minimalistic when selling a home and then the decorating shows say all the rooms lack personality and need new paint and accents.

Myself, I love my bedroom but if I were to sell my house I know the first thing I would have to remove is the wallpaper that I still love after 13 years or so. But I can understand trying to appeal to a broad range or even seeing things through new eyes.

Hi phoggie, I'd look for one simple accent color. A deep blue would look nice with taupe and you could just use it here and there, pillow, throw or vase for examples.

What is the size of the room? Does the recliner look cramped in there? Maybe you could move it if it does.

For staging a master bedroom I would go for an upscale hotel look. The white bedding is good, but I would add a throw or coverlet folded near the foot of the bed and some throw pillows.

I think that the "upscale hotel look" is what I am wanting to do....would it be better to fold down the coverlet and have colored sheets to just leave it all white? I think that perhaps my sage throw and candles would work in there...and I can get a sage rolled pillow that I saw last week. What do you all think?...or do you think I should just leave it all white and use only the white pillow cases and white shams? Any more color suggestions are more than welcome.

parma~~ The room is large but maybe by taking out that recliner (it is in a small sitting area) and putting a tall palm or something in its place might be better. I'd miss that chair....that is "my place" to watch all the design shows that DH hates~~...but I would survive~

neese~~ Yes, we are "hoping" to sell this house....but the market is more than slow.....so it may be a long process....

All white sheets, white towels, hotel style. Have a coverlet at the foot of the bed in a different color or same color with a monogram of another color.

I think your changes sound good-- regarding the recliner, I'd remove it if it makes the room look cramped or smaller. If it creates a nice (albeit, small) sitting area, I think that could enhance the room (and buyer's impression). Since you can't upload a photo, do you have a friend who will tell you the truth? I think this is a time that fresh eyes help.

We removed about 20-30% of the furniture from each room when we staged. Just a tad shy of sparse is good. I think the hotel white look is great, but I would add a stronger color than sage, something with more pizazz, but only in little bits. I like Parma's deep blue idea.

I know it feels awful to have to go out and spend money to stage, but it will likely pay off...either in a better price or a quicker sale. I probably spent a couple thousand bucks stripping wallpaper, painting, getting new bedding for two rooms, and keeping the house stocked with fresh houseplants. (I kill anything inside as a rule.) But we sold in a few months in Florida, where things are pretty bad.

Good luck!

Will someone please explain to me why "staging" is now the rage? I have purchased three homes and built two. The three that I purchased were not what they ended up being after I finished decorating them to MY taste (why would I want to live in a house that is the previous owner's idea of decorating?) Are people so devoid of imagination that they can't look beyond what they see to envision themselves living in a house decorated to their own taste? It's beyond me.

Are people so devoid of imagination that they can't look beyond what they see to envision themselves living in a house decorated to their own taste?

Yes.

lol@amysrq

I was going to compose a long post on this subject but why compete with perfection.

Well put, Amy.

Amy~ I am ready to read the long post you were going to post on this subject.....so please let us hear what information you wish to share. Thanks.

My DH thinks this "staging" thing is a bunch of bologna... he says they are buying a "house" not our "furniture"....but I need to do all I can to get this house ready for the market. Only 1 in our price range has sold in this town in over 2 years....market is worse than "slow"...I need to make it the best I can. So I REALLY appreciate all your help in the staging of any rooms. (sure wish I could post pics)

Maybe someone with "staging knowledge or experience" could start a post on what you have done....how about it?

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Staging Your Home to Sell is an excellent resource.

Phoggie, long before stagers were trying to sell us on the wonders of staging, realtors knew what a dim bunch buyers tend to be.

Most would not think an office could be a bedroom...how could it, there's no bed in there? They remember houses by colors they don't like...the house with the purple dining room, for example.

Staging is to make them feel like they could move right in and it would be 'their' house. That's why we take down family photos and make a room look as spacious as possible, kind of like the "hotel chic" look that is being argued about on another post, lol.

I sold our old house last year during the down market without a realtor and really didn't have to change it much. The pretty handmade tablecloth with lemons on the border that we bought in Florence was cleared away for a more contemporary look. Put a bed in the third bedroom that had other uses for us. Hired a cleaning service to make sure everything was spotless. Fresh flowers and plants are nice, too.

I always kept an extra set of 'showing' things (towels, soaps, etc.) to be brought out in pristine condition when a potential buyer showed up.

Lots of houses on the market now and you want yours to stand out above the rest.

I personally think the current notion that people will not want to buy your house if it contains your family photographs or portraits is utter nonsense. If there are too many photgraphs crowding for space, or in ugly or dusty frames it is common sense to remove some of them. Basically, clean up, de-clutter, and make your home more appealing---to anyone, not just a potential buyer. That is simply good design, not "staging" for a purpose. I always think of "staging" as leaving a breakfast tray on the bed in the master BR, with fake food on the plate, sort of like a model home.

That's probably where all this came from----houses for resale having to compete with professionally decorated and "staged" models in a community that is still building out. Even in those models, one bedroom is decorated for "the boy" and another for "the girl," with fake belongings. The model tries to look like a real home and the real home tries to look like a model, lol.

Well, I think it was Parma you wanted to hear from, and you have. But I have to chime in a bit too since we sold in bad market this year and I also had to struggle with DH over the things I did to stage. He too, thought it was hogwash.

A friend bought me a book called Ready, Set, Sell and I read it cover to cover. Twice. I did many of the things the author suggested, but not all. I think either that book or the Idiots or Dummies guides would be helpful, offering ideas you might not have thought of.

One thing the RSS guy believe is that there should be a place to sit at the front door so that a potential buyer can rest and reflect after leaving the house. My bench on the front porch was really just a landing pad for UPS packages. I whipped up the little patch of garden right in front of that bench and made damn sure to keep it perfect!

I think the fake food, and even the table being set for some imaginary meal, is really over kill. But, I will admit that I arranged my pantry, and bought certain foods in prettier packages (pasta from Italy and fancy sauce) to give a more upscale impression. Even the inside of my fridge was always ready to show. It was a Subzero and I figured people would look. This sound silly but for the price range were were listed in I felt it was important.

I did buy white bedding and took my brightly colored quilt and folded it neatly at the foot of the bed for a color accent. I could not bear to get any old thing so I bought a duvet from Garnet Hill, knowing I would be happy to use it later.

We bought dozens of new wood hangers from The Container Store and packed away most of our clothing. The inside of the closet looked like a catalog. One looker even asked my realtor where the heck all out clothes were! Because we did not have much in there, she was worried that she wouldn't fit her clothes in that closet. She also didn't think there was enough room for her evening gowns. Oh well...

I don't think enough can be said about having the house immaculately clean. I worked for months getting the place really ship shape and then I worked like a madwoman before every showing. Our buyers said it was by far the cleanest house they looked at. And I am no housekeeper. Really. But when it matters, I can pull out all the stops. Even the guy who did the post-move/pre-closing cleaning said he couldn't believe how clean the house was.

amysrq and others~~

Thanks for suggesting the book, "Ready, Set, Sell"....I will try to find it. I did read the one something about dummy getting the house staged (or something like that)....and did found it very informative.

The one "big" thing we are going to do.....that is if I get DH in the mood.....is to replace all the shiny brass fixtures/knobs/lights in the kitchen to a bronze.....and since our marble etched so badly, we are going to put on granite squares (can't see spending $$$$$$ on slabs....I don't think we can re-coop in this town....although ours is a very nice home, this town is not "up-scale"....so unless someone comes in from somewhere else (maybe California), we are going to have hard enough time finding someone who can afford it. Not much money in a military town~~~

I did get new white bedding and curtains and plan to use a pretty sage bolster pillow and throw on the bed (I know some have suggested bright colors, but wanted to keep that "serene feeling"....walls are a rather deep taupe...carpet is creme....furniture is a dark wood. I'll get a single rose to put in a little white vase and a few sage candles and call it quits for there. The MB is connected and it is painted a couple shades lighter taupe, white towels with a bit of sage and soft rose so thought I would stick to the same colors in the bedroom.

I am in the process of REALLY digging...and plan to have a huge garage sale when it gets cooler.....and took sacks and sacks of clothes to Goodwill already cleaning out closets.

IF we sell this house, our next one will be really down-sized from this one....and we are "over retirement" ages, so "things" just aren't too important to us anymore....been there, done that~~ Even "collections" are going....enjoyed them once, but that time is over....now it is just "clutter".

I really do appreciate yours and all the others help and suggestions in this "staging" thing....as I said before, DH thinks it is "bologna". I always have been a good housekeeper (although not as much as I used to be). I had a couple realtor friends who live here in our housing development come and walk through.....they said they didn't see anything that needed to be changed....in fact, they thought I had "staged" it already~~~~

Keep thoughts coming....I really appreciate them.

Good luck with staging and selling. We are in your age bracket and have just downsized. We love the new freedom a smaller house/yard have given us. When our other house sold, I would only look for smaller square footage. Also we wanted the new home to completely be redone so that all we had to do was move the "stuff" we wanted and start on the next stage of our lives.

I think the whole "staging" thing is a crock. When I look at a home for purchase, I mentally block out everything in it, unless it's included in the sale. I ignore the furnishings, the artwork, the wall colors (other than those I like that won't need repainting). My only problem with clutter is that it makes it hard to judge the condition of the flooring or walls that are covered up. Sparse furniture layouts don't fool me into thinking the room is bigger. Neither do bright lights. I'm probably going to renovate the kitchen so don't waste your money on new granite countertops whose color I might not like. Given my druthers, I prefer a completely empty house, although that's not always possible if you still live there when it's being sold.

BTW, portraits of family and friends lend a nice, welcoming feel to a home, despite what the realtors tell you. Ever notice that when you buy picture frames from stores, they have photos already in them?

I think staging is really the thing I've been doing for the past 25 years. Clean and simple, clutter free decorating.

I personally see what a house will be not what it is. I think that is what makes most of us different that come to this forum than the masses.

Houses sell very well in my area WITHOUT staging.

It hasn't caught on here yet... and it may never. We do not have the housing slump many of you have... in fact, housing has been chugging along as it always did (slowly, but always upward!). So staging doesn't seem to be necessary for a sale.

Or... the people in western PA can see beyond the furniture to the house itself!