Home Staging and Interior Decorating are two design industry terms that are often used.
While there can be some overlap between these two aspects of interior design, they are quite different in purpose and application.
Whether you’re a homeowner, a realtor, a decorator, or a student of design, understanding the differences and nuances of these two design techniques can be both useful and fascinating, from the practical aspects such as making the best use of color and lighting, to the psychology of interior design.
Let us now take a closer look at the differences between home staging and interior decorating…
The overall purpose
In general, interior decorating involves making a home or a workplace more pleasant or more fitting for the owners.
The design process will revolve around the family’s tastes, personal color and style preferences, and how they live. From stark minimalism to cozy warmth, the end result is to create a room setting that’s aesthetically pleasing and perfectly practical for those who will use it.
With home staging, the purpose is to sell a property, attract potential buyers, and make it look amazing, without limiting its appeal to any one particular person or group. If you’d like a more detailed overview of the process, our article on what home staging is covers the fundamentals from start to finish.
This is a process of showcasing a property to its fullest, with a nod to real-life living, while truly offering an aspirational lifestyle. This is achieved by making each room look its best, perhaps with clever use of lighting and object placement, by reducing the amount of furniture in a room, or by visually offering the suggestion that a particular room can have multiple functions, accommodating a wide range of needs.
The intended audience
Interior decorating is usually undertaken to please a particular person or people. A home may be designed with the unique needs of a specific family in mind. There may be little thought given to the future; for example, vibrant colors and bold motifs may be chosen for a child’s room simply because they will make them happy.
With home staging, it’s all about appealing to the masses. Keeping colors muted and neutral to maximize the selling power, enabling any potential buyer to easily imagine themselves living in the home. Our guide to neutralization explains exactly how stagers approach this process and where to draw the line between neutral and bland. A home stager will understand the latest trends and know what buyers are looking for.
The timeframes and effort involved
Of course, there are no hard-and-fast rules, but in general, home staging is a much quicker and less involved process than interior decorating. When you’re looking to sell your home, it may be necessary to completely renovate the property, but for the majority of sales, setting the scene is all that is needed. A good declutter makes a home look more spacious, and removing personal items creates a blank canvas that viewers can project their own lives onto.
An interior decorating project can range from a simple makeover, a change of fabric for the soft furnishings, or the addition of rugs, artwork, or accessories, but often it’s a much larger, more transformational project, taking into account flooring, wall coverings, and perhaps new furniture.
Long vs short-term goals
The purpose of home staging is to make a big impression in a short time. The stage is set, and the whole ambiance needs to be taken in at a glance. Anyone viewing a home may simply walk through each area, giving it a quick glance, and making snap judgments. First impressions count. Home staging is about impact and not longevity.
On the other hand, the aim of interior decorating is to create a beautiful, liveable space that can be enjoyed in the long term. This is the art of designing spaces to be lived in and used day in and day out.
With home staging, it’s all about the instant wow factor. You’re setting a scene, but interior design goes deeper than that – it needs to be visually stunning, but there will be other factors in play, such as durability, ease of use, and the ability to adapt to the seasons or for different use case scenarios, such as socializing.
The use of tricks and psychology
We use tricks in interior decorating all the time. If you want to feel warmer, you’ll add a lamp that gives off a cozy glow, and perhaps use scatter cushions, throws, and rugs in rich autumnal colors.
This psychological aspect of home décor is magnified in home staging, where a wealth of tricks can be used to showcase a home in its absolute best light.
Curtains are drawn wide, and windows are opened to give the impression of a light, airy home. An eye-catching flower may be placed on the windowsill with the best view to draw the eye and ensure every potential buyer spots this selling point.
Working as a home stager or an interior decorator
If you have an eye for design, both home staging and interior decorating can offer fulfilling career paths – but the day-to-day experience is quite different.
As a home stager, the pace is fast. A homeowner or real estate agent brings you in to showcase a property at its absolute best before it hits the market. You’ll assess the space, rearrange or remove furniture, pack away personal items, and bring in accessories from your own inventory to create a polished, buyer-friendly scene. The work requires a sharp understanding of current trends, buyer psychology, and what makes a property photograph well. Most projects are completed in days rather than weeks, and the reward is clear: a home that sells quickly and for a strong price.
Interior decorating moves at a different rhythm. You’ll work closely with the homeowner over a longer period, discussing their tastes, how they use the space, and what they want to feel when they walk into a room. Projects often involve selecting fabrics, wall coverings, furniture, and artwork through multiple rounds of consultation. The timeline is longer and the process more collaborative, but the payoff is lasting – a space the homeowner will enjoy for years to come.”
Taking the first steps to a design career
There are many courses available, both online and at your local college, that will give you a good grounding in design techniques.
If you’re leaning toward the staging side of the industry, a home staging certification is one of the fastest ways to build both your skills and your credibility with clients. But if you’re looking for an interior decorator certification, there are other options too, such as those offered by our sister brand, the Interior Decorating Institute.
With so much crossover between home staging and interior decorating, there’s little need to decide what road to go down initially. Developing a good understanding of color, lighting, and the best ways to use different materials will all put you in good standing whichever design career path you choose. And of course, these are all incredibly useful skills that you can put into use in your own home, whether you’re creating the perfect retreat or you’re looking to maximize the returns on your investment property.
