Home Staging Tips For Closets

Every home stager is a visionary. As a stager, you’re setting the scene. You’re portraying a desirable lifestyle, and you do this with attention to detail, in every piece of furniture, every picture, and each ornament. Everything is carefully chosen and placed with precision.

A good home stager creates the perfect setting in each room so potential buyers walk in and are blown away. They instantly see a spacious, beautiful, and stylish home, their minds are filled with images of their own family enjoying the space.

Superior home staging goes beyond the interior

An excellent home stager not only pays attention to each room, but they go a step further and also consider the outside areas, creating curb appeal, by ensuring the property looks stunning from the first moment a viewer sets eyes on it.

But, a truly first-class home stager knows that it’s not just about the beauty and style of a property, buyers are also looking for a home that is practical, a property that fully meets their needs. You can create the wow factor with striking décor and luxury accessories, but when it comes to making sure a property meets the exacting requirements of a demanding buyer, that’s when the challenge really starts.

Discover the often-neglected feature that can make or break a home sale…

Perhaps the most important factor for buyers is the size of the property and the amount of storage space it offers. Every home stager knows the tips and tricks to maximize the impression of space in a room; the use of pale colors,  the clever implementation of lighting, and introducing smaller furniture, will all make a small room look bigger, but one feature that is often overlooked, even by some of the top home stagers, is the closets.

Why are closets so important?

Families have a lot of possessions. There are those things you need, and the belongings you own just because you love them. Useful things, precious things, items for all occasions. Perhaps you just love shoes and can never resist buying just one more pair. Maybe your kids’ bedrooms are overflowing with toys, or perhaps you need extra storage for holiday decorations because you’re totally extra when it comes to Christmas. Closet space is premium. Having a spacious closet can make the difference between a tidy, relaxing room, where everything has its place, and a room that is cluttered, overwhelming, and never feels in order. Our closets are our sanity, a place to hide away the clothes, the toys, the paraphernalia of everyday family life. Simply put, a good closet is a huge and highly underrated selling feature of any house.

So now you know why you need to showcase your closet space to maximum effect, how do you do it?

Don’t worry, we’re here with the lowdown, our expert top tips for staging every closet in any home, read on to learn more…

Clear everything out, fix and redecorate

How often do you think about redecorating the inside of a closet? For many of us, the answer is probably either never, or very rarely! You don’t notice, as you’re grabbing your clothes for the day, but even a closet can become tired and dirty over time. Dust gathers, items brush against the walls and leave it marked. Shelves can become loose under the strain of a pile of weighty bags or boxes. So the first step is to get everything out and give the entire closet a fix and refresh. Check the shelving and rails are all in good condition, and make sure that the fixtures are not hanging off the wall. Then brighten everything up with a fresh lick of paint or wallpaper. Choose a light color to emphasize the spaciousness of the closet. Make it look clean and hygienic, no one wants to store their clothes in a shabby old closet! And finally, check the closet door to make sure it shuts easily without sticking and doesn’t squeak. It is these small details that can put a seed of doubt in the minds of a potential buyer. If the vendor can’t be bothered to fix the closet door, something they presumably use every day, then what else in the property has been neglected?

Don’t overfill the closet

Then it’s time to put everything back in the closet, but don’t be in too much of a hurry. Now is a great time to have a clear-out ready for the next move, and a sparser closet looks way more attractive. It needs to look spacious, so you don’t want everything crammed in, making the closet appear insufficiently sized. The less you have in it, the bigger the closet will seem.

Display the very nicest items and store the rest

Of course, the seller doesn’t need to get rid of everything, although it’s a good opportunity to refresh the wardrobe, instead, excess items can be put into storage while the house is on the market and open for viewings. Choose those items that will remain carefully. Pick items that are in perfect condition, choose your best designer pieces, and show off the luxurious lifestyle you enjoy in your property, a lifestyle that the new owners will also have the pleasure of experiencing. As much as you love that cozy, scruffy winter sweater you’ve had for 10 years, and the fun pirate outfit you once wore for a party, you should put them out of sight for a while!

Sort by color for an organized look

When it comes to clothes, arranging the contents of a closet by color can bring about a feeling of organization and unity. It’s pleasing to the eye and looks so much tidier than having clothing randomly arranged. This system gives viewers the impression that the vendor is organized and efficient. This can then imply that the homeowner is likely to also be effectual when it comes to maintenance and upkeep of the property.

Keep the floor as clear as possible

By keeping the floor space in the closet clear and visible,  you’re highlighting the size of the closet. Many of us find that shoes and bags spill out onto the floor of our closets, so get organized with a shoe rack or some extra shelving, or simply put excess items into storage for a while.

Allow viewers to see the back wall of the closet

Don’t fill every shelf or rack so you can’t see the walls of the closet. If you allow a viewer to see to the back of the closet, you’re drawing attention to its spaciousness. 

Keep it tidy with matching storage

Loose items on shelves can quickly look untidy and disorganized. Perhaps you have a closet in the bathroom for toiletries, or your kids store their toys in a closet in their room. With clever use of chic, simplistic, and neutral-colored storage bins and boxes, you can make a cluttered closet filled with random items look orderly and smart.

Consider adding lighting solutions

No one will be impressed by a dark and gloomy closet. Most closets don’t have natural lighting, but it’s easy to install some interior lighting within your closet. You could even choose lights that automatically turn on when the closet door is opened. This is a handy feature for day-to-day use when you’re choosing your outfit on a dark winter morning, but it also allows potential buyers to get a good look at the all-important closet space, even if they’re viewing the property on a dull day or in the evening after sunset.

Refresh your clothes hangers

Finally, every home stager knows how important the finer details are. So our last tip is to refresh your clothes hangers. Take a look at the hangers you have now. They’re probably mismatched, some of them probably came with items of clothing you bought years ago. It’s time to get rid of them and buy a matching set so the whole closet looks coordinated and well-kempt.