Our home is a very personal space. We fill our houses with the things we love, the items we need, and so, just as every family is different, every home is unique. Our spaces are an extension of our personality, we’re showcasing our interests, our hobbies, and our style. For many of us, when someone walks into our home, they can look around and feel that yes, this is Bob’s house.
But when you’re staging a home for sale, you need to set the scene. The property must look homely and inviting, but it shouldn’t feel like someone else’s home. Buyers should not walk into the property and instantly feel like they’re in Bob’s house, with Bob’s tastes and interests permeating throughout the residence.
The key to this is neutralization. While you don’t want to eliminate all character from the property or turn it into a bland sea of beige, it’s important that the personality of the current owners doesn’t overwhelm the house itself, making it difficult to see past their tastes and design choices.
Sometimes it’s obvious. The bright pink feature wall and the life-size ornamental flamingo should probably go, but neutralization is actually a greater skill than simply removing bright colors and quirky personal items. There’s a fine line between neutral and forgettable, and a truly great home stager knows exactly how to achieve this perfect balance, staging a home that’s beautiful, stylish, and striking, yet neutral enough that anyone would be able to imagine their new lives in the property.
Neutralization takes many forms, so let’s take a closer look at some of the many home staging techniques you can use to create the perfect, gorgeous, neutral home…
Neutralize the décor then add interesting touches
One of the most impactful characteristics of a property is the décor. Highly patterned wallpaper can instantly turn people off, and dark colors can create a feeling of claustrophobia. One person’s cozy is another person’s gloomy. So, while a teal kitchen or a bright red dining room may find fans within a small percentage of the property’s viewers, it’s not worth taking a chance that you’re going to match up the house with the peacock wallpaper with an avid ornithologist.
So go for colors that look good and are inoffensive. Opt for shades that look clean, fresh, and bright, colors that can be easily changed to suit the new owner’s tastes. White, cream, beige, and even a light blue or green can look amazing, and make small rooms appear larger. However, an entire beige house can seem very boring and doesn’t stand out from the crowd when it comes to attracting potential buyers. That’s where the accessories come in. Add in some carefully chosen items such as throw cushions, vases, and artwork, and you can add in the color, texture, and interest that the room is lacking.
Declutter every room and depersonalize accessories
Viewers need to be able to easily imagine their new lives in the property. They need to be able to clearly visualize themselves and their family in the house, without feeling as if the current owners are still occupying the space like unwanted tenants. Remove items that are personal, and pack away excess clutter and belongings. Too much stuff makes any home look untidy and cramped. So it’s time to get minimal. From oversized furniture to overflowing closets, and ornaments to family photos, get it all pared down and into storage, out of sight. Each room just needs a few key pieces to ensure it looks like a home; functional, beautiful, and neutral.
Get tough on dirt and grime and neutralize odors
When we think about neutralizing a property, we tend to imagine the visual aspects of the home, the color schemes, and the attention to detail with the accents and accessories. But, the aroma of the house can often be anything but neutral, instantly betraying the habits of the current owners. Sometimes this can be overwhelming and off-putting, such as a strong smell of pets or overpowering cooking odors, but it can also be more subtle. It may not be an offensive odor, but nonetheless, it has a smell to it, a smell of another family, making it harder for people to imagine this house as their new home.
There are plenty of great smelling products out there to help make any home smell more pleasant but never underestimate the power of fresh air and a good clean. Smells cling, particularly to soft furnishings, so cleaning carpets, curtains, and cushions can work wonders, as can throwing open all the windows and letting in the breeze. Nothing is more neutral than the smell of clean, fresh air!
Keep it simple – less is more
One of the pitfalls of home staging is taking things a step too far. You’re brimming over with ideas, you can think of a hundred ways to make this property look fantastic, but it’s important to hold back. You’re staging the home for sale, so it needs to appeal to as wide an audience as possible, so it’s wise to keep things simple. While you will want to add a little color, or a little texture, you don’t want to overfill the room with artwork, throws, scatter cushions, and large vases. Don’t be tempted to keep adding just one more finishing touch. Think about every item in the room, and what purpose it serves. If it doesn’t add anything to the scene, then reconsider its presence there.
Standardize the use of every room
How we use the rooms in our homes can also be very personal. A couple with four children is likely to use their space in a very different way than a single person with no kids. While a home gym or art studio might be impressive, it’s best to keep things neutral by ensuring that bedrooms look like bedrooms as that is their primary function. Rooms can be deceptive, so don’t leave people pondering over whether or not they could fit a bed in the smallest bedroom, show them! It’s far easier to imagine a bedroom as a craft room or a playroom than it is to visualize it the other way around.
Finally, check the details
A truly great home stager knows the importance of detail. It’s easy to whitewash a house, repaint everything, lay new carpets, and have it crisp and clean, a blank canvas. It’s far harder to then make it look like an attractive, elegant, and desirable residence, rather than a cold, characterless property. With attention to detail, carefully choosing every addition to every room, and ensuring each item is high quality, visually appealing, and perfectly suited to its setting, you’re setting a scene that people will aspire to live in. Make it tasteful, make it neutral, and you’ll attract those all-important prospective buyers.
