Take it from me: I grew up in a very small apartment in a major metropolitan city in Germany where real estate is hard to come by. Simply put, space matters.
Consider this: Our kitchen housed the only collapsible dining table in our one-bedroom home and the fridge was the size of your standard under-cabinet dishwasher. I had the pleasure of sharing a bedroom with my mother for far too long but that was normal living in this city.
But todays blog is (fortunately) not about my childhood – it is about staging a small home for sale in a way that it’s space limitations become secondary for any potential buyer. Instead, the idea is to highlight the home for what space is available and to do that you must accentuate what you have and distract from what you don’t.
We were thrilled when Redfin reached out to us to contribute to their home staging tips along with 19 other certified staging professionals. Redfin is a such a great resource for selling your home and it was a pleasure to partake in their blog.
Instead of leaving our contribution at that, we decided to go ahead and expand on some of our other points for our readers.
Stick with light colors throughout your home
Darker colors will visually shrink and recede the space inside of home, giving it an even smaller appearance than it is. When you pick paint colors and furniture, avoid going with warmer and darker colors and instead, opt for light and fresh cooler colors to give the feeling of an airy open space.
Scale your furniture appropriately
You may be tempted to place small furniture to give the appearance of more available space but this will have the opposite effect. It actually makes your room look awkward and underutilized. When selecting furniture, ensure you scale your space properly. There are many resources online to verify correct scale but when in doubt, follow the rule of thirds. Fill your walls 2/3 of the way using a sofa and fill corners will plants and light (Floor and Table lamps).
Float your furniture
While it may seem counter productive to move your sofa and accent tables away from the wall, giving yourself even less space, it actually gives the visual appearance of a larger room. As pictured in the feature image above, if possible, float your furniture away from the wall, if even just by a few inches, so as to give an open and airy appearance.
Add a rug to define the space
True for most open plan concepts, adding a rug helps define individual spaces clearly. This is especially important for rooms where multi-functional use of space is needed (think living room with office desk, for instance). To ensure that the primary living space is clearly defined, bring in a correctly sized rug to make it the star of the room (instead of the office desk in the corner).
Layer lighting
True for all rooms, regardless of size, never underestimate the importance of layering light throughout your home to make the space warm, inviting and multi-dimensional.
Add dimension to your space by layering furniture and décor
Highlight use of space by layering furniture and décor. Using rugs to define the spaces, pillows and throws to play up dimensions, large wall art and décor. Mix fabrics and patterns to give depth to the space and add layered lighting (speak: Floor and table lamps) for added dimension throughout the room.
Selling a home? We are certified professional stagers and can help you prepare it for sale!
Want to make your home feel like a hug? Call or email us!
xoxo, Nastassja