Some staging conundrums are easy. Hot pink guest room? Paint it! Backyard looking like the set of Jumanji? Hire a landscaper!
Other issues, though, are not so easily solved.
One of the hardest things for stagers to work around is a funky, weird, totally odd layout. And so many homes have them! It’s easy to forget that tastes in layouts change all the time, just like tastes in countertops and flooring. Today’s coveted layout might be the thing that dates a home in twenty years.
So, how do we stage around a weird layout? Here are some tips and tricks from Charlotte’s experienced home staging professionals.
Create Purposeful Rooms
For buyers, odd layouts can present the question of What on earth are we going to do with this space? You never want buyers to have to guess how to use a single square foot of your home, and staging can help give every space a purpose. An odd nook off the kitchen can become a “command station” for the home; a third bedroom you can only access through the master can be staged as a study instead. Staging is about creating for buyers a picture of the way they can live.
Place Furniture Correctly
A lot of simple layout issues can be solved by better furniture that is well-placed. Too-big furniture can make a home’s layout feel cramped; you never want people to have to consciously move their bodies around stuff just to go from one point to another. Keeping furniture away from the walls, for example, can open up a living room and invite a better pattern of movement. Talk to a stager about whether or not renting more space-appropriate furniture is a smart investment to make.
Dictate the Traffic Flow
Some layout issues can be solved by creating a better traffic pattern for the home. For example, a dining room-turned-bedroom on the main level of an older home can instantly become more private and less awkward by closing one of its many doors, then staging the room as if the door weren’t there at all. If a point of ingress or egress is what’s making your layout so funky, ditch it! As long as there’s one way in and out of every space in your home, your buyers won’t even notice.
Stage to the Buyer
Remember: Layouts are subjective. What one buyer deems an off-putting layout could be someone else’s dream configuration. It’s important to know what kind of buyer is attracted to what kind of layout and stage accordingly. That’s where an experienced stager comes in. If your home is “choppy,” for example, with lots of little rooms rather than today’s trendy open floor plan, you might want to stage it to appeal to older buyers, or buyers who have lots of children. It’s all in perception, after all.
Staging gives you options. It’s all about showing your home in the best light possible, with or without a totally wacky layout. Your home is your home! When you present it the correct way, the right buyer is destined to love it.
Ready for your staging consultation?
Reach out to Creative Home Stagers today to get started.