All in favor of achieving ultimate home goals say “Aye”!
Transforming your home into an 8th Wonder of the World is totally possible. It’s not to impress others with your home but rather to give off some of that good “Feng Shui”.
It doesn't matter if it's your temporary home-away-from-home or your actual home, these tips and tricks from professional home stagers can be used to give any home that bit of desired appeal
Let's jump right into some tips:
Let it Shine!
There's nothing wrong with a little spotlight. Think about it…. Shouldn't your home glow, lending its inspiration to everyone who steps through the door? So, go ahead and grant sunlight its right of passage by shoving your curtains to the side or lifting your blinds to brighten up your space and make the room feel larger.
Allow lances of the sun's molten-gold beams to splash onto the floor. While the different tones of sunlight: honeycomb-yellow, oregold-yellow, saffron-yellow, yolk-yellow, waxmelt-yellow pass throughout the room. It will be a sight-dazzling splendor!
A Good Lighting Plan
A good lighting plan is super important, so play around with layers of ambient, task and accent lighting that will complement the function and style of your space.
Ambient lighting
This lighting also known as natural lighting, controls the area's overall illumination.
Having a central source of ambient light in each room just means that you're making use of the natural lighting in a room. Ambient lighting can be the light outside that's shining through your windows or glass doors or an imitation of natural lighting in a room. UV lights are made to imitate the natural lighting you'd get from the sun.
Task lighting
Task lighting is pretty much what it sounds like. It helps with productivity. Task lighting helps you to perform specific tasks without straining your eyes or the distraction of glares and shadows.
So here what we’re talking about:
- desk lamps,
- under cabinet lighting,
- chandeliers
These sources of lighting that make it easier to do stuff around the house that you need to, you know, to help you see.
Accent lighting
Accent lighting is directional lighting used to gravitate attention towards those pieces in your home that you want to draw the eye to.
Examples of a few things you may want to accent might be:
- a trophy cases
- china cabinets
- prize sculptures
- paintings
- portraits
Accent lighting is directly on the focal point, and can be used as a single light, a pair or a grouping, depending on the size or number of items getting the spotlight.
So, accent lighting is definitely not going to give you room lighting. Interior designers place this lighting sparingly around the house, so the room isn't overwhelmed with light.
Decorative candles or candles with highly decorative accessories also make excellent accents. According to Houzz, decorative accents can even be highly decorative when they're off.
As a precaution, be careful about placing your candles around any flammable materials in its proximity.
Photocredit: palettehair.com
Superb Curb Appeal
People on the outside looking in can only judge your home based on your outdoor presentation. Superb curb appeal is respecting your neighborhood and your environment. It's both physically and mentally inviting. So, sweep leaves, move bins, and groom the garden regularly.
Color Palette Cohesion
Any living space has impact in its details. Contrast in color is most notable.
Creating a color palette eases the ability to add to the character of a room. Take into consideration the room's purpose and the things you may want to consider:
- its appeal to both sexes
- if it will have a whimsical or eclectic vibe
- if you're going for sophisticated
- if it will be used for productivity
Choose your room color strategically by picking colors that match your current decor but use it creatively.
Oh! And I should probably mention that color doesn't necessarily mean paint exclusively. Add a few colorfully decorative pieces. Mix it up! Replace Plain Jane mirrors with varying lengths and shapes or add visually appealing wall art so that complementary colors hang adjacent to each other for a vibrant look.
Use color to add in an element of interest but, be careful not to go overboard. Balance is key.
Decluttering
A most important element and the most important staging tip. Quality over quantity! Discard any old or overused things that occupy precious space in your home but do this very gingerly.
Upcycling through do-it-yourself activities can improve and upscale old items. There may be hidden treasures within the mess that could be redesigned and reused as a gift to give away.
What you absolutely do not want to do...
Wait! Let me say that one more time.
What you most definitely do not want to do is to shift your clutter from your space into many big boxes outside or in the garage- or any other part of your home. That's actually not considered decluttering. It's more like clutter shifting.
Decluttering allows the living space to exude a sigh of relief since the absence of load makes the space feel lighter. Make it your responsibility to conquer clutter, entirely.
Check out these tips for pro decluttering by Real Simple Magazine.
Go With The Less Is More Mantra
It’s astonishing to witness the collection of stuff we accumulate over time. After a good declutter, it's at that very moment that we realize how much stuff we actually had.
So, taking it one step further, fewer decor and furniture pieces can be used to highlight the beauty of the space in a room.
Homes should give a sense of serenity. If one room consistently makes you feel tense or uneasy as soon as you walk into it, see what you can remove to make the room more relaxing and appealing. Consider arranging or eliminating a few core pieces in your space and compare the difference.
Photo Credit: tjihome.com
Using Focal Points in Home Staging
I have talked a little about how accent lighting draws the eye to a particular display or focal point. Well, now let's talk a bit about what a focal point actually does for a room.
A focal point helps each room to embrace and represent its purpose clearly.
Take a look at this list. It shows focal points for each room and how each focal point represents the room's purpose:
Entryway
This is usually where first impressions are made in a home, so it needs to have an inviting aura. An ideal focal point of an entryway would be something like:
- a large mirror
- decorative wall art
- a striking vignette
HGTV gives a few cool ideas for making (and faking) entryway focal points here.
Family room and Living room
If your home was built to include a statement architectural piece, play up on that as a focal point. Mantels and fireplaces are examples of family and living room focal points that are built into the home.
Furniture and decor in this area should cater to all age groups to make a suitable place to kick back. It's a space that gives a home a sense of comfort for all to enjoy.
Kitchen
Alongside of good eats and loud family convo, the kitchen is known for storing and prepping food. It's the place where warmth is generated and truly the heart (or the center) of every home.
In many of the kitchens that were built since the late 90's, the island acts as a magnet during dining and entertaining gatherings. Chairs that accentuate the design of the island are usually placed around the island to maximize coordination.
Placing a wire or wicker basket of fake bread in the center of the island, a decorative fake cake on a crystal (or other) cake plate makes a stunning focal point for the most prominent place in the kitchen.
Dining room
Imagine a chandelier hanging in pride above a beautiful dining table in a grandiose dining room as the perfect focal point for a dining room. Love those!
In Conclusion:
Staging is not decorating! But while a specialist has the skills to harmonize household content in a way that brings clarity to the architecture and decor of a home, a good lighting plan, sunlight, superb curb appeal, color palette cohesion, a “less is more” mentality and focal areas are all small, but beneficial, are ways to implement home staging yourself.
Home staging helps with thinking more clearly and freely and allows you to feel more organized- as you should!
Comment below and tell us your favorite home staging tips and tricks.