A few years ago, the idea of ’home staging’ before selling your home might have seemed like a wild extravagance reserved for our friends across the pond (see Sale of SunsetA home doesn’t go on the market until neutral fabrics and curvy furniture and any practical appliances are removed from the kitchen). Recently, however, this phenomenon has reached the UK and is now considered a valuable tool to protect the buyer. So valuable, in fact, that Tim Murray, co-founder of Folio Group The staging company describes it as ‘the best property marketing tool available to sellers’. But what is house staging? And is it really worth it? We talk to the experts.
‘At its most basic form, home staging is getting your property ready to sell on the market,’ explains Natalie Evans, founder and CEO of the staging company. Little Barn Door and the president Home Staging Association UK. She continues, ‘Unlike interior design, where you want to bring your personality to a space, home staging is about making it as attractive as possible to a potential buyer so they can picture themselves living there.’
For Natalie, home staging is as much about psychology as it is about aesthetics: ‘Home staging needs to have a very good idea of who will buy the property and how they will use it. Chances are the person buying the house will be at the same stage as when you bought it: for example a young family will want to know there is enough space for children’, she explains, adding that in such cases, she may recommend that her clients convert an unused room or a hybrid storage-office room into a bedroom to meet the need.
For Alice Grimes, senior director of London-based home staging specialists Box 97It’s also about aesthetics. ‘We focus on subtle updates that enhance the space without overwhelming it. That might mean decluttering to allow light and flow, neutralizing strong personal touches, or layering in soft furnishings that bring warmth and harmony. Every decision is made by asking “How can we help someone envision this as their future home?”‘
On neutralizing the strong personal touch, Natalie agrees. ‘I would immediately advise a client with a strong color palette to tone it down,’ he says, explaining that a home’s appeal needs to be as universal as possible, and not everyone will love your feature wall as much as you. Indeed, on a recent project, Alice advised the client to repaint the hallway—which was drenched in red—in a softer, less striking shade. Other items that scream ‘this is my house not yours’ should be removed, advises Tim, who suggests ‘storing family photos and children’s artwork’.
The above disorganization is also a common sticking point for home stagers. How is a potential buyer perceived if they are spending Christmas Day in the living room or hosting a dinner party in the kitchen if it is full of your miscellaneous odds and ends? Often, Tim explains, it’s the furniture that makes spaces look or feel too crowded: ‘Oversized or old and damaged items can reduce the appeal of a property by making a room feel cluttered or dark. In such situations, we will remove and store these for the client before our design team reimagines the room,’ he says. Generally, the cleaner the space, the more room for the buyer to portray their goods in it: within reason. ‘It’s important to have some life and personality. Staging can’t be clinical, it needs to feel alive,’ warns Natalie.
