There is really one golden rule when it comes to home staging: Make your home look bigger to potential buyers. And perhaps nowhere is that concept more imperative than in the living room. This is the area where homeowners usually spend most of their time entertaining and relaxing, and where potential home buyers will be placing extra scrutiny.
But you do not have to knock down walls or spend a small fortune to make things look big. There are fortunately a few quick and relatively affordable ways to maximize your living room’s first impression, even when you lack square footage.
1. Do not leave your living room empty
This concept might seem counterintuitive, but it is worth considering. An empty room gives home buyers no point of reference for size.
But do not just shove some furniture in the living room and call it a day. There is actually a science to arranging your stuff in a way that makes the room feel bigger.
If you place the tallest piece of furniture in the far left corner of the room, it will appear larger than if that same piece of furniture is closer to the entry. Putting a large or tall piece of furniture near an entryway or door tricks the eye into thinking a space is smaller than it is, so keep taller items in corners or take them out altogether.
2. Carefully consider seating
Choose a focal point such as a fireplace or windows with a view. Maybe yours is a beautiful piece of art or a family heirloom. Position your seating arrangement around the focal point. And remember that you want prospective buyers to imagine themselves actually living in and using your space, so your seating concept should be functional as well.
3. Scale down your furniture pieces
This concept should come as no surprise, but you should never fill your small space with a truckload of huge stuff or you will naturally dwarf the space.
Instead of a sectional or large couch, you should use a wedge sofa, a loveseat or a semicircular sofa that curves inward. Using smaller furniture will leave more white space. This will make the room seem larger.
4. Build around your largest piece and edit
While you are building around your largest piece, you should ditch the bold pieces of artwork for more neutral prints, and get rid of your family photos on the mantel.
5. Balance color
You do not need to slather your walls in an uninspiring white. You could have some fun with it. But you will need to follow some basic rules to avoid overwhelming the space.
You will want to get rid of dark or bold paint colors, which will make cramped spaces feel tighter or at least use them sparingly.
When it comes to colors on the ceiling, pick a shade that is lighter than your walls to give the impression of openness. Also match your wall color to larger and lighter-hued pieces of furniture.
Do you have a question about home staging? Click here to speak to the Kortney Williams Team today!