Staging: Staying Current

Remember when staging your house meant making it look as much like a model home as possible? The barren counter tops, the rug-less floors, the generic artwork? These days depersonalizing and de-cluttering a home are still extremely important, but thanks in part to shows like Fixer Upper and Hometown, there's been a subtle shift towards houses that feel warmer, more comfortable, more lived in--in short more like real homes than model homes.

I'll never forget one early client. Her beautiful historic home had been on the market for 18 months and listed with 3 different agents. The price had been dropped several times. When she hired the agent I worked with, she couldn't understand why a stager was being brought in since she had already "staged" her home. Her idea of staging had been to pack up every single piece of artwork and decorative item and stash them in the attic and to push all the furniture against the walls to make the rooms look "bigger." Even 10 or so years ago, buyers weren't buying it.
These days you can't insult your buyers' intelligence. They watch HGTV too, and quite frankly they've become suspicious of homes that look overly staged or not lived in. They know someone lives in your house, and they are looking to live there too. When they walk in and don't see ANY of your stuff, they begin to wonder where their stuff will fit. Will they have to become minimalists to live in your house?
One room where people following old advice can go overboard is the bathroom. For a time, we were told to pick up all of our rugs, hide our trash cans, and clear our counters of everything other than 3 decorative items. (Remember that model home?) But a vase of flowers isn't going to give anyone ideas about how they would really live in your house. So instead of clearing out their bathrooms, I suggest that today's clients simply cut back on the amount of things they have on display and focus on making those things attractive.
Instead of those three useless items, consider a pretty soap dish with yummy smelling soap or a pretty liquid soap dispenser, an attractive container to corral your toothbrush and toothpaste, and a pretty basket to stash your hair products in. One client who took my advice to heart even bought pretty crystal decanters to put the family's mouthwash in--and it looked really cool!
In the shower, aim for no more than two bottles of shampoo/conditioner and maybe a razor. You can even pick bottles that go with your color scheme given the variety available these days. On the floor, one or two rugs are ok depending on the size of your room, just make sure they are in good condition and add to the decor. You don't want to look like you are trying to hide the flooring, but your bathroom doesn't need to be an echo chamber either.
The key to contemporary staging is balance. Yes, you want to show a lot of open space, but you don't want rooms to look empty or sterile if you are still occupying the house. Yes, you want to take down all those family photos, but you also want the house to have a sense of unique style and personality. Striking this balance takes a little effort, a lot of common sense, and some creativity. If achieving that balance is a challenge, hiring a stager is a good way to make sure you hit the mark.