You can convince your significant other that it's time for some R & R, by explaining a vacation is an opportunity to study decor that works for home staging. You're on a research mission. Hotels and resorts have lots to teach.
Bedrooms matter
Wouldn't you love staged bedrooms to look something like a boutique hotel room? I know future buyers would!Here's what's worth copying from high-end hotels:
- No funky furniture. Pieces that match in style look more refined.
- Layered but simple bedding
- Some abstract art that anyone could love
- A harmonious color scheme
- The lack of itty-bitty stuff scattered here and there (Of course! No one lives there until you arrive!)
- Unquestionable cleanliness
Some backstory
Hotels used to be the punching bag of interior decoration. And no wonder.The color schemes were plucked from the worst Hollywood had to offer, as if to remind you that you were escaping reality by vacationing. The furniture was chosen to withstand abuse but it looked like it was designed for men's dormitories. Tacky reproductions of rainy Paris street scenes and puppies in a field of daisies were screwed to the flocked wallpapered wall through their gilded frames.
Very impressive. If you never left home before.
Then along came boutique hotels, and American hotel chains knew they had to follow suit. Probably the Internet helped to educate people about what hotels could look like if hotels wanted to put forth any effort.
There are still plenty of ugly hotel rooms in America, but if we concentrate on the elegant ones, the expensive ones, the luxury ones, the ones managed by people wise enough to hire a designer, then we can learn something about how to a stage a bedroom for the real estate market.
Ideas worth stealing
Who doesn't relish the feeling of waltzing into a big, beautiful, private bedroom, that's been freshly prepared just for your relaxation and enjoyment? That's the feeling you want to convey to people touring your home.
Creating the sense of a bedroom suite is always a good idea. Do you have the space for a writing desk, a lounge chair, or love seat? Women especially respond to a bedroom staged as a getaway, a place to unwind and be alone, or else spend private time as a couple.
A bench at the foot of the bed is also a good idea hotels know about. It doesn't take much space, visually substitutes for a footboard, and provides a surface for sitting.
Big windows are another mark of luxury and spaciousness. Are the windows in your bedrooms dressed to make them look large? Are the window treatments hung high and wide? Do they complement the mood of the room? They can't look skimpy!
Hotels that charge big bucks have to look trendy as well as spotless. Outdated technology will downgrade a bedroom. In the staged home, a large screen television is a plus (especially with men, even though the set doesn't convey with the property). Other electronics -- those that can't be stolen on a home tour -- should look contemporary as well.
I have used a laptop as a staging prop, something my computer repair guy was glad to get rid of for free because it was not repairable. We removed the screen so it was obvious -- once opened -- that it was not worth stealing. Closed, it looked spiffy and new.
If you want more tips on staging bedrooms to sell a home, download my eBook, DIY Home Staging Tips to Sell Your Home Fast and For Top Dollar. You'll easily gain a wealth of information, advice that will let you stage a home on a dime.