Phoenix Area Stagers Make smaller homes feel larger

As a professional real estate stager one of our primary jobs is to make smaller homes feel larger, or in some case as large as they really are. Here are some ways we accomplish that.

• To create the illusion of more space trim down what you have in a smaller room to the essentials. As professional stagers we ask, “Do you really need a chair in your bedroom, or can you sit on the bed to put your shoes on?
• Clutter makes a room feel smaller. Lots of smaller items, like your figurine collection, lots of family photos or your trophies displayed on horizontal surfaces, eat up visual space. Only display 3-5 items at a time, uneven numbers work best.  Store the rest and rotate them out of storage every few months or seasonally.  Not only will the room feel bigger, but each item will stand out more.
• A  professional stager will use fewer pieces of furniture. Its better to have one larger dresser than 2 smaller ones.
• Use appropriately sized furniture. In decorating and staging  size matters. Having a large sectional in a small family room will highlight how small the room is.
• Cooler colors recede, so painting a room a pale blue, green or gray will make it feel larger.  In decorating grays are in this year.
• Show more tile or hardwood floor. The larger the expanse of tile or hardwood floor, the larger the room will look. See how the room looks without an area rug.
• Try using one larger area rug instead of several smaller rugs.  Throw rugs chop up space, and make the area feel smaller by breaking it up. Stagers  aim to make space flow seamlessly.
• Use uncomplicated fabric on upholstery and bedding.  Use solid colors for comforters or bedspreads in a small bedroom to make the room feel larger. Keeping it simple is key in staging.
• Strategically placed mirrors make a room feel larger-A trick used by both stagers and decorators.
• A well lit room feels larger.  Open up the window and let the light shine in.  Dark rooms benefit from strategically  placed lighting.  Stagers are trained in this area.
• Minimize window treatments, the simpler the better. Shutters, blinds or simple drapes (no flounces, ruffles, strong patterns or complicated valences) take up less “visual space”.

 These home staging tips work if you are staging to sell or just want to make the home you are living in feel larger.