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The Psychology Of Home Staging

As HGTV’s ratings rise and social networking pages such as Pinterest emerge, we are left with the passion for imagination and creativity. Staging is a huge trend these days for retailers and designers alike. No longer are homebuyers satisfied searching for houses that leave everything up to the imagination. One wants to walk into a space that immediately warps their perception into their soon to be home living reality. The psychology behind home staging is one that is simple but efficient and the question always comes up, “Is it really necessary?”

With the purpose behind staging primarily directed towards selling, home staging can actually connect with its customers on a deeper level. Home staging not only creates a welcoming great first impression for customers, but also leaves its homebuyers with an emotional connection. The simple, clean, and livable feel that staging usually creates is what grabs the homebuyer’s attention and persuades them to fall in love. 

For example think about walking into a home that has their kids pictures are all over the fridge, the bookshelf is entirely filled with unnecessary clutter, and that dated beat up couch is still sitting in their living room. With those images no one would choose to live in that house, because one is blinded by the distracting confusion created in the space.  Now think about walking into a home with universal color schemes, minimal art hung to accentuate the amount of wall space, sleek simple furniture pieces used to give a sense of the scale of the room, and trendy accented décor that you’ve always wanted. This is why staging is proven to sell homes faster and at a higher price. The customers not only feel that the space is larger, but more luxurious and expensive because of its simplicity and professional design elements. 

Every element of a home plays into the psychology behind home staging. The home must give off a spotless, professional, and functional appearance to the public market. It is a task that is simple, efficient, and worth it to create the greatest maximum value.

For the answer to that question, “Is it really necessary?” Why don’t you decide?

A Monochromatic Success

A monochromatic room can be calming an beautiful. However, there are a few things you need to know to keep it from becoming boring.  The challenge of the one-palette design is met when we use trick to make it interesting.

Here are some of the secrets to creating a successful monochromatic room:

1. While using only one color for your room, you’ll want to use variations of that color. So if you choose gray, for instance as seen above, choose grays anywhere from pale grays to charcoal grays and anything in between.

2. Use textures! The use of a variety of textures becomes the highlight of an interesting space.  Above, the designer has chosen many different textures as seen in the bedspread, pillows, headboard, art and rug.  Even the caning of the chair and the tufted ottoman add interest to this lovely room. 

3. In a monochromatic design, you can sometimes even add a small slice of color for contrast. You can see the designer here added a touch of green on the nightstands and fireplace - understated, yet impactful.

Keep these tips in mind when creating your monochromatic room and it will be a sure success!

What Fabric Should You Use?

The fabric one chooses in either a piece of clothing or a piece of upholstery plays a very important role, a role that can determine the overall quality. What comes before forming a fabric is the fiber. Due to the abundance of technology and creativity the amount of possibilities when it comes to fibers has increased. Instead of solely natural fibers there are now manufactured fibers and soon manufactured fibers will be replaced by greater technology.

Since the textile fiber used can determine the resiliency, abrasion resistance, durability, hand, and everything you can imagine it is very important to be aware of what fabric you are buying for what item.  Here are some facts and ideas anyone can use in order to choose the right fabric to put in there home!

Curtains:Curtains can make a space. The fabric is important because you need to take in account if the fabric has good drape and if it will crease. Although bright colors add interest they are likely to fade if in the sun, so neutrals may be a better option. The best fabric for curtains include Linen, faux silk, and velvet because they hang the best and are the most durable. Make sure your curtains have interlining so that it will create insulating qualities and last longer.

Carpet: Nylon, a manufactured synthetic fiber, is the most common and best fiber used in carpeting. Nylon is strong yet flexible, can be colored any color, keeps its shape, has great wash ability, and is difficult to tear.  Olefin or polypropylene, acrylic, polyester, wool, and cotton are also common fibers usually used in blends to create carpeting.  Each fiber blend has its own weaknesses and strengths.  Olefin is the least expensive and has great stain resistance. Polyester creates great color combinations, doesn’t fade, and is resistant to stains.  Acrylic has good resiliency and abrasion resistance. Wool is very nice to the touch and has good resiliency but fades in the sunlight.  Also remember to keep in mind the twist, when and doubt go for a tighter twist!

Sofas: The most popular choices for the fiber to choose for couches are micro fibers or leather. Micro fibers have become very popular very fast because of its easy cleanup, comfort, and durability. However, micro fibers can create static, often have a more modest look, and depending on the quality may have disadvantages.  Leather has a clean sophisticated look, is durable, comes in a variety of budgets but gets scratched easily, is cold to the touch, and comes in minimal colors.  The chose is up to you!

Pillows:Decorative pillows are a great to add texture to a space. For a luxurious look go with satin or silk but realize with luxury comes price. For more affordable ideas look for cotton pillows because they are easy to clean and do not ravel. Linen is also a great fiber to look for but watch out for wrinkles!