I Had to Sell My House So I Rented Some Furniture And Now It's "Staged".. No It's Not! Where's the Accessories?

In my career I have come across numerous listings where individuals undergo taking on staging a listing with the misconception that staging a home means putting some furniture in a room to fill the space.

The most impactful and most important elements to a successful design or home staging job are the accessories.

When you think, the role of furniture in a room is to define the bones of the space, the role of the accessories is to dress the space, add personality and create emotional connections with buyers.

I've met with many realtors who judge the quality of a home stager by the quality of their accessories.  Accessories are worth their weight in gold. So when you get them you next need to know how to display them.  Below are 8 steps on how to display your accessories and create a winning home staging job. 

1.  Find the accessory.  There are a number of retailers or rental places you can go to and find that piece de resistance. Here are a few:

Whether your renting or buying, remember keep them neutral and keep them unique.

2. Choose accessories to match the style of the room.  The style of your accessories should work with the style of the furniture not against it.

3.  Make use of your display options.  With the bones in place (your furniture) now it's time to dress them: fireplace mantles, sofas, chairs, end tables, coffee tables.

4. Create groupings with your accessories.  Singular objects can get lost in a room, groupings add interest and weight.

5.  Choose appropriate colour schemes.  Accessories can be used to accent the overall room colour or they can also add a pop of colour and become a show stopper.  Be sure to carefully considered what effect you are trying to create.

6.  Play with varying textures.

7.  Remember to match the scale of the accessory to the scale of the room.  Accessories you would use in a 3000sqft home would not be the same you would put in a 450 sqft condo and vice versa.  If the accessory is too large it will overwhelm the room and if it is too small it will get lost.

8.  Use varying heights in your groupings.