Syracuse Home Stager's Quick Demo: A China Hutch's Transformation

China Hutches Get Crowded

China hutches offer a great opportunity for home stagers to do a quick demonstration, or "mini staging". The fact is that most homeowners who have a china hutch tend to crowd everything they own into it. All their finest, most precious china, crystal, silver, and other knick-knacks are displayed on just a few small shelves. Each time they acquire something, it gets crammed in with whatever else is in there. Subsequently, most china hutches are overloaded and cluttered.

Strike A Balance

While layering pieces adds interest and texture, if there are too many items, you can't even tell what is in there. Your eye just sees a big mess, and the individual items are just lost in the clutter. The shelves should be balanced with the right mix of sizes, and the right number of pieces. Let's take a look at this example:

China Hutch Before Staging

In this "Before" photo, you can see that there are a lot of things in this china hutch. Some things were gifts from long long ago, some things were purchased while on a special trip, some things had been put in the hutch and forgotten, and some the homeowner had no idea where they came from or how they got there.

Now, take a look at the "After" photo:

China Hutch After Staging

After removing approximately two-thirds of the items from the china hutch, we can now actually see the beautiful things that it showcases. Each shelf is balanced and pleasing to look at. When staging a home to sell, the importance of de-cluttering cannot be over-stated. And there is the added bonus that, when you de-clutter, you can also start packing for a move.