Often, when I am staging a home for sale I encounter a similar situation with clients. Either they have no artwork on the walls or they have WAY too much. There is seldom a home that has the perfect amount. Of course when staging to sell, artwork is used to draw attention to certain areas of the home and help to warm a space. Not because it is museum quality or has sentimental value to the homeowner. Hanging artwork can add drama to a room without taking up valuable floor space. I love to use it in unconventional ways such as in place of a headboard or just above a nightstand. As I walk through a clients home for the first time I always keep my eye out for artwork that will work for staging.The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
Subjects matter when using art to stage a house. There are good subjects such as landscapes, seascapes, fruit and vegetable still lifes, and flowers. Black and white prints are especially good because they work well with just about any type of décor and style. There are bad subjects like family and wedding photos, the all too familiar Olan Mills Portrait over the fireplace is especially bad, nudes, (even the pregnancy nudes are a bad choice to have on display for the general public) and pet pictures. Personal photos are much too private and specific to your family to have available for all to see. Finally we come to the UGLY. This encompasses anything done in black velvet (Sorry Elvis) those crazy macramé owl things, fabric and paper 3D pieces that were popular in the 80’s and cheap poster prints that are framed in gold plastic.
A Place For Everything
Artwork should be hung where people expect to see it. Randomly hanging pieces throughout a home will not help to create a warm cohesive look. The best way to decide where to hang a piece is by looking around the room to see what spaces feel empty. Usually, over the sofa or fireplace is a natural choice to hang heavier pieces. This would include art with bold frames, and large sized prints. Small pieces, unless grouped together will just get lost on a large wall.
How to find Art
Decorative art is readily available at home decor stores such as Homegoods and TJ Maxx. When you are staging to sell, I don’t suggest you hit the art galleries to find pieces unless you plan to take them with you and know they will work in the space. If you are the creative type, making some simple art is usually cost effective. Depending on the space, framing fabric or specialty paper can have just the right feel. I once framed 2 leaves from the front yard when I was in a bind.
Artwork can really help make a good impression when used correctly, and isn’t that what Home Staging is all about?
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