As a home stager, one of my biggest challenges is the big screen TV. I'm not talking about the ones that sit in a built-in, or on a pretty piece of furniture, or mount on a wall. I am talking about the self-standing giant boxes that create a huge black rectangular hole in the room.
To compound the problem, I usually find these giants in the living room, right next to the fireplace, and partially blocking the windows with the great ocean view.
Understandably, the homeowner wants to be able to comfortably sit on their sofa and watch television while also keeping an eye on the Atlantic Ocean and the cozy fire in the fireplace.
These big plastic boxes become the focal point that draws the eye and unfortunately take attention away from the room itself. Homeowners are reluctant to store away their main source of entertainment and if you are lucky enough to find another room where it will work, moving a big screen TV can be expensive (new cable connection, speakers, etc.).
I recently visited a home where there really wasn't anywhere to place the television in the room where it would be less obtrusive. Converting a bedroom to a "media" room was not an option because then the home would only have two bedrooms. The realtor felt the seller would not be willing to remove the set.
I recently watched a staging show on HGTV where the conversation went something like this:
Stager: How would you feel about removing this TV to open up the room and let the buyers' eyes fall on the fireplace and view?
Seller: No, I really want to keep the TV.
Stager: Well, do you really want to keep the TV, or do you really want to sell the house?
In the next scene, the TV was moved out, furniture rearranged, accessories added - VOILA! Beautiful room. If it were only that easy ...
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