A few weeks ago now, I shared this post detailing all the things we did to get our house ready for sale. That post was mostly maintenance and cleaning related. Today I wanted to share the fun part of staging our house for sale - the Styling!
I thought it would be fun to show you some of the things I did to make our house look it's best for potential buyers and talk about my favorite styling items. These are simple and budget friendly ideas that can add instant style to any space
It's no secret that styling/accessorizing is one of my favorite things to do...nothing makes me happier than adding pretty elements to all of the rooms in my home!
My approach to styling is to keep things simple and unfussy. I love to find the beauty in everyday items...there are certain items that I call "functional" decor because these items serve a purpose, but they also look stylish. The photo below is a good example of this- all of the items I used to style my kitchen counter for our real estate photos are functional items that we actually use. I will go into more detail about this below.
I had so much fun staging my house for sale back in March, and I wanted to share a list of my favorite staging items and then show you how I used them in our home. So in no certain order, here they are:
Let's take a look at how I use each of these items for styling and staging.
Flowers & plants
This is my number one favorite thing to style with. Plants and flowers just add such life, color and beauty to every room. Plants are a regular fixture in my home, and I have both real ones (I am a plant lady in training) and faux.
Flowers also make a regular appearance around here, usually just an inexpensive bunch from the grocery store. When tulips are in season, I can't resist them!
Recently I picked up some carnations while grocery shopping, the color just stopped me in my tracks!
When it comes to staging for photos and showings, flowers are a must. I love displaying them in the kitchen, living room and dining room.
You don't need to spend a ton of money, in fact I was surprised to find some beautiful stems at Costco when we were staging our home. I picked up some Hydrangeas and tulips and they looked beautiful for our real estate listing photos and showings, as you can see from the photos below.
Vases
Vases are a simple styling accessory and you can find them just about everywhere! I have a bit of hoarding problem when it comes to vases, I am growing quite the collection! I love when you find a set of them, they look great in pairs.
With or without anything in them, vases are a really pretty sculptural item that you can use on a bookcase, a mantle, a coffee table or dining table. So versatile!
Books
Another item that you will see on display all around my home are books. I have pretty ones displayed on my coffee tables and shelves.
When I was staging my kitchen, I used a pretty cookbook on a stand with some other pretty accessories.
I also love using a stack of books to give height in a vignette like I did on my living room mantle:
Cutting boards
I love using cutting boards in kitchen styling. An aged wooden board provides such warmth, especially in a white kitchen. My friend Alexis from Steelwood Design makes the most beautiful boards, and when my house was being photographed for The DIY Playbook last year, she let me borrow some for staging.
We used them in my kitchen but also look at this beauty in my bathroom:
Bowl of fruit
When life gives you lemons, display them in a pretty bowl!
Setting a bowl of apples, pears or lemons on your counter top is a really cheap and easy styling trick. Maybe your kids will even help themselves to a healthy snack!
Pretty soaps
I am totally a sucker for packaging and Mrs. Meyers soaps are my favorite. They are colorful and vintage-looking, and are the ultimate in "functional decor"! It just so happens they smell amazing and work great too. I love using the dish soap and spray in the kitchen and the hand soaps in all of the bathrooms.
I also used some Mrs. Meyer's products to stage the laundry room. The lavender scent makes our clothes smell so nice!
White towels
Maybe this is the clean freak in me talking here, but isn't there just something beautiful about a stack of fresh white towels? These are a great staging item because they are easy to buy, affordable and require zero thought!
I used a stack of white towels in a basket in the laundry room to add some visual interest to the top of the washing machine and also distract from the water lines which in the wall.
Blankets
Throw blankets are a great way to add some texture, pattern and color to a sofa, the end of a bed, or a chair. Such a cozy detail!
Throw pillows
Similarly, throw pillows also add texture, color and pattern to a room. They are one of my favorite ways to add style and personality to a living room or bedroom!
Buying new throw cushion covers is a really affordable way to change up the look of a room, I recently bought some gorgeous block print ones from an Etsy shop in India!
Baskets
Baskets are one of my favorite styling tools because they look nice, but can help to coral clutter and tidy a room in a hurry! We have a basket for throw blankets in both the Family Room and the Living Room. I recently splurged on this lidded basket from Serena and Lily and I love the way it looks but also the potential it has to hide stuff!
White dishes
Just like white towels, a set of simple white dishes is the perfect styling item. I started collecting dishes from Crate and Barrel recently and bought these dinner plates and bowls. I am in love! I will definitely be adding more pieces once we move.
I set our dining room table for our real estate photos and showings, because I thought it was a nice touch. When you are staging a room, you are trying to tell a story and showcase the possibilities. Aren't we all dreaming of the day when we can host friends and family for dinner once again?
Candles
I saved the best category for last! A scented candle in a pretty vessel is an absolute must for me. They look beautiful and make your house smell amazing. I tried to light our candles for showings because I think it's such a nice touch - it makes your home feel so cozy!
Candles are also very budget-friendly, you can find some really good ones that don't cost a ton. This is another thing I miss about being able to shop at Target, so many really good budget friendly candles! These are a staple around my home, and I also love this scent from the Hearth & Hand line. My other favorite go-to styling candles are from Anthropologie, I usually always have the Volcano scent on hand, and it was my first time buying a Voluspa candle but I will definitely buy another when this one is done!
So that wraps up my list! I will leave you with this collage I created for Pinterest, be sure to save it for later.
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Thanks so much for reading!
xo, Kerri