First impressions are everything when you are selling your house. In the before photo below, the formal living room put more emphasis on the TV than on the amenities of the room, like the big beautiful windows.
We moved this furniture to the family room of the home, where people would expect a large TV. We brought in rental furniture to show off the spacious room with lots of natural light.
Bedrooms can often look a little boring and worn. This bedroom is very lack luster, which only enhances the bright carpet color that most buyers would not be crazy about. There is no headboard, the pillows look very used and there is no personality.
Starting at the bottom…..add a bed skirt! If your comforter came with one, add it. If not, a flat white sheet tucked in at the corners works great. Make your bed with a “hotel fold”. This means turning down the comforter and tightening the sheets to create layers, which creates interest. Now, put those everyday pillows against the wall (where they won’t be seen) and add one or two layers of shammed pillows and 2 or 3 throw pillows. When you do this, you don’t even miss the headboard!
Clip a few branches from a tree that normally buds in the spring. Bring them inside and put them in a vase (or watering can) full of water. The warm air will allow them to bloom quicker. Just set the vase in your outdoor pots when you expect guests!
Or, you can plant some cold-hardy flowers like hyacinths or pansies and give them height with some pretty sticks or birch branches.
Furniture layouts can completely change how a room feels and functions. In these before photos, you can see how having the furniture pushed to one end of the room gives focus to the fireplace, but makes buyers wonder what to do with the rest of the space.
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