The layout that you see in the photo (dining room connected to the living room) is very standard. Every time that you have one room flowing into another it is important that both spaces have elements that tie them in. In this case the two rugs didn’t have much in common, since they had two contrasting patterns and colors.
Besides, the living room had only one chair and one ottoman by the fireplace, which obviously didn’t balance well the proportions of the space, while the fireplace, that is one of the most important focal points, had only three small accessories on its mantel.
We decided to remove the smaller rug, and to move the bigger one from the dining room to the living room. This solution not only had the benefit of showing more space in the dining room (rugs sometimes can shrink a space), but also of showing the beautiful hardwood floor.
We moved here the loveseat from the family room, along with the sofa table (that you can see on the right), and added two small pictures and a vase with flowers to make the fireplace look more interesting. If you consider that this was the very first room that the buyer would have seen, the feeling that you get from the first impression is very positive, don’t you think?
Here’s the room seen from a different angle:
When I took this photo we were already in the “bring-the-accessories-in” phase. However, if you imagine the room without the stuff by the window, you can easily understand that it didn’t have the right elements to be presented on the market “as-is”. It needed more.
By using the owner’s furniture and the right accessories, we were able to create a simple and yet cozy environment. But most importantly, the fact that the house sold in only two days (and the seller later hired me to decorate her new home) is the proof that home staging really works!
Home staging tip: “Rugs can make a room cozier, but sometimes they can also shrink a space, and hide a beautiful floor. Decide where and how to use them properly. And most of all, don’t use two contrasting rugs in two adjacent rooms”.
PS: Listing by Sharon Berry
