What is Home Staging? Home staging is the process of preparing a home for the market in such a way that it appeals to the widest possible audience. This is accomplished by depersonalizing, updating and neutralizing the space. It also encompasses minimizing the negative and emphasizing the positive elements of the house. Home staging transitions a dwelling from a home to a house to a product.
Home staging involves, in varying degrees, the following:
- decluttering
- removing personalized items
- neutralizing and color coordinating rooms
- rearranging furniture, rugs and accessories
- eliminating offensive odors
- ensuring that the home is clean
Shown below are a couple of before & after photos of a recently staged master bedroom:
These homeowners were dream clients. They knew the value of staging and did everything I requested. While clutter was not an issue, they did need to tear down the water bed and replace the furnishings with a nice bed and dresser from the back bedroom. They neutralized the paint color and updated the light fixture; then I brought in new bedding and accessories to complete the look. These photos illustrate the basics of home staging.
What is Redesign? Redesign is the process of decluttering, rearranging, and revitalizing the furnishings already in the home to make the best possible use of the space, streamline traffic flow, and showcase the home in the way that best suits the homeowner. Many times homeowners have beautiful furniture and accessories but simply don't know how to position or group them so that they work together to form a cohesive unit and are reminiscent of having the "designer" look.
The process of redesign is similar, in many ways, to home staging. The main difference in the two is that home staging neutralizes while redesign customizes.
Shown below are the steps used in redesign:
- Assess each room's purpose, problems and desired presentation
- Declutter
- Remove accessories
- Rearrange furniture and rugs to direct traffic patterns and give proper balance to the rooms
- Add accessories piece by piece, being careful not to "over dress"
- If necessary, bring in additional furnishings to complete the desired look
Here are before and after shots of a redesigned space:
This is a very spacious upstairs hallway which constitutes the children's wing of the home. Little girls' bedrooms, bathrooms and playroom all flow from this space; hence, the fluffy pink rug and hanging ballet costume. In the "before" photo to the left, there was not enough walking space. The two matching chairs were removed to the master bedroom and the bench was repositioned. The antique chest with mirror was taken from a bedroom and placed at the end of the hall to give that space a focal point. The ballet costume helped lighten the feel of the heavy antique piece and added a bit of whimsey. The blue and pink victorian paintings were found in a closet downstairs and appropriately hung. For the finishing touches, I added a plant and brought in the pink rug. This space was totally personalized; not so much to the individuals but to the hallway's surroundings.
In addition to simply wanting that "designer" look, there is another purpose for redesign. It involves people who are experiencing life's transitions.
Consider the following situations:
- Setting up a household in a new home
- Downsizing due to an empty nest
- Melding two family units together
- Downsizing for the elderly moving into assisted living quarters
- Adding furniture or antiques which were recently inherited
- Removing childhood furniture to repurpose living space
Whether you are moving or staying, upsizing or downsizing, Stage, Show & Sell Home Staging Company is here to serve you with all of your staging and redesign needs.
Patsy Overton, ASP, IAHSP
Accredited Staging Professional
Patsy@SSSHomeStaging.com 770-843-2307 www.SSSHomeStaging.com
Patsy, FANTASTIC! I can't say enough about Home Staging, and it is just not done here. And might I add, you can certainly tell that it is not done here.
Your before and after say it all.
Great great post! Thank you!
Thanks, Andrea. Why don't you fly me out to take care of your listings? I'll give you the AR discount!
Patsy ~ This is a great explanation for homeowners/consumers and your Before & After shots support those points very well. The master bedroom went from "blah" to "buy me!" The only thing I'd add is that the best home staging makes the home appealing to the target buyer of that home, not necessarily to the general public.
Great job, Patsy! That before bedroom was pretty dated and the dark color was gloomy! What a difference. I agree with Maureen, this is a great post for educating sellers.
Patsy: I agree with the other comments. You make the distinctions and value of Staging & Redesign understandable and provide great examples - good job. www.debrasdesigningdetails.com
Maureen - Good point! I'll make a note of that.
Sharon - Thanks!
Debra - Thank you!
Patsy well done. You have explained the differences between Staging for selling and Staging for living very well. As you pointed out one focuses on preparing the home as a product for a buyer and the other focuses on making the owner comfortable.
Hi Patsy,
Excellent post! it's amazing how often the line blurs between the two disciplines.
Beautiful work and excellent post Patty!! Very well written and worthy of a feature!!
Janice - Well said. Thank you.
Susan - Thank you!
Cathy - Thank you for your kind words and for being my cheerleader!
Great explanation Patsy. Neutralize OR Customize - easy to understand.
Michele - Thanks. I'm not highly intelligent, so I have to keep things simple. Are you familiar with the KISS achronym: Keep It Simple Stupid? Words to live by.
Great pics & great post!
And by the way - your personal photo does not do you justice! Maybe it's because I experienced your personality face-to-face!
Susan - Thank you! Maybe I should post one of my glamour shots?
Patsy, great job! Here we call "redesign", "lifestyle staging." When the market was good and people were buying, they often called for help in making their new home look model perfect. But that was then and this is now, no more of that stuff!
Terry - Here you will hear more frequently "staging to live," but I've never been fond of the term. I think "redesign" is easier to say and remembers. Yes, things have changed. No more "stuff" and no more "fluff." Boo, hoo.
Wonderful transformations, Patsy!
Hi Patsy... fantastic post! I find the difference between the two is somewhat of a fine line to most people/potential clients, although being in the industry, I find them to be totally different. This is great though to continue to educate people on the differences! (Fantastic B&As as well!!) :) I use the term Redesign as well because I've always thought Staging to Live and other variations would lead to more confusion in my area.... like you said, just trying to make it as simple as possible since it was somewhat a new concept here still when I started my comp.
Jacqueline - Thank you!
Jessica - I've decided that sometimes the only difference in the two is whether or not there's a "For Sale" sign in the front yard. Thanks for your comments.
Hi Patsy, great post on how you can make simple and effective changes to ones living space whether they are selling or staying. Atlanta is lucky to have you making a difference in peoples homes.
Patsy,
Changing the look can be the selling point!
Michelle - How sweet! I needed that. Thanks.
Randi - You got it!
Thanks for this great explanation of the differences. Love what you did with the master bedroom. It looks much more serene and sophisticated.
Barb Mihalik (Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty, Four Seasons Home Stagecrafters, Wilmington, NC)
This is a fabulous post Patsy! I love how simple you made it and are right on target with your definitions. Thank you for putting this together - sometimes the right words escape me to help potential clients understand the difference. This is a gem!
Patsy, this is a great post! It really shows the amazing and dramatic impact both Staging and Redesign can have, depending on what the client needs. Great work!
Great post on giving the differences (or definitions) between the two. So often they get confused with each other, and you gave great examples of each. Congrats on the feature!
Barb - Thanks. I think the painting alone transferred the master BR.
Sheila - Thank you. I'm all about keeping things simple. It's all I understand!
Annie - Thank you.
Connie - Thank you.
Congratulations on the feature! Very clear distinction between the two disciplines. LOVE the little ballet outfit in the girl's hall. I also dislike the term 'staging to live'. It just sounds phony somehow. Redesign says it so much better.
Patsy,
Great way to distinguish between Staging for Selling and Redesign for living. Being able to help people redesign their spaces using what they already own to customize the space for living just makes sense.
You are so right. Thank you for sharing a very clear and consice statement distinguishing the differences between Staging and Redesign. Your photo's shared also made the point even more clear. The Master Suite really shows what a little paint and staging can do for a rooms appeal.
Great post-thank you for sharing.
Pangaea - It always seemed to me that if you use the term "staging to live", that "staging to die" would have to be somewhere in the mix. Not on my watch! Thanks.
Linda - Thank you!
I love the distinction staging neutralizes while redesign customizes!
Kathy - Thanks. I thought it was a simple means of conveying the difference to clients.
What a great discription of the difference. I am married to an Interior Designer who does my staging for free and he has never explained so clearly. I intend to remember exactly how you said it. Kudos to you and your work.
Thank you for explaining Redesign to me. I had no idea. Your before and after photos are great.
Love the definition! "Home staging neutralizes while redesign customizes." great blogging and nice before and after pics!
Sharon - Thank you! You have made my day with that statement.
Kelsey - Thanks.
Jess - Thank you!
Said very eloquently, I will remember it now. Thanks.
Lyn - thank you!