Does Your Living Room say "Peace" or "Chaos "?

Usually the first thing you see when you enter a home is the Living Room/Great Room.  Does your's translate to "Peace" - "Ahhhhh.....I'd like to live here" - OR - "Chaos"......"I don't know where to look first!"  The living room is where most families spend their time.  You want this room to be warm and inviting.  Here are a few tips for staging your living room.

1.Clear the room of all clutter & knick knacks.  Often when I am helping to stage a home, we empty the room of all accessories and then "reload" the room with a few pieces.  Too much "stuff" says chaos.

2.  Your living room must look like a living room.  If you have your living room set up as an office or a play room, I would encourage you bring it back to a living room.  Your buyers want to imagine living there and may not be able to if it is filled with toys, computers, monitors, files, etc.

3.  Use neutral tones in this space.  Paint the walls a warm neutral color.  You can bring in pops of color with your accessories.  As much as possible, the furniture should be neutral in color as well.  Slip covers are a great way to disguise a worn or "loud" piece of furniture.

4.  Furniture arrangement is key.  You want the room to look spacious and in order.  Too much furniture makes a room look tiny & cramped.  Consider renting a storage space for extra furniture.  It's a great way to de-clutter your living room and have things ready to move.

5.  If you have a HUGE sectional in your living room, you may want to consider using a different sofa in this area or perhaps only parts of the sectional.  You don't want the furniture to be a distraction or overbearing. Large furniture makes a room look small.

6.  If you have a fireplace, make it the focal point of the room.  Having a fireplace is something almost all buyers want.  We want to make sure they notice it.  Remove all family photos from the mantel.  A few well placed items will bring class to your fireplace.

7.  If you have one of those HUGE large screen TV's that looks like a piano box......move it out of the living room.  It is too distracting and takes up too much space.

8.  Windows - Make sure they are clean as well as any blinds.  If you have large, dark and heavy drapes that were popular in the 80's, consider removing them.  You will be shocked at how much larger your room will look without them.

You're on your way to staging a lovely home that Buyers will love!  You will like it so much, you'll wonder why you never did it before!  Next room.......the kitchen.

Blessings!