Staging Your Dining Room for a Party

I realize that not everyone has a formal dining room.  But for those of you that do.......let's get ready to party!  Staging your dining room for a dinner party will make your home look  warm and inviting....as if you had planned a dinner party just for your Buyers.  Here are a few tips:

1.  Set your table with your best dishes.  Layering is very effective.  For example, start with a dinner plate, on top of that put a salad plate and on top of that put a salad bowl.  More than one glass has a nice effect, especially if the glasses are of different shapes, colors and sizes. Maybe you would have wine glass next to a ice tea goblet.  Use whatever you have. If your table is "tired", you might want to add a table cloth in an appropriate color.

2.  Add a nice center piece to your table.  If you don't already have one, try adding fresh bouquet of flowers in a vase.  Costco has beautiful bouquets of flowers for extremely reasonable prices.  Plus, you'll get to enjoy them too.

3.  If your light fixture is outdated and you feel that replacing it is not an option, consider updating it.   Depending on the light fixture, shades can be added to the lights.  You may need to paint your light fixture with copper or bronze.  Read up on that one before you try it.

4. If you are able, consider changing out your light fixture for a newer one.  This can be done without busting the budget.  Check out local hardware stores.  When hanging the light fixture, don't hang it too high.  This is a common mistake lots of homeowners make. A light fixture over a dining room table should be 30" from the bottom of the light to the top of the table.  Something else to consider is to make sure the light fixture is proportionate to your dining room table.  Here's a simple formula:  Measure the table's narrowest dimension. Your light fixture's diameter needs to be a maximum of 12" smaller than your table's smallest dimension. So, the formula looks like this: for a 44" table width, the light fixture should be no more than 32" in diameter (44" - 12" = 32").

5. If you have a dining room cabinet, buffet or hutch in the dining room, make sure it doesn't make the room feel crowded.  If it does, remove it and put it in that nifty storage space I mentioned in a previous article.  You want your dining room to feel spacious!

6.  Before showing, make sure your beautiful new light fixture is turned on and all drapes are pulled back for maximum light.  Are you windows clean?  Something to consider.

There are many other things you could do to stage your dining room, but just doing these six things can make a dramatic difference and make your home show like a model home.  By the way, unless you use your dining room table on a regular basis, leave the dishes out.  I don't want you scurrying to set a dining room table before your Buyers arrive.  I think you'll find yourself walking past your dining room just to admire the work you've done.

Blessings!