Tiny homes are a trend, but in reality, no homeowner wants to live in a cramped, suffocating space. The appeal of tiny homes lies in their tidiness and coziness, not in the relatively small size of the space.
If you have a small property up for sale, here are 4 staging tips to make the space look bigger, tidier, and more appealing to potential homebuyers.
Learn Your Target Audience
The battle to get homebuyers’ attention begins even before they walk into your property — it starts online.
The typical small-home buyers are a young couple who are just starting out or an old couple looking to downsize. Either way, they would be looking for economical features; they prefer properties that are easy and affordable to maintain.
Before staging, make sure that your advertisements and listings highlight the affordable utility costs of maintaining your property. Mention that a smaller yard requires less work and lower expenses. The floor plans allow for efficient heating and cooling. Highlight new, energy-efficient appliances, green insulation, windows, and more.
These features attract more potential buyers to your house viewing.
Pare Down the Furniture
When staging a small home, it pays to be strategic about your furniture — they make or break the cozy factor of the space.
The smaller the space, the easier it is for clutter to take over. So pare your furniture down to the bare minimum. Store everything that a homeowner may not need on a daily basis, including sculptural pieces of furniture, décor, and collectible figurines.
Leaving just the bare minimum furniture will create the illusion of a bigger room. It opens up the space, allows for better ventilation, and blocks less light. If you take away the frills, the house will look tidier and more spacious.
Additionally, scale your furniture to fit the size of the room. The larger pieces of furniture should be placed against the wall. If possible, leave the corners of the room visible because it makes the space feel more open.
Take Down Artwork
Artwork adds character to any space, but it tends to make the walls look busier and by extension, smaller. Resist the temptation to cover the artwork. To make the space look bigger and less cluttered, it’s best to remove them and leave the walls blank.
If you think the artwork is absolutely necessary for the space to look alive, choose one large painting instead of a group of small ones.
Remove Rugs
Rugs, although stylish, tend to break the line of sight on the flooring. This makes the space look smaller than it is. As such, reserve the rugs to the main areas of the property, such as the dining or living area. Additionally, choose big, sprawling rugs, as small, dainty rugs tend to make the space look cramped.
Ditch the Heavy Drapes
Luxurious fabrics look wonderful in huge properties. However, they tend to dwarf smaller interiors. Swap your heavy drapes with lighter and neutral-colored fabrics, like linen curtains. Not only do they make the space feel lighter, but they also allow more light into the room.
Raise your window treatments and shower curtains. This creates the illusion of a higher ceiling.
Hang More Mirrors
As you take down artwork, try hanging mirrors in their place. They elongate rooms, reflect more light, and add more depth to the space. The best place to hang a mirror is on a wall opposite or near a window. It will reflect the outdoors and bring more natural light into the interiors. Consider buying glass tabletops and mirrored cabinet doors, as well.
Flood the Space with Light
Another easy way to make the rooms appear larger is to let in plenty of light, both artificial and natural. So if you are hiring electrical services, consider adding better lighting fixtures to the property, especially if your property gets a limited amount of natural light.
On the home viewing day:
- Make sure windows are clean and open
- Open the blinds, drapes, and curtains
Select a Single, Neutral Color
Painting the interiors in a single color makes for a continuous feel; seamless transitions create the illusion of more space. In contrast, if every room had a different color, the space feels chopped and cramped. So if you’re looking to give the interiors a fresh coat of paint, choose one color for all rooms.
Neutral colors also contribute to a wide and open illusion. As such, choose white, taupe, beige, or gray not only for the walls but also for the linen and furniture. Dark or loud colors tend to make the space smaller. Reserve these hues for accents and décor.
Once you go through this checklist, you’ll see a huge difference in your living space. It will feel bigger, without losing its cozy appeal.