For those of you who know and love Houzz, it provides endless opportunities for home ideas, decor inspiration and renovation updates. We recently received the 1,000 saves badge as a result, meaning our photos have been saved over 1,000 times! The photo below which has received the most saves overall continues to be popular, we think due to the fun color and soothing aspects of the decor we chose for this model home. Hope you like it too! As Northern Virginia’s premier professional home stager we help homeowners sell their homes for more money in less time! Contact us today to schedule a home staging consultation and see what a difference staging your property can make.
Home Staging Dilemma - What do I do with all my books?
Rooms with wall to wall, or built in bookcases are prime candidates for editing or removing altogether if possible. Don't get me wrong, we hold no personal grudge against the written word, rather it's the weight they can create in a room when assembled en masse. Much of what we do as professional home stagers is create additional visual space in each room. Our general recommendation is to remove at least 1/3 of the books if the bookcases remain in the room. Do take care to remove any political, religious or controversial titles as a rule. I realize that those of you who are voracious readers and book collectors will be horrified or at least slightly offended to read this. To make you feel better, in this age of e-readers, Kindle's and book apps, I may be one of the few home owners actually adding a library in lieu of a living room. (Note: I'm also not selling my house). I personally delight in the feel of a book and the promise that the pages hold. For me, reading and appreciating a good book is a tactile experience that even the best well-lit Kindle device cannot offer. As for staging, although we typically recommend removing books in their overflowing state, books are a wonderful tool to backfill areas where overly personal items may have been placed. They can lightly fill built-in shelves, as well as add interest and speak to the demographic of the buyer. For example, we always add a golf book when staging in the communities of Creighton Farms, Belmont Country Club and River Creek, placed on the coffee table in a prominent arrangement. Professional home stagers never adhere heavily to a theme of any sort, however our goal is to let the staging speak to the mindset of the type of person that would choose that home. Books help to convey that sentiment. Another example is adding books on Virginia Hunt Country when staging in such locales as Delaplane, Middleburg and Western Loudoun. The photos illustrate some of our favorite ways we incorporate books as accessories and decor, not just for staging but for interior redesign as well. We often use stacks of books that provide height, color and texture on large coffee tables.
We have even used a book to create symmetrical height when staging occupied homes. Placing a book under a table lamp evens out mismatched side tables or nightstands. 
We even take it a step further and create a monochromatic look for bookshelves by painting books white for a more contemporary look. 
Removing the spines of worn hardback books and wrapping the stack in burlap ribbon provides texture and interest for coastal spaces. 
We even found a way to utilize the lowly paperback by wrapping the cover over the book and tying the stacks with jute twine. The morale of the story is that for books and bookshelves, be creative, but less is more.The End
The Politics of Staging Your Home for Sale
- As the incumbent homeowner, your goal is to no longer think of your house as a home, but as a product to market and sell.
- Your platform is the demographic of the buyer. Who are they? Where are they moving from? How old are they? Is this a dual market?(new home buyers AND downsizers). Ensure that the visual presentation of your home matches the expectation of the buyer.
- Your photo-op is ongoing, not just a one-time event. Be sure to leave your home in show-ready condition every day.
- When your caucus convenes, (open house) or primaries take place (broker's open) ensure your home is extraordinarily clean. You may be able to get away with stashing a few items in a closet before photos were taken, but showings and public events are time to shine. Don't let the other parties expose the skeletons in your closet.
- Be conservative in the display of your collections. Group items in arrangements of three, in heights tall, medium and small.
- Apply pops of color liberally. Create a palette of no more than three colors and incorporate it throughout the home, in artwork, pillows and accents.
- Rugs are the moderates of home decor when staging. Neutral is best overall. High contrast rugs overpower a room in photos.
- Don't let there be any debate over the condition of your home. Proactively address all deferred maintenance issues before listing, or your offers will reflect the poor upkeep of your home.
- Seek the assistance of your professional stager for help before you list your home. Don't be forced to lose your funding by incurring a price reduction.
Staged by Design is Northern Virginia’s premier home staging company. Contact us today to schedule a home staging consultation and see what a difference staging your property can make. With our extensive experience in home staging and interior decorating, we help homeowners sell their homes for more money in less time!
From Staged to Sold in...
Staging works for all property types as seen in our recent successes in this info-graphic.
Staged by Design is Northern Virginia’s premier home staging company. Contact us today to schedule a home staging consultation and see what a difference staging your property can make. With our extensive experience in home staging and interior decorating, we help homeowners sell their homes for more money in less time!
Joanna Gaines Rugs
We love this mix of eclectic and casual rugs that fit your look from farmhouse to eclectic to bohemian.We are thrilled to offer Joanna Gaines rugs from Loloi available for purchase. These lovely additions to your home can be drop shipped to your front door to add that special "Fixer Upper" touch to your home.Contact us at info@staged-by-design.com for pricing and details.
Staged by Design is Northern Virginia's premier home staging company. Contact us today to schedule a home staging consultation and see what a difference staging your property can make. With our extensive experience in home staging and interior decorating, we help homeowners sell their homes for more money in less time!
Occupied Home Staging
If you will be living in your home while it is on the market, we begin with our innovative, proprietary consultation process that gives you step by step suggestions to prepare your home for sale, using your own furnishings. Should you find yourself without enough furniture or decor, or need to replace it with options more suitable to the demographic of the buyer, we can assist you by supplementing your existing items, with furniture, artwork, rugs, lighting and decor. It's amazing what new pillows and artwork are able to do freshen up a space and provide you with appealing photos and the wow factor in person! 
Staged by Design is Northern Virginia's premier home staging company. Contact us today to schedule a home staging consultation and see what a difference staging your home can make. With our extensive experience in home staging and interior decorating, we help homeowners sell their homes for more money in less time!
Our latest home staging work for occupied properties!
Our latest home staging work for new build properties!
Our latest home staging work for vacant properties!
Investor Home Staging
The real estate investment market is still strong in Northern Virginia. We are seeing an increase in the investment "spec" home in addition to smaller, older homes simply being renovated and quickly re-sold. The smaller, less elaborate properties always benefit from staging to incorporate charm and style, regardless of the price point. The larger, luxury home investors often have a greater financial investment in the property. Staging is essential in reducing the days on market, carrying costs and results in a faster sale. 
Staged by Design is Northern Virginia's premier home staging company. Contact us today to schedule a home staging consultation and see what a difference staging your home can make. With our extensive experience in home staging and interior decorating, we help homeowners sell their homes for more money in less time!
Luxury Home Staging
The Northern Virginia market has many levels of "luxury" properties, from the estates in Great Falls and Mclean, to the rolling hills of Beacon Hill and Creighton Farms in Loudoun County. Staged by Design® can meet the demographic of the luxury buyer by incorporating our extensive inventory of high-end furnishings to sell the lifestyle that meets and exceeds the expectation of the buyer. 
Staged by Design is Northern Virginia's premier home staging company. Contact us today to schedule a home staging consultation and see what a difference staging your home can make. With our extensive experience in home staging and interior decorating, we help homeowners sell their homes for more money in less time!
Help with Interior Decorating! Try the new "View In My Room" tool from Houzz
Many new apps and tools are being released that are useful in the Home and Design field. We are excited about the ease of some, including the new “View In My Room” option within the popular Houzz app which is available for download via the Apple App Store and Google Play.The app allows you to preview an item in a room in your house before you make any purchase, then if you like the outcome, you can save it to your shopping cart and even save the preview as an image in an ideabook within Houzz .
The app also includes a plethora of decor options that are all available for purchase. We think this app will help immensely in the world of home decorating and interior design. Talk about a worry-free online purchase! Check out the new "View in My Room" tool from Houzz now! Staged by Design is Northern Virginia's premier home staging company. Contact us today to schedule a home staging consultation and see what a difference staging your home can make. With our extensive experience in home staging and interior decorating, we help homeowners sell their homes for more money in less time!