Staging vs. Decorating - is there really a difference?
Updated: Feb 12, 2018
OK, aren’t these two concepts really the same?!? NO!
Decorating is all about you and/or a trained designer/decorator furnish and accessorize a space to live in. This means that you are not into the details of selling your home at the time. You are just focused on getting the space just like you like it so that you and/or your family can function well and be comfortable in each room. Each room is serving a purpose that you intend for it to.
Home staging is preparing the spaces in your home FOR SALE. It is all about furnishing and accessorizing a space in order to accomplish 2 main tasks:
1. show the maximum square footage possible (square footage is what you are selling!). and
2. let the potential buyer know what purpose the room serves (remember, not what you decided it to be, necessarily).
A short explanation: a designer/decorator will help you choose furniture that your family likes for each space, and it will not matter if the room is finished in a certain period style, or is eclectic, or just plain different! A STAGER will study each space and tell you exactly what type of furniture should stay, go, or be added, in order to give the appearance of lots of square footage for the money.
Also, a designer/decorator will help you turn your dining room into an office, if that is your particular need for that room at the time you are living in the home. A STAGER will help you turn that dining room into a dining room! Potential buyers want the flow from room to room to be “correct,” whether they intend to use the dining room for dining or not. If it was built to be a dining room, a stager will furnish it that way. And that includes, setting the table!
It’s great to hire the services or designers, decorators, or stagers. If you can’t decide, let me help you with your questions, concerns, or if you need a consultation. I will always tell you if your project is not for me, and I will always refer you to reputable designers or decorators.