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13 Home-Staging Secrets

Whether you're designing to sell or designing to dwell, here's how the home-staging pros get that "I have to have it!" look — and how their tips and tricks can make your own home look like a million bucks.

By Leah Hennen
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3. Less Is More
« 2. Conquer Clutter | 4. Float Furniture »
A cluttered home can also be caused by too much furniture. "People tend to line their walls with furniture — one piece after another," says Christopher Breining, owner of HomeStagers, Inc., in San Francisco. When professional stagers descend on a home being prepped for market, they often whisk away as much as half of the owner's furnishings, and the house looks much bigger for it. Case in point: Designer Simon Temprell kept this living area clean and uncluttered for a contemporary, no-fuss look.

You don't have to whittle that drastically, but take a hard look at what you have and ask yourself what you can live without. "You really only need two pieces of furniture per wall: a bed and a nightstand, or a dresser and a chair," Breining advises. Another rule of thumb: If you don't use it regularly, lose it. While you're doing this sometimes-painful pruning, remind yourself that every square foot you free up is prime real estate.



1. Make an Entrance

2. Conquer Clutter

3. Less Is More

4. Float Furniture

5. Mix It Up


6. Repurpose Unused Rooms

7. Let Light In

8. Light It Up

9. Use Color Creatively

10. Paint It Black


11. Rearrange Your Art

12. Accessorize With Threes

13. Bring the Outdoors In


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