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When a young family with growing children decided to move to a house with a larger yard in the suburbs, it was time to put the Texas townhome where they’d lived for five years on the market. The home, built in 2004 and renovated in 2018, was in good condition. But their real estate agent knew that with a small investment in staging, the sellers could get top dollar for their property.
To get the home showing-ready, the real estate agent enlisted the expertise of home staging pro Janice Brittain of Just Beautiful Home Interiors. After doing an initial walk-through of the four-bedroom, two-and-a-half bathroom home, Brittain presented the homeowners with a written report and “before” photos outlining her recommendations. Because the property was in nice shape, her focus was on simple tweaks that could help the home compete with the newer townhomes in the area. With the sellers firmly on board with Brittain’s plan, she got to work clearing out, rearranging, and bringing in a few rented pieces.
Brittain’s main priority was to neutralize the look of the flooring throughout the main living areas. “The yellow oak floors were not on-trend with the current new builds in the area,” she explains. “The newer homes are leaning more toward lighter neutral tones, lighter-washed looks, and a bit of a Scandinavian feel.” To give the townhome a more updated look without the expense and hassle of changing out the flooring, she relied on furniture, art, and accessories with clean lines to create an upbeat, urban vibe consistent with the homes this one would be compared to.
In the dining room in particular, Brittain embraced the “less is more” philosophy by simplifying the artwork and eliminating the busy, patterned area rug. “Removing the rug in the dining space gave the room a peaceful, open feeling,” she says. “While the rug may have accented another room quite nicely, for this space (and keeping the real estate photos in mind) removing it was the best way to create a photo with less movement and distraction from the room’s attributes.” In this case, buyers could focus more on the large window and attractive trim work and envision themselves enjoying the space.
To enhance the lightened-up feel of the dining room, Brittain kept the homeowner’s glass table but swapped out their black chairs for lighter gray ones. The homeowner’s beverage center and bar cart also got to stay, but were moved around a bit to create an arrangement that helped the space look and function better. Although the switch may seem minor, it helped to make the setup feel more balanced. “People can walk into a room and feel if it is off,” Brittain explains. “Furnishings too close together, bunched into a corner, or all on one side of the room can create an uncomfortable feeling. In selling a home, we do not want buyers to feel any uncomfortable feelings.”
Because the dining room opens to the family room, Brittain continued the light, bright feeling there, bringing in complementary furniture and accessories to tie the spaces together. After two weekends on the market and more than a dozen showings, the homeowners had a full-price offer and were on their way to a new home.
