Home Staging for everyday use!

Home staging cont.-
Now that we have made it past the front door, we need to start looking at the first room that we come upon. Family room, home office, etc; I like to have the family room a place that company and family gravitate towards. A great color on the wall helps to set the tone. If this room is a long, narrow space that alot of homes have now, create 2 sitting areas that break up the bowling alley feel. Place the sofa on the long wall and a loveseat and tables or 2 chairs and an ottoman. Then, at the other end of the room, create another sitting area with a chaise lounge or club chair and ottoman. These spaces allow for a group to feel comfortable and you can pull the extra chair into the space for more sitting. I love the bookshelves that give plenty of storage and function for the room. If you don't have built-ins, there are plenty of shelves on the market that are different heights and depths and dress those shelves to be decorative as well as functional. Lighting is also key to an inviting look. Customers love ceiling fans and designers hate them. No one should use the overhead lighting, unless you have lost a small child in the room and no one has a flashlight. It is harsh and unflattering and that is the reason for accent lamps. Make sure that the lamp is high enough to cast light on the reading material of who would sit in that spot. Buffet lamps help to give a soft glow to accent tables and usually don't have to be functional. Pillows, artwork and a area rug and this is one pulled together room.
Kids stuff can be stored in beautiful baskets, trunks and even in coffee tables. There are great items available that lets all the stuff we don't want to see but have to have, out of sight. Even for the drop in mother-in-law, that room can look awesome.
Magazines and paperwork are the same, out of sight, out of mind. Declutter,organize and throw away will be the best way to keep that room together.
Next blogging will move on to the home office.
Happy Decorating