Staging for selling your home IS declutteringt!!!

I'm just back from staging a wonderful contemporary home in Bucks County, to be sold. It's on a wooded property that houses deer, birds of all sorts and open grassy areas with gardens. It's truly a find for nature lovers who also want a very open footprint and lots of windows!

My point in writing this blog is not to sell this home. It's to speak to you of what I learned in my process with this client. As you know, "staging" is the way you get a home ready to appeal to the crowds of people who are going to come and see whether this house is right for them. I could even reword that last sentence to say it is the process that hopefully depersonalizes the space so the first potential buyer falls in love! The word "depersonalize" is key.

The way this couple and I began is that I wandered the house alone putting myself in the role of customer, so I could decide what was preventing me from seeing the house clearly. I wanted to witness the architecture, the views, the space, the hominess, the function, the possibilities. I wanted to see if the house showed itself to me with clarity. I made notes of ways to be sure that this objective was reached.

I then presented my "list of things to change" to the owners assuring them that my list had their sale in mind, and was not a summary of offending judgments. They liked the list and we began. We moved anything and everything that hid the structure (the bones) of the house. We took down or removed anything that was extremely personal such as family pictures, religious symbols, extreme styles, and out of balance design.

This space has been home to this couple for twelve years. We all know that amount of time can bring in a lot of new stuff, and it had! Favorite seasonal effects had remained because of their success. Functional needs had been added without the thought to design, Gifts had been incorporated so the givers would be satisfied. New plants and off shoots of old plants had been repotted and given birthing spots on window sills. All told there was a lot of work to do, and I encouraged my clients to let go and see.

Well, the results were dramatic! As we got out the step ladders, filled boxes and shifted furniture slightly, we re-exposed the amazing structure of this wonderful building. Not only that but we brought the awesome views into the space. My clients were dumbfounded. It was such a lesson for all of us about LESS IS MORE! The space began to breathe. The wonderful colors began to shine. The few remaining plants showed off their graceful silhouettes. The walls emerged from behind "overhung spaces."

So you, who are reading this blog, listen carefully. I am speaking about "staging," and I'm also writing this as an ode to overdone homes that have "lost their beauty." Beauty is important. It is TRUTH. I big you to declutter so you will re-establish the beauty that is inherent in your home. Trust that in so doing, you are not only honoring the bones of the space you originally selected but, you are putting an end to over-consuming, you are establishing healthy boundaries, you are simplifying your life, and you are managing a look/style that serves and nourishes the inner you.

It's amazing!