DIY Decorating — Home Staging

6 TIPS FOR HOME STAGING ON A BUDGET

DIY decorating. Like everyone, the many years spent in your home have given you plenty of time to accumulate all sorts of personal belongings. Your home now reflects who you are: family photographs, ornaments, the orange kitchen wall because it is your favourite colour… Now that you are putting your property on the market, you want to depersonalise it. (And if you are still wondering why, we explain it in a dedicated article).

Given that home staging a two-bedroom flat costs an average of €3,500 (including new furniture), here are a few tips to help you depersonalise your property at a lower cost.

1. My room looks small

Repainting the walls in light colours (white, cream, etc.) will immediately make the room look larger through an optical illusion. Slightly glossy paints can add even more depth to the room thanks to their reflective finish. Be careful, however, not to opt for an “all-white” look, which can quickly feel rather cold. A hospital-like atmosphere is obviously not what you are aiming for.

Adding a very simple mirror can also help.

If your room is a reasonable size, repainting it in neutral colours is enough. Avoid overly bold colours such as red or green and opt instead for well-balanced shades of taupe or grey.

2. My furniture is dated/damaged

What can you do with a rustic kitchen that looks too dated? Painting the wood white will give it a fresh, updated look for the price of a tin of paint.

If the living-room sofa is worn, a stylish modern throw that matches the rest of the décor will save the day.

As for scratched parquet flooring, a new, neutral rug placed strategically can do the trick.

3. My bathroom looks tired

Self-adhesive coverings can work wonders! Consider imitation wall tiles, which can be fitted in no time once you have taken the measurements and cut them to size. Simply degrease the surface to be covered, remove the protective film and apply the covering. Do not forget to whiten the shower grout to freshen it up.

4. You can barely see where you are walking

Good lighting can breathe new life into a dark, gloomy room. Choose attractive light fittings to combine practicality with style. Do not forget to keep the windows as unobstructed as possible so that the maximum amount of natural light can enter.

5. Everything feels too cluttered

Declutter, declutter and declutter some more! No clothes left lying on a chair or in a corner of the bedroom; this is essential! Your rooms should be as tidy as a hotel room. Remove any furniture and decorations that are too kitsch or too reminiscent of the ’70s and ’80s and make the space feel heavy. Create space so that prospective buyers can appreciate the room's proportions. So say goodbye to magnets on the fridge, family photographs covering the walls and the collection of 250 figurines piled up on the shelf.

6. Now it looks like a lifeless museum!

Now that everything is clean, bright, neutral and spacious, think about the details. Enhance your décor with a few subtle touches: a green plant or bouquet of fresh flowers in the entrance hall, a fruit bowl on the dining-room table, a simple, modern wall clock in the living room, an attractive carafe of water on the worktop and a new tea towel, magazines in good condition on the coffee table, a new toothbrush in the bathroom, or clean, neutral bed linen in the bedrooms and a scented candle on the bedside table.

All these little touches will give your property a sense of warmth that appeals to as many people as possible, while keeping costs down.

Overall…

As a general rule, pay particular attention to creating harmony throughout the rooms, both in your choice of objects and colours.

If your budget allows, the bathroom and kitchen are the rooms where investment should take priority. Take particular care to ensure that they look fresh and clean. That means no hair in the shower or kitchen sink blocked with the previous day's leftovers!

Picture it!

It is then time to call in a professional so that the photographs in your listing showcase all your hard work and present your property in its best light! Do not forget that your photographs will shape your clients' first impression and that people often fall in love at first sight.

Now that you have mastered the world of DIY decorating, you may wish to learn more about the latest developments in the property sector. We invite you to browse our blog, which is packed with interesting articles. And if you fancy daydreaming about properties, browse our available properties.