Home Staging Tips – The Best Ways to Use WHITE

When staging a home to sell, white is my favorite color.

You may be asking; how can a color absent of pigment be my favorite color? Well, in staging a home, white has great meaning, it has great influence, it elicits a strong emotional response. Its relative lack of color elicits a sense of cleanliness, openness, brightness & neutrality. It is a fresh slate for buyers to see themselves living in the home. Don’t get me wrong, a house completely white and void of color lacks warmth & depth. I personally believe shades of blue, black, green and yellow are essential accent colors when prepping a home for sale. Additionally, white doesn’t have to be stark white. Working with shades of white strategically throughout the home is key to success.

Most likely, if you have sold your home in the past you have been told to neutralize dark or brightly colored walls. Really good advice. Neutral wall colors in shades of white, grey, beige, cream and my favorite, “greige,” help potential home buyers see the homes features, details and most importantly makes them feel the home is “move in ready.” I could (and probably will) spend an entire post talking about paint color. However, in this post, my goal is to help you utilize shades of white in accessories & decor for maximum impact on selling your home as quickly as possible for top dollar.

Bathrooms

This room is the most important place to effectively utilize white. Bathrooms must be clean and nothing says clean in a bathroom more than white. Most homes have white toilets and sinks which makes it helpful to tie white into the space. For those who have off white or cream-colored fixtures, using warmer whites & creams will be necessary to match the color tone. The best and most affordable place to start is always…towels. New, fluffy and thick white towels strategically used in bathrooms can make the world of difference. And luckily many discount home goods stores sell towels at a very low cost. Another great place to include white is in décor such as shower curtains, soap dispensers, candles, flowers, vases and even cotton balls & swabs. First step, declutter the bathroom of personal items. Second step, remove colored towels and replace with white. Finally, add several décor items in white tones to create a spa-like feel for potential buyers.

Kitchens

There is definitely a reason white kitchens are in. While some may argue otherwise, I personally think this is a trend to stay. Similar to bathrooms, white kitchens appear cleaner, updated and welcoming. However, transforming your kitchen is costly and often unnecessary if it already has good bones. Consider adding touches of white or cream in décor, flowers, canisters, plates, vases and utensil holders.

Bedrooms

Master bedrooms in particular should feel like a serene, restful oasis. When staging a bedroom to sell, think “hotel-like” when making choices to update your space. If you are anything like me, when I walk into a hotel room with white bedding, especially bedding with layers and texture, I think of modern luxury. It feels welcoming & clean. It makes me feel like I am there to stay which is always the goal when appealing towards potential buyers.

Wall Art

This may seem like a strange place to call out white, however, carefully choosing wall art with pops of neutral, in particular white or cream adds a level of neutrality often softening abstracts and modernizing traditional pieces. It can be in the art itself or the frame/mat.

Bottom line, white is a critical color when staging your home to sell and can be added in many easy & inexpensive ways.