Home Staging and Decorating for the Holidays
We’re well into December, so if you’ve been procrastinating on putting up decorations for the holidays, now is the time! On a recent radio show, Melissa Marro, owner of Rave Home Staging, used her home staging know-how to share a few quick tips on home decorating. Not everyone celebrates this time of the year, but if it’s your first time hosting the family holiday celebration and you’re drowning in tinsel and candles, you’ll want to keep reading.
Don’t Be Matchy-Matchy
You could try to match your gift wrapping paper, card envelopes, Christmas tree ornaments, and mantelpiece decor so everything is the same color scheme and pattern. But that doesn’t feel very personal.
Melissa prefers to collect her decorations over time. Every ornament on her tree has a unique history and significance to it.
You can match some of your decor, just be careful. You don’t want your guests walking in and wondering if they’ve stumbled into your home or a Dillard’s display!
Layers, Layers, Layers
To make the most of the space in your home, you need layers! Make sure your decorations vary in size and height.
Try adding greenery or drapes to your mantle. Layers should go up and down and across in order to keep your eye moving. They should go forwards and backwards too. You want to give the illusion of depth and movement to make your decor look more interesting.
Keep It Light But Colorful
This is especially important if you’re not just decorating, but also staging, the home. You may alienate some buyers if there’s too much religious imagery in your decor. Try to stick to simple decorations and don’t use so many that it starts to constrict the space. And if you’re selling, make sure you take your listing photos before the decorations go up.
If you’re afraid that will look too boring, experiment a bit with style and color. Use metallic colors, or retro colors like bright teal. Change up your more traditional decor by bringing in Boho accents like tassels and macrame.
Don’t Go Overboard in the Kitchen
The kitchen and dining area could use a little holiday love in most homes, but you don’t want to clutter the counters and make the space less functional. Especially if you’re hosting a big meal!
Stick to a simple, holiday table cloth that you reserve for special occasions. That is, unless you’re trying to sell the house. Tablecloths are VERY taboo in listing photos.
Hire a Home Stager
If your head is spinning now, or if it already was before you clicked on this article, you may want to outsource your decorating this year. Many stagers pick up holiday decorating during the winter when home staging is slow. They would be happy to bring their design expertise into your home!
For the full video, click here. And be sure to follow us on YouTube and Facebook for more tips and tricks!