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Match the style of your place setting to the style of your room, or the demographics you can expect to attract, based on what your realtor says is your target market. |
Skip the Cutlery. Silverware of any kind is just too tempting, too easy to pocket. Sad but true, people walk off with it. Your incomplete table settings won't look as peculiar as you may think. It merely looks like the party is just getting started.
Ideally, you'll have enough details on the table that silverware won't be missed.
Don't count on your realtor to be your protector. It's just not practical to expect she can be in every room with every person when your home is being shown.
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You can stage a tabletop on a shoestring. The floral design plate on this table is paperware, the placemat is a pillow case, and the napkin ring is a shower curtain ring. |
Practice Frugality. For the same reason -- pilferage -- don't use anything that you prize, or that cost more than you can afford to lose. Small furnishings have been known to disappear even at open houses.
It's very easy for you to find attractive dinnerware at second hand sources, or discount stores, so leave your precious silver service in the closet. Can you believe the teal-edged plate in the top photo is cheapo plastic, and not handblown glass from Italy?
If something is small enough to fit in someone's pocket, don't use it, unless you are willing to give it away.
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When in doubt, work with a palette based around variations of one color, like periwinkle, plus white and silver. |
Keep it Simple. Simplicity is one of the guiding principles of successful home staging. Stick to a simple color scheme, one that coordinates with your room and home. Cluster the items at each place setting, and leave plenty of breathing room between them.
Your dinnerware does not have to match, but it should feature complimentary colors. Also, the settings should match each other, or your dining room will look like a garage sale. Aim for a variety of textures to keep things interesting.
Show the Tabletop. Tablecloths, no matter how pretty, colorful, or luxurious, look old fashioned. I love linens as much as the next gal, but the draped table looks like grandma's kitchen. Of course, there are exceptions.
An historic home, a cute breakfast nook, an old table that needs to be disguised -- these situations may call for a cloth appropriate to the room, but generally, an undressed table looks better in the staged home.
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Every springtime tablescape needs flowers, whether they are real ones, silk ones, or even a floral print fabric. |
Don't Fool with Food. Have you ever been to a home show or a model home and seen a bowl of fake popcorn, or a cherry pie or chocolate cake made from resin, or a loaf of shellaced bread? I think it's hokey and deceptive, don't you? I'm encouraging you to be
decorative with your tablesettings, but not
tacky. The only fake food I like to see in a staged home is a bowl of citrus fruit, because no one eats lemons.
Use these Rules. What works in the dining room, works in the eat-in kitchen, breakfast bar, deck, or anywhere there is a designated eating area. What could be more charming on a
porch table than a tray set up to host a tea for two?
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Be imaginative. I used a pipe cleaner, a very inexpensive, beaded bracelet, and a scrap of vinyl for a napkin ring. |
Tabletop staging doesn't need to be complete, expensive, or elaborate, but it should suggest good times entertaining, relaxing, eating, and enjoying a home.
What have you done today to make your dining room and your whole home more enticing to buyers? Download my
eBook,
DIY Home Staging Tips to Sell Your Home Quickly and For More Money, to learn other ways to stage your own home.
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