Staging A Great Looking {Photo Ready} Bed.

There's something special about walking into a bedroom with a well made bed. When it's time to sell your home, having a nicely made bed is a no-brainer. But did you know there are some simple tricks to make a bed photograph better? Not only does it photograph better, it can actually make the room look bigger. If you're selling your home and considering making a new bedding purchase, keep these five simple staging strategies in mind before you buy.

White is the best backdrop for bedding. Most hotels use white bedding for a reason; it looks clean and germ free. Buyers shopping for a home are into that vibe too. Even though a Buyer knows they won't be sleeping in your bed, that clean and germ free impression translates to a bigger picture of how well you take care of the place.  Hotel bedding sets the perfect stage for a great bed. It comes in many color variations and typically comes in a set of duvet + shams.

Serena and Lily is has taken the design world by storm with their chic and colorful style. The photo above, {via their website} is a great example of what adding a pop of color can do to a bed. Pick a color that is friendly with the rest of the room. Don't go too crazy with a theme, but use color as a nice compliment to the features of the room you're staging. You can use a patterned top sheet or add a blanket over the top sheet but under the duvet. {example}
Defining the room is always key. So for example, if you're trying to show a "guest" room, keep the color sophisticated and gender neutral vs. hot pink or too childish.

ETSY SHOPS: Willa Skye Home / Pop O Color / sparkmodern / Pillow Time Girls

Step 3 is to get your pillows on!
Etsy is my favorite resource for pillows because you can typically find a perfect match and get them shipped quickly. You only need a couple of decorative pillows to really give a bed some "Oomph". Speaking of "Oomph", the standard pillows should also look puffy and perky. {Don't worry, you can still sleep on your old faithful pillow.}
You can get an inexpensive standard pillow anywhere from Kmart to Homegoods. Just be careful of pillows that have a pattern because it will show through a white pillowcase.

Pottery Barn (above) is top notch when it comes to merchandising a great bed.  They can take any pattern and somehow neutralize it with layers of monochromatic decor. For now, let's stick with your white duvet on top.

In step four, folding back the comforter/duvet is a simple trick to make the bed look great. Fold it 1/4 down, and pull your top sheet up and over the duvet. (Your top sheet must be up-side down)

Again, Pottery Barn is a great example of this. Adding an additional layer at the end of the bed, whether a blanket, comforter or a throw works great. Since many of us, especially with kid's themed bedding, have a patterned duvet, this is a nice way to keep it in your room. Narrowing the busy pattern makes the room look bigger too!

Images via Pottery Barn.

Bedding Sources: This Morgan Hotel Bedding from Pottery Barn is on SALE!

Overstock.com Hotel Bedding

Serena & Lily

Joss & Main has some amazing throws & blankets too!

Check them out here

 And one last thing, is this not the cutest little dog bed ever?

Find it here...

Staging A Home With Current Trends

Selling your home can be a tricky process. When prepping your home through staging, the strategy is about updating your home to appeal to the widest audience. 

But, how do you make your home look "on trend" without being so trendy that you only appeal to a small audience? How do you keep your home's decor "neutral" without being too dull?

                          

Staying current in your home's decor without tipping the scale over to too trendy can be a tough balance. It's true that keeping it neutral is a good strategy for staging your home however, adding some memory points is the key to capturing a buyer. When we stage a home, we start with discovering who the likely buyer will be (we work with the Realtor), and answering some questions about the targeted buyer. 

(Notice we don't ask about the Seller's preferences.)

• What type of buyer is this? A first home, a trade up, an early nester, etc.
• What type of lifestyle are they looking for?
• Where do they shop? What shelter magazines do they read?

Why does this matter? This is the lifestyle we want to capture. Picture your home as a blank neutral canvas, and let's add in the elements of the BUYER's desired lifestyle. 

We want to turn up the personal volume of the Buyer, turn down the volume of you, the Seller. The point of adding in some trends is for your buyer to recognize what they WANT.
They'll say things like:
"Oh! I just saw that in the new Pottery Barn catalog and I want it!
vs.
"Oh look, they have our old table."

So let's get to some ideas on how to keep it neutral while adding in a few subtle (new and hot) trends.

I get it, "You're still living in the house!" How do you live there and have kids and dogs and laundry and life, all the while worrying about keeping the house perfect for the new buyers?? I know. Keep in mind; selling your house is inconvenient. The goal in staging is to shorten the selling time, thus shortening the time you and your family are inconvenienced. 

LESS TIME ON MARKET= LESS INCONVENIENCE FOR YOU

Utilize these staging tactics and stay positive! 
Focus on your new house and don't take your staging personal. 
You're onto the next chapter in your story. Enjoy it!

Shop the looks...

E-Design Services

Looking for some design direction but short on time? Perhaps you live out of the area but would like to work with us? E- Design services can include floor plans, paint colors, whole house color palette, furnishing selections, finishes and lighting. 

The design process is simple and based around your style and budget. Whether you're starting with a small space or a whole house, our goal is to create a space that reflects the fabulousness of YOU.

Here's an example of an E-design board for a Boston Apartment at Millennium Place. 

(For more info: email info@neinteriors.com)

This is my favorite mirror of all time.