The living room is the first room a possible buyer sees, so after he has seen your perfectly staged exterior, you shouldn’t spoil his mood with the first room he presented. Although this room can take a lot of work, there is a lot of area to work with.
Your beginning step needs to be cleansing and decluttering the room. You are trying to sell the room therefore it needs baring of your own personal possessions. It’s not only about removing your cat’s photo from the wall and concealing the false Chinese vase. Buyers want to purcahse square meters of living area and you have to offer it. Gigantic furniture needs to be replaced with small furniture either by renting or buying it. Also remove those small pieces of furniture that muddle the room. Get rid of the stereo or home cinema system and redundant wires too.
Wooden flooring in nice condition should be exposed. Rugs and small carpets can be put under furniture giving a great border. Economical but good looking laminate flooring can be used if your floor looks old or worn out.
Family and friends tend to gather in the living room of any residence therefore design the room with this in mind. Try to arrange the furniture in a relaxed way. Clear away large items between furniture that is used when people look or talk to each other, thereby organizing a direct field of sight. A general fundamental point of any room is a chimney point if you have one. A dominant window makes a good centre point if your living room does not have a chimney point. Keep the furniture away from walls, on the other hand don’t hinder the traffic flow in the area – keep wide paths among furniture arrangements.
Little details can also liven the room up. Locate carefully chosen pieces of art or decorations in the room. A abstract area with a vibrant painting placed on it brings out the freshness of a room. Placement at eye-level (especially of paintings) is desired. Live plants or cut flowers are good, but less of them is better than more – you don’t want to turn your living room into a funeral parlor.
You have now nearly finished staging your living room and all you have left to do is handle the lighting. Direct light is always better so make sure your windows and the window ledges are as unrestricted from clutter. Use directional lighting to draw thought to the art and architectural features. Try and buy quality lighting that has a dimmer action to establish an ambiance on an evening.
