Grouping Furniture When Staging a Condo
Do It Yourself ~ DYI, Home Staging, Home Staging Tips, HopeDesigns.ca
January 29, 2014How to group furniture when staging a condo
interior decorating by Hope Designs
Staging a condo can be like constructing a well-designed roadway. When it comes to furniture, it matters that it is attractive, but it also matters that it all flows together nicely and that traffic is natural and well-planned. That means placing furniture in ways that make sense. It can affect how large the space appears and can turn one room into two or two rooms into one. Just like that.
Grouping furniture for condo staging is not only recommended, but it’s almost a must. You aren’t very well going to have everything up against the walls. Because of this, there are decisions to be made. Rarely is there only one configuration. Most likely a professional is needed. To give you an idea why, here are just a few things that need to be considered when grouping furniture.
Mind your focal point
Many people decide on what the focal point will be and build from that. Most likely your focal point in the living room is the television or possibly the fireplace. Not everyone likes to do this, but it’s common. Some people fight this urge, but since you’re dealing with a condo and space may be an issue, trying to battle the inevitable “TV as the center” debate may not be worth it. In any case, you are likely going to have something as the visual focal point, so whatever you choose, you are going to build your furniture grouping around this. This doesn’t mean that everything is facing it. This just means that all furniture will have that focal point in mind when placed.
Start a conversation
You want grouping of furniture to encourage conversation for everyone. That means a U-shape is popular, while L-shapes are less so. An L-shape is more often than not going to leave some people in awkward positions. When staging you want the grouping to look inclusive, conversational, and inviting for groups of people, even if you don’t expect people to literally be sitting in the furniture when staged.
Try them close
Considering that you might be tight on space in your condo, don’t feel like you can’t put furniture close. This can actually be beneficial. Too much space between furniture and you might require people to walk between them, creating obstacles to those talking on the furniture themselves. You want people sitting on the furniture to be unobstructed and not have traffic always coming in between them.
Leave space
Although you may want things to be “tight”, you still want to include some space in many situations. For example, you want a little space between a couch and the wall. Couches should always be given a small amount of space all around. It can actually make the space appear larger.
The main thing to consider when looking to stage a condo is whether the furniture groupings seem natural and allow that initial look of the room, as well as walking around within it, the best possible chance to be inviting. It can be tricky. You would be amazed how much of a difference professional stagers can make in grouping furniture. Don’t let your condo be overlooked because of some subtle decisions made with furniture. Stage that condo right.
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We look forward to working with you! The Hope Designs Team