Best Styling Home Staging Accessories

Selling a house requires you to bring out its very best. Here’s a short list of my favorite home staging accessories. Why? ‘Cause they’re easy like Sunday morning. Easy to find, easy to style, BUT make a big impact on presenting your best space. Betcha you have these already, but if yours are tired, dated or you are moving to a new place that could use a few of them - I’ve got you cover in my last post.

Take a gander at the infographic and make sure to read the details. If you want to learn more about accessorizing, join me this Friday, the 17th via ZOOM hosted by MAINSTREET ASSOCATION OF REALTORS for my Accessorizing for Home Staging Workshop. Starts at 10am. If you are still in need of assistance , or want to get a pro’s home styling eye, call me - I’m happy to help you with your poor accessorizing aptitude. I can be reach by phone and text @ 708-543-8597.

15 Home Staging Props to Up-Style an Occupied Home

Last week’s home staging evaluation needed a shopping list.  Although this luxury home had it all, and may I say, was quite lovely - every home, no matter how fabulous, needs some level of home staging.

Most homes need to be weeded, packed, and organized. A well showcased home gives the potential buyer an explained lifestyle.  Make it easy for them to picture themselves living beautifully in the home; show off the details, and explain how wonderful it would be to own it. 

With that, there are three rooms in a home going on the market sellers need to focus on: The Living Room, The Kitchen and the Primary Bedroom. The NAR (National Association of REALTORS) in their annual Profile of Home Staging report stated that staging the living room was found to be very important for buyers (46%), followed by staging the master bedroom (43%), and staging the kitchen (35%). After all, we spend most of our time in these spaces.

• Kitchens need to follow form and function -showcase how the space will delight and how at ease it functions.

• Living rooms are for living, so comfortable, attractive aesthetics, family and entertaining friendly, and a great traffic pattern to get to and from.

• And then there is the primary bedroom, a power place for rest and respite after a full day.  

Showcasing these spaces and attracting buyers with home styling may include changing out or adding to the space to create that ideal environment. At all of my Home Staging Evaluations I offer a shopping list of staging props needed to up-style the home for market.

Here are 15 things I suggest in a home staging evaluation. Many of the items on this list can be used to style any home - whether selling or dwelling.

[Click on photo for direct links and details on Amazon. Please note that I have an AMAZON Store front receive a small commission. ]

1. Inviting, neutral, bedding. This simple, elegant duvet set is perfect for any bedroom. Too, you can slip any existing bedding into this envelope style bedding option making it super east to stage with it.

2. A chunky, textural throw. Add a lifestyle layer to any seating or bed. (Don’t you want to cuddle under it?) This Hygge style, big knit throw in a light tone creates a comfort cue to a staged space.

3. A washable area rug. Choose your size and area - a washable area rug is functional and beautiful.

4. White lacquer serving tray. A styling prop for any surface. It’s light color and modern style will enhance anything styled within it.

5. Silver, oblong serving bowl. Its perfect size, elegant shape and metallic finish is one of my favorite staging props. Empty or filled, a statement on any surface.

6. A pair of clear glass based tall 30” lamps for anywhere needed. You don’t want short scaled lamps to other things in a room. These fit any style in any space and are the right height for most furniture arrangements.

7. Round Mirror. Mirrors bring light and style into a space. A round mirror add interest and plays off all the square angles of most rooms.

8. Simple, neutral art/photo frame for anywhere needed. Perfect to replace family photo areas, or missing spots where needed.

9. Storage Baskets. Stylish, textural baskets to tidy any space.

10. White waffle weave shower curtain. Every stagers favorite shower curtain. (Rings included)

11. White, high-style, linen towels. A great set of fluffy, white towels can elevate any bath. For baths who’s finishes may not be to the tastes of today’s buyers - white towels can neutralize odd colors and patterns.

12. Covered glass storage jars. A perfect prop in any space. Showcase a lifestyle or corral a collection.

13. Up-style your pump soap to the next level. It’s the little luxury details that people notice.

14. White craft paper to “school” wrap your books to style a bookcase ot create a beautiful vignette.

15. Coffee Table Books to make your table look fancy.

Need expert and insightful advice for your home environment? Whether moving out, in, or at any chapter of your home experience, I can assist you with your decorating dilemmas. call/text 708.543.8597 email julea@julea.com

EDUCATIONAL OFFERINGS: Join Julea at mainstreet organization of realtors for home staging education EVENTS

• Intro to COLOR workshop 2/27 @ 10-11:30am.

• Certified Staging Consultant 3/7 @ 9:00-1:00pm

Please note AMAZON ASSOCIATE DISCLAIMER [ *As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small fee from qualifying purchases.]

Survey Says! 2021 Home Colors When Selling

A recent Zillow survey reveals which colors may attract more prospective buyers — and higher offers — when you're getting ready to sell.

Here are my picks :

• Light Blue Bathroom Sherwin Williams Sea Salt : Calming, lovely and the perfect combo of blue and green. ( Bonus. With 2022 color trends leaning towards the green palette, this hue bridges both years.

• White Kitchen - Benjamin Moore White Dove : Soft, collective, especially if there are wood tones floating about the home. White Dove is a perfect choice for walls, cabinets or trim.

• Gray Living Room - Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray : A greige color with warm and once again looks good on the walls with wood tones and marries well with furniture that is already in the home.

• Dark Blue Primary Bedroom - Sherwin Williams Naval : A recent color of the year for Sherwin Williams. Besides looks great in a bedroom, and if you want to play it safe, as an accent wall - this ‘everyone love navy’ color looks stunning as a front door color and can break up an all white kitchen as the island color.

Whether selling or dwelling, my color expertise can help you sell your home and update, refresh and revive your space for 2022. Call or text @ 708.543.8597. - Julea

5 Home Staging Trends to Watch - REALTOR® Magazine

© Dasha Petrenko - AdobeStock

Staging professionals offer up ideas for prepping properties

September - October 2020 REALTOR® Magazine

How has the pandemic influenced home stagers? Bloggers from REALTOR® Magazine’s Styled, Staged & Sold team of staging professionals offer up ideas for prepping properties.

Send cozier vibes. “Cozy is the new ‘luxury.’ We’re using more place settings on tables, setting up a coffee station with a tray, mugs, and napkins, displaying magazines and books on coffee tables, and draping fur throw blankets over beds—all of this conveys a more homey feel. Outside, we’ll have a fire pit surrounded by chairs or a hammock on the lawn.” —Krisztina Bell, No Vacancy Inc. and Virtually Staging Properties Inc.

Give prominence to the home office. “We’re seeing the home office as an area to stage. We either stage a room that was clearly built as an office or we create a space for use as an office. The rise of people working from home means showing a space that can be used for that purpose. We’ve invested in more desks and office items to support the growing request.” —Jennie Norris, International Association of Home Staging Professionals

Spotlight outdoor living. “The ‘bonus room’ may now be your livable outdoor space. Home staging will not stop at the back door. From pretty porches that offer an optimal first impression to an outdoor haven that expands the home’s living space—staging in 2021 will embrace the entire property.” —Julea Joseph, Reinventing Space

Bring on the natural light. “The pandemic has created a higher level of anxiety. Studies suggest that natural light from great windows or enclosed outdoor spaces can boost people’s mood and, over the long term, improve mental health.” —Karen Post, Home Frosting

Offer contactless services. “We’ve offering our staging clients a safe and cost-effective way to enhance their property’s appeal and engage buyers with new virtual staging consultations and ‘staging box’ services. After our experts take a virtual tour of the seller’s home,, we provide ‘staging box’ options with front-door delivery. The box includes things like sofa pillows, rugs, wall art, lighting, bedding, and tabletop accessories, with detailed placement instructions and other guidance as needed.” —Patti Stern, PJ & Company Staging and Interior Decorating

Reprinted. For digital article https://magazine.realtor/home-and-design/feature/article/2020/09/5-home-staging-trends-to-watch.

5 Easy Updates - Home Staging Advice

My interior design client Susan bought an investment property a few months ago. She plans on renting the condo, and really wanted to make this home a winner on the rental circuit. The condo is in a great location, is close to the train, and has good bones, but just needed a shot of decorating Botox. She enlisted my help with making just the right choices and improvements to take the home from bland to grand.

GOAL: Make simple, dramatic changes to this space to get it rental ready, and set it apart from other properties in the area.

With simple changes, the space went from kind-of dated, and definitely boring, to a front-of-the-line rental, with a fresh and airy style.

View fullsize

BEFORE: (Photo: Source)

View fullsize

AFTER: (Photo: Beacon James )

PAINT TRIM & WALLS: Want to appeal to everyone? Paint the trim. By painting the trim, the entire space expands, making the home feel large and airy. I picked white dove paint color by Sherwin-Williams. Paint the Walls one color. We painted all the public spaces one color choice - Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray HC-173 -one of my go-to Home Staging paint colors. The result is a move-in ready space; one that feels large, open and ready for the new renters decorative personality.

PAINT CABINETS: Just like the trim and walls, painting the cabinets will give you the same result and improvement. In this project, we chose two colors. Black on the bottom, white on the top. This makes the existing floor tile and lighting work, adds height to a galley kitchen, and creates a super high-end style. I chose white dove paint color by Sherwin-Williams on the upper cabinets, Iron Ore paint color SW 7069 by Sherwin-Williams on the bottom cabinets. Note: The cabinet pulls didn’t even have to be changed. Bonus!

“Contrasting colors that sell include “tuxedo kitchens,” where the upper and lower cabinets are painted in two different colors; these add a $1,547 premium. White cabinets contrasted by a dark navy blue or black kitchen island were some of the most common tuxedo kitchens in top-performing listings.”

— Forbes - How Color Impacts How Much Your Home Sells For

NEW LIGHTING: Dated light fixtures make a home look dark, dull and tired. Look for trend forward, space functional, but budget friendly new light fixtures. In the dining room, I choose a modern statement making fixture. Lowes, Catalina Sputnik Chandelier.

NEW COUNTER TOPS: If the counters are beat up, a dark color, or really dated, new counters are an important upgrade. Since counters are used to prep foods, or for personal care - by replacing the counters with a new product, it gives the new homeowner a clean, fresh slate. We choose a Quartz counter in a white.

HIGH-END LOOK DETAILS: A few high-end details will elevate the property to a new level. These all don’t have to be expensive, they just need to LOOK expensive. These lifestyle design upgrades, take the home to a whole new level and really connect emotionally with the potential renter (buyer).

HERE ARE SOME OF MY IDEAS TO MAKE THE SPACE REALLY GO FROM BLAND TO GRAND!

-Beef up the base trim. Add an additional trim piece above the base board to desired height - paint all the trim color, trim, drywall, base board.

-Trim out the door opening. We did the opening to the bedroom spaces - this became a focal point of the space. By just doing this one opening, it makes the home feel very custom.

-Add a fun, tile back splash in the kitchen sink area. Just enough to add a splash of chic, bring the entire black and white theme together. Cement tile look - Encaustic tile from Lowe’s.

-Replace the wood blinds with fabric Roman Shades. Everyone would do a basic wood look blind, instead, a fabric Roman Shade gives the makeover a custom, high-end feel.

-Add a one-of-a-kind piece. Another one of my clients was getting rid of a buffet island. I had just been to her home, and thought the piece would be perfect for Susan. Just the right size, painted to match the lower cabinets, it made for the needed extra counter space.

View fullsize

High End details: Beefing up the base board, adding custom trim around the large doorway elevates a space.

View fullsize

HIGH-END details - Added fun, black and white concrete tile back splash behind the sink area. Which pulls all of the elements of the room together.

View fullsize

HIGH END Details: Fabric Roman Shades, One-of-a-Kind Custom Re-Purposed piece make the home inviting and custom.

View fullsize

ONE-OF-A-KIND- PIECE: BEFORE: The mother of reinvention - Another client’s discard turned into just the right custom piece to make the kitchen shine.

The results of Susan’s changes are exciting and I can’t wait for her text that her new investment property is quickly leased to a great renter. Need helping get a space pull together? - I offer both in-person and remote consultation services to make the most of your home. Call or text 708.543.8597.

More than a Home Stager... Why I call Myself an Interior Stylist

Fresh back from my speciality design training in Dallas, Texas (home staging training didn’t exist yet),  I landed my 1st client.  Recently moved into her new home, she was so excited to get it pulled together and make it hers. As we chatted about design ideas, she confided she partly hired me because she was hosting a baby shower and really want her home to look special.  Too, could I help her with ideas about the baby shower?  Instantly, part of this project was to advise which China to use, theme ideas and how to style the event.

The AHA Business Model Moment

That was my AHA business model moment. This new home design business I was launching was so much more than making a home pretty, my new job was to help a homeowner fully celebrate and embrace their home.

Not fitting into any box, I called myself 1st a Home Stylist, which was short lived being confused with a Hair Stylist that comes to a client's home!  A simple word swap of INTERIOR from HOME solved the identity problem and my business brand was born.

More than a Home Stager

Beyond a home stager's regular repertoire of just prepping a home for sale, I have for 17 years offered up a signature menu of interior stylist services that progressively celebrates their home. Once that house is SOLD,  there are a menu of design services to turn that NEW house into a home and celebrate the haven within.

•·        Color Consultation-  Already familiar with your things from your old home,  I am right by your side in expertly selecting and creating a new color palette.  From paint,  wallpaper to fabric selections,  gone are the old home owners hues, or those contractor white walls - in with color choices in-tune to your belongings and personal style.

•·        Interior Redesign-  I take what you have and make it all work within your new home.  In just a day or two,  your blank space becomes your space.  Interior Redesign is the art of arranging what you already have.  With specific steps and procedures, spaces become balanced, functional and unified. Best of all, you get instant gratification and validate your existing pieces.  This process then opens the door to new pieces and creative ideas to repurpose or refreshed what you have.  A very 21st century way of decorating a home.

•·     Shopping, Procurement & Traditional Design Services- If you'd like to refresh, add to your furniture & collections, we can help shop for those new pieces  Need more traditional design service such as custom window treatments, reupholstery services or help with choosing a new counter or embark in a remodeling project?  Our talents and resources can add those finishing touches and updates to your home.

•·     Lifestyle & Entertainment Services-  Your home is now ready to greet family and friends - from styling a home for a holiday or season, setting the stage for a party, or making a backyard patio a summer retreat.  - I help  my clients  celebrate the haven within.