DIY Bedroom Staging Tips

Having a large budget or hiring a professional home stager isn’t always necessary to create a cozy and attractive bedroom. Home staging a bedroom before you sell is definitely worth it. It is not difficult to turn your bedroom into a stylish and relaxing retreat; you just need a little imagination and do-it-yourself (DIY) flair. Here are some staging ideas to improve the appearance and feel of your bedroom.

First, the easiest way to approach a room is to declutter and organize your bedroom. Try to leave only the bed, night tables and dresser, including a chair if there is one in your room. Remove everything from your walls. Organize your possessions, remove items you don’t use and place extra items out of sight. Watch what you store under your bed. If you are not selling your home, plastic containers with lids and wheels work well under beds. Make sure you measure the height of the containers before you purchase them. If you are selling your home, stand at the door entrance and check whether you can see the containers under the bed. You do not want that in online photos.

If your bedroom paint is dark or yellow, consider painting it before selling it. A fresh coat of paint will do wonders for revitalizing a space. Pick a neutral paint colour like Benjamin Moore’s Simply White, Chantilly Lace or White Dove. All these different whites will work. For a polished appearance, apply evenly and pay attention to details.

Once your room is painted, try to position the head of your bed against the main wall you see when you walk through the door. Whenever you have to turn around to face the head of the bed, your bed is not in the best spot. Sometimes, putting your headboard under the window works. There might be a problem with your bed covering the heating vent, or your headboard should not cover part of the window. Double-check if you are selling your home, because many realtors feel you should never block a window. When we stage, we never do.

Headboards look better than beds without. They look more finished. If you do not have a headboard, only a box spring and mattress, consider buying a headboard for the size of your bed, or prop two euro cushions up against the wall — or three if your bed is a king-size bed — and use those euro cushions as a base for your headboard. Place a piece of art about 6-8 inches above the headboard.

We avoid box springs, mattresses, and blow-up beds because they look outdated and too traditional. Platform beds work well and appeal to most people.

Use white bedding because it looks clean, bright and fresh. Add cushions and layer the bed with a throw or coverlet. Sometimes we add another lighter-coloured duvet cover and roll it back to show more puff!

Make sure there is enough light in the bedroom. You need table lamps — preferably two, one on each side of your bed. Make sure the lampshades are white with a 3000K or 4000K bulb. If the bedroom is huge and there is no ceiling lamp, put a reading floor lamp by an accent chair or another trendy lamp on a dresser. Light in a bedroom makes a huge difference, especially with evening visits from buyers.

If your headboard is low, you can put a mirror, perhaps a round one, on top of it, or a piece of art taking up about two-thirds of the width of the headboard. Normally we put one piece of art and one mirror in most staged bedrooms. If the mirror is not above the bed, it could be above the dresser or a large floor mirror leaning against one wall.

Depending on the size of the bedroom, we might add a rug under the bed. Usually it will be under the last half to third of the bed and sticking out the back and sides. This looks better in photos, especially if the room is huge. A rug makes the room cozy, and online, the photos look better because the bed is not lost in a large space.

I hope these tips help. Feel free to comment!