Page 24 - ESPC_JAN26

INTERIORS INSIDER
Clean and fresh
Presenting a clean home is always key – it’s
hard to fall in love with a home that looks grimy
or has a questionable odour. It also reassures Stage your home use this as a head start on decluttering
buyers that your property is well-loved and well- Home staging is a trend that has become rather than simply hiding things. Work by
looked after, which can enhance its appeal. increasingly popular with sellers and is zone, pack away non-essentials intentionally,
recommended to help you boost your label boxes clearly, and donate items you no
home’s appeal. But what is it? Simply put, longer need. Your future self will thank you
Take time to assess your home, paying
attention to the small things that might escape staging your home ensures it looks its best. when the house is sold and the next chapter
your notice day-to-day – particularly in areas Think of magazines or the big reveal at the begins!”
like the kitchen or bathroom. end of a home makeover show – flowers in
vases, bowls of fruit or a pot of coffee in the Add textures and lighting wherever you think
kitchen, towels stacked in the bathroom, a needs it – dark corners need a lamp or mirror
Zoe Berry, from Edinburgh-based home
organisation company LIFE/EDIT, says “Create neatly made bed with matching bedside to brighten them up, and blankets, cushions
great kerb appeal. Buyers decide how they feel tables and lamps… All these things make and curtains bring a feeling of comfort.
about your home in seconds, so first impressions your home feel luxurious and polished. Who
matter. Make sure the doorbell works, the front wouldn’t want to live in a home like this? Part of staging is also defining the purpose
door is freshly painted and the porch or hallway of each room. Zoe recommends that if
is inviting and free of clutter. Take away coats Depersonalise, but don’t lose everything Rebecca says “When staging your home, if you’re pitching a space as a bedroom or a
and shoes, consider a mirror for light and a Time and time again, we’ve heard the adage items need to be “shushed” or tucked away home office, it has the appropriate furniture
simple plant. Think about lighting too – replace that homes should be a ‘blank canvas’ to to keep spaces calm and depersonalised, to show how that space should be used.
broken bulbs and clean fittings. A home free of appeal to buyers. However, experts believe
‘visual noise’ which is clean and inviting will give this is no longer true, as Zoe explains:
an immediate good first impression’. “Decluttering and depersonalising is the
key to a home that buyers can imagine
Clear the clutter themselves in. Studies show that most people
Presenting a tidy home allows buyers to find it almost impossible to see past personal
envisage how easy life would be, but daily photos, children’s artwork and the clutter of
debris can cloud that vision. Rebecca Jo- everyday life. Buyers need to be able to see
Rushdy, from Spark Joy and Flow in Edinburgh themselves in a space, not you. Imagining
explains, “Decluttering is the quickest way to yourself in the situation of the viewer will
make a home feel more spacious and inviting. make you see your home differently.”

“Clear surfaces, reduce visual noise and gently It’s a fine line – remove excessive memorabilia,
depersonalise so buyers can imagine their artwork, and family photos, but keep a sense
own life there. A lighter, simplified space not of ‘you’ to show how welcoming your home is.
only increases perceived size but creates an
immediate emotional connection. Buyers don’t Think about trends
fall in love with stuff - they fall in love with how You absolutely don’t need to repaint your
a home makes them feel.”
home before selling it – touch-ups on marks
and scuffs are more than sufficient – but if
you have bold, bright colours, it might help
to tone them down and paint your spaces in
an on-trend palette.

Creams, beiges and soft blush tones are all
on-trend and universally appealing, to add
light and warmth.

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