Current Staging Trends:
2019 and Beyond

Even if you are not currently looking for a home, a quick stroll around your neighbourhood will demonstrate how active the real estate industry is. You probably notice too on your walks, how some homes hang around on the market while others sell quickly. 

Have you ever wondered why? While it could be due to the home’s location, price, or its style, perhaps the biggest factor in how quickly a home sells is whether or not it has been professionally staged. 

Professional Home Staging has become an essential part of the real estate industry. In fact, of all homes for sale, approximately 80% are staged. Why? Because staging a home ensures it will appeal to the majority of people viewing it. 

After all, only 10% of home buyers can visualize the potential of a home that hasn’t been staged. “Home staging allows a house to feel like a home”, encouraging the listing to resonate emotionally with potential purchasers, and increasing the likelihood of an offer. 

While the benefits of Professional Home Staging remain constant, the staging trends do not. Similar to the interior design and the fashion industries, incorporating current styles in home staging is extremely important. In order to appeal to the majority of viewers, the décor used in a staged home must be stylistically current; out-dated décor will not sell a home. 

After all, the purpose of Professional Home Staging is to present a home in its best possible light. Not only does this increase the home’s perceived value, but it makes it a space that buyers want to move into. Whether you are a Home Stager, a potential home buyer or just a curious on-looker, knowing the current staging trends can be beneficial. So what is trending?

#1. World events influence every industry including Home Staging. Our planet’s health is of great concern and everyone is aspiring to do something positive in terms of improving its status. It comes as no surprise then that one of the current staging trends is to bring a little bit of the outside in. By incorporating live plants in a staging design, oxygen will be produced within the home, making it look and feel healthier as well. 

Furthermore, when situated purposefully within a space, the plants will provide well-placed pops of colour throughout. 

Future trend alert: As this staging trend continues to grow, so too will the designs incorporating the plants. Living walls, which are basically vertical gardens, will become more popular. Not only does this trend provide bursts of vivid green colour, but it is a unique way to display additional texture, shapes and visual interest. This trend can be viewed as the eco-friendly version of an accent wall.

#2. Colourful, feathered, Cameroonian crowns called Juju Hats, have been a popular decorative choice among Home Stagers for a few years. These woven tribal hats provide pops of bold colour which brighten up a home’s interior. 

This not only makes a space more appealing, but has the benefit of drawing the potential buyer’s eyes towards key features. Furthermore, they vary in size and colour, and are relatively inexpensive. They can even be created at home if the desired colour cannot be found.

Future trend alert: As the trend of bringing-the-outside-in grows, a similar but more neutrally coloured accessory is being added to the Juju Hats. These woven “wicker-type” hangings allow for a different colour scheme with an “earthier”, eco-focused vibe.

#3. The saying, “what goes around, comes around” can be applied to design style as well as to life. For instance, as evidenced at the 2019 International Builder’s Show in Las Vegas, the neon colours of the 1980’s have made a come back in the form of well-placed accessories. When used in moderation, these bright pops of colour can lend a sense of sophistication and luxury. 

However, “this trend works best when it’s mixed within a room decorated in mostly whites and grays”. Successfully pairing this bold design style with a neutral backdrop can create visual interest and energy, and bring a room to life.

Future trend alert: Boldly patterned wallpaper reminiscent of the 1970’s is re-emerging as a new trend. The loud, colourful prints and patterns are being seen once again, especially in small bathrooms. However, unlike its predecessor this wallpaper is easy to apply and even more importantly, easy to remove.

#4. One of the core principles of Home Staging is “less is more”. Homeowners are always encouraged to reduce the items in their cupboards and closets by 50%; showcasing the optimum storage space in a home is imperative. Although decluttering has always been a key tenet of Home Staging theory, the current staging trend leans more towards minimalization. 

Buyers are attracted to homes with clutter-free, organized spaces and this has morphed into the popularity of a new kind of storage: open shelving. Especially popular in the kitchen, this storage style demonstrates a lack of clutter, and presents the impression of a home as being so organized, it’s belongings can be put on display.

Future trend alert: Moving a step beyond open shelving is the concept of “showcase pantries”.  Having the use of a well organized pantry is a goal for many potential purchasers. (In fact, a separate pantry is the most coveted feature in a home!).

The trend now though is moving towards showcasing this organization. Pantries with visible shelving or pantry room doors with window inlays, will display the stocked shelves and the organization therein.

Certified UltimateStagers™ use their passion for decorating and interior design to create a space that appeals to the masses. They know too that to present a home in its best possible light, current staging trends must be incorporated. Using trendy décor in Professional Home Staging increases a home’s value, and makes it a space that potential purchasers want to move into. 

Knowledge is power and being informed as to what future trends are forecasted, is a great way to stay ahead of the competition.