How to stage a master bedroom

How to Stage a Master Bedroom | Home Guides

By Stephanie Mitchell

As homey and warm as your bedroom may be, its personalized, lived-in look won't help it sell your house. When prospective buyers walk into a master bedroom, they are attracted to rooms that feel spacious, calm, neat and elegant. Staging the bedroom is all about creating these feelings. Light, color and decoration in the master bedroom can go a long way toward selling a house, so take the time to stage the room properly before you put it on the market.

Paint the room calm or neutral colors if it currently has a more vibrant color scheme. Beiges, grays, blues and soft greens are relaxing choices for a bedroom. Use paint with an eggshell finish to help the room pick up more natural light.
Remove all furniture from the room except the bed, bedside tables and a dresser. If the room doesn't have a full-length mirror, bring one in. If you have a particularly large master bedroom with space for a sitting area, place one or two chairs in it. Make sure that there is plenty of walking space for people entering the room and easy access to the windows.
Clear all the clutter from the room. There should be nothing on the floor other than furniture and nothing on any of the furniture surfaces. This includes removing the television, family photographs, stuffed animals and other personal items.
Dress the bed in sheets, a duvet and pillows that coordinate with the wall color. Cover the boxspring with a bedskirt. If you don't have a headboard, invest in a cheap one to make the bed look more elegant. The bed should be the focal point of the room, so don't be afraid to dress it up.
Choose window dressings that match the style and color of the room. If you're not sure what to do, install simple blinds and basic sheer curtain panels. Open the blinds and pull back the sheers when viewers are coming.
Place lamps on the bedside tables and in the reading area if you have one. The lamps don't have to match, but they should look like they're from the same era and part of the world. For example, two mismatched, shabby-chic white reading lamps are fine, but don't have one shabby-chic lamp and one Asian-inspired, black-lacquered lamp.
Hang one or two art pieces on the walls. Place a live potted plant in the room, such as a flower on the dresser or a tree in a corner. Put colorful throw pillows on the bed to add some visual interest to the color scheme.
Clean the room thoroughly before each viewing. Make sure it is free of dust and dirt, the bed is made, the windows are spotless and all the lights work. This ensures that the master bedroom makes the best impression possible.

References

Staging Diva Dispatch: How to Stage a Master Bedroom
Susan V. Phillips, Spotlight on Decor: Top 10 Rules When Staging the Master Bedroom
All About Home Staging: Bedroom Home Staging

Resources

Staging Diva: Top 10 Tips to Turn your House into a Show Home

Tips

Stage the closet as well -- make sure it isn't too cluttered and that hanging clothes are grouped by length and color. Keep the floor clear, and try to fill no more than one-third of the available space.

Writer Bio

Stephanie Mitchell is a professional writer who has authored websites and articles for real estate agents, self-help coaches and casting directors. Mitchell also regularly edits websites, business correspondence, resumes and full-length manuscripts. She graduated from Syracuse University in 2007 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in musical theater.

How to Stage a Bedroom for Buyer Appeal in 6 Steps

If you want to sell your home fast and expect to get your asking price, you must stage it to attract as many buyers as possible. Many sellers stage their primary bedroom, but guest and kids bedrooms are important too. Buyers must be able to picture how they could use the space, and it's ideal to show them a comfortable sleeping environment. Here are six tips for how to stage a bedroom.

About This Term: Primary Bedroom

Many real estate associations as well as the Real Estate Standards Organization have classified the term "Master Bedroom" as potentially discriminatory. "Primary Bedroom" is the name now widely used among the real estate community and better reflects the purpose of the room.

Read more about our Diversity and Inclusion Pledge to make The Spruce a site where all feel welcome.

01 of 06
Declutter and Downsize
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Begin your bedroom-staging process by decluttering. Many bedrooms—especially infrequently used ones like guest bedrooms—become a dumping ground for extra bedding, clothes, and accessories. Remove all items from the closet(s), as they might distract buyers during home showings. Plus, an empty closet can create a feeling of ample storage space.
Furthermore, neutralize the space by getting rid of family photos, religious and political items, and knickknacks. And clean the room thoroughly.
02 of 06
Create a Focal Point
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The first thing you should see when you walk into a bedroom is a focal point, and typically that's the bed. Position the bed where it best fits with space on either side. Avoid pushing one side up against a wall, as that can make the room feel cramped.
Besides the bed, use only essential furniture pieces to stage the room—side tables, lamps, a dresser, and perhaps a chair. However, if the room looks crowded, remove the chair. Your main aim should be to show buyers that a whole bedroom set can easily fit in the room.
Ideally your furniture will match to create a cohesive look in the space. If you don't have the right pieces and are working with a limited budget, you can paint or reface old furniture instead of buying new items. Check thrift shops for furniture in the sizes you need that you can refinish.
03 of 06
Dress the Bed in Style
A properly made bed is key to a well-designed bedroom that can win over any buyer. Opt for neutral bedding that can appeal to most design preferences. You also can appeal to buyers by dressing the bed based on your climate and season—e.g., a lightweight quilt in the hot months or a cozy duvet in snowy weather.
Add plump standard bed pillows, rather than ones that are flat or an odd shape. And finish off the look with a few throw pillows that provide a fun pop of color or pattern.
If you’ve already moved out of your home and don’t want to leave your linens behind, you don’t necessarily need to put sheets on your bed if the quilt or duvet fully hides the mattress. Similarly, you could use an air mattress on a platform bed frame if you’ve already moved out your real mattress.
04 of 06
Add Personality With Home Decor
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Personal items can turn off a buyer. But home decor that enhances the interior design of the space can make your home seem more valuable. For instance, fresh flowers in a vase on a side table can create a welcoming atmosphere in the bedroom. Potted plants are good as well, though you must make sure they appear healthy and tidy.
Likewise, you could place a basket of towels, slippers, and other sleep essentials on the bed to give the room a hotel-like quality. And add an area rug, especially if you have wood or tile floors, to give off a cozy vibe.
05 of 06
Paint the Walls a Neutral Color
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Bedrooms are frequently painted in personal colors. For example, kids might pick their favorite bright and bold color. And even though paint is an easy fix, offbeat colors can sometimes turn off buyers. They might not want the hassle of repainting, or they might not be able to imagine the room in a different color. Plus, some colors might make a space feel closed in or dreary.
So to avoid issues with a bold or dingy paint job, give your bedroom a fresh coat of paint in a neutral color. Touch up the trim as well if it has any marks or chips. The goal is for the paint color to fade into the background and be a blank canvas for the buyers.
06 of 06
Bring in More Natural Light

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When staging your bedroom, make sure it's light and bright. And maximize the amount of natural light, which is typically softer and more soothing than artificial light. Install sheers with lightweight curtains. That way, you can let in sunlight during the day but still use the sheers as necessary for privacy or to diffuse very harsh light. Avoid heavy draperies and curtains with bold prints or colors, which can distract buyers.
Also, keep in mind that some buyers might come to see the property after dark or on a cloudy day. So you'll need sufficient artificial lights to brighten the space. Lamps are a good option because the shades will soften the light and give off the vibe of a comfortable sleep space. You also can replace bulbs in ceiling fixtures with ones that give off a soft white glow as necessary.

5 expert tips — INMYROOM

Interior decor

We learned from a feng shui specialist where to place a bed, which model to prefer and how to decorate a room to attract prosperity and love into your life

Important arrange the bedroom so that the interior gives you a sense of security, comfort and tranquility. From the quality of the space in which you rest, depends on your health, vitality, mood and ultimately your success. nine0003

The matrimonial bedroom is a special space, because one of the main tasks of feng shui living quarters is to maintain harmonious and strong relations between people, which, by the way, is the foundation of a healthy atmosphere at home. AND if you have not met your partner yet, then the correct arrangement of the bedroom will help you hasten this happy event. Feng Shui consultant Irina Simakova told InMyRoom how to do this.

Irina Simakova - consultant of the Feng Shui Association of Great Britain and Europe (FSS) and the International Feng Shui Forum (IFFS). He believes that the house is a mirror reflection of human life. Everyone can change their life by transforming the space around them. nine0013

1. Planned space

therefore, it is important to maintain a calm and gentle flow of energy here. Choose a room that is protected from the active sun and external noise and is located far from the front door.

In a private house, it is better to place the bedroom on the top floor. But the guest room can be on the first floor. Also avoid irregularly shaped rooms and sloping ceilings. Above the bedroom the main entrance, bathroom and other rooms where active activity is expected (for example, a gym or children's). All this will disturb the smooth flow of Qi and lead to an imbalance. Yin Yang. nine0003

2. Principles of furnishing

Proper positioning of the bed will provide an atmosphere of security and tranquility, which is so necessary for a healthy sleep. Make sure your bed is in position of the maximum accumulated Qi: diagonally from the entrance. Avoid "Position of the deceased", when the legs are directed strictly to the door.

Position the bed so that it can be easily accessed from both sides. The ideal position is the headboard against the wall, which ideally should not be adjacent to the bathroom, stove, sink. nine0003

You can often see the location of the bed headboard to the window, but this is too active yang energy, which is not compatible with sleep function. And a common design technique - ottomans or a sofa at the foot of the bed - on the contrary, echoes the principle feng shui, according to which it is favorable to have an open space in front of the house, where the energy can calmly gather and enter the house. This configuration in miniature can be repeated in front of the bed, which allows you to accumulate even more Chi, which supports you during your holiday. nine0003

3. The right bed

price and fashionable design, but its shape, headboard, mattress and even height. All these parameters create certain energy influences on a person and on whether How well the bed is chosen depends on your health and peace of mind during sleep.

What do you prefer - a bed or a sofa bed? Definitely a double bed. The sofa visually and physically "separates" the energies of the spouses (partners), and also limits the space for your complete rest. For the same reason, there should be one on the bed large shared mattress. And even if you don't have a partner yet, still choose double bed with one mattress and two pillows. nine0003

But the newfangled round beds are highly undesirable: this form is active and unstable and not suitable for sleeping.

The head of the bed symbolizes protection: what is it stronger and larger, the more protected and complete your rest will be. Choose a model made of solid and durable material - you are guaranteed a comfortable sleep. The ideal headboard shape is one that will visually unite the spouses (rounded, domed or rectangular). A triangular, pointed, or irregularly shaped headboard, on the other hand, represents excess yang energy that will interfere with recovery. strength, exacerbate stress and cause headaches. nine0003

4. Lightness of being

sharp corners of furniture and walls, and cabinets and massive furniture would not hang over you. Nothing during sleep should not psychologically put pressure on you, otherwise you will spend energy instead of restoring it.

It is very important that above the projection of the bed and headboard was free space. Ceiling beams hanging over you, chandeliers, lamps, shelves, massive paintings, heavy objects or air conditioning violate the atmosphere of security and form the energy of pressure. Maybe you you don’t realize it, but the body is designed in such a way that it will unconsciously try protect yourself from this destructive flow of energy, which will lead to an outflow of forces. Therefore, it is advisable to abandon the chandeliers above bed and install lamps or sconces on the sides of beds, and make general lighting in the form of spot lamps. nine0003

If the beams are load-bearing structural element, it is better to make them invisible (paint in ceiling tone), decorate with textiles, or make a canopy over the bed.

5. The Art of Decor

For a feng shui bedroom, soft lighting and calming, warm and gentle pastel colors. Avoid bright or too dark and contrasting colors: yang rich decor is preferred only as accents, thanks to which the balance of yin and yang will be maintained energies. nine0003

Flowers as representatives of yang energy are also appropriate in the design of the bedroom, but choose plants with soft shapes, ones that do not cause aggressive feelings, such as a cactus. And here are the items related to the elements of water (aquariums, fountains, images of water) are not welcome in the interior of the bedroom. And also forget about the TV or the desktop - active yang energy is not compatible with bedroom function.

But the presence of photographs of a married couple is more than appropriate: they will support the "pair" energy in the bedroom. The same function is performed by bedside tables, nightlights and rugs located on the sides of the bed. nine0003

Check if you are reflected in the mirror and other mirrored surfaces (including mirrored ceilings) while on the bed. If so, urgently correct the situation: the reflection will weaken you during sleep, but your task is, on the contrary, to restore and replenish your energy supply.

And do not be lazy to make your bed every day: any disorder and chaos leads to interference in the flow of energy and, therefore, to obstacles in your life.

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Original Design Example: Modern style bedroom with gray walls, light parquet floors, beige floors and vaulted ceiling

How to stage a master bedroom