As a real estate professional you know the true significance of January: getting out ahead of the upcoming spring sale season. You are preparing CMAs for potential listings, sending marketing materials to your farm area, and staying in front of your sphere and leads. And with the expectation of new listings coming onboard, you must be ready to guide your sellers towards the latest interior design staging trends to maximize top dollar. Statistics show investing 1.3% in staging results in a 7.1% average over-list return or 5-15% over asking price (Architectural Digest). Make sure you are a step ahead so that your listings reflect what today’s savvy buyers are looking for. Whether you work with a professional stager or perform that service in-house, following are the best trending home staging tips in real estate for 2024:
Based on a survey done by the New York Design Center, professional interior designers shared their trade show notes on design changes we will be seeing going into 2024. And a whopping 90% of designers agreed that brown is the new gray. In a nutshell, 2024 is the time to embrace earthy tones, natural materials and quiet luxury as we bid a fond farewell to the gray and white color palette that dominated much of the last decade.
1. GOODBYE GRAY, HELLO BROWN
Predominant grays and whites had their day, and it was a good one. You probably can’t count on both hands how many homes you’ve shown and/or sold that featured the ubiquitous color combo of white and gray that we’ve all grown to expect. But there’s a new sheriff in town and it goes by the name of Brown. Think chocolatey neutrals in fabrics, textiles, cabinetry, and case goods (furniture).
2. WALL ART GOES 3-D
Wall art is an integral part of any home staging endeavor, and in 2024, it’s going 3-D. Choose from a fun selection of sculptural paintings, baskets, macraeme, or other types of 3-dimensional wall pieces. Add these as a pop of complementary texture and surprise to your selection of flat pieces to create variety and interest.
3. A RETURN TO “DUMB” HOMES
This trend is all about putting a pause on the over-abundance of technology. Smart homes are giving way to no-nonsense mechanical accessibility. Trending now is a move away from harsh blue lights and bright touchscreens to a return to old-school systems. Mechanical controls, buttons, and switches provide a no-nonsense interface and straight forward usability. This sentimental return to knobs and buttons resonates with a societal movement away from over-computerization to easy, simple functionality.
4. BOLD ACCENT COLORS
As the mass exodus from white and gray sterility continues, choose daring and audacious accent colors. This look embodies startling pops of edgy color juxtaposed against chocolatey neutrals and all-natural materials, like wood, seaweed and straw.
5. INTERIOR MURALS
Carefully curated interior murals make often forgotten spaces, like foyers and stairwells, into passages of interest. Consider decorating walls and passages with faux finishes or murals. This design feature can transform these often neglected areas into places of beauty, creating a journey from one floor or room to another. The sentiment behind this is to love and appreciate every inch of the home.
6. SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS
At this point it should be no surprise that sustainable, “all natural” materials are all the rage. Think baskets, lamps made from seaweed or reeds, bamboo and wood. These materials pair nicely with the trending color of brown and add warmth, texture and interest to a room.
7. INVITING LIVING ROOMS
As the trend away from white continues, the look of sterility is giving way to approachability, comfort and quiet luxury. Say au revoir to cold, white living rooms and bonjour to rooms that are more welcoming and less worried about wine stains. Warm hues rule, along with natural materials and earthy color palettes.
8. CHARTREUSE MAKES A COMEBACK
Expect to see this zesty green hue everywhere, from the latest in clothing, to accent pillows, chair coverings and walls. Chartreuse can be tricky; avoid going full neon, and match chartreuse color pops against complementary colors like navy blue or dark brown.
9. PERSONAL NARRATIVES
Decor that highlights a personal story gives homage to carefully selected personal pieces that recall history and time. Items such as family heirlooms, antiques, and wall paper positioned against modern backgrounds provide a delightful and thought-provoking sense of interest and nostalgia.
Whether or not you and your clients choose to incorporate these new design trends into the overall staging strategy, it’s good to be aware of what’s coming. As with all things new, it can take some time to get onboard with the changes ahead. But you can be sure that the savviest of buyers will be resonating with these new looks. Incorporating a few new trends will bring your listings into line with expectations and could also get your sellers a better sale price.