3 Must-Haves For Every Room Of Your Renovation Property

Hi guys! It’s Naomi Findlay here, your rapid renovation expert.

So, you’ve memorised the six essential design principles – you have your colour palette ready to go, and you’ve drawn up all the parts of the house that will be lit up and highlighted. And that’s great! Now how do you translate all of this to each individual room, without just copying and pasting from one to the next? Do you have a game plan for each room? Or are you struggling to come up with ways to create a style that translates in each and every space?

Well, fear not! Because today I have three ways that you can make sure every room and space gets the attention that it deserves.

Now, of course the renovating side of things is still the most important part of your property. After all, you went into this to renovate for wealth, right? You didn’t spend all that time and effort to skip straight to the decorating part. So, obviously your renovations need to be up to scratch.

But once they are, every element of your home staging should be perfect too. That way you can maximise your return on investment once you finally sell the place. If you have been through my other posts, you would have a good idea of things like making sure you are KIS (keeping it simple) and positioning your furniture to make the best use of the space.

And while furniture and your candles, cushions, wall art, mirrors and all of that are an important part of transforming your house into a beautiful home, there are three other things you need to consider to help it reach its peak. That’s because these items aren’t always translatable from space to space – you can’t always throw a cushion in and voila! The space is transformed. Especially not for a room like the bathroom.

These three “must-haves” will ensure your property blows all of the competition out of the water. Not only will potential buyers see it as an amazing, stylish and practical, they will become emotionally attached – and that means great profits for you!

If you have decided on the solo route for your home staging, I have a super handy Styling and Finishing list in my Rapid Renovation Formula that will help you with this.

So, what are these three essential elements to add to each room?

Number one on the list is contrast.

Whatever style you choose to go with in your property, contrast is a must-have element to have in every space.

What do I mean when I say contrast? I’m not talking about contrasting colours here, although that is one way to create contrast. You may have already chosen your colour scheme, and I’m not about to talk you out of it. Contrast is about opposites like light and dark, or hard and soft.

When staging your property, it can be easy to go with the safe option and avoid any kind of contrast. Staying neutral is a good way to appeal to many different buyers, but it can also mean your property falls short of creating that extra level of “oomph”.

Contrast can be a fantastic way to draw attention to a particular feature in a room, and make sure that each room stands out on its own – you won’t want buyers walking from room to room thinking that they all look the same, because they don’t! So, show them what’s unique about each room by using contrast.

Make each room stand out with contrasting additions; a fluffy Mongolian lambs wool cushion on a leather couch in the living room; a round vanity mirror above a square bathroom basin; and soft fabric chairs against a hard, wooden table in the dining room. These are the kinds of things that will help add depth and take each room to the next level.

The second element is layers.

Just like contrast, layers in a particular room can create interest, texture and depth. Using layers can increase a potential buyer’s feeling of comfort. And layers aren’t limited to what you throw on a bed or couch. Any décor items can be used to help create those essential layers.

Rich spaces feature things on top of or in front of other things – a vignette in the entryway is a perfect example of this. What is a vignette, you ask? It’s a small, decorative arrangement that you can put onto any flat surface and usually works on coffee tables, end tables or hallway tables.

You could lean framed art on each other, stack a couple of books in front, place a scented candle on top, add a table lamp, a vase of flowers and perhaps even a little figurine. Just make sure when creating these layers that each addition complements the rest, and that there isn’t too much on the one surface. Remember, there’s a difference between a beautifully layered vignette and a table full of clutter.

A more obvious example is to use cushions, throws and different sets of sheets to make the bed in a bedroom look warm and fluffy. But they don’t all have to be sheets and pillow covers from matching sets – you can mix and match to create interesting effects and add uniqueness to each bedroom.

The last element to consider is life.

Now I don’t mean that you should leave a half-eaten sandwich out in the kitchen or stick family portraits in the hallway to show that someone lives there. There’s a big difference between personality and personal items – the former will create more appeal and help you connect with your buyers, the latter might just deter them.

What I am talking about is one of the most elusive elements in a staged home. It’s about breathing some personality into each space – these are the little finishing touches that will give your property something most are missing.

That large seashell you picked up on your last trip to Fiji can be a good way to add some personality to your bathroom. A vase of fresh flowers on the kitchen bench, or some live plants (but not all of the same variety) in the bedrooms will make the space feel more alive – and have the added bonus of connecting the space to nature.

When considering how to style your home, you can achieve some mind-blowing results if you focus on using these key must-haves in every space.