If you need to sell your home in the winter, you may be nervous – after all, many parts of the country have cold, grey skies, or wintery precipitation that makes a home simply not look its best from outside. However, with the right interior staging, you can completely reverse the work that winter weather does, leaving you with a successful set of showings to potential buyers. Let strong agent insights inform your choices as you decorate.
Unless the Holiday is Upon You, Keep Holiday Decor Minimalist
Some people assume that a big holiday display is a perfect way to make their home feel more home-y during the winter. However, much of the winter is actually not ‘the holiday season,’ so consider keeping decor a little simpler. Instead of a big Christmas tree, small fir branches on the mantle work well.
Instead of a whole menorah and dreidel set-up, silver, white, and blue worked into decor like kitchen towels and wall hangings work great. There are options that walk the line between general decor and holiday decor that can make your home at once beautiful and suited to recent holiday celebrations.
Fireplaces, Cozy Rugs, and Blankets Work Wonders
You’re unlikely to re-stage your home entirely for a winter showing, though if you do, go for it! One of the biggest sources of winter ‘touches’ involves warmth: a fire in the fireplace, if you have a working one, is a great example of something that feels more comforting than a home that is just fed by the typical heating system.
Rugs that are soft on the feet and blankets that look warm and cozy are also great adds for this kind of staging. If you aren’t big on the plush rugs and blankets, borrowing a few for your staging in the winter can make a big difference.
Consider Baking Bread or Lighting Scented Candles
Smell is a big part of how we experience an indoor space, and adding a light scent can be a nice way to improve one’s sensory staging for the winter. If you can bake bread or cookies, those are established nice ways to make a space smell nice, but if you aren’t much for baking, consider candles.
Not only does the light of a candle look nice, if you pick one with a light wintery scent you can establish the ambiance further. Remember that some people are allergic to perfumes, so keep the scent light and don’t burn candles for a long time at once, since you want all the benefits of the scent but no drawbacks from an overly perfumed space.
Use Greenery and Light to Create Atmosphere
Two last steps to really solidify your look. Use fake or real greenery to make your kitchen look nice for the winter: this can include hearty houseplants that winter well, or boughs and garlands of evergreen to give a beautiful but wintery look.
Finally, remember that light matters: if you typically use bright-white bulbs to get maximum visibility in your home, try a soft-white or even honey-yellow light bulb to try to get a little more winter, cozy mood going. Don’t dim everything and make it hard to see, but cast a golden light on it all – all of this can really help people to see themselves living in this home during winter!