Most homeowners use dining rooms for entertaining family and friends for special occasions. While a dining room is used less often than other spaces in a home, it’s not one that a seller or real estate agent should neglect.
Buyers want to picture themselves enjoying all areas in a home, including the dining room. Fortunately, you can quickly turn a dining room from drab to fab with simple updates. Now, here are eight tips for staging a dining room:
1. Upgrade the Light Fixture
An updated light fixture is a fantastic way to elevate a dining room. For example, the light fixture you select can determine how you stage the rest of the dining room. If you have a dining table set, try and find lighting that coordinates with those pieces.
Because dining rooms are intimate spaces meant for entertaining guests in the evenings, opt for warmer lighting and consider upgrading to a dimmer switch.
Also, you can find affordable chandeliers in both home improvement stores and online. Pinterest is a helpful platform to discover inspiration, too.
Recommended Chandeliers
Here are some of our favorite chandeliers:
- Dycus 6 – Light Sputnik Modern Linear Chandelier
- Sputnik Sphere Chandelier
- Trulli 3 – Light Statement LED Chandelier
- Hayes Chandelier, Linear, Light Bronze
- Hayes Chandelier
It’s essential to install a dining room light fixture at the correct height above the table. Take a look at this article to determine how high to hang your new chandelier.
2. Bring in Natural Light
While most people use their dining room in the evenings for special occasions, potential buyers usually tour listings during the day. For this reason, it’s vital to bring in natural light.
Keep the curtains and blinds open during showings. You can also brighten the space by cleaning the windows, choosing a lighter neutral paint color, and adding a large mirror to bounce light.
3. Dress up the Windows
Window treatments can enhance any space, and often they tie all of the other design elements together. The dining room is a space where you can go for bold, darker drapes, or you can choose light and airy curtains.
When staging to sell, it’s safer to keep design elements on the trendy yet neutral side. Choose pieces that appeal to the most people and avoid niche interior design styles. (See more in “Remove Personal Touches”)
4. Incorporate a Statement Piece
A beautiful or unique centerpiece is an excellent option for staging a more simplistically styled dining room.
There are a few guidelines when it comes to choosing the fitting centerpiece. For starters, stick to three objects if staging with multiples. Those three pieces should be in the same color group but come in different sizes and textures. If you choose one statement piece, you have the freedom to highlight something more unique.
Here are a few statement piece ideas:
- Three candles in various sizes
- Four candles placed in a line
- A large vase with flowers or foliage (like eucalyptus)
- A one-of-a-kind glass blown sculpture
5. Create a Tablescape
Tablescapes take your dining room staging to another level. According to FearlessFresh, tablescaping is the act of creatively and intentionally arranging a tabletop to convey a specific theme, mood, or experience. For example, tablescapes may include a simple flower arrangement, fruit bowls, dinnerware sets, or even dried grass. The possibilities are endless!
If the dining room is on the larger side, a tablescape helps potential buyers picture themselves entertaining guests and enjoying evenings in the home. And if the dining room is on the smaller side, you can still create a simple tablescape that promotes a cozy and intimate atmosphere.
You should especially consider staging the dining room with a tablescape during the holidays, which is the time most homeowners would host family and friends.
6. Use the Correct Sized Rug
One problem we see in staged dining rooms is a too-small area rug. If you decide to incorporate an area rug, it must be the right size; otherwise, the entire room can look off.
The perfect rug should be 20-30 inches bigger than the dining table. Typically, an 8ft x 10ft area rug will do the trick! An area rug shouldn’t be too big for the space, either.
Yvonne from Stone Gable shares this helpful tip on her blog: Let the edges of your room “breathe”! Make sure you have at least 6-18 inches of floor showing around the room. This will define your eating space and supporting furnishings.”
7. Remove Personal Touches
If you use professional stagers, one of the first things they will do is remove family photos and other personal items from the dining room. Additionally, most professional home staging companies suggest that dining spaces have a neutral color. While a pop of color is fine, many prospective buyers shy away from dark wall colors and other personal style choices like custom artwork on walls.
8. Set the Table
Another important dining room feature is the dining room table and the dining room chairs. Place fresh flowers or place settings on a traditional dining room table. Also, if the dining room is large enough for a formal dining room table, highlight it! While you can feature a dining room on your listing without furniture, home buyers like to imagine themselves in a space, and staged furniture can help them do that.
Dining rooms are one of the more exciting rooms to stage, and it can be as simple as updating the light fixture, bringing in natural light, and adding some eye-catching centerpieces. Remember to add window treatments and a properly-sized area rug.
Your dining room is ready for professional real estate photos and showings with these eight tips!
