As a stager and interior designer, I am often asked which I prefer more. But one of my favourite things about my career is the diversity. And while both staging and design often share many of the same principles, each discipline offers its own set of exciting challenges.
Which leads me to this week’s blog topic - what is the difference between home staging and interior design?
Home Staging
As one of the most powerful marketing tools for selling or renting a listing, home staging is done with the potential buyer in mind. Home staging requires an understanding of the real estate environment and more importantly, the aesthetic aspirations of the target-buyer demographic. Staging is often done with little input from the home owner, with a focus on highlighting the best features of the property.
When staging a home, neutrality is key. A staged home should allow for buyers or all kinds to envision themselves living in that home. When working with colour schemes for a staged space, neutral colours for walls and furniture are always best. Pops of brighter, or bolder colours and textures should be left for accents such as throw pillows and wall art. The style of a staged space is generally pretty limited as well, and will usually stick to simple, clean, and often modern finishes. Functionality usually accommodates a certain lifestyle, but when staging a space for showings, it should also be kept neutral. For example, furniture should be placed to maximize floor space. Finally, all personal effects such as religious items and family photos should be removed.
Interior Design
Interior design, unlike staging, is much more personal, and is all about pleasing the home owner. Unlike staging, interior design is a collaborative process between the designer and the home-owner. Interior design requires a deep understanding of the home owner’s lifestyle and taste, often allowing for unique and bold design decisions.
When designing a space for a homeowner, there is a lot more room to play with bold and bright colours. These colours are also not limited to accents in a space! Unlike in home staging, the colour of walls and furniture can be much more daring. Interior design also allows for the incorporation of different styles. Rather than keeping the decor in a space modern and neutral, it can be designed to accommodate other styles such as ArtDeco, Coastal, Bohemian or Rustic. When designing a home, the functionality of each room almost always accommodates the home-owners lifestyle. Furniture, floor decor and other furnishes are placed to best suit the everyday life of the client, rather than to make the space appear more spacious and functional.
The many different challenges and requirements in staging and design are the reason I love my career so much! No project is the exact same, and I'm always learning new ways to work with different spaces, styles, and demographics!
