The One Thing a Home Stager Will Always Remove from Your Home
Home stagers can’t stress it enough: When you’re showing your house to a potential buyer, you want to make sure they can picture themselves in the space without getting distracted by your personal belongings.
Often, that means tucking away things like pets and pet products, family photos, diplomas, awards, taste- or religion-specific artwork, clothing, and medicine containers on the counter, says Dominique Calhoun of Remix Living, a Philadelphia-based interior design company with staging services.
“If there’s any reason they feel like they can’t make the space their own, or if there are any feelings of ‘I don’t want to live here because of the way the previous person lived,’ it could potentially deter a sale,” Calhoun says.
One piece of advice that Calhoun gives her clients to help streamline spaces is to think about the purpose of each room. “The goal should be to arrange furniture that complements what the room is going to be used for,” she says. “For example, a bedroom should have a bed and maybe a dresser. I don’t recommend things like a treadmill inside of a bedroom.”
Although home gyms popped up in many spaces as a result COVID — it seems more and more common these days to find a Peloton across from a sofa or a bed — when it comes to selling your space, multitasking rooms can be a turnoff for buyers, because they can feel too small.
“Of course, you want to make the room look as spacious as possible, so too much unneeded furniture in the room or too many materials that don’t belong in the room definitely should go,” Calhoun says.
For that reason, exercise equipment is one of the most common pieces of furniture Calhoun recommends removing from a space, especially a bedroom, which should promote calm, relaxing vibes instead.
But where should the treadmill or exercise bike go? Many treadmills fold, have wheels, and can be rolled into closets. Some are even designed to be portable and come without handles or a display for easy stowing in apartments under sofas and beds. Otherwise, sticking the equipment in storage (or at a friend’s house) ahead of an open house is your best bet.
For other tips for concealing your home exercise equipment and making it look seamless with your space, check out these stylish gym setup and equipment ideas.