I Sent a Home Stager Photos of My Bedroom — Here’s What She Told Me to Change

Like most social media users, I wish I could have a picture-perfect home. Unfortunately, my efforts tend to feel forced or appear flat in photos. I’ve spent the last couple of months working with home stager Amanda Lewis of The Den Rentals to elevate my space and achieve a more sophisticated feel. Although her recommendations are for those looking to list a home or host an open house, I’m still choosing to apply her tips for a room worthy of an editorial spread. Here is some great advice she gave me about spiffing up my own bedroom.

My first update was an easy bedding refresh. “For bedrooms, I like to create as much of a peaceful, tranquil environment as possible,” Lewis says. As luck would have it, I am indecisive regarding my interior style and keep both all-white and funky bedding options. I swapped my coral velvet bedding for a hotel collection comforter I had. If all-white isn’t your preference, Lewis suggests either “simple and light bedding” or referencing hotel photos for inspiration. “For staging purposes, I always prefer white or light cream, patternless bedding. The majority of people enjoy the feeling of serenity that comes from the crisp white linens of a hotel room and we always try to recreate that feeling.”

If you’re listing your home, Lewis advises prioritizing mass appeal over personality. “I often see a lot of boldly painted accent walls in bedrooms. It’s best to paint over them to match the other wall color or paint the room white. I understand this may seem boring in terms of design, but when trying to sell a home, you want to appeal to a broad buyer pool. You can add your personality back into your new home.”

I’ve found the greatest staging payoff when I hide eyesores. “When it comes to furniture, as much of a pain as it may be to remove dressers or chest of drawers, it always helps to open up the space,” Lewis says. “Plus, dressers and extra storage pieces also give off the sense of needing more storage in the closets.” While I couldn’t remove my chest of drawers completely, I did move it next to my bed. Now I have a larger nightstand and more floor space. 

While the drawers had to stay, I was able to hide my portable fan. “Even though most of us sleep with a fan for added noise or breeze, you’ll want to tuck away the portable fan,” adds Lewis. “You don’t want to immediately plant the seed that the room is too hot or doesn’t have good airflow. This also goes for space heaters.” I also found a new home for my shoes, allowing them to be stored with coats and jackets. 

An unexpected design moment that Lewis created was my art gallery. “Remove the mirror and utilize the leftover artwork to create a little gallery wall/art cluster. This will also be reflected in the mirror.” While it could use some tweaking and fresh photos, I thought it turned out beautifully considering everything was being upcycled or reused. It was a great reminder that I don’t necessarily need to spend money for a room refresh.