When it comes to styling a home for sale, the kitchen and dining areas are often forgotten or overlooked.
Many vendors are often left wondering ‘how do you possibly style a kitchen?’
It may seem tricky, especially when there’s no furniture to move in the kitchen and the dining room generally has just one table and some chairs.
Expert Cat Brown says you don’t have to spend a fortune styling your home. Picture: Simplify Me
There are a few simple tricks such as where you place certain objects that can make a huge difference, says Cat Brown, ex-real estate agent and founder of staging company Simplify Me.
Last week Brown provided some great tips on styling a lounge room, this week she’s advising sellers on how best to present a kitchen and dining room.
1. Is the table the right size?
Although you may not have too many options as to where your dining table goes, you can always choose the shape and size of the table itself.
Remove any chairs from the end of your dining room table to make the space look bigger. Picture: Getty.
Brown says that when styling for sale the size of the table should relate to the number of bedrooms.
“If you have a two-bedroom house you don’t need an eight-seater dining table,” she says.
If the table is too large, one option is to change it over for a smaller one that will make the room look spacious.
2. Change the chairs
Modern chairs can make almost any table look trendy. Picture: iStock.
If you wish to keep your table, you can still change the look.
One of the best ways to make your table look fresh and trendy is to swap old chairs for more modern ones.
You may be surprised by how effective this small change can be when it comes to the overall look of this room.
Finish it off by adding a centrepiece to the table.
3. Get rid of end chairs
“One of the things you need to consider is whether you are keeping your dining setting when you move,” Brown says. Picture: Simplify Me
Whether you decide to update the chairs or keep your old ones, removing chairs placed at either end of the dining room table is a must, says Brown.
This will open up the space, making it look larger and less cramped.
4. Remove personal items
Potential buyers need to be able to visualise themselves living in the home. Picture: Getty.
While there is no furniture to be moved around in the kitchen, the golden rule is to ‘declutter and depersonalise’ it.
And this isn’t just true for the kitchen but the whole home, including the dining.
“Cut down any excess items like any photographs or trinkets on your bookshelves,” Brown says.
“When selling we recommend you depersonalise it to a certain extent so your potential buyers can see themselves in there.”
5. Pack down the kitchen
Take everything off the fridge. Picture: Kate Griffen
One way to declutter the kitchen is to remove unnecessary appliances from bench tops and remove all notices and pictures from the fridge door.
“Pack down the kitchen appliances and take all magnets and notices off the fridge to create a seamless clutter-free space,” she says.
This will allow for a clean and spacious feel that will be more appealing to potential buyers.
