Potential property buyers want to enter a house and immediately feel at home.
So it comes as no surprise that clumsy cables, cluttered tabletops and peeling paint can be enough to turn them off a property altogether.
Enter the seller’s secret weapon – a property stylist.
Not only can these interior experts transform a home into a warm, naturally lit space but they also tweak minor oversights, organise storage and hire pieces guaranteed to completely overhaul each room.
Here, interior stylist and Mise en Place founder, Anita Birges, speaks to FEMAIL about the tricks of the trade guaranteed to add thousands to the value of your home
Here, Australian interior stylist and Mise en Place founder, Anita Birges, speaks to FEMAIL about the tricks of the trade guaranteed to add thousands to the value of your home and drastically boost your chances of a sale.
‘I was speaking to an agent the other day and he summed up the three elements that will increase the price of your property,’ she said.
‘You need to do three things: Price it right, present it right and promote it right. Tick all those boxes and you will increase the sale.’
Anita recently completed a partial property styling on this beautiful heritage home in Bondi
‘It was an amazing property so I worked with a Bondi-meets-Art Deco style, lighting and some simple pieces to transform the space and make it perfectly ready for sale,’ she said
DECLUTTER FIRST
Anita recently completed a partial property styling on a beautiful heritage home in Bondi.
‘A partial styling is great as you work with the owner’s furniture to bring the property to life as well as adding elements like accessories and artwork,’ Anita explained.
‘I organised for 60 boxes to go into storage as decluttering is the first and most important step.
‘We kept the beds and couches and a lot of the big tables and then once it was all decluttered it was clear to see how we could really bring the property to life.
‘It was an amazing property so I worked with a Bondi-meets-Art Deco style, lighting and some simple pieces to transform the space and make it perfectly ready for sale.’
After patching walls, re-painting, carpet cleaning and tidying the outside space, the real transformation could begin.
‘A partial styling is great as you work with the owner’s furniture to bring the property to life as well as adding elements like accessories and artwork,’ Anita explained
CREATE SPACE IN THE BEDROOMS
‘We kept every single bed but the most important thing to do in these rooms was to draw attention away from the beds by using simple white linen and simple pillows,’ Anita explained.
‘You need to highlight the best bit of the rooms – you are selling the space, not what’s in it – so I was sure to show off the grand ceilings and all of the space.
‘This was achieved by taking the photos from an aspect that showed the beautiful view, working with the curtains that were already there and decluttering or storing any desks that were in the rooms.
‘All you want in a bedroom is a bed, two bedside tables, lamps, artwork and accessories. That is all.’
‘We kept every single bed but the most important thing to do in these rooms was to draw attention away from the beds by using simple white linen and simple pillows,’ Anita explained
‘You need to highlight the best bit of the rooms – you are selling the space, not what’s in it – so I was sure to show off the grand ceilings and all of the space,’ Anita said
Before, the rooms were very cluttered and lacking bright, natural light
‘All you want in a bedroom is a bed, two bedside tables, lamps, artwork and accessories. That is all,’ Anita said
LIGHTEN UP THE LIVING ROOM
As this is a space where the family spends most of their time, it’s very important to create an area that people can picture themselves in.
‘In this room the family were adamant on keeping the couches so we had to work with them,’ Anita said.
‘The one thing that really transformed this space was swapping the dark rug with a neutral rug. Dark rugs make spaces and furniture look smaller – especially in photos. They swallow the room.’
Anita also placed new cushions on the couches to complement the artwork and was sure to keep it minimal and clean.
‘In this room the family were adamant on keeping the couches so we had to work with them,’ Anita said
‘The one thing that really transformed this space was swapping the dark rug with a neutral rug. Dark rugs make spaces and furniture look smaller – especially in photos,’ Anita explained
KEEP THE KITCHEN MINIMAL
When it comes to the kitchen, clutter is the biggest downfall.
‘It’s really important to really strip back the kitchen so remove all the appliances – kettles, toasters, blenders – and focus on highlighting the space and the aspect,’ Anita said.
‘Show off the beautiful bench space, show off the cupboard space and the ease of working in the kitchen and make it beautiful’.
In the kitchen of this particular home, Anita added a simple artwork to the wall and some greenery to add warmth.
‘You want to make it colourful – if I had put a newspaper on the table the whole room would have appeared bland and neutral but the artwork just made the space,’ she said.
‘In the kitchen I love using fruit, plants and flowers – especially lovely green plants along window sills. It’s great to have nature in every room.’
‘It’s really important to really strip back the kitchen so remove all the appliances – kettles, toasters, blenders – and focus on highlighting the space and the aspect,’ Anita said
‘You want to make it colourful – if I had put a newspaper on the table the whole room would have appeared bland and neutral but the artwork just made the space,’ she said
KEEP THE DINING TABLE CLEAN
In the dining room, Anita spent a great deal of time decluttering and clearing items off tables and chairs for storage.
‘I was also sure to hide all cables and untidy elements like that and I really wanted to highlight the wonderful aspect and outlook this room had,’ she said.
‘I also replaced the mirror with artwork as the mirror did absolutely nothing for this room.
‘It’s really important that mirrors never reflect a blank wall. A mirror has to reflect something worthwhile otherwise it makes a room look smaller, not bigger.
‘If your mirror is reflecting something like a brown cupboard – fix it!’
In the dining room, Anita spent a great deal of time decluttering and clearing items off tables and chairs for storage
‘I also replaced the mirror with artwork as the mirror did absolutely nothing for this room,’ she said
RECONSIDER THE ‘SITTING’ ROOM
The homeowners had placed two couches in the room that led from the living room to the pool area.
The result was a dark, over-crowded space that was rarely used for sitting in.
‘You didn’t need the couches and that is clear when you look at how the room transformed,’ Anita said.
‘It’s also great to add rugs to any tiled spaces like this as it brings softness to the room.’
The homeowners had placed two couches in the room that led from the living room to the pool area
‘You didn’t need the couches and that is clear when you look at how the room transformed,’ Anita said
Other property styling tips to consider when selling your home
BATHROOM
* It’s about keeping it clean and welcoming with small personal touches
* Cleanliness is the most important thing when it comes to the bathroom, especially the bench
* Place a bath mat in all bathrooms
* Organise the drawers and cupboards neatly in order of their purpose rather than stacking them all in with different items
OUTDOORS
* Always have a welcome mat (a nice one, not a plastic one) as it is the first thing people see when they arrive
* Make sure the pathway to the door is clear and is not cracked to show you care
* Ensure the filter box around the pool isn’t rotting and remove the pool cleaner
* Jazz up the space with sitting areas and cushions
