I Know What Stagers Always Buy At Thrift Stores (It Adds Instant Character to Any Space)

"When my husband and I were shopping for a new home last summer, I started to get a sense of déjà vu while touring properties. So many of the houses we looked at were staged so similarly, from furniture to layout. Over time, I realized that made sense, since the whole point of staging a home is to make the space appealing to as broad a group of homebuyers as possible, but it made homes blend in to one another."

"But after a number of open houses went nowhere, my husband and I made a game of how many overlapping staging motifs we saw in each house. We tallied how many times we saw the black-and-white buffalo canvas in Colorado living rooms and "Long Live Boyhood" pendants in playrooms. On some weekends, we were touring as many as 10 homes, and to help them from all blurring together, we kept details in our notes app and also started referring to homes by the features that set them apart - like "The Cool Wallpaper " house and "The Pretty Pendant Lights" condo."

"Much of the staging that we saw in homes we were touring I recognized from the aisles of big-box stores, and sometimes they didn't quite feel like a fit for some of the types of homes we were looking at, like mid-century built-homes and historic bungalows. But it got me thinking that thrift stores could be gold mines for stagers, especially for those looking for more unique pieces or those who are staging homes with historic charm."

Home tours revealed repetitive staging motifs and similar furniture, causing many houses to blend together. Buyers tracked distinguishing details and nicknamed properties to keep listings distinct. Numerous staged items were identifiable from big-box stores and sometimes clashed with mid-century and historic bungalow styles. Thrift stores emerged as valuable sources for unique, era-appropriate pieces that better complement historic charm. Seeking vintage lighting and distinctive accessories at thrift shops can give stagers overlooked design opportunities to create more authentic, differentiated interiors that appeal to a wide range of buyers.

Read at Apartment Therapy