What Is The Difference Between Interior Design & Home Staging
I often get asked ‘What is the difference between Interior Design and Home Staging’, and the answer can be a little confusing. Interior design are both, very similar and very different. They are both design arts, which have been developed to improve the look of a property, it is the purpose of why they are being used that makes them different.
Home Staging
Home staging, or property staging which it is also known, is very much a property marketing tool. It’s sole aim is to sell a property quickly and for the best possible price. Home staging involves ‘staging’ preparing a house for sale in a way that appeals to the most potential buyers.
Although, there are no qualifications available for property staging, it is essential that a stager has a good eye for design, understanding of colour and furniture layout.
A home stager usually rents a kit to the home owner, for the time that the house is on the market. It consists of all the furniture and accessories suited to that property in order to ‘stage’ the house. The stager, then transforms the house into the ‘dream home’, appealing to the most potential buyers and sets the scene showing, how they can live there.
In a stage for sale, large furniture pieces aren’t used allowing the house to appear larger and uncluttered.
The stager works with the estate agent, providing professional photographs, which can be used on the property listing.
Staging a property before having it valued, is beneficial as it gets the highest valuation from the very start. Using the photos from the stage, ensures that the listing stands out, resulting in high viewings and high prices.
The turnaround time for home staging is fast, usually within 24 hours. The important thing is to get the house on the market as quickly as possible.
Home staging should always be looked at as a short term investment, which will always give a good return on the sale of the house .
Interior Design
Unlike, home staging, interior design is not usually used to sell a property. It can be used as a marketing tool in commercial design to draw customers, usually hotels and restaurants.
Residential interior design however, follows the same processes but involves creating an aesthetically pleasing and functional space for someone to live in. An interior designer works closely alongside their client, to create a space that reflects only their personal style and tastes. The design only needs to be loved by the home owner, as it is unique to them and how there family lives.
Interior design involves more skills and design elements than home staging, which include, room plans, lighting plans, furniture layout, choosing paint colours, furniture, fabrics, finishes and window dressings. An interior designer therefore needs to train to learn these skills and how to use them.
An interior design project can take a long time, from the clients brief to completion can take several months. It takes time to create a concept, mood boards, do drawings, source the perfect furniture piece, work to budget, and stay on time, while ending with results that are even better than the clients vision. Interior design is expensive, but is an investment to the homeowner, living in a house they love.
In summary, home staging is focused on depersonalising a property to prepare it for sale, while interior design is focused on using the clients personality to create an attractive and functional space for them to live in.