Without art on the walls, no home looks complete. Choosing the best wall art for staging to compliment both the fixed finishes in the home (flooring, wall colors, cabinetry, etc) and the furnishings and other decor being used to stage the home is imperative.
Today's trends in both furnishings and finishes call for art in neutral tones: white, cream, beige, gray, tan, brown, and black. We only use other colors when they already exist in the finishes of the home, or for our occupied listings where we're mixing some of our own art in stock with the homeowners furnishings. The two "non-neutral" colors that have the broadest appeal with home buyers (and the population in general) and are compatible with all wood tones and other fixed home finishes are green and blue.
Large scale pieces, or compatible pieces hung together in a group to cover more wall space, will make a home look and feel more "expensive", and therefore, give it a higher perceived value in the eyes of potential buyers. However, this does not mean that you need to cover every inch of wall space with art. It simply means the art you do have should be large in scale so it takes up maximum wall space while still leaving margins around the perimeter of the piece.
The size we use most is 24"x36" because this size--which can be hung in groups of two or three--is easy to store and transport. Also, when we buy them in sets, we can usually break the set up and hang them separately in smaller spaces. Consistency in style and color palette is always important in good design, and since a set is similar in style and color palette, if I have a set of three, I can put two of them on one wall in one room, and the third one in another room. This size is also easier to find when shopping.
Nine times out of ten, transitional style is the way to go when your staging a house to sell. However, transitional can be hard to define and everyone is going to have their own idea of what it is. For me, transitional means both timeless and trending, meaning it's whatever is popular right now that is also timeless. Even if the trend cools, it will never be completely "out". White kitchen cabinets and wood flooring are good examples, but it's harder to articulate examples of "transitional" when it comes to art. I just follow the trends that have broad appeal by seeing which styles and color palettes get the most likes and positive engagement in design blogs and social media posts, especially on Pinterest and Instagram. "Elite" interior designers would ridicule me for this method, but my job as a home stager is not to attempt to set or buck the trends but rather to follow them, because I'm trying to sell homes, and to do that, I must appeal to a wide audience by using established trends that are popular now... not decor that is "up and coming". So, to repeat: Transitional means trends that may be extra hot right now, but will never really go out of style.
One current exception is vintage-looking art, especially vintage landscapes. It's the type your great-grandparents may have had hanging in their homes. Often included in styles referred to as "Granny Chic" or "Cottage Core", vintage art is very popular right now, so I've included some recommendations for specific vintage-style pieces with my transitional selections below.
"Organic Modern" is the term used for what is currently probably the most popular trend in home decor, and any of the pieces that I've included under my transitional options will work well with this style.
"Modern" is also a very subjective term. To the layperson, it means current and is often used synonymously with "contemporary". But in the design industry, "modern" is usually in reference to mid-century modern (the mid 20th century), which has made a huge comeback in the last decade. Although very popular right now, modern is less versatile than transitional or organic modern. It should only be used when it's compatible with the architectural style of the home, as well as has broad appeal with your targeted home buyers.
Of course there are many other styles that are trending, as at any other time, but I'm going to stick with just these mentioned so far, as they are the ones that have the broadest appeal as of the writing of this post. I will update my selections here as needed when the trends shift.
Click on the style below that your home staging consultant has recommended for your home to jump straight to our affordable favorites and shopping links. As an Amazon associate, I do make a commission on any orders placed using these links, but that will in no way alter the price you pay. If you don't care for any of the specific pieces I've selected, you can use these links as a starting point to prompt Amazon to show you similar pieces that may have more appeal to you.
Transitional Art with Black Accents
Modern Art with Black Accents
Transitional Art in Neutral Tones, No Black
Modern Art in Neutral Tones, No Black
Transitional Art with Green Accents
Modern Art with Green Accents
Transitional Art with Blue Accents
Modern Art with Blue Accents
Staging Consultation Canva Templates for Home Stagers
Transitional Art with Black Accents
Below are some of the specific pieces of art we use most often in our home staging business.
These transparent leaves, or "leaf skeletons" as I tend to call them, work great for almost any style since they're a perfect combination between the classic, timeless botanical theme with a more modern look (by the layman's definition, not the mid-century one) . You can find these leaves on Amazon framed in two sizes: 16" x 24" and 24" x 36". There are three frame colors to choose from: these brown frames (select "natural" frame when ordering), black frames, or white frames.
There are also some larger versions available in frameless, stretched canvas (shown below). These are all inexpensive, lightweight, and super easy to hang. We don't mess with the hanging hardware they come with. We just use two small nails level with each other and set the top of the frame on them. This way, we can slide the piece a little to the left or right as needed.
These two canvas art pieces are each 32" x 48"
Where to place smaller pieces of art when staging a home.We use smaller 16"x24" in narrow places (see the pic below) and over toilets and towel racks in bathrooms, or a grouping of three over the headboard in a bedroom.
Transitional style art includes more than just botanicals. Abstract landscapes such as the one below can also a create a great combination between traditional and trending. This one has a lot of brown in it, and brown has made a huge comeback in home decor.
Modern Art with Black Accents
This set of three modern art pieces with geometric shapes is one of our newest favorites. Click the link below to get to the listing page, and you will likely see many recommendations for these similar pieces.
The art piece above on the left under the mini-split air conditioning unit was purchased from Amazon (link below). The art on the right above the console table was a custom, hand-painted and hand-textured piece I created myself. Let me know in the comment section if you're interested in the DIY instructions for creating textured, abstract art and I may consider creating an instructional video.
The best thing about both of these types of abstract art pieces is that they can be hung either horizontally or vertically. Personally, I would've hung the one on the left in vertically, but my client was put in charge of hanging the art in this home because the walls were made of concrete, and I didn't want the liability of possible damage attempting to drill for the scres necessary for concrete. This was his preference. I have to choose my battles sometimes and let the client have their way.
Some of the sets below give the appearance of texture, but they are flat prints, making them much more affordable than art with true texture. Some do have actual texture. Be sure to read the descriptions carefully before ordering.
Transitional Art in Neutral Tones, No Black
Not all homes will look best with black art, furniture, or fixtures. For those, I choose decor in neutral tones of brown, beige, gray, and white.
Vintage-looking art prints are extremely popular right now, so if your home is transitional style, including vintage prints will appeal to nearly every home buyer demographic. These have a little black (or dark gray) in them, but could still be neutral enough for a home with no black furniture or fixtures.
Modern Art in Neutral Tones, No Black
Unless you have some black furniture or fixtures already in your home, art with black frames or accents may not be the best choice. If that's the case, choose neutral art without any black in it, like the selections below.
Transitional Art with Green Accents
As I mentioned earlier, if I stage with color, I use either green or blue. There a couple reasons for this: 1) those have consistently been ranked the most popular colors in the population in every survey done on the subject for several decades, so either of these colors will have broad appeal with home buyers; and 2) either of these colors will be compatible with almost any tone of fixed finishes in a home (flooring, cabinetry, etc).
As of the writing of this article, forest green, avocado green, and olive green are trending. Sage green sometimes works, as well. Avoid using outdated greens such as bright neon lime green and greens with blue undertones, such as teal.
Below are my favorite transitional pieces in a green color palette. Again, vintage-looking prints are very popular right now, and most of them have a lot of green in them, since most of them are landscapes.
Modern Art with Green Accents
Transitional Art with Blue Accents
I put blue last for a reason. Don't get me wrong, I love blue. In fact, when I first started my home staging company in 2018, shades of turquoise, aqua, and teal were very popular in home decor, and I love those colors so much, I chose Larimar has my company's name because of the blue, turquoise-like stone called larimar native to the Dominican Republic. This meant, of course, that initially, my company's brand color was larimar blue. However, within a year, this shade of blue ceased being a trending color in home decor and was replaced by navy blue, which was also a short-lived trend. Currently, no shade of blue is trending. This could change at any moment, but I recommend avoiding it for now if possible. The only time I make an exception is when the home already has blue fixed finishes that won't be changed before the house is listed, such as blue cabinetry.
Modern Art with Blue Accents
Professional Home Staging Services
If you're in Southern California and interested in our staging or design services, give us at call at 909-256-9411. If you're not in our area, we also offer online consultations and edesign services. We can walk you through DIY staging, or create mood boards and shopping lists to give your home a fresh look.
Canva Templates for Home Stagers
If you're a fellow home stager and would like to purchase the printable handouts we use during our staging consultations, like the ones below, visit our Etsy Shop.
