According to the National Association of Realtors' (NAR) annual report on home staging, the primary bedroom (formerly called the master bedroom) is the second most-important room for home buyers when it comes to what they want to see staged when they view their potential next home. What are they looking for? Space and luxury. Every home buyer is dreaming of a fresh start and an elevated lifestyle that includes a primary bedroom that will serve not only as a place to sleep, but a peaceful and romantic sanctuary where they can unwind at the end of a long day. They always want to see if a king size bed, or at least a queen, will fit in the room. Because of this, I always use the largest size bed that will fit comfortably in the room when I'm staging houses for my Realtor or home seller clients. Without a real bed physically present in the room, most home buyers will perceive the room as smaller than it is and presume that a king size bed will not fit. That alone is reason enough for many buyers to scratch you listing off their list of potential new homes and move on their next showing.
The following items should also always be included in every primary bedroom:
A king is ideal, but use a queen size for smaller rooms. There should still be room on both sides of the bed for a nightstand. Please take the following under consideration when choosing a bed for staging:
- A platform bed frame with matching upholstered or wooden headboard and side rails like the one in the photo above will look best for larger bedrooms.
- Smaller bedrooms look best with just the headboard. If the headboard must be placed under a window, be sure to select a low-profile headboard so it's not blocking too much natural light.
- Foot boards are usually too much for medium to small bedrooms, especially on sleigh-style beds. Remove those unless your primary bedroom is larger than average.
- Please take into consideration the architectural style of the home and the rest of your furnishings, as well as the personal tastes of your targeted buyer's demographic, when choosing a bed frame.
- Unless you're selling a castle, please refrain from staging your bedroom with a four-poster bed. These types of beds dominate average-sized or smaller bedrooms and will shrink the perceived size of the room considerably. If you already have one in the room, and replacing it--even if only temporarily--is not an option, I recommend removing and storing the tall posts and the canopy (if there is one). The top half of each post on most four-poster beds will detach from the lower half (usually by simply screwing it off).
- Also, please refrain from using a headboard and/or bed frame that lights up, looks "high-tech", or comes with a lot of other bells and whistles such as visible USB ports and cup holders.
If you're not using a platform bed with wood or upholstered side rails, it should have a tailored bed skirt to hide the box springs, metal frame and legs, and anything being stored under the bed. Standard drop is 14", but be sure to measure the "drop" before purchasing (the drop is from the top of the box springs or bed frame to the floor). Do not use a ruffled bedskirt as those are outdated.
Many stagers and home stylists will fold down the comforter to reveal a solid white bottom sheet. The fold creates the illusion of more layers, and the more layers of bedding there are, the more luxurious the look of the bedroom. If you're a stager, I recommend purchasing white fitted sheets in bulk, since you won't be needing the top sheet.
For my clients who will continue to occupy the home while it's on the market (therefore, use their own sheets), and if they don't have solid white in perfect condition that would be exposed when the comforter is folded down to reveal them, I recommend they purchase a solid white coverlet (quilt) and pull it up all the way to the headboard when they make their bed every morning. This will take the place of the all-white sheet as the bottom layer of the bedding. Many stagers, including myself, often use a white coverlet as an alternative to a white sheet in our vacant listings, as well.
There should be at least two "sleeping" pillows in identical size, form, and firmness. Ideally, four pillows for a king size bed in a primary bedroom. If your bedspread, duvet, or coverlet came with matching shams, use those to cover them. If using four bed pillows, put the other two in crisp, all-white pillow cases.
The bed pillows should be the appropriate size for the bed. If the mattress is a king size. Queen mattresses should have queen pillows. Full and twin mattresses should have standard-size pillows.
If you're a stager, you can consider stocking only king size pillows to simpily your process. One king pillow fits the width of a twin size bed perfectly. However, two king pillows will hang over the sides of queen and full mattresses. I rarely use queen beds, and I don't even stock full size (again, it's all about simplification), so when I stock only king pillows.
Also, stagers, don't invest a ton in these pillows for your vacant stages since nobody will be actually using them. Just make sure they have a full look and hold their shape well.
A fluffy comforter is a must. Fold in down to expose the white sheets or white coverlet, or fold it in half or in thirds at the foot of the bed, on top of the coverlet or other bedspread. The fluffy, folded comforter adds additional fullness and balances out the visual weight at the head of the bed created by all the pillows. If using a down or down-alternative duvet insert, don't forget the duvet cover. No matter how you fold it, it should go down towards the bottom of the bed far enough that your rows of accent pillows will not be sitting on top of it.
While the sheets, coverlet and pillow cases should all be solid white, the bedspread or duvet cover is where you can get a little more creative. But be sure to keep the color very light, though, and compatible with the rest of the items in the bedroom (flooring, art, upholstery, etc). Avoid busy patterns, but don't be afraid of mixing textures. A lot of texture is good. Don't use bright, vibrant colors like neons, reds, oranges, or yellows. Those colors don't have broad enough appeal to sell a home. Stick with neutral shades of white, cream, light grey or beige. Lighter colors will help the room appear larger. You can use darker colors such as black or brown, or shades of green or blue as your accent colors in your accent pillows and throw blanket. Accent pillows are where you can add more patterns.
For color and additional texture, several accent pillows should be placed in front of the bed pillows. There is a huge variety of pillow covers available on Amazon. I usually use at least six accent pillows on king size beds. Arrange all the pillows on the bed by size with the smallest in front. They don't all have to be the same color or texture or even pattern. In fact, it's better if they're not; but do choose colors and patterns that are compatible with one another. The best colors for staging a house to sell are neutrals like white (although all the other bedding I'm recommending is white, so another color for these pillows would be best), beige, tan, gray, brown, black, or shades of green or blue. Select colors that are in other pieces of decor in the room, such as wall art, to pull together a more cohesive look.
Feather or down-alternative pillow inserts that can be chopped in the middle look the most expensive and luxurious, and anything that looks expensive is going to elevate the perceived value of the whole house in the eyes of potential home buyers. When stuffing accent pillow covers, you always want inserts that are one size larger than the covers for a fuller look. So, for 20"x20" covers, choose 22"x22" inserts. Fold the insert in half and it will be easier to stuff it into the cover.
The final touch is one or two accent blankets folded and placed at the bottom of the bed.
For blankets that are long enough (at least 108"), you can stretch it all the way from one side to the other. It should be long enough to fall over the edges of the bed, and--ideally--all the way to the floor (or at least as far down as the comforther or bedspread does).
When using smaller blankets, you can "casually" drape it across one corner. You're going to be amazed at how hard it is to make "casual" look right. You may have to give it several tries.
As mentioned earlier, when you're selecting accent blankets, you can get a little more creative. For ones stretch all the way across the bed, you can even choose one with a pattern! Again, just make sure the pattern and colors are compatible with the rest of the room. Good design is all about pulling everything together for a cohesive look.
Every primary bedroom should have two matching nightstands on each side of the bed. Don't skip these, even if you have to use the smallest nightstands or accent tables for a small room.
Obviously, the larger the bedroom, the larger your nightstands should be. This will give the bedroom--and the whole house--and more expensive, luxurious look and raise the perceived value of the home in the eyes of potential buyers. If you're shopping online and you're having trouble finding large nightstands, try searching for 3-drawer chest of drawers.
On top of the nightstands should be table lamps (if there are not sconces attached to the wall or hanging light fixtures above them). That's enough, but if you'd like, you can place a small plant (real or faux), and maybe small piece of decor. If you read at night, keeping a non-controversial book (non-religious, non-political, and non-smutty) on the nightstand is okay.
If you're going to remain living in the home while it's on the market, and you have nightstands with drawers, keep the personal items you typically leave out on top of your nightstand in one of the drawers. Otherwise, keep them in a box under the bed. Many people use house-hunting as ruse to steal prescription drugs they can sell on the black market (or use themselves if they're addicted to painkillers). Sadly, even some real estate agents are guilty of this type of theft. So, if you are storing prescriptions under the bed, be sure to use an opaque box with a lid so that if any buyers peak under the bed looking for prescriptions, it is not obvious that's where your pill bottles are. The more time it takes them to rifle, the less likely they are to take anything. Of course, the best practice is to take them with you when you leave the house during every showing.
Don't skimp on the size of these, either. They should be at least 20" high with the shades on.
If you're a homeowner with a smaller bedroom and short on space for larger nightstands, you can use wall sconces as an alternative. That will free up more space on the surface of the nightstands. But if you're a stager, I don't recommend hanging sconces unless you are willing to let them convey with the sale of the house.
If the bedroom has hard floors, please place an 8"x10" or 9"x12" area rug under the bed to soften the room and make it feel cozier for buyers. Buyers will be very turned off if they walk into the bedroom during a showing and have to imagine themselves getting out of bed and stepping onto a cold, hard floor every morning. Click here to see our favorite area rugs.
Area rugs can be placed on top of carpeting, as well, to visually anchor the bed and add more texture to the room. However, this can be tricky, because area rugs tend to bunch up a lot when placed on carpeting. This not only is unattractive, it can be a tripping hazard.
Wall Decor
If there is enough room over the headboard, include one or more pieces of art that will fill up about 75% of the width of the bed. Don't hang it too high. It should be hung so the bottom of the frame(s) are only about six inches from the top of the headboard. Be sure to choose a color palette that is compatible with the bedding, the finishes (wall color and flooring), and any other decor in the room. If there is excess decor that is incompatible with any new bedding or art you've purchased, you can and should remove it. Less is more. The art and bedding will have more of an impact, visually speaking.
If your targeted buyers are Asian, avoid placing mirrors in the primary bedroom, as this is considered bad luck under the principles of Feng Shui, especially when they reflect the bed. Otherwise, mirrors are best placed opposite a window to reflect light during the day and brighten the room.
Mirrors attached to dressers are outdated. If your dresser has an attached mirror, I recommend removing it and hanging art above the dresser instead.
Minimal decor on lower, hip-height dressers is fine. Avoid placing decor on dressers that are any taller than that or on top of armoires and tall cabinets. It's a cluttered look.
If the bedroom can fit more furniture without looking overly crowded, that's even better. Just make sure there's a minimum of 36" of walking space between all pieces of furniture, and between the sides and foot of the bed and the walls.
Other furniture that works well in primary bedrooms are:
- A dresser. I prefer low (about waist high) dressers, but if space is restricted, a "tall-boy" (about shoulder height) dresser that is more narrow in width may be a better fit. Do not use the matching, attached mirror that is often sold with dressers. Hang a piece of art over it instead.
- A bench at the foot of the bed (two may be needed to take up the width of the bed, but they should not exceed the width of the bed). Benches are also great for under a window. Add a few accent pillows on top of the bench.
- For massive bedrooms, a small loveseat instead of a bench at the foot of the bed is better. The goal is to make smaller rooms look bigger by not putting too much furniture in the room, and to make really big rooms look cozier by adding more furniture in larger scale.
- One or two accent chairs. If there's space for a chaise lounge or an ottoman that matches the chair, buyers will be able to imagine themselves curling up in that corner to read a good book.
- When I place an accent chair in a bedroom, I also place a floor lamp and a small, round accent table next to it, especially if I've used a large enough chair that would make a comfortable place for reading.
- If your primary bedroom has a retreat large enough for a conversational area the size of a small living room, then you'll want to stage it with a sofa and/or loveseat set (or a small sectional), one or two accent chairs (if space permits), and a coffee table. You'll want 18" of space between the edge of the sofa and the coffee table. Don't forget an area rug here, as well, if you have hard floors in this space.
- Plants. Real is preferable, but faux plants will work, too. You'll definitely want to use faux plants if the house will be vacant, since nobody will be around to water them. I usually put a small plant on one or both of the nightstands next to the bed and a tree or other type of floor plant that's at least waist high in an empty corner.
The following items should NOT be in a primary bedroom when staging to sell:
- A TV, unless there's an ideal place for it in the room, which usually is not the case. An ideal place for a TV would be in the retreat (if the room has one) or directly across from the head of the bed at a comfortable eye-level. If the only place for a TV is somewhere that will require the occupants to watch it by looking up or by cranking their heads to the side, it's not an ideal room for watching television, is this is not something we want to make obvious to buyers.
- A desk. Buyers do not want to imagine one of them working late at night at the desk while the other is trying to sleep. So unless you're targeting single people that won't be sharing the bedroom with a partner, find a better place in the home to set up a work area.
- Exercise equipment. Remove rowing machines, treadmills, stair masters, etc. from the primary bedroom.
- A crib or other children's furniture. Again, the primary bedroom should be staged as a sanctuary where parents can get away from the children.
If you have an upcoming vacant listing in our service area, call us at 909-256-9411 to get a free estimate for premium staging services using our inventory of furniture, art, and home decor. We will be asking for the full street address and photos, and we will may also ask to preview the home in-person before submitting a firm quote.
If you have a listing that will remain occupied while it's on the market, we offer a Photo Prep service during which we'll style the home by repurposing what the homeowners already have available. We do occasionally rent some of our inventory for occupied listings, as well. We assess what's needed during a mandatory, preliminary consultation. This consultation is two hours and will include instructions for decluttering, depersonalizing, deep cleaning, as well as recommendations for any cosmetic updates we feel will help the sellers get the home sold faster and for a higher percentage of their asking price. I also offer these consultations in an online format for anyone in the US or Canada.
If you have an occupied listing in our service area that you'd like staged, start here by booking the mandatory preliminary consultation.
If you'd like an online consultation for a home outside our service area, book here.