I've been asked about using Feng Shui techniques in staging and I'm not a Feng Shui expert by any means, but I have been interested in it as it relates to staging.
The definition of Feng Shui is: a Chinese system that studies people's relationships to their environment, especially their home or workspace, in order to achieve maximum harmony with the spiritual forces believed to influence all places. Feng shui, which translates literally as "wind-water," promotes well-being by rearranging how chi, or energy, flows through a home.
There is a lot of information out there about Feng Shui. We're going to start with some basic tips about this practice, published by HGTV:
Make your front door welcoming. Energy enters your home at the front door, so invite it in! Make your door stand out by painting it a color that contrasts with your home, adding a new welcome mat and flanking the door with plants. Choose plants with rounded leaves as sharp leaves can appear aggressive to buyers.
Create a "room of first impression." Buyers generally decide whether they will buy a home in the first eight seconds they spend there, so you want them to see the best room first. Create a clear path to this room with a runner rug or with eye-catching art and accessories.
Don't let energy go down the drain. If the first thing buyers see when they enter your home is a bathroom, keep the bathroom door closed. Toilets and drains take energy from a room, so keep the toilet lid down and cover drains while not in use.
Rearrange furniture to improve chi. A furniture arrangement can make or break the flow of energy in the room. If the back of a sofa faces the room's entrance, energy bounces right out. Facing a comfortable sofa or love seat toward the entrance of the room will improve energy flow and make buyers feel welcome.
Remove clutter and depersonalize. There's one rule that's consistent in all home staging: Ditch the clutter. Clutter prevents energy from flowing through the home. So clear out knickknacks, photos and other personal items.
Provide support. Large furniture such as beds and sofas need a solid wall of support behind them, so don't place these pieces in front of a window.
Invigorate the senses. Stimulate your home's energy with sound by adding a wind chime to the front right corner of your house. This is the buyer's area of the home, so this accessory might call in your home's future owner.
There are similarities between "standard" staging and Feng Shui, so I'm going to continue to learn about this ancient practice. And, as I'm learning, so will you!
