Using Window Treatments to Highlight Rooms When Staging Your Home for Sale

Appearances and first impressions mean everything when you are selling your home. The idea is obviously to emphasize the strong selling points and to minimize any possible flaws. One must-have is to make sure that every room in the house has lots of natural light. Some lighting aspects can’t be easily altered, but one strategy that all homeowners should consider is to enhance their current window treatments or add new ones, to make the lighting appear as flattering to the home as possible in order to attract potential buyers.

Take a critical look at your present window treatments. See them with a buyer’s eye and assess whether they maximize each room’s potential. Investing in updated window treatments now can pay off handsomely with a quick sale later and at your asking price. Below are a few design ideas to try.

Keep It Neutral

Tastes in home styles can vary wildly, so it is generally safer to stick to neutral, earth-toned hues and understated patterns that have a more universal appeal. Especially in rooms where the lighting is dim or when the view is less than picturesque, you don’t want potential buyers to fixate on any negative features. The idea is for your window treatments to complement your décor and blend in seamlessly.

Replace anything that is specific to your tastes but that might appear unattractive to a buyer – animal prints, polka dots, unusually vibrant colors that could appear garish to some potential home buyers.

The look should be modern, yet timeless, and as a designer, I recommend focusing more on minimalism and streamlining your designs. If it has been awhile since you updated your home’s window treatments, get rid of the heavy curtain rods and ornate cornices and substitute lighter, thinner rods that don’t dominate the space. Replace dark, heavy draperies and curtains that are too short with lighter, floor-length versions that can be pulled to the side to allow in as much ambient light as possible.

Keep Your Focus

Bedrooms and living rooms should have upscale window treatments because a sale can hinge on the desirable appearance of these specific rooms. Children’s bedrooms should have gender-neutral window treatments in them. Replace anything frilly or clearly intended for one gender with something attractive but uncluttered, like a cellular shade framed by curtains and layered with a gauzy sheer.

Kitchen window treatments should make the room appear as large and light-filled as possible. Go for minimalism here and use light and airy café curtains or simple shades that fill the room with sunshine. If the weather cooperates, open a window and let the roman curtains billow in the breeze.

Use Your Illusion

In smaller rooms, create a visual illusion of higher ceilings and more space by hanging the draperies or curtains above the windows themselves. Investing in a fabric-covered valence can add a touch of luxury to a room and complete the look. Wood shades also have a classic appeal that never goes out of style.

Installing the curtain rods about a half a foot outside of the window’s edge on either side is a great way to enhance the lighting in a room. It enlarges the area and frees up the window space. This is also a good way to show off any wooden trim on your windows.

We can help you create the perfect and affordable window treatments to stage and highlight your home for a quick sale. Call today for a free shop-at-home consultation.