Staging

HGTV finishes a close second to Slice for the most frequently viewed channel in our house. A few evenings ago, while wasting time watching The Stagers followed by The Unsellables, Greg announced that he doesn't like watching television shows about staging homes for sale.

Though it came as no shock that he might dislike my television monopoly, his reasoning for disliking those shows in particular - because the design isn't permanent - was surprising. When someone stages a home, it is to close a deal. This explains why air mattresses are put in bed frames - to give the illusion of how someone might live in a space. Seeing how someone actually lives in a space, or prepares to live in a space, has an appealing human element. This said, I also think that watching how a designer or realtor interprets a space to maximize what will appeal to the broadest range of people, is interesting.

Watching Sandra navigate someone through the purchase of their first home on Property Virgins feels like an education for young professionals like ourselves, taking in how to find a great rental property on For Rent is a reflection of our daily lives, and absorbing ourselves in the excess of Million Dollar Listing is just plain entertaining. I enjoy the personalities behind and in the design.

Staging turns a room like this...

...into a room like this. Images via Portico Home Staging.

However, Canadian and American staging has a long way to go to mirror Swedish staging. For an example of what I mean, check out Alvhem. These realtors certainly take staging to the next level.

Take for instance, the placement of a sweater on an armchair.

Or a high-end shopping bag left in a corner.

Or a half eaten piece of cake next to a coffee mug.

Or a half drunk glass of wine on a dining table.

These pictures make it seem like the person living in the home has impeccable modern style, is neat and has just popped out for a moment to collect something at a nearby market. I'm a sucker. These photos are trying to sell an illusory lifestyle, and I'm lining up to buy it even if Greg thinks it's temporary.