- Date Published:
- 23/05/2008
Living rooms are where we feel able to relax and be comfortable. However, when selling your property, you may have to sacrifice some of your creature comforts for image.
By Daphne Leck
4Homes Essentials
Property Search
UK Region Ratings
Credit: Allders
Now is a good time to pack away as much clutter as possible - videos you don't watch regularly, piles of magazines and books, and all those odds and ends you have been meaning to sort out. You will have to pack these away to move, so do it sooner rather than later.
Clean the room thoroughly, from the ceiling down. Have soft furnishings and carpets professionally cleaned.
If necessary, redecorate. Strong colours can alienate potential purchasers. If they do not like your choice they will be counting the cost of redecoration, and that will undermine the value of your property. Choose pale, warm neutral colours, such as cream or off-white.
If your carpet is worn or badly stained, replace it. Do not choose expensive carpet, but make sure that it looks reasonable. If your wooden floors look shabby, have them refurbished, but employ a professional company unless you feel totally confident about your skills.
Good lighting is essential in living rooms. Central pendants with lampshades that show the light bulb are ugly and dated. Replace with chandeliers or more modern fittings; at the very least replace the shade with an uplighter. Make sure that you have alternative lighting, such as standard or table lamps, which can be switched on to provide a flattering background light.
Soft furnishings are really important in living rooms because they can add colour and luxury. Cushion covers are easy to make. Choose a beautiful fabric, such as velvet or silk, in a colour that will tone with your decor. Decorate with some braid and tassels for that extra attention to detail.
Dressing a room attractively is important and many people forget the walls. Choose mirrors and suitable pictures and hang them thoughtfully. Large pictures will dominate a small room, dark paintings should be avoided in rooms with little natural light and family photographs should be kept hidden.
If you have a separate dining room, it should be shown as such with table and chairs. However, you need not necessarily lay the table for dinner, as you might see in some show houses. This can look terribly contrived, and potential purchasers may be more interested the quality of your tableware than the attractions of the room. A centrepiece, such as a bowl of fruit or a small arrangement of fresh flowers should suffice.
Although it may dominate our lives, the television is an ugly focal point for a living room. Keep it in the background as much as possible and emphasise more attractive aspects, such as a fireplace or a feature piece of furniture.
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