It’s no secret that I am in LOVE with my new staging wall!
Come on! That is just too gorgeous not to love and it’s even better in person! It’s got all the DIY Paint color, texture, and depth that makes for a really stunning staging wall, which is why we chose a wall in our main living space. I want to look at this all the time!
I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea (at least not for their living room) but boy does it make an impression in photographs!
Like anyone, I started just taking pictures in my garage. But, as my work improved and my rates increased, I started to realize how much of a difference a beautiful backdrop can make for my photos. Now I know what to look for in a good staging wall (and what not to do next time!)
Let’s take a look at this example… a tapestry hung on a plain wall. I thought I’d add the pattern for visual interest, to stop people in their tracks, but this is too busy! Tt worked pretty well for this vintage sofa but… not much else. The gold velvet paired with the boho wall hanging created a “scroll stopper”, but I wouldn’t recommend it for one of my painted pieces.
After that, I went with this deep ocean color from Clark + Kensington. It was a color I used on our front door and was determined to pull it in to the house, someway or another. This worked well to make my photos POP!!! but ot clashed with a lot of the other things I tried to stage on the walls. I think a bold wall works well if you keep your projects within the same color scheme, but I like to be all over the place so it wasn’t always ideal.
Here’s that teal wall again! As you can see, when blue is up against it, the shades changes and compete with one another! It’s striking but not ideal.
A fun note: this wall is actually the thing that grabbed Jennifer Allwood’s attention!! She told me that blue wall is what made her contact me for her first ever webinar.
Now, these next two photos show the white wainscoting that I did and will ALWAYS adore. We no longer live in that house but that room gave me a good white backdrop with the kind of texture I am drawn to. Plus, the wainscoting is a good measure of height! Buyers love to imagine a piece in their house, so having a standard of measurement in your photo, like a lamp or bouquet, is an easy way to help them judge the scale of your piece.
I have a thing for blues. Ya think?
Eventually, I compromised. I kept the teal on the facing wall and I painted this side of the room a light blue called Crystal Beach. This is obviously a better look that allows my furniture and artwork to be the star without competition.
My sun hats became a popular staging option for me as my brand identity started really developing.
My first finger painting lies against this newly textured wall Matt and I were working on. It made my heart BEAT FAST!!! This was the it, we were finally getting to the good stuff.
Yes, it somewhat competed with the furniture but I just didn’t care! It was warm and neutral enough for me and I wanted the look of crumbling walls with old wallpaper peeking through. Those papers were my own prints done in a gift wrap form so it felt very personalized to me, which was important. When we moved into our new house, I got to try it out again.
And just look at THIS! This is my favorite. I applied the DIY Paint more liberally, meaning color and a LOT of it! The overall feel to me is soothing, cozy and completely, “ME.”
A good staging wall is about evoking a sense of wonder for the viewer. It’s a not-so-blank slate that gives your customers a chance to imagine…
