Though plenty of people aim for a Marie Kondo-esque existence, the reality is, homeowners and apartment dwellers alike tend to need and accumulate a lot of stuff.
Our closets bear the brunt of it all. For this reason and more, spacious closets are a sought-after feature for homebuyers. This fact is hardly lost on home stagers, who unanimously vouch for the importance of a well-staged closet.
A closet that is decluttered, organized, and staged will show buyers that the home is well-maintained and move-in-ready. To help your closets make the best impression possible, professional home stagers weighed in. Here are four little ways home stagers make your closet look nicer without buying anything.
The 80/20 rule
While buyers may not be inclined to open your drawers and chests, you can bet they will take a thorough look inside your closets. According to Cindy Lin, founder of STAGED4MORE School of Home Staging, closet clutter can deter prospective buyers, so it’s important to downsize well before a showing.
“Most of the time, we only use 20 percent of the items in our closets. If you are selling your house, pack up 80 percent of your closets—this way, you can show off the spaciousness,” says Lin.
Lend the illusion of space
Sometimes it’s not the space you have, but how you use it, according to Suzanne O’Donnell, owner of My LA Organizer. “When a home does not offer a lot of closet space, it’s important to give the impression that there is plenty of room in the closets. If at all possible, leave closet floor space open,” she says.
If your closet still appears cramped, try reconfiguring your hangers so that they’re spaced an inch apart. While it may seem counterintuitive, this trick will give buyers the sense that they could easily fit their belongings in the closet.
Give accessories a home
Small accessories can be the most difficult items to keep organized. Donna Dazzo, founder of Design to Appeal, recommends handbags be placed upright on a shelf, ties and belts be hung, and hats be stacked one inside the other with the firmest and largest hat on the bottom.
As for shoes, downsize what you have and place the remainder on a shoe rack against the back wall of the closet. Ensure you are only using one-third to one-half of the rack, so that you can space the shoes out evenly.
Think visual impact
Eve Rusakova, owner of Studio 74, suggests removing or remedying anything that is visually busy. “Use matching hangers, remove any extra hangers—especially the wired ones—and put smaller items in nice baskets or boxes for better visual impact,” she says. And though it may seem tedious, Rusakova says it doesn’t hurt to coordinate clothing by color.
Grouping items by color can make for easy access, but beyond that, Lin says that a space that makes visual sense will appeal to onlookers in an intuitive way, “Human brains naturally like order and balance. When you group and sort items with similar sizes and by colors, it will put the brain at ease, making the closet more attractive to the buyers.”
For more home decluttering tips, visit Apartment Therapy.
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