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Staging Diva

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How to Set a Table for Home Staging: 9 Tips

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Dining table for home stagingIn a recent post, I discussed the 6 questions to ask before setting a table for home staging.

I also shared my own preferences and examples of when I set a table and when I don’t.

If you’re going to set a table for home staging, you need to do it properly.

A badly set table looks worse than one that’s not set at all. Plus, it can really detract from the room.

Steps For How to Set a Table for Home Staging

  1. The quality of your props should be appropriate to the price point and target market of the house.
  2. Don’t let the place settings be a distraction from the room itself. Remember the point of home staging is to merchandise the home. Not the contents.
  3. Don’t use gimmicks, that don’t reflect how someone might actually live there. I saw charger plates filled with lentils in a 20/20 episode on home staging. It looked totally contrived. One of the techniques I dismissed in my series on silly staging tricks.
  4. Look at photos for ideas on how to set a table properly. Here’s my collection of inspiration photos on  Pinterest.
  5. Use place mats or a table cloth. Plates usually look weird sitting directly on a wood table.
  6. Ensure that all plates match, and that glassware is appropriate to the rest of the setting.
  7. A table set without cutlery doesn’t look right. It’s also easy to steal. Be prepared for some of it to disappear while the house is on the real estate market.
  8. Consider not laying out the place settings and instead having a stack of plates, glasses etc. in the center of the table as if a meal was about to be set up. This would only work in a more casual dining room or in the kitchen.
  9. If the home is vacant, someone will have to keep the setting looking fresh. Layers of dust will turn off buyers or invite a low-ball offer.

I talked about the importance of setting a table properly (if you’re going to set it at all) in this home staging show I did for HGTV.

Did you miss my post about why I rarely set a table when staging a home?

Find Out What Stagers Make Here

 

 

Image from the style files on Flickr

Debra Gould
Debra Gould, The Staging diva

Internationally recognized home staging expert Debra Gould created the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program to teach others how to earn a living doing something they love. She has staged millions of dollars worth of real estate and is the author of several best-selling guides. With 30,000+ students in 24 countries, Debra is celebrated as one of the most influential people in the home staging industry. She appears on: HGTV, CBS Radio, CNNMoney, The Wall Street Journal, Woman's Day, House & Home, Style at Home, GlobalTV, This Old House and more.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lorna Farrell says

    I like setting the table as it provides an excellent opportunity to introduce colour or repeat a colour where, apart from the artwork, the dining room could look bland.

  2. Kate Perry says

    Setting tables in staging is not a technique that I prefer. I aim to make a house inviting for buyers but I am not inviting them to stay for dinner! In my opinion it screams “this house is staged” and I like to stage with a more subtle effect.

  3. rob reinhart says

    I have never completely set a table for staging, unless it is demanded of me (yes, demanded- the customer may not always be right, but they write the check).
    I generally introduce or pull in colors from the art or other parts of the house using a creative centerpiece and a runner, or if appropriate, a tablecloth. It dresses up the table without all of the issues listed above and brought up in the comments below.
    PS- I was looking at this post because I am about to stage a home with both a dining and kitchen table and chairs, and wanted some insight and inspiration- thanks!