Why You Should Stage Your Dining Room

Staging your dining room allows you to showcase your home’s overall appeal and functionality.

When potential buyers step into the space, they can see how much room there is to fit their beloved dining room table, chairs, and other furniture.

(Image Source)

When you intentionally design your dining room with the buyer in mind, help them visualize entertaining guests and get a feel for your home’s overall ambiance.

Not only that, but a well-staged dining room can help your home sell faster and for a higher price by creating an inviting and attractive space that appeals to a wide range of buyers.

In fact, according to recent studies:

• Over 65% of realtors believe home staging increases a property’s selling price from 1% to 10%.
• The return on investment (ROI) for home staging can jump over 550%.
• Homes that are staged sell 73% faster than homes that aren’t.

There you have it. The proof is in the pudding.

Tips for Staging a Dining Room

Consider these tips to help you learn how to stage a dining room to help potential buyers see your home’s value and livability.

Deep Clean, Declutter, and Make Necessary Repairs

The last thing buyers want to see when entering your home is dust, dirt, or any imperfections. So, beyond tidying your dining room, give it a good deep clean.

Not sure where to start? Here are a few tips to get you going.

• Dust lighting fixtures and every piece of furniture, such as your tables, chairs, sideboard, hutch, china cabinet, etc.
• Clean and polish wood furniture with furniture polish to reveal a lustrous shine.
• Vacuum carpeted floors and rugs to remove surface dirt, dust, and debris.
• Clean your windows using a microfiber cloth and glass cleaner.
• Move your furniture out of the way and look for dust bunnies.
• Thorough sweep, vacuum, and mop hard floors.

Pro-tip: Use a carpet cleaner to extract dirt buried deep into the fibers for a more thorough clean.

And don’t forget to clean the baseboards and molding. These areas can get grimy. The dirt and grime may not be noticeable since you are used to seeing your space every day.

But people who have never been to your home before with fresh eyes are more likely to scrutinize every detail, like neglected baseboards, nicked paint, or dinged-up outlet covers.

You’d be surprised at how polishing something so small can impact how buyers view your property’s upkeep and attention to detail.

Use Neutral Colors

Neutral colors like beige, gray-beige (often abbreviated as “greige”), or white shades can create a cohesive look in your dining room.

These natural shades can appeal to many potential buyers and accommodate various design choices.

But don’t be afraid to incorporate darker colors to add ambiance and create a more intimate feel. Just make sure they fall within the neutral range to avoid overwhelming the eye.

However, if you do it intentionally, there’s no hard-set rule to adding color. For example, you can add depth and create a more dramatic atmosphere with darker shades like charcoal, navy, and deep forest green.

(Image Source)

Consider incorporating them as accent walls, furniture, and decor to create a sophisticated and elegant space. For example, combining earth tones and darker hues can create a welcoming and moody atmosphere.

Try creating a fine-dining restaurant with a homey feel as you style your dining room. This mindset will help you come up with a color scheme that creates an elegant ambiance so that your space is visually appealing and welcoming to buyers.

Ensure Proper Furniture Design & Placement

How you place the furniture within the room can make a world of difference. Let’s look at the key elements to remember during the design process.

Get Rid of Clutter

Before you consider furniture style and placement, ensure your dining area is clutter-free to make it shine and bring out its full potential.

When you don’t use the area for entertaining, it’s easy to turn it into a storage space for toys, office supplies, and other items.

Clutter takes away the feeling of fine dining. So, remove any personal items.

(Image Source)

Also, consider removing tablecloths, which can make the space look dingy or outdated.

Decide on a Style

Your dining room furniture doesn’t have to match exactly, but it should have a cohesive style.

Consider mixing and matching materials for a timeless design. For example, you can incorporate natural elements like wood, wicker, rattan, and other interesting textures.

Don’t be afraid to use materials like metals, glass, chrome, acrylic, stone, marble, or leather to infuse your dining space with visual interest.

Mise En Place, a fine-dining restaurant in Tampa, Florida, mixes and matches greenery, glass, and metal textures to create a visually stunning and sophisticated ambiance.

Although it’s a restaurant and not a home, you can still draw inspiration for your own interior design to make your dining room more aesthetically pleasing and inviting for potential buyers.

(Image Source)

When mixing and matching elements, keep an overall style in mind. For example, you might want to use upholstered chairs for added comfort and elegance.

But if you’re going for a more casual dining experience, consider using wooden chairs.

Keep it Spacious

Avoid cramping the space with too many oversized pieces. The size of your dining table and the number of chairs should be proportional to the room size.

Choosing the right furniture size and placement will allow plenty of space for people to move around comfortably. Try to limit the room to two to three pieces of furniture.

Maximize Lighting

Many people think of the dining room as an intimate, inviting, cozy, moody, elegant, or sophisticated environment, but that doesn’t mean you can’t brighten things up with intentional lighting.

(Image Source)

Unlocking natural light can add warmth to the room. If you prefer more privacy, sheer curtains or blinds can let in sunlight.

You can also position furniture to maximize natural lighting:

• Consider placing your dining table near windows to illuminate the eating area and create an open and well-lit feel.
• However, avoid placing large or bulky furniture in front of windows. It can block natural light from streaming into the room.
• Use mirrors and allow them to face the window to illuminate darker corners and create the illusion of a larger, brighter space.
• Install light fixtures in areas that may not be getting enough natural light, especially during the evenings.

To enhance the effects of natural lighting, you can also keep curtains and blinds open during the day and use a lighter paint color.

Consider changing the light fixtures. For a more minimalistic design, you can add a luxurious touch with a chandelier or a pendant light.

When choosing the type of light fixtures to add to the room, consider the style of the house, potential buyers’ tastes, and the decor style of the dining room.

When in doubt, keep things simple. But still, choose a piece that makes a statement and acts as a key focal point of the room.

(Image Source)

And remember to make sure the fixture fits the space and hangs at a good height over the table, typically 30 to 36 inches above the tabletop.

Add Accessories and Decor

The decor you place in your dining room can add to the entertaining and hosting lifestyle many homemakers desire.

• If you have a hutch or a china cabinet, fill the shelves with elegant dishware, crystal pieces, or a tea set to make the space look lived-in.
• Consider using table runners, settings, and linens to add color, texture, and warmth to the space, enhancing the overall ambiance.
• Choose the right table centerpiece. Combining greenery, fresh flowers, or candles can create a vibrant and inviting atmosphere.
• You can also use potted plants and fresh flowers in other spaces of the room to add pops of color.
• Create a statement with a few large pieces, such as vases, bowls, or sculptures.
• Add wall art to fill empty spaces and create an interesting focal point.
• Add texture, color, and patterns with area rugs.

(Image Source)

Try Virtual Staging AI as an Alternative

Whether you choose DIY staging or professional staging, the process can be quite expensive.

From purchasing or renting new furniture to paying for cleaning services to painting and making repairs, there are many costs that come with home staging.

Staging one room can cost between $500 and $600 per month.

Too expensive for your budget? Not enough time to stage on your own? Save time and money with Virtual Staging AI. Our plans range from $12 to $69 per month.

And you don’t have to go through the hassle of hiring a professional stager, choosing the right furniture, or coordinating furniture delivery and setup.

With AI virtual staging, you can upload a photo of your dining room (with or without furniture) and watch it transform into a fully staged space in seconds.

Virtually Rendered with VSAI

Pretty amazing, right? Here’s an example of a virtually staged dining room using our software.

Virtually Rendered with VSAI

The best part? It takes less than 30 seconds to produce a beautiful, fully staged photo. You can also choose various furniture styles that fit best with your home.

Transform Your Listing with An Elegant Dining Room

A stunning and inviting dining room incorporates neutral colors that appeal to buyers, uses natural lighting, and showcases accessories and decor that create a luxury dining experience.

Maximizing space, setting the table for a special occasion, and considering a statement piece can all contribute to the overall aesthetic.

And you can achieve all of this easily with AI virtual staging. Try Virtual Staging AI for free and see if it’s right for you.

Before

After