When you’re preparing to sell your home, one of the biggest challenges can be decluttering. Rarely do we speak about the other scenario. What do you do with an empty room?
In a way, it shouldn’t be a problem. No muss – no fuss, as the saying goes. However, a room devoid of possessions and purpose can prompt doubts in a viewer’s mind. Is this house too big? On a basic level, it can just seem a little unloved.
So, if you have an empty nest, a recently de-cluttered junk room, or even a cellar or loft that is sitting vacant, here are our top tips for transforming them into purposeful and inviting spaces.
Home Office
Working from home has never been more in vogue. And for many buyers, a study or office is no longer a desirable feature but an essential attribute in a prospective home.
When dressing your room as a home office all you need is the power of suggestion: the redundant desk in your teenager’s bedroom or the bureau you always bump into in the hallway, relocated to the empty room and dressed with a pen jar and a tub of paperclips, pinboard on the wall and leave the rest to the imagination.
Consider the layout. Whilst many people like to face the desk towards the entryway or door, if your room looks out over a beautiful view of the garden or surrounding countryside, facing the desk towards the window could help enhance the mood of the occupant. It will also help showcase those views for a potential buyer, directing their eye towards the vista.
Hobby room
If you’re concerned that your home is lacking the ‘wow factor’, give your guests (viewers) something special to go away and talk about. If you have an attic room you never really use, but that gets great light, set up an easel and paints and hang some of your children’s finest macaroni and leaf print pictures on the wall. It’s the perfect place to add a little colour and creativity to your home that won’t detract from the overall flow and flair.
Guest bedroom
This is an obvious one, we know, but maximising the number of bedrooms in your home could make it appeal to those looking to start or grow their family. Again, just a hint of a bedroom will suffice – commandeer a chest of drawers, the spare armchair that ended up at the end of your bed draped in a dreamy throw, or a bedding box adorned with cushions. Accessorise with dried flowers or a simple picture on the wall. After all, the key to dressing a guest bedroom is simplicity; avoid clutter at all costs. Of course, if you have a chaise longue tucked away at the back of the garage, re-love and dress it up for your guest bedroom.
Your objective is to create a calming space that wouldn’t be out of place in a show room, so aim for plain bedding and textured throws and cushions. If the room in question has any original features, such as an ornamental fireplace, work with them, adding a dried flower arrangement or candle collection in keeping with the colour theme of the décor.
Home gym
No need to spend a fortune on the latest running machine or stepper, simply decorate the room in neutral tones, ensure it is brightly lit and roll out one or two yoga mats.
You can actually use your own body weight for many gym exercises, or use household items such as cans or rucksacks packed with books as weights. Lower cost items you could buy include skipping ropes, foam rollers and balance balls.
Why not go the extra mile and purchase some motivational wall art quotes? Not only will your home look great, but so will you.
Den
Whichever floor your empty room is on, why not consider repurposing it as a chill out zone? Embellished by a couple of bean bags and well distributed cushions, side tables and lamps, you might find your newly styled room wins the children’s vote. In dry cellars, string some fairy lights around the ceilings for a cosy feel and a few framed movie posters to the wall to transform a dark storage area into a versatile room with potential.
Walk in wardrobe
What better use for the box room next to your bedroom than walk in wardrobe? If your smallest bedroom is at risk of becoming a ‘dumping zone’ or is simply languishing under a dusty single duvet, unloved and unused, breathe life back into it with the ultimate of makeovers.
Invest in a shabby chic chest of drawers from a charity shop, or relocate your current wardrobe to free up space in your bedroom. On a low-cost budget you could even pick up a pair of freestanding hanging rails.
Dressed with the right accessories, such as a dressing table and elegant chair, this once neglected room can serve a purposeful function (whilst retaining its title as a bedroom on your floorplan).
Music room
We’re not talking grand pianos, necessarily, but music rooms can add a note of serenity and style to a home. Cellars can have great acoustics, so if yours is lying vacant, why not consider adding a few posters to the walls and setting up a mini-studio.
Who knows, your newly repurposed room might just strike a chord with a buyer.
If you’re thinking about getting ready to go on the market, contact us to see how we can help get you moving.
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