Kitchen Home Staging

Most people want to upgrade their home and lifestyle when they move. In order to sell your home in a competitive environment, the kitchen needs to be beyond expectations for a home in your price range and in your neighborhood.

The color that you select for the kitchen walls depends on the color of the cabinetry and if the room feels "cool" or "warm" with the existing fixtures and cabinets.

• A "warm" colored kitchen is one where the major components are from the warm color family. Browns, tans, most natural wood tones, yellows, oranges and reds are all from the warm end of the color spectrum. If your current cabinets are a natural wood stain, such as natural maple or golden oak, then your kitchen is most likely "warm". Most natural stone such as limestone or tumbled marble will be "warm". We will usually try and balance all these warm tones with a cool color on the walls to provide contrast. Our favorite sage green, Benjamin Moore's Hollingsworth Green (HC-141) is a rich sage green and provides just enough coolness to balance a lot of stained wood.
• At the other end of the spectrum are "cool" kitchens. The cooler side of the color wheel contains blues and greens. A lot of stainless steel in a kitchen can give the room coolness as do black countertops. In most cases, we will use a warm beige paint (Cedar Key, Benjamin Moore HC-23)to help "warm the space" up a bit.
• A kitchen that is primarily white (cabinets, countertops) needs color on the walls to provide contrast. A color on the walls will also make the white on the cabinets look cleaner. We usually go with a darker beige or taupe (Shenandoah Taupe AC-36) to lend a richness to a kitchen with white cabinets.
• Ceilings in kitchens need to be white. Painted mouldings should be white semi-gloss. Refresh stained mouldings if needed, otherwise, a nice going over with a wood polish should be all you need to make these look new again.

Generally we will advise our staging clients to replace those things in a kitchen that are outdated, broken, worn or do not measure up to the standards of the neighborhood. The return on an investment in kitchen cabinets, appliances, fixtures and surfaces generally runs 75% to 90%, so it is possible to get most of this investment back at sale time.

If these updates are not made, then you run the risk of a very long "on market" time or no sale at all. After all, kitchens are the make or break room in the home.

• We have used several options for cabinets that are outdated.
  • For the most part, we don't like painting cabinets unless they have been painted before. It is a temporary fix for an initial "wow" from prospective buyers. We would rather see the wood grain brought back to its original lustre and purchase new hardware to update the look.
  • Sometimes, all the cabinetry needs is new doors and drawer fronts and these are easily and (relatively)inexpensive through a local cabinet refacing company. You can change the whole look of a kitchen with new doors and drawers. We will use this strategy if the cabinet boxes themselves are strong and aren't worn. The advantage to this option is that the countertops needn't be removed. We've even gone so far as to forego the laminating of the boxes by the refacing company to save money and to make it look like the cabinets have always been that way.(Check out one example in our Before & After section. Select the Before & After Nav Bar to the left.) Just look for a modern door profile in a stain or color that matches the current cabinet stain as closely as possible. This saves tremendously on labor charges.
  • The IKEA solution. We were skeptical at first but the cabinets from IKEA are attractive, affordable, and built sturdy enough for heavy granite countertops. One of our friends flipped million dollar houses - every one of them had a refurbished kitchen from IKEA. While not totally idiot-proof, these cabinets are easy to assemble and even easier to install. For less than $4000, the average kitchen can have a state-of-the-art kitchen design. (The next time you are watching a kitchen transformation show, note how many are now using IKEA cabinets. Assembling and installing make for great TV footage and the price fits into most TV budgets.)

• Not every kitchen needs granite countertops, but every kitchen does need attractive, functional countertops that are pristine and up-to-date. Country kitchens might look better with butcher block countertops. If laminate is the standard for your neighborhood, then clean, unblemished laminate countertops might be the best choice. Tile can work if it is larger-sized and in nearly new condition. Granite tiles (12"x12") are a low-cost substitute for solid granite and the look is spot-on. There are a few companies that make granite overlays for laminate countertops that can give the solid-granite-look for less. Concrete countertops are very expensive to install so we never use this material to update countertops.



• The flooring in the kitchen should coordinate with the overall decor in the kitchen and be in great condition. Vinyl sheet goods and vinyl tiles have come a long way since the days when they were made to look like faux tile. Now mottled patterns and shades can look very current. You'll see TV hosts use the 12"x12" peel and stick vinyl all the time when budgets are an issue. However, this solution should be reserved for those neighborhoods where vinyl is the norm. In more pricier locales, you may find that wood, ceramic tile or stone is more common. Again, adhere to the norm for the neighborhood and don't underwhelm your potential buyers with your surface choices here. Flooring is a hot button with buyers and they want kitchen flooring that looks expensive and new.
• Major appliances have leapt to the forefront of kitchen design in the last decade or so. Appliances have embraced designer-quality features and some have attained cult status. If your kitchen has high-end stainless steel appliances, then you probably won't have to do a thing to them except make sure they work and are clean as a whistle. Most mid-to-lower end stainless steel appliances are new enough that they need only be cleaned to impress. Black and white appliances can work in a kitchen design scheme, but only if they are almost new. An old black refrigerator still looks old, even if it is black. Remember that, above all, the appliances should all match. If you do need to replace one or more major appliances, you can choose the lower end of the manufacturer's selection. New is definitely always better when it comes to kitchen appliances.
• Kitchen backsplashes are an area where homeowner's can express their creative freedom -- but some have gone way too far. The backsplash needs to be neutral and not taste specific. Custom murals, hand painted tiles and the like should be switched out for a more soothing and generic-themed backsplash. For white kitchens, we use inexpensive subway tile in white to modernize the space. We also have been successful in finding glass tile in the remnant aisle to use for backsplashes. Keep in mind that the backsplash should be like jewelry: some sparkle but mostly elegant.
• A new kitchen sink and faucet can update a kitchen instantly. You can find good quality sinks and faucets for around $200 each. The effect on buyers will be priceless.

People rely on their senses when evaluating a potential new home. One of these senses is the sense of touch. Kitchens have many luxurious surfaces (granite, stainless steel, ceramic, wood) but these are all smooth and hard. These hard surfaces usually can use some softening, and we do this by adding textural elements. A simple window valance will add texture. Countertop stool cushions in a chenille fabric can add texture to the space. A bowl of artichokes on the counter is another good way to add texture.

If we need a jolt of color, we will use a bowl of red peppers, lemons, or limes to create interest. Should the home have an adjacent eating area, then we usually stage the table with a few glasses and plates. We refrain from "setting the table" with a certain number of placesettings -- we don't want to dictate how many people the area can seat.

Large expanses of blank walls can be accessorized with a framed art piece. We like to choose simple subjects such as a still life. You can find our favorite selections for kitchen art pieces HERE.

Finished staging the kitchen? Want to move on to the garage for more home staging techniques? Return to Step 3. Design to Sell Fast from Kitchen Home Staging.