A Good Go-To Color Scheme for Staging

White milk glass, a white tray, 
white candles, and some glass globes 
from a fan light all came out of the closet.

When in doubt, go with white. That's my motto.

Since so many of my draperies, side tables, greenery, artwork and assorted décor tchotchkes are on loan at our for-sale condo, my living room at home has been looking sparse for the past month.

Over the weekend I decided to remedy that, and at the same time, give the living room a summery vibe. 

Easy Solution

My simple approach was to make a sweep of the house, hunting down anything white.  The only white in my living room, besides the trimwork, has been two lamp shades, a painted and distressed tall table, and the painted brick fireplace.

Here’s some of what I scrounged to add to the mix and fill in the gaps:

• Gauzy white curtains from the back of my sewing closet to cover the two windows
• A collection of milk glass pieces I keep meaning to sell on eBay
• A large white plastic serving bowl that from a distance looks like porcelain
• A white urn I tell myself I am going to convert to a lamp someday 
• Three white flower pots from my garden shed
• An off-white tray from up high in the kitchen cabinets 
• One chunky white vase that went immediately onto the mantle
• A white china duck that belonged to my mother
• An eight-inch round whitewashed basket
• A white linen tablecloth and white seat cushions for the dining room table that’s visible from the living room
• Two frosted white globes from a ceiling fan/light we removed years ago
• A stack of white and off-white books from my bookshelves
• Mr. Lucky’s Panama hat 

Then I dug out some white upholstery fabric and sewed a cover for animal print seat on a side chair. I needed to replace an end table so I looked in the garage for that old 36-inch round of fiberboard that has screw-on legs, and draped it with a white quilt.  And finally, I made a 14-inch wide white tissue paper flower and set it in a white metal flower holder. 

Everything looks nice and fresh.

For a simple approach to decorating your staged home, think about a white-on-white color scheme.  It's goof-proof.

For other formulas that will work in your staged home, download my eBook, DIY Home Staging Tips to Sell Your Home Fast and For Top Dollar. It's just $5, and comes as an easy to downlad pdf .