How to Make Your Apartment Fresher and More Expensive: Home Staging Guide + Before and After Photos

How many times have you dreamed of an interior "like in a magazine"? Glossy shine and aesthetics are formed by trends — we intuitively determine whether the interior in front of us is stylish or not based on them. Previously, we reviewed major trendy techniques that will help you transform your home beyond recognition.

Today, we continue improving the space and thoroughly analyze details for each room in the apartment. Practical tips will be shared with us by a home stager and interior designer, Natalia Saneeva. Let's be inspired and remember the instructions!

Natalia Saneeva — a home staging expert, designer, and blogger @flatrelife.ru

Kitchen. Get Rid of Colorful Cabinets

Colorful cabinets can be painted with matte paint. Choose special furniture paint, do not dilute it, do not skip the primer stage, and generally follow the painting technique.

Universal palette for any kitchen — shades of gray, white, and coffee. Creativity with two or more colors is better left to designers, but for yourself, choose one color — that way you'll get 100% good results.

The Apron Should Match the Walls or Floor

"Cheerful" aprons with apples, tomatoes, coffee mugs, and other joys are no longer in style. Today, they take away the magazine shine and cheapen even a million-dollar kitchen. What do we do as a simple solution? Correctly, we paint the apron to match the walls.

Remove All Household Items and Magnets from the Apron

This visually overloads the space. Dish soap can be poured into a beautiful diffuser (like for soap), and for sponges and cloths, buy a hanging organizer inside the sink. Remove spoons from the rack into drawers. The cleaner the apron, the better. The same applies to refrigerator magnets: there are already so many articles by designers on this topic, so I'll just remind you that they're not trendy anymore.

Replace Hardware

Hardware can also be replaced, preferably choosing large long handles. The bigger the size and simpler the shape, the better: there are many cabinets in the kitchen, and handles create visual noise. In my opinion, this is definitely not an item for unique accent creativity.

For a visual example, I’ll show my project. Look at the lower cabinets: they have overlay handles that are 40 cm long (to match the width of the cabinets) to visually hide them. This is a paradox — the handles are larger, but you see them less.

Replace the “Worn-Out” Countertop

A scratched countertop can sometimes be replaced — this will require professional help. There are many countertop options on OZON or Yandex.Market made from different materials, of various sizes, and at any budget.

But more economical is to paint it: specialized paints for such delicate surfaces are available from Darya Geyler — for example, "titanium." I would suggest choosing a color that matches the kitchen table countertop (which can also be painted, of course).

Critically Review the Dishware and Textiles

Cups with photos, hearts, names — very cute and heartwarming, but... Not trendy and never will add shine to your kitchen. Leave them as a good memory, and for serving, buy one beautiful set. The same logic applies to dishes — they should be a set without "funny" prints, just like the napkins under them.

Also update textiles. Let towels and tablecloths now come from one collection, without loud colors or ruffled edges. Prefer natural linen or cotton.

Bedroom

Here, you can also refresh the walls: choose deep shades and repaint radiators to match the walls. Old doors are easy to repaint, and hardware can be replaced with more modern options. Don't forget to choose special paints. There shouldn't be too much decor on the shelves: two to four items are enough.

Photo before

After we've reviewed the walls, windows, and shelves in the bedroom, there's only one major element left. That's, of course, the bed. Updating the textiles on the bed will significantly change the look of the room. And this isn't just about the “duvet”.

Now, multi-layering and bed styling like in hotels is trendy. Therefore, prioritize monochromatic textiles and include in your list items that can be aesthetically layered on the bed:

• 50x70 pillows, better to place 4 pcs;
  
• Bedding (one or two colors);
  
• Main blanket/duvet;
  
• Decorative blanket;
  
• Decorative pillows, for example, 2-3 pcs 45x45.
  

On bedside tables, it's better to place your favorite book and a vase with a branch or flowers.

Photo after

Living Room

Remove covers from the sofa and forget about them as something very, very old. Add decorative pillows.

Photo before

In modern interiors, a sofa cannot be colorful. If the sofa is colorful and there's no budget for a new one, you can buy covers or have them sewn on order — there are many masters on Avito. Don't confuse with reupholstering — this service costs very much, and it's easier to just buy a new sofa.

Photo after

Balcony

Perhaps only a lazy designer hasn't said that balconies and loggias are better cleaned and turned into a relaxation zone. That's what I recommend too. All my advice about repainting for balconies also applies here — paint in a unified style with the whole apartment.

Photo before

Place a table, a couple of chairs, plants, a shelf, hang a warm-colored string of lights, and enjoy the comfort.

Photo after

Entrance Hall

As a home stager, I put two vases and an aroma exclusively for the showroom effect. But in real life, the most visually distracting item in the entrance hall is household items: bags, keys, shoes, and so on. There's only one tip: all the above-mentioned items should be stored in closed storage.

Bathroom

Here, we stick to the same rule as before. Tiles can always be repainted, and doors too. Let's focus more on improving the space with decor and eliminating visual noise.

Photo before

Store Bottles in Cabinets

A large number of bottles on shelves and bathroom edges visually overloads the interior. To make it easier to breathe in the bathroom, bottles need to be hidden in closed cabinets. If you don't have such cabinets, replace the flat mirror with a large rectangular mirrored cabinet (without any patterns) — these cabinets cost 3-4 thousand rubles, a simple and visually aesthetic solution.

For gels, shampoo, and conditioners that must always be within reach in the bathroom, buy dispensers.

Get Rid of Colorful Curtains

The best curtain for the bathroom is a neutral white or gray one.

Replace Towels with Monochrome Ones

If it's necessary to distinguish towels by family members, you can choose colors from one palette with different shades or buy name tags — this will look elegant and modern.

Photo after

Get Rid of the Mat in the Bathroom

An alternative is a towel for feet from the same series as other towels. Like in hotels. Without it, the bathroom will look visually and hygienically cleaner.

Overall, to add shine to your interior, a capital renovation is not always necessary — a small budget and great desire to show a little care for your home is enough. Good luck with the changes! We hope we were able to inspire you.