The Ultimate Kitchen Staging Guide

When you’re selling a home in Naples, your REALTOR® will talk to you about home staging – the art of arranging your home so it’s as appealing as possible to prospective buyers. Your agent may suggest that you hire a professional home stager, but if you’re the DIY type, you can use this guide to tackle kitchen staging yourself.

The Ultimate Kitchen Staging Guide

Many prospective buyers go straight to the kitchen when they begin a home tour, so that means that this room is one of the most essential when it comes to staging. It’s the central hub of the home, so it’s important to stage it properly. You can do that by:

Cleaning the entire space from top to bottom
Removing all the items you haven’t used in the past six months
Organizing your cabinets and drawers
Making small upgrades
Using colorful accents

Here’s a closer look at each.

Kitchen Staging Tips - Clean Everything

Kitchen Staging Tip #1: Clean the Whole Space

For most people – including those who aren’t hiring a home stager – it makes sense to hire a professional cleaner before staging. That’s because a professional cleaning team can accomplish the whole job in a day; then, you only have to maintain what they’ve done while your house is on the market.

If hiring cleaners isn’t in the cards for you, the best thing to do is set aside a block of time where you won’t become distracted and get to work. Start from the top down, making sure to clean every surface (inside and out, including those of appliances). Scour the sink, scrub the baseboards, and make your floor sparkle, too.

Kitchen Staging Tips - Declutter

Kitchen Staging Tip #2: Remove Everything You Haven’t Used in 6 Months

Go through all your cabinets and drawers and remove everything you haven’t used in the past six months. Take out everything that doesn’t belong in the kitchen, too – our kitchens tend to accumulate a lot of “stuff” that actually belongs in other rooms.

You can donate, sell or throw out the items you haven’t used, or you can pack them away for your move. The point is clearing out cabinet and drawer space, because buyers can, and often do, open doors and drawers to see how much space is available. The last thing you want prospective buyers to see are cluttered spaces that make it seem like your kitchen doesn’t have enough storage space.

Kitchen Staging Tips - Organize Cabinets and Drawers

Kitchen Staging Tip #3: Organize Cabinets and Drawers

You don’t have to alphabetize your soups (though we won’t judge you if you do), but you do need to ensure that all your cabinets and drawers are organized in a way that shows how much space there is in your kitchen. Keep like items together – so saucepans with saucepans, baking sheets with baking sheets, and coffee mugs corralled and in one cupboard. The idea here is to show prospective buyers that it’s easy to keep your kitchen neat and organized (even if you don’t ordinarily keep it that way). You’re selling more than a house; you’re selling a lifestyle.

Kitchen Staging Tips - Make Small Upgrades

Kitchen Staging Tip #4: Make Small Upgrades

If some of the fixtures in your kitchen are outdated, or if it’s been a while since you repainted the walls or upgraded the backsplash, now’s the time to do it. Ask your REALTOR whether you should replace your faucet, light fixtures, switch and outlet plates, or drawer and cabinet pulls. These are all DIY jobs that you can complete in a short time, but they can make a tremendous difference to prospective buyers.

Kitchen Staging Tips - Use Colorful Accessories

Kitchen Staging Tip #5: Use Colorful Accents

Clear everything off the countertops when buyers are coming – no appliances (we’re looking at you, toaster) need to be out. However, you can think about adding a few small details, such as a fresh fruit basket filled with colorful seasonal fruits, a cookbook on a stand, or a jar of cinnamon sticks sporting a holiday ribbon. The key in decorating the kitchen is to avoid overdoing it – you need to show buyers that there’s plenty of counter space and that the kitchen is easy to keep neat and clean.

Are You Buying or Selling a Home in Naples?

Selling your home is a big deal, so you need to work with a REALTOR® who can get it right. We know how to market your home to all the right buyers, regardless of its price point. We’ll help you sell your home quickly and at the best possible price!

If you’re looking for a home for sale in Naples, we’re here to help. We specialize in luxury real estate and can show you any listing. In the meantime, please feel free to explore what’s available now: