Effective Home Staging Tip: Create a Lasting Impression on Your Buyers by Avoiding the "Vanilla Box" Syndrome

Over the weekend, my husband and I were driving through a neighborhood near his parent's house and of course, had to visit the only OPEN HOUSE in that community. When I saw this bathroom, I knew I had to share it with you as an example of what NOT TO DO. Don't get me wrong, it's a nice ensuite master bathroom in a house located in a higher end neighborhood with good "materials", but it is SOOO BORING!!! As you can see, there are marble tiles on the floor with matching countertops and shower enclosure (I'm guessing crema marfil or something really close to it), cream cabinets, a yellow/cream wall color and white shutters. It's too "matchy-matchy" which results in what I call the "vanilla box" syndrome, first cousin to the "white" box...YAAAWWNNN!!!

Luckily, it's an easy fix. A coat or two of rich, dark(er) paint and some beautiful accessories and this ensuite bath could be pretty FAAABULOUS! Plus, you would actually notice the marble detail more because it won't just blend into the background like it currently does. So the lesson here is avoid being boring by playing it too safe. Jazz things up a bit...you'll enjoy your space a lot more on a daily basis and believe it or not, your buyers will actually notice and remember the bath with the "wow" factor. Create a lasting impression on yourself and your prospective buyers.