This month in the Staging Report I want to talk about something so exciting, you will hardly be able to sit and read this at the same time. No, you will jump for joy, scream at the top of your lungs and no doubt, run naked thru the tulips. What could possibly be so exciting? Rugs. I know what you are all thinking, that I definitely need to get out more, and yes, I do realize that, but please, hear me out on this one. Rugs are probably the single best staging item you can get. That is why I generally will pay more for a better one, so I can use it time and time again. Why are rugs so great? Well, you can use them to add color to any room. If possible, I even drape them from a wall or over one wall into the next room. They also carry, color throughout a house. Your rugs don’t all have to match, but if you can match a color or two in each rug from one room to the next, now they have the appearance of all going together. The best general color choices are to start with a neutral pallet and then have color or pattern added from there. Try to look at rugs with either a neutral border or a neutral center, and then you will always have the option to coordinate with the opposite pattern. One thing that I find continually is that people want to add heavy design in small houses. Although you can and should have design on your rugs, unless the house is huge, it should be kept to a minimal. If you can see a rug from a rug, in other words, the rooms are open to one another; you must make sure the rugs coordinate. This not only makes it more aesthetically appealing but when you go to use those rugs again, they already match, so you are one step ahead of the game. Rugs also allows for a sense of flow from room to room. You are literally directing people to go from one room to another with the simple usage of rugs. They look for a direction to follow and are rarely given one. But, the use of rugs literally shows them where to go next. Watch people next time they go in and out of your property, they will almost always go toward the area rug, then walk on the runner to get to the next area rug. The next benefit of rugs is that they help you with theme and continuity. You can decide on a theme for a home, such as rustic, mountain, trendy, or even fresh or traditional. Your rugs, by choice of color, pattern and texture can help you to maintain that feel. Since I live in Colorado, a common theme here, obviously, is mountain home. Now I am not a big fan of going overboard with this but by simply using a few good rugs with a neutral border, rich colors and a simple southwest mountain look, now I can add a sheep skin rug in the master and I have coordinated the entire theme, while still adding lots of texture, color and uniqueness. Now, I don’t need to add tons of accessories that accent my theme. Obviously, a rug can fill a room which is great, but the best use of them is to help define a space. A properly placed rug can define 2 spaces in one room such as a living room and dining room or even in an unfinished basement; you can show someone how they could finish it by separating multiple areas with different rugs, such as a home office from a play room for the kids. Finally, rugs allow other people to get a better sense of the size of the room, and they can mentally begin to place their own furniture and items around the rug. It truly gives them a sense of the room, which is vital for them to “move themselves in. ” So, in a nutshell, why do I love area rugs? 1. They create color, continuity, theme and flow throughout a home 2. Rugs can fill a space and make it seem warm and inviting 3. When you use good area rugs effectively, they will define spaces giving your customer a sense of the size of the room and space available 4. Now your buyer will mentally start to place their own items in each room on and around the rug. They will purchase the property faster and you can go to your next house faster. Rugs are a beautiful thing! Now you can see why I am such a huge fan of rugs. I tend to carry about 200 at one time in my staging warehouse.