When selling your home, it’s important that every room, every space, and even every tiny nook looks its absolute best!

A simple way to add some va-va-voom to your key living spaces is to start from the ground up – by using an area rug. Rugs are practical, provide warmth and comfort… But, when selling, it’s important to know they can also can provide an instant face lift to your home and even add value by overcoming possible buyer objections before they arise.

Image above: Contemporary Living Room by Arkee Creative

Often considered ‘artwork for the floor’, here are some rug ideas for easily adding the warmth and layering in the emotion and style your buyers will love.
 
1. Help an older home look more current
Buyers love homes that feel fresh, contemporary and ‘on-trend’. So if your living room is feeling a little drab or outdated it might be time for the old, worn rug to go and to bring your home more up to date. Beautiful, geometric patterned rugs in fresh colours, like this chevron design, are popular right now and will give your room an instant lift.

Find your perfect rug


 
Denai Kulcsar Interiors
2. Engage your buyers right at the front door
If your home has a long hallway (or perhaps a dark and uninspiring entry), you don’t want them to be put off before they have even seen your home! Instead, you want to engage them immediately so they can’t wait to see the rest of what your property offers. Adding a beautiful runner – perhaps in bright, inviting colours, a bold pattern as seen here, or a more sophisticated oriental – will lead your buyers’ interest down the hallway and straight through to the rest of your home.

More design inspiration for your entryway

Ian Moore Architects
 

3. Add impact with a difference
You want your home to be the one that buyers remember (and fall in love with!). If any of your rooms are feeling a little too ‘structured’ – or even boring – why not loosen them up a little by adding a cowhide? It’s amazing how well they work in many different settings and are available in a wide range of colours, even bright fluoros. Best of all, they are pretty inexpensive and add a striking touch of drama.

Darren Palmer Interiors 

Round rugs are also a great alternative to the standard rectangle. A round rug can work really well in a bedroom or living room by offering contrast and breaking up the monotony of the square lines.

Jodie Cooper Design

4. Define a living space
A key principle when presenting your home for sale is to have one clear purpose for every living area, so your buyer can easily see the best use for every room. (If you confuse them, you lose them!) In a multipurpose living space – for example, a warehouse or open-plan apartment – well-positioned rugs can help to define these living spaces. As you can see here, this rug defines the dining area and separates it from the kitchen.

BONUS TIP: If using a rug underneath a dining table, make sure the rug is large enough that all the chair legs easily fit on the rug and don’t hang off the edge. This will ensure the space feels comfortable, not cramped.

Make the most of your living space with these design ideas 
 
5. Increase the size of a room
One of the biggest mistakes I see sellers make is using rugs that are too small – just peeking out from under the edges of the coffee table. This is ok for when you are living in your home, but not a great option when you are selling. The size of the rug generally conveys the size of the room, and so a small rug in a large living room is really working against you – as it makes the room feel smaller than it really is, and buyers are looking for spacious rooms.

We regularly upscale the size of the rug for our sellers (2m x 3m often works well), and instantly the room feels larger and more luxurious.

Becki Peckham

6. Add light
If you have large expanses of dark timber flooring, it can make your room look and feel heavy, and we know buyers always respond well to rooms that feel light. A large, white or neutral-toned rug will instantly transform your dark room. 

 Moda Interiors

7. Upgrade the master
A rug in the master bedroom is a definite upgrade that just oozes luxury. The secret here is that it works best in a large room – using a large rug. Position the rug so it creates a wide perimeter around the lower two-thirds of the bed.
 

Harrison's Landscaping

8. Make an outdoor living room more intimate
A stunning living room outside will also wow your buyers, and adding an outdoor rug to this space instantly elevates it, helping it feel more like an extra room of the house, rather than just an outdoor area. Outdoor rugs are available in a wide array of sizes, colours and designs. Choose a style that works well in your space and appeals to your target buyers. A simple, neutral style designed to blend in may be best for a more upmarket property, and adding a pop of bright colour and pattern may work well for younger buyers.

-Deb Lindner 22 October 2014
Houzz contributor. Deb's design career really began at age nine, when she told her mother that her lilac walls really did NOT match her olive green carpet, and things needed to change. She was right. Ever since that day Deb has been designing everything with a passion. She worked as a graphic designer for 16 years in Melbourne (working with multinational companies on 'big brand' packaging). Her clients included Gillette, Kraft, Cussons and Orlando Wyndham. In 2008 Deb was looking for a new challenge and discovered the wonderful world of property styling - and Mink Home Staging was born. Then in 2011 she founded The Australian Institute of Home Stagers. She lives in Brisbane (in a Queenslander of course) with her husband, 2 kids and an assortment of pets.

Guest contributor: Deb Lindner; this story first appeared on houzz.com.au

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DISCLAIMER

The following advice is of a general nature only and intended as a broad guide. The advice should not be regarded as legal, financial or real estate advice. You should make your own inquiries and obtain independent professional advice tailored to your specific circumstances before making any legal, financial or real estate decisions.