Luxury Home Staging Tips (borrowed from the South Florida Kips Bay Decorator Show 2023)

In case you missed it, the 2023 Kips Bay Palm Beach Decorator Show, the nation’s leading design event of the year, provided a cornucopia of décor ideas that can be especially useful when considering how to stage to quickly close your luxury real estate. When dealing in high end properties, room staging can be described as no less than a fine art. While the process still involves preparing a property for sale by strategically arranging furniture and decor to make a house look more attractive to potential buyers, the luxury home presents a special challenge. Because the luxury buyer can actually afford the home of his or her dreams, while also looking prudently after a substantial real estate investment, it behooves the seller to tip the scales with appropriately suggestive staging. And you won’t find a better role model than this year’s Kips Bay Decorator Show House Palm Beach show.

Why should you stage your luxury home listings?

There are many benefits associated with staging a home before putting it on the market and attempting to close on the property. Among them, staging that compliments and enhances an estate can:

• Increase the ultimate sales price of the home by allowing potential buyers to get a sense of the home’s potential.
• Highlight the best features of the house (while also minimizing any possible flaws).
• Make the best use of space, creating a sense of intimacy or spaciousness where needed.
• Help potential buyers see themselves living in the home.
• Shorten the time a house is on the market.

Simply put, when you take the time to thoughtfully stage your high-end listing, you are much more likely to create an indelible impression that inspires a substantial offer.

Staging for Palm Beach chic style luxury seal estate

1. Exotic foliage such as orchids, ferns and fronds. In 2017, Amanda Lindroth designed what Town & Country magazine called “an orchid lover’s dream room” for the very first Kips Bay Show House in Palm Beach. White orchids, just like that little black dress, is an elegant classic and should be a go-to in your decor. This year’s event boasted a lotus-themed entranceway and palm and ferns were visible throughout. The great thing about exotic foliage, in addition to its being particularly appropriate for South Florida interiors, it’s the ultimate staging solution and makes a quick fix for any ‘hole’ in your décor. A 6-foot palm can enliven a dead corner; a dramatic display of snowy orchids in an entryway sets an upscale tone, and a single stalk of delicate blooms placed on a bedside table creates a sense of sophistication.  Whether they are hot-house grown or economical silk, a spattering of orchids, ferns and fronds just breaths Palm Beach.
2. Let the architects have their say. Just as the accoutrements that were selected for the annual Kips Bay Designer Show House complimented its Mediterranean Revival Style, so should your staging consider your property’s architectural style. For example, a bit of research of the historical Palm Beach Mediterranean Revival style reveals that the wrought iron accents, Spanish influenced colors like coral and terra cotta, and blue chinoiserie style fabric and artifacts that were used, were all Revival Style friendly.
3. Highlight the home’s special features by carefully considering its unique and/or most desirable aspects and drawing attention to them. This was the first Kips Bay Designer Show Palm Beach home that was situated on a waterfront. Inspired designers played that card to the hilt by turning outdoor spaces into inviting settings for seaside tête-à-têtes and twilight soirees, and the outdoor kitchen appeared ready for alfresco dining. Indoors, one room was completely ocean-themed using shimmering blue colors and patterns. While you don’t have to furnish an entire room, a strategically placed retro teak chaise lounge or a French bar cart may be enough to suggest the space’s usage. Designer Honey Collins, along with several other designers used nautical motifs that could easily be replicated in your staging. Punctuated rooms with coral, seashells, and salt-water fauna.
4. Warm wicker and rattan suites could be found in several rooms at the show house, and a complete six-piece set grounded the teal and white space of Lindroth Design’s living room. The trending material can be easily integrated into a variety of décor styles and has become a full-category of furniture in itself by way of a variety of takes on its construction materials, weave patterns, frame lines and cushion choices, much of which is suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. Because wicker furniture is lightweight, can be found in a wide range of prices, and has a distinctly tropical association, it’s a great go-to for Palm Beach staging.
5. Inter-continental treasures suggest the well-traveled lifestyle of the island’s inhabitants. A few cues from the show include French Riviera, African art, Italian frescos Italian palazzo and a19^th-century carved marble bust such as that found in an Italian palazzo. While West Palm Beach’s Antique Row on South Dixie offers unique treasures like no other within its 40-plus stores, faux marble statues can easily be found with a quick Google search.

When your high-end South Florida real estate purchase or sale is imminent, your smartest move may be to select an experienced Palm Beach closing lawyer. Florida Bar Board-Certified in Real Law, attorneys David E. Klein, Esq. and Guy Rabideau at Rabideauklein.com have the expertise needed to effectively advise on any Florida property matter. Their goal is to protect their clients’ interests throughout their real estate transaction no matter how complex or difficult, all the while ensuring a smooth, stress-free experience for all parties concerned. You are welcome to contact Rabideau Klein to assist with your upcoming closing.