23 Aug Apartment Staging Ideas for Property Managers

If you’re looking for practical apartment staging ideas, you’ve come to the right place. I have spoken to a lot of property managers who are tasked with staging models on limited timelines and budgets. So, I thought I would put together a blog for anyone who needs inspiration and a few ideas to get them started.

Supporting Content

If you’re looking for content that supports the development of a model program, I recommend checking out our blog on calculating the lost opportunity costs of a DIY model. You can also contact us directly for additional support.

Read about the lost opportunity costs associated with DIY model staging…

The Kitchen

The kitchen is a great place to spark the imaginations of future residents! In fact, when brainstorming apartment staging ideas, I recommend starting in the kitchen. This is because:

• • Most apartment layouts enter in the kitchen.
  • It is a place your residents will be spending a lot of time.
  • It’s an easy room to stage.

Below are a few simple ideas for staging the kitchen:

1. 1.  A colorful, unique tea kettle on the stove.
   2.  A tea canister on the cabinet.
   3.  A Keurig with pods (offer coffee).
   4.  Cute mugs with sayings or designs.
   5.  Cookbooks specific to community local or current food trends.

The Dining Area

The dining area is another place that you can accomplish effective staging on a limited budget. If your model has a half wall dining area (as many do), take advantage of it- you can save by not having to purchase a dining table!  Just be sure to measure the height of your stools so they fit with the counter height.

Additional ideas for light staging in the dining area include:

• • A place setting for two (table setting guides).
  • A decanter, cork screw and wine glasses on a tray
  • A bottle of San Pellegrino with two glasses

The Living Room

Unfortunately, if you’re staging a model apartment on a tight budget and/or timeline there might not be wiggle room for those eye-catching details. However, statement pieces that stand out in the living area can be a solid substitute for a freshly painted accent wall and floor to ceiling drapery. I am all about a colorful sofa with velvet upholstery. This style is fun and easy to mix and match with a number of accent chairs.

Another thing that you will want to keep in mind is the size of your apartment. Often times when a model is not properly measured, appropriately scaled furniture is overlooked.

Read about how to measure your apartment…

The Bedroom(s)

There are two very important things to keep in mind when staging the master bedroom:

• • A queen-size bed can fit
  • Storage is plentiful (even if it’s really not)

The Bed

If the room is small, you will want to select a headboard/ frame that doesn’t overpower the space. I love modern platform beds for their minimalistic style. Here is a great article from The Strategist, NY Mag with 9 styles that could work in your model:

“The Best Platform Beds on Amazon, According to Hyperenthusiastic Reviewers”

Storage

Often times the bedroom is too small for a full bedroom set. That’s ok! There are plenty of apartment staging ideas that play with unique dual-use furniture. For example, a small chest can act as both a dresser and a nightstand.

Additionally, you will want to make the most of the closet space as you can. Adding cubes, baskets, and a hamper to the closet are great, inexpensive ways to help your future residents understand how easily storage can be created.

The Bathroom

The bathroom is another easy and inexpensive area to stage. Multifamily property managers can have a lot of fun shopping for bathroom accessories. Fun sayings on everyday home accessories make personalizing the bathroom for your demographic easy!

Or, you can play it safe with bathroom accessories that showcase modern, geometric shapes and patterns. I also love marble accessories with neutral tones.

Closing

If you are looking for apartment staging ideas, we can help! Model55 offers a variety of services and solutions to help multifamily property managers like you crush the model apartment game. Whether it’s a new dev, lease-up, value-add, or acquisition, we have a solution to meet every model apartment design need you might have!