3 Big Mistakes When Staging a Living Room

The focal wall is the first thing a person sees when they enter the room, often featuring a fireplace, a picture window, or even a mounted TV. “The goal is to set up your room so that the majority of the seating is facing or angled toward the focal wall,” Smith says.

2. Cramming in too much furniture.

Most agents recognize how easy it is to make a space feel smaller by trying to squeeze in too much furniture or items that are too big for the space, but homeowners might need a reminder. Smith suggests focusing the room around a couch. “The sofa is usually the biggest, most important piece in the room,” Smith says. “So it gets priority.” Place the sofa in the space first and then reintroduce smaller pieces one by one to see if they work with the sofa. If not, move them out.

3. Pushing the couch up against a wall.

Smith says one of the most common mistakes she sees is homeowners who push their sofa or other seating up against the wall. “About the only time a sofa looks right when it’s placed against the wall is when it’s a corner section and it’s in a corner,” Smith says. She suggests pulling the sofa out from the wall at least 12 inches to create white space and to help make the room feel larger.