Designing a home for living and designing a home for selling are two different skill sets — and staging requires both.
Here’s how I choose furniture that helps a property shine:
1. Scale is everything
In DC, layouts can be… quirky. Historic condos. Long rowhomes. Unexpected nooks. Choosing the right scale of furniture is how you show buyers: “Yes, this room works. Yes, you can live here. No, it’s not too small.”
2. I choose pieces with presence
A great sofa, a strong table, or a well-sized headboard anchors a room. It signals quality. It sets tone. It makes the listing feel elevated.
Buyers walk in and say “If I lived here, I could live like this.”
3. I avoid “neutral fatigue”
There’s neutral… and then there’s nap-time beige. I bring in warmth, texture, art, and shape — all the things that make a space feel alive.
4. Lighting = instant upgrade
Good lamps are like Botox for a room: subtle, effective, transformative.
Make sure to use the right bulbs though. The wrong color temperature can ruin even the best room and make even the most expensive light fixture look cheap. I only use GE Relax 40w 2700K bulbs.
5. It’s all about emotion
Every choice I make is about buyer psychology. What will make someone say: “This feels like home”? “What a vibe.” “I could see myself living here.”
That’s the goal. Not just pretty spaces — desirable ones.
If you would like to take a peak behind the curtain and see what is in my warehouse, and purchase items I use in my stagings, feel free to shop my warehouse.
Michael Fowler
Home stager and interior designer in Washington, DC. 2025 Top 100 Most Influential People in Real Estate Staging.