Virtual Staging Explained

Virtual staging is the use of photo editing software or an app to digitally furnish and style a room for sale. Graphic designers do this by adding things like furniture, lighting, and other special effects to give the room an aesthetic and realistic appeal.

How it Works

Some of the common virtual staging apps include Room Planner, Planner 5D, Homestyler for Android, and RoOmy for Apple devices. 

Apart from having an app or software, you need to have a good photograph of the room, usually an empty room. The designer then adds elements like furniture, wallpapers, and flowers to artfully design the room. 

Apart from designing, there are some apps that also enable you to renovate the house virtually. 

A virtually staged house

Benefits of Virtual Staging

If done really well virtual staging has the potential and makes a quick sale and not only that, the house can also be sold at a good price. The designer needs to emotionally connect with the buyers through the designs. 

Virtual staging is cost-effective compared to traditional staging. Traditional staging requires real furniture which may or may not appeal to a specific buyer but for virtual staging, the furniture and other elements can be customized to suit a buyer’s taste. 

Virtual staging does not limit one’s creative freedom, one can try out different colors for the different decors, and adjust the lighting. The furnishing and decor options are endless.  

The Downside of Virtual Staging

If the virtual photograph conflicts with how the real room is, the buyer will be at a disadvantage and this will ruin the owner’s reputation. The designer should be as realistic as possible so as not to provide misleading photos

Incompetent designers and poor-quality of photographs may turn away customers and bring losses. If the designers cannot help the buyers conceptualize what being in the room will be like, they’ll probably take their money elsewhere. 

Virtual Staging and Interior Design

Virtual staging is different from interior design in that in the former, you are trying to appeal to different buyers and convince them to make a purchase while the interior design is about creating personalized design often with what already exists. We'll look at this in more detail later. 

Interior designers can use virtual staging to showcase their interior design skills. It would be great if the interior designer has some graphic design knowledge. This will simplify the work and the virtual and real rooms will be consistent in terms of design. 

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