Home Staging - Turn Your Bookcase into a Display Piece

     The premise of home staging is to make you house appeal to every possibly buyer and that means that your home needs to look pulled together. It's just not enough to throw a fresh coat of paint on the walls and steam clean the carpets. You have to pay attention to the little things.
     Let's take the common bookcase for instance. Maybe you have a bookcase that's over flowing with a jumble of different sized books, magazines and loose papers. To you, it's just a utilitarian bookcase, but to a home stager, it's an opportunity to bring in some style and with a little effort, it can be turned into a polished display.
     
Here are a few do's and don'ts to help you get your bookcase looking it's best:

Don't - display a mish-mash of different sized books all on one shelf
Don't - use every shelf for just books
Don't - cram shelves full of cd's, dvd, magazines, small paperbacks or
           books with ripped or torn spines or jackets
Don't - display small collectables (save this for a curio cabinet)
Don't - forget the top of your bookcase -this a great place to display a
           vase, decorative bowl or plant
    Do - display books of similar colour together
    Do - mix up the way books are displayed and place some stacked
           flat
    Do - create a nice flow with the different heights
    Do - include framed prints or photos
    Do - include decorative elements -use pieces of  different materials
           and textures to create depth and contrast or use all one
           colour to create a monochromatic theme
    Do - bring nature in with a few plants

For even more effect, you can paint the back face of your bookcase or cover it with coloured paper to make your books and accessories really pop!