design & staging blog
what’s on our mind
WHY WE DESIGN FOR LIFE
Houzz Asked About Living Room Mistakes. Here's Why We Design for Life.
May 2025
Houzz UK featured our thoughts on living room layout mistakes.
We were keen to share our thoughts because we so often see beautiful spaces fail the people living in them.
Design for Life, Not Likes
The biggest mistake? Designing for how you think a room should look instead of how you actually live.
Our 80-20 rule changes everything. When is your room used 80% of the time? Day or night? Who's living in it? How?
Design for that reality. Stop designing for the dinner party that happens twice a year.
Take a space used by parents to escape chaos for a couple of hours each evening. The design can afford to be cosy - smaller sofas, enveloping armchairs, opulent textures. Because it's designed for how they actually live: a few hours in mellow lamp light.
Furniture Should Serve Life
We prefer side tables over coffee tables. They don't disrupt how you move, rumple rugs, or create obstacles when you're living your actual life.
Life needs flow. Design for movement, not photographs.
Comfort Over Aesthetics
Your TV is probably too high because someone prioritised the "look" over how you actually watch. The perfect height? 35-40cm from the floor.
Design for real viewing, real comfort, real life.
Lighting for Living
"Lamps, lamps and more lamps." Life happens in layers - reading, relaxing, finding lost things. One ceiling light can't serve all those moments.
We design lighting for how you actually live: wall lights for reading, table lamps for atmosphere, portable ones you can move as life requires.
Stop Maximising Space, Start Maximising Life
Pushing furniture against walls to "show space" actually limits how you live. Creates runways, not rooms where life happens.
Design for connection, conversation, the messy reality of daily life.
Instagram Isn't Your Life
Social media designs ignore how you actually live. We design for Tuesday night homework, Saturday morning coffee in pyjamas, the way you really move through your space.
Your room isn't a film set. It's where your life happens.
You can read our full thoughts in the Houzz UK article.
IS HOME STAGING REALLY A THING?
Is Home Staging Worth It?
April 2025
Discover why professional staging has become essential for £1.1M+ London properties.
Let's cut through the noise about staging and look at what really matters in today's premium property market.
The Reality of Hackney's £1.1M+ Market In 2025's challenging market, presentation makes all the difference. While well-presented homes in Hackney are selling within 4-6 weeks, properties that aren't strategically staged can linger for 12+ weeks or more. In a flat market, this difference is crucial.
The Numbers That Matter:
Properties staged by professionals spend half the time on market compared to non-staged homes
Premium buyers spend an average of 20 seconds on listings with professional photos, versus just 2 seconds on basic listings
83% of buyers' agents confirm that staging helps their clients visualize the property as their future home
The investment in staging (1-3% of asking price) typically generates an 8-10% return
Beyond the Statistics: Why Staging Works for Premium Properties When you're selling a £1.1M+ family home in Hackney, you're not just selling square footage - you're selling a lifestyle. Today's discerning buyers in this price bracket are looking for more than just a property; they want to envision their future life.
What Modern Staging Really Means:
Strategic Presentation It's not about generic decorating. Professional staging for premium properties means creating an aspirational yet achievable lifestyle that speaks directly to your target buyer.
Digital Impact With 90% of property searches starting online, professional staging ensures your property stands out in those crucial first impressions. In the premium market, this digital presence needs to reflect the property's value.
Buyer Psychology Premium buyers are sophisticated and time-poor. They're looking for properties that not only meet their practical needs but also their aesthetic and lifestyle aspirations. Professional staging helps them connect emotionally with your property from the first viewing.
The Current Market Reality In today's flat Hackney market, especially for properties over £1.1M, the difference between a quick sale and a property lingering on the market often comes down to presentation. Well-staged homes not only attract more serious viewings but also maintain their asking prices more effectively.
The Bottom Line Is staging really a thing? For premium properties in today's market, it's not just a thing - it's a crucial investment in your sale strategy. When the market is challenging, professional staging becomes even more important as a differentiator that can significantly impact both time on market and final sale price.
ignore the 80:20 at your peril
Common Living Room Mistakes and the 80:20 Rule
June 2025
Common Living Room Mistakes and the 80:20 Rule
The most common mistake is not applying the 80:20 rule. Ignoring the 80:20 rule often leads to rooms that aim to fit every purpose and every time of day, to “flow” with the scheme of the adjoining spaces. More often than not they end up lacking character and resemble large hallways where nobody really enjoys spending time. Furniture hasn’t been specified for the 80% use and is generic, oversized and uncomfortable. Sometimes it was chosen just for the colour…
So what is the 80:20 rule and how do we apply it? What we need to know about your living room is:
When will the room be used, 80% of the time? Is it a day room or an evening room? A day room will have a completely different colour scheme and overall vibe to an evening-centric room. Furniture and finishes will need to be tailored to the time of day and the light conditions it will mostly be used in. Is it an every day room or is it used less often? The more use it gets, the more robust items and finishes need to be.
Who will be using it 80% of the time? Grown ups once the kids are in bed or is it a general play space for the kids/dog/cat? Very different design decisions for each of these!
How will it be used? If a play space we need to factor in floor footprint and coverings. If it is a relaxation and hibernation space we focus on comfy furniture and inviting patterns and textures.
A lot of the housing stock in the areas we work most in is Victorian. The most common set up is the front reception room, the second reception room which joins that and then along the hallway to the kitchen. The vast majority of properties have already had some modification whereby the two receptions are either fully or partially opened to create a larger living room. Many still have a door into each from the hallway and of these, plenty have the main sofa against the wall and covering one of these doors.
We work on side return extensions regularly, so how the living room is treated comes into play often. When a larger, open plan cooking, dining and living zone is created at the back of the house two things commonly happen: 1. The second reception becomes a glorified hallway, used primarily to access the “kitchen”. 2. The front reception is barely used and no budget is allocated to ensuring it remains connected to the rest of the design. If the side return is existing when clients move in, they dress the living room as they think they should; with the usual furniture and TV and rarely revisit because they spend all of their time in the bigger multi-use space at the back of the house.
Scenario 1, the side return is already in situ and clients have come to us because they want to make proper use of every space they have - perhaps their family is growing or growing up and different spaces are being sought out for different family members and uses. We go through each member's daily routines, and map out who is going to use/want to use this room, what they will be doing in there and what time of day they’ll be doing it. For instance, tired parents of a young family might want to retreat into a tidy, toy-free sanctuary and power-down with the TV/screens for a couple of hours in the evening. We would recommend being brave and using sliding glass doors or screens with obscured glass to create a snug. The design here can be bolder or break with the flow of the rest of the more open plan space. Realistically this is not going to be a room where more than 3 or 4 adults will gather regularly so it can afford to be cosy, with smaller sofas or enveloping armchairs rather than enormous L shaped sofas that engulf the space. Texture and colours can be more opulent or intense because it is being used for only a few hours and in mellow, moody evening lamp light.
Scenario 2. The client has come to us for the side return design. Often the living room is a fleeting comment, not really considered as part of their renovation hit list. This is a very common mistake, and we are quick to factor in this often overlooked room early in the design concept phase. We would do everything in scenario 1. But we have the added benefit of designing the bigger kitchen space, ensuring that the “hallway” reception room is avoided, and every space is properly considered and spatially efficient. Clients often worry that every room has to be “maximised” hence large furniture pushed up against walls to display floorspace. This actually has the opposite effect most of the time, because movement around the room becomes limited to a straight line along the sofa and back.
If the living room is the front reception and used mostly at night, flow isn’t as important, nor is looking out of the window. If the room is mostly an evening space, we urge our clients to think about colours and furnishings that come to life in the low, warm glow of lamps. Window treatments are crucial here as an evening room - we want to lean into the secluded, quiet, private space so think shutters or heavier curtains that add character and can enhance the colour scheme. Same goes for the floor - think something soft and luxe underfoot because traffic will be much lower and that traffic probably older in age! Rugs in a room like this can afford to be BIG! We like to go as big as possible and place as much of the furniture on it, almost creating a room in a room effect.
Putting a smaller sofa across a bay window and another facing the fireplace (if you’re lucky enough to have one) is a great solution for this room. But whatever you do please don’t mount an enormous TV on that chimney breast! Firstly, it will be far too high and secondly, unless it is a Samsung Frame, it will be an eyesore of a focal point. Perfect height for a TV is around 35/40cm from the floor and why do you need a TV that is bigger than a regular Victorian alcove for regular use? If you’re avid movie watchers consider a discreet projector screen that hides away when not in use.
Lighting matters in here more than most rooms because it will completely dictate the mood. If using mostly in darkness hours you need layers of light. A pretty ceiling pendant is called for (mostly for decoration or looking for small lost things on the floor). Then it is lams, lamps and more lamps. We love a wall mounted lamp (plug-in a complete hero if you don’t want the hassle of getting it hardwired in) for reading or puzzling. Table lamps (portable USB charging saviours are our go-to) in corners, on shelves, on side tables, and used depending on what's happening in the room. Side tables in front receptions like this are our preference because they don’t disrupt the floorspace, rumple rugs, or create vacuuming obstacles. We love a solid, circular side table that can be moved around at whim, and even perched on should you need.
Living rooms are often overlooked spaces, because clients come to us with big dreams for a kitchen or bathroom first - it’s rare that we have clients come to us just with a living room. So we often have to dig in and find out where this room factors in their decisions.
sTrategic staging: the life stages method
Let's talk about what really matters in today's Hackney market.
April 2025
When you're selling a £1.1M+ property, presentation isn't just about aesthetics - it's about results.
The Reality. Well-presented homes in Hackney are selling within 4-6 weeks. Properties that aren't looking great? They're sitting for 12+ weeks or more. In a flat market, that difference is crucial.
In the UK property market, delays can derail your entire chain. Losing your onward purchase to a chain-free buyer, or someone swoops in having got an offer on theirs, thousands lost in surveys and solicitors' fees - these aren't just possibilities, they're regular occurrences when sales drag on.
Our Process We've built something that actually works. Five clear steps that handle everything, so you can focus on what matters - your next chapter.
Edit starts with honest conversations about what stays and what goes. We help you make clear decisions, then handle all the practical details - responsible disposal, recycling, charitable donations. All those tasks that usually eat up your weekends? Handled.
Reset is where we bring everything back to life. Steam cleaning curtains that haven't moved in years. Getting into corners that have been forgotten. Bringing carpets back to their best. Your existing pieces that made the cut? They get the full treatment - sofas and armchairs revived through professional steam cleaning. This isn't just surface-level cleaning - it's setting the foundation for what comes next.
Upgrade and Decorate is where vision takes shape. We focus on the improvements that actually matter to buyers. Confident choices that make impact. Because in this market, they make all the difference.
Staging brings it all together. This is where design-led details create spaces that connect. Every piece we bring in serves a purpose - creating rooms that buyers remember long after the viewing ends.
What Makes Us Different Everything we bring in for staging? It's available to purchase. When buyers fall in love with the look, they can keep it. It's an approach unique to us, reducing waste while supporting local suppliers and makers. Good design should live on, not sit in storage.
We focus on lived-in family homes because they need their own approach. When school runs still need to happen and life can't just stop for viewings, you need solutions that actually work. Our process respects real life while creating spaces that sell.
Through our partnership with Furnishing Futures, every project helps create healing homes for families who need them. Strategic design should do more than just look good - it should create positive change.
This isn't about following trends or creating perfect show homes. It's about making clear, confident choices that get properties sold. Because in today's market, that's what matters.
TIME IS MONEY: HOW STAGING SELLS PROPERTY QUICKER
The Real Cost of Waiting
April 2025
Discover how strategic property staging reduces time on market for £1.1M+ Hackney homes, with expert insights on protecting your property chain and maximising your sale potential.
In the UK property market, particularly for premium Hackney homes, timing isn't just about days on market - it's about protecting your future plans and maintaining your property's value.
The Current Market Reality Spring 2025 has brought new challenges to Hackney's premium property market. While some sellers are still adjusting to market conditions, one fact remains clear: well-presented homes are selling significantly faster than their unstaged counterparts.
The Timeline Difference:
Well-presented £1.1M+ properties: 4-6 weeks to sale
Poorly presented properties: 12+ weeks or more
That's potentially two extra months of mortgage payments, bills, and market uncertainty
Beyond Speed: The Financial Impact When your property is in the £1.1M+ bracket, every week on the market counts:
Monthly carrying costs (mortgage, utilities, council tax) can exceed £4,000
Price reductions often follow extended market time
Buyer perception decreases the longer a property sits on the market
The Property Chain Reality In the UK property market, chains are a crucial consideration. Time delays don't just impact your sale - they can derail your entire property chain:
Risk losing your onward purchase to a chain-free buyer
Other sellers in your chain may get nervous and accept alternative offers
Chain breaks can mean thousands lost in surveys, solicitors' fees, and mortgage arrangements
The emotional cost of losing out on your next home after months of planning
The Investment Perspective Think of staging as an insurance policy for your sale:
Typical investment: 1-1.5% of asking price
Potential return: Faster sale, increased or maintained asking price, protected property chain
Added value: Peace of mind and control over your timeline
Ready to Take Control? In today's market, professional staging isn't just an option - it's a strategic tool for protecting your property journey.