Staging your Laguna Beach home with local artwork to attract buyers

Planning to sell your Laguna Beach, CA home? Staging could be the key to unlocking its true market potential.

At its very core, home staging is all about making sure that your home makes a good first impression on buyers. This typically involves rearranging furniture, adding decorations, and styling a home from top to bottom to present it in the best possible light.

Aside from making sure that your entire property is spotless, another part of the staging process is using art to elevate specific spaces. According to experts, incorporating thoughtfully selected art when staging your home can help enhance each space, add a touch of personality, and make everything come alive, transforming ordinary rooms into extraordinary ones.

This is especially true for a Laguna Beach, CA home, given the city’s roots as an art colony.

If you’re looking to stage your Laguna Beach, CA home, here are some art-related pointers to keep in mind:

How do I select the right artwork for my home?

As with interior design, choosing art for your Laguna Beach, CA home relies on one’s gut instinct and personal style. However, there are some general pointers you have to consider when picking out art to put on display when staging your home. These include the following:

• Make sure the art piece complements the space’s interior design. As a general rule, artwork should resonate with your home’s overall aesthetic, whether it’s modern, traditional, eclectic, or minimalist. For instance, if your living room has a zen, minimalist feel, try to get art that has a neutral palette, which can help enhance the calm nature of the space. Similarly, those with mid-century-modern living rooms will benefit from vibrant retro-style art prints, which can help make the space look more authentic.

  With that said, keep in mind that mixing different art styles is also a good way to add depth and character to a space. Decorating with abstract art in a traditional setting or classical art in a modern environment can create striking focal points and make the space more interesting visually.

• Experiment with different media. When looking for art to use in staging, try to experiment with different media—and in different genres— to see which one adds the most visual interest to your space.

  Renaissance and Impressionist paintings featuring floral still lifes and landscapes, for instance, offer a classic and timeless feel, while black-and-white photography can lend a more modern touch to a space. Textile art like tapestries and weavings, meanwhile, are good for adding texture to blank walls.

• Avoid overly personalized pieces. When choosing art pieces to use in staging, try to avoid highly personalized items like family portraits. Instead, choose neutral pieces like landscapes, abstracts, and still lifes, as these are more likely to appeal to prospective home buyers. This helps create a blank canvas where buyers can envision themselves living. By minimizing personal touches, you can depersonalize the space and make it more appealing to a wider range of potential buyers.
   
• Avoid risqué artwork. While it may be tempting to get a bold art piece for your Laguna Beach, CA home, avoid works with potentially offensive content like nudity or political statements. Such pieces can alienate buyers and detract from the home’s key features, negatively influencing prospective buyers’ perceptions of the property.
   

How can I enhance my home’s features with art?

One important thing to do when choosing artwork for your Laguna Beach, CA home is to consider how it can help enhance your home’s best features. Here are a few examples:

• Get art pieces that can accentuate architectural features. When looking for pieces for your home, try to think about how they can accentuate your home’s architectural features and draw attention to its unique selling points.

  For example, tall, vertically aligned art pieces will work well in rooms with vaulted ceilings since they help emphasize height, whereas well-curated vignettes will look perfectly at home in built-in shelving or alcoves.

• Brighten dark corners with reflective and illuminated art pieces. If your home has dark corners, try installing sculptural light pieces or artworks with mirrored surfaces. Aside from looking beautiful, these pieces will also add much-needed light to your home, which can further enhance its looks both in photos and in person.
   
• Define spaces in open floor plans. Large art pieces can be used to visually anchor key areas in open-concept homes, while smaller collections can define cozy nooks or transitional spaces.

  Remember to align artwork with furniture groupings to reinforce the purpose of each space. Try to use similar frames across different areas to maintain visual flow. As much as possible, place art pieces where they’re visible from multiple angles to define spaces from various vantage points while maintaining a sense of spaciousness.

How should I place art around my home?

When putting art on display in your Laguna Beach, CA home, it’s best to not go all willy-nilly with their placement. Instead, follow these rules to ensure an aesthetically pleasing result:

• Consider the size and scale of the artwork. When choosing art for your home, make it a point to consider the space it will occupy. One of the biggest mistakes people make when purchasing art for their home is improper scaling, where the artwork’s dimensions clash with the room’s proportions and existing elements.

  As a helpful tip for achieving the right scaling, choose artwork that takes up around two-thirds to three-quarters of the available wall space. Doing this will allow the art to make a visually impactful statement without dominating the environment.

• Consider the artwork’s placement and prospective location. Aside from considering the artwork’s scale, homeowners should also check if the piece will complement its prospective location. High-ceilinged rooms, for instance, will benefit from grand artworks that command attention and emphasize the room’s vertical expanse, while smaller spaces will benefit from more intimate pieces that enhance coziness. Similarly, try to choose artwork that complements the purpose of each room, such as food-related pieces in the kitchen or calming landscapes in the bedroom.
   
• Try layering different pieces. If you already have a substantial art collection, try layering several items to get depth and visual interest to your space. One way to do this is by creating a gallery wall that uses a large painting as the base layer and then surrounding it with smaller framed photographs or prints. You can also try layering framed prints of different sizes on picture shelves, which gives off a more casual look.
   
• Use the floor. If you are not keen on drilling your walls to hang frames, try placing framed prints and paintings on the floor. A popular way of displaying art among the younger set, putting art on the floor gives your space a casual and free-spirited vibe – perfect for a Laguna Beach property. If this is something you want to try staging, make sure to pick a sturdy frame to avoid any warping.
   
• Group pieces by color. A great way to enhance the visual appeal of your space is by grouping artwork that shares a common theme or color scheme. For instance, you could display a collection of landscape paintings or arrange pieces with complementary colors. This approach creates a cohesive, curated look, making the overall arrangement more visually engaging.
   
• Don’t forget the lighting. Always consider lighting when mounting artwork, as this can greatly enhance the piece and increase its impact on the space it occupies. Consider using wall-mounted picture lights, which are readily available at most hardware stores. Just make sure to position the light at a 30 to 35-degree angle from the ceiling to prevent viewers from seeing reflections or glare when looking at the artwork.
   

How do I integrate art into home staging?

There’s more to simply hanging a framed painting or installing a decorative sculpture when using artwork to stage a Laguna Beach, CA home. Here are other ways to incorporate art during staging:

• Think outside of the canvas. When choosing items to display in your home, don’t limit yourself to framed paintings, photos, and prints. You can also put items like sculptural planters, baskets, and even china on display, which can help give your home a unique, personalized look.
   
• Use your furniture as art. Despite them being utilitarian in nature, furniture—especially vintage and handcrafted ones—can also double as art pieces for your home. Don’t have any designer furniture? Don’t worry, just take one of your favorite pieces to a local Laguna Beach artist and ask if you can commission a custom paint job on your furniture, resulting in a one-of-a-kind piece you’d be proud to put on display.
   
• Don’t forget your walls. If you have a bare wall in your home, try to dress it up with a mural from a local artist. Or, if that seems too labor-intensive for staging purposes, try to commission a large print and have it converted into wallpaper. Doing this will give your home a pop of whimsy that would be hard for prospective buyers to ignore.
   

Where can I buy local art in Laguna Beach, CA?

As one of California’s most vibrant and historic artistic hubs for over a century, there is no shortage of amazing art galleries and acclaimed art festivals in Laguna Beach, making it easy for homeowners to find pieces for their homes.

Here are some of the best places to find local art in Laguna Beach, CA:

• Lu Martin Galleries of Laguna Beach. A fine art gallery established in 1988, Lu Martin Galleries has had a long-standing reputation for offering beautiful traditional and contemporary art, all complemented by a warm and friendly browsing experience, and excellent customer service. The gallery features a selection of Southern California artists whose work captures the spirit and diverse landscapes of the Golden State.
   
• Laguna Gallery of Contemporary Art (LGOCA). A unique contemporary gallery, the Laguna Gallery of Contemporary Art (LGOCA) is dedicated to showcasing top regional and international artists. For the last 45 years, the LGOCA has boasted an impressive and diverse mixture of paintings, sculptures, glass, and metal creations, making it the perfect spot for those looking to add unique pieces to their homes.
   
• Sandstone Gallery. Located on the Pacific Coast Highway, Sandstone Gallery is a contemporary fine art gallery that operates as an artists’ collective. The gallery showcases works made in a variety of media such as oil, acrylic, mixed media, monoprint, wood print, collagraph, and sculpture.
   
• Laguna Beach Festival of the Arts. Laguna Beach’s most historic and prestigious art festival, Laguna Beach Festival of the Arts features installments from over 140 local artists and showcases the area’s most unique and creative works. From painting and sculpture to music and fashion to the iconic Pageant of the Masters, the festival celebrates nearly every medium while offering opportunities for locals and visitors to connect with Orange County’s best artists, purchase unique pieces, and learn more about Laguna Beach’s historic art scene.
   
• Sawdust Art Festival. One of the biggest art festivals in Laguna Beach, the Sawdust Art Festival is dedicated to educating the public and promoting art created by Laguna Beach locals. There are two main events each year: the Sawdust Art Festival, which runs from June through September, and the Annual Winter Fantasy Festival, which runs from mid-November through mid-December.

  The Sawdust Art Festival attracts over 200,000 visitors each year, all of whom get to shop along sawdust-covered paths through a handcrafted village filled with pieces from over 180 local artists and craftsmen. Aside from the opportunity to purchase original art and handcrafted items, visitors are also treated to live entertainment, eye-catching artist demonstrations, hands-on art workshops for all ages, and delicious food and drink.

• First Thursday Art Walk. Held on the first Thursday of each month, the First Thursdays Art Walk offers an intimate, nighttime look at the city’s newest and most exciting pieces. Interested visitors can take a peek at exhibits by participating galleries all over the city, showcasing a wide range of artworks available for purchase.
   

What are the benefits of using local artwork in staging?

Incorporating artwork into a home’s interiors can offer numerous benefits, such as:

• Enhancing visual appeal. Artwork instantly elevates the aesthetic of any room. Carefully selected pieces can complement the interior design and architecture, making spaces look more polished and attractive. In Laguna Beach, where buyers expect high-end finishes and luxury touches, the right piece can add a sense of sophistication and exclusivity. Whether it’s a large, bold painting or a series of framed photographs, art provides a focal point in a room that draws the eye and helps buyers envision how they might personalize the space.
   
• Creating emotional connections. Buying a home is not just a financial decision; it’s also an emotional one. Prospective buyers often make decisions based on how a space makes them feel. Artwork can help evoke those emotions by creating a warm, inviting, and inspiring environment. For example, serene seascapes can evoke feelings of calm, while vibrant abstract art can inspire energy and creativity. This emotional connection is especially important in a market like Laguna Beach, where buyers are often looking for a lifestyle as much as a home.
   
• Adds character to a home. Artwork adds character to otherwise neutral spaces. By introducing art, you prevent rooms from feeling sterile or empty, which can sometimes happen when staging a home with minimal furniture. The right artwork brings warmth, personality, and individuality to a space, making it more memorable.
   
• Creates a move-in-ready feel. Staged homes that feature artwork give buyers the impression that the home is ready for them to move in. This “finished” look helps buyers feel more at ease, knowing they won’t need to spend time and energy decorating the space.
   
• Increases a home’s value. Home staging comes with many benefits for property owners, the most important of which is its ability to make properties sell for more than their listed price. This is according to the Real Estate Staging Association, which reported in its 2021 State of the Industry Benchmarking Report that 85% of staged homes sold for 5% to 23% over the listing price.
   

Sell your Laguna Beach, CA home with Shauna & Leita Covington today!

If you are planning to put your Laguna Beach, CA home back on the market, make sure to work with a professional like Shauna & Leita Covington.

As one of the best real estate professionals in Orange County, Shauna Covington is an expert at Laguna Beach real estate and is considered to be among the top 1% of more than 1,100,000 Realtors nationwide.

Shauna, together with her daughter Leita, is organized, efficient, and communicative, and is well-known among buyers and sellers for providing top-tier customer service to buyers and sellers alike.

Ready to get started with selling your home? Give Shauna & Leita Covington a call at either 949.412.8088 or 949.395.3037. You can also email Shauna & Leita to schedule a consultation.