Partial vs Full Property Styling... The Pros & Cons

In our office, we have many conversations about partial styling. It’s a big part of our service and can work amazingly well, but also has its challenges. 

Partial styling is when a homeowner blends rental furniture with their own existing pieces. It can range from just a few items to almost everything, for example, when a homeowner opts to just keep their beds and the rest of their home is professionally styled. 

Partial styling can be very effective but in general the finished product doesn’t have the same impact as a fully styled home. Here are some of the benefits of emptying your space and using a professional stylist to fully style your home. 

1. A fully styled property will be completely cohesive, the furniture and accessories will complement one another and there’ll be a distinct connection between each space, created through the look and feel of the furniture. This is pleasing to the eye and enhances the perceived value. 
2. The proportion of the furniture will be chosen to maximise space and facilitate flow.  A stylist will take into consideration where people will enter each space, how it looks from each viewing point and make sure that multiple parties can easily move around at one time. 
3. The furniture and accessories will all be installed to ensure the property impresses in both photos and at open home inspections. When a property is vacant and the styling is left exactly as it was installed, it continues to look great for the entire sale campaign.

There are also pros to a partial style. 

1. The occupants can live in the property during the sale campaign and disruption to normal life is minimised. There is a caveat to this; rental furniture is not meant for living. In some cases it’s been specifically designed for styling so that it’s lighter and easier to move. Even if you’re living in a styled home, you should avoid using the pieces that are meant for display - and that can be difficult to manage.
2. You can save on rent and storage costs. Most homeowners don’t have another residence readily available and moving out for the duration of a sale campaign is a costly exercise. Likewise for storing all your furniture and belongings. 
3. Partial styling is also cheaper than a full style. While this is usually true, often the cost of a partial style is not significantly less. The delivery and installation costs are still the same and because a partial styling job is more labour intensive at each step of the process, a partial styling fee is incurred. In terms of return on your styling investment, a full styling job is more likely to produce a better result than a partial style. 

As stylists, we’re always happy and excited to style a completely vacant home because we know the finished product is more likely to have that wow factor. However, partial styling makes up about 20% of our work so we need to ensure that it’s also successful. If you’re partially styling your property, here’s how to get the best result. 

1. Work with your senior stylist on what’s practical and achievable. At your styling consultation, the stylist will give advice on how to present your home to maximise your price. They may recommend removing or repositioning some of your furniture pieces. They’ll almost always suggest a declutter. It’s important to make sure all the agreed recommendations are carried out prior to installation. If you don’t think you can complete the action plan, it’s better to flag it early so we know what we’re working with and find the best solution. 
2. Make sure your home is decluttered prior to the styling going in. It’s really difficult, sometimes impossible, to style a property that’s overly cluttered or full of personal items. For us to bring in our furniture and accessories, we need a clear and tidy space. 
3. Your home also needs to be clean for our team to work in a safe and hygienic environment and to minimise damage to our stock. 
4. Other trades should have completed their work before our styling team arrives. If there’s painting to do, or other small jobs, they should be done before installation day. Usually styling is the very last job before photography. 

If you’re wondering whether a full or partial style is the way to go, get in touch with us in the early stages of your sale campaign for  a complimentary consultation with one of our experienced Senior Stylists. They’ll offer advice on how to style your home for sale, any small refurbishments that could benefit your sale price and how to best incorporate your existing furniture and decor.

Above: A fully styled property with monochromatic, cohesive scheme. 

Above: A partially styled property where the owner's artwork and dining table were used with our chairs and accessories. The style of furniture is similar and the property was completely decluttered so the result looks seamless.