Home Stagers Say These Things Make Your Home Look Tacky And How To Fix Them

Want your home to wow buyers instead of making them say “meh”? Home stagers spill the tea on common tacky traps, and how to fix them fast!

These common mistakes might be tanking your home’s vibe without you even realizing it. Get ready to turn awkward into awesome with easy tweaks that boost your space’s charm and value.

Let’s ditch the decor disasters and make your home the star of the show!

1. Cluttered Countertops

Your kitchen and bathroom counters tell a story about how you live, and too many appliances or trinkets scream chaos! I recommend keeping only 2-3 essential items visible in each space.

For kitchens, perhaps a coffee maker and a decorative cutting board. In bathrooms, a soap dispenser and small plant create a clean, spa-like feel.

Everything else should find a home in cabinets or drawers. This simple change makes rooms appear larger, cleaner, and more expensive without spending a dime.

2. Outdated Light Fixtures

Nothing dates your home faster than those 1990s brass chandeliers or fluorescent box lights from decades past. Replacing outdated fixtures gives you incredible bang for your buck in the staging world.

Modern, simple pendants or flush mounts in black, brushed nickel, or matte brass instantly modernize any room. Home improvement stores offer stylish options starting around $50-100.

If you’re on a tight budget, even spray painting old fixtures in a contemporary color can work wonders.

3. Too Many Family Photos

While those cherished family portraits mean the world to you, they actually make it harder for potential buyers to envision themselves in your space.

Wall-to-wall family galleries create visual clutter and distraction. Try replacing most personal photos with simple art pieces or mirrors.

You can keep a few tasteful family photos in bedrooms, but main living areas should feel more neutral. This small change helps buyers emotionally connect with your home rather than feeling like they’re intruding on someone else’s life.

4. Mismatched Furniture Styles

Have you collected furniture pieces over the years without a cohesive plan? This common approach often results in rooms that feel disjointed and amateur.

Professional stagers know that consistency creates calm. You don’t need to replace everything!

Select pieces that share similar lines, scale, or color family. Remove outliers that clash dramatically with your main style direction.

If budget allows, slipcovers in neutral tones can unify different pieces, or simply rearrange furniture to create more balanced, intentional groupings.

5. Heavy Window Treatments

Still rocking those heavy drapes with more swags and tiebacks than a royal coronation? Time to ditch the drama! Natural light is your home’s best wingman during showings.

Swap those curtain parties for simple, floor-length neutrals that let the sunshine steal the spotlight. Hang ’em high and wide to make your windows, and your ceilings, look like they’re living their best life.

For the ultimate glow-up, drop the valances and go sleek with roman shades or minimalist panels that say “modern” without shouting.

6. Wall-to-Wall Carpeting

Remember when wall-to-wall carpeting in every room was the height of luxury? Those days are long gone, especially in main living areas and dining rooms where hardwood or luxury vinyl has become the standard.

If replacing all carpeting isn’t in your budget, focus on the main floor living spaces first. For bedrooms where carpet remains, consider professional cleaning or even carpet dyeing to refresh dated colors.

Area rugs over hardwood offer the perfect compromise. The warmth underfoot with the clean, timeless appeal of hard surfaces.

7. Fake Plants Collecting Dust

Artificial greenery from decades past is often faded, dusty, and immediately signals neglect to potential buyers. Those silk flower arrangements sitting atop kitchen cabinets aren’t fooling anyone!

Either invest in high-quality modern faux plants (which have improved dramatically in recent years) or bring in real plants for staging days. Even grocery store flowers in simple vases make spaces feel fresh and cared for.

If you’re not a plant person (no judgment—I’ve definitely forgotten to water a cactus), try low-maintenance champs like succulents or snake plants. They thrive on neglect, ask for very little, and still make your space look alive and styled. Total win-win.

8. Overstuffed Bookshelves

While your collection of paperbacks shows your intellectual curiosity, crammed bookshelves make spaces feel smaller and more cluttered than they actually are.

Strategic editing is key here! Remove at least half your books and arrange remaining volumes in both horizontal and vertical stacks with decorative objects interspersed. Leave empty space between groupings to create visual breathing room.

Try organizing your books by color, because nothing says “I’ve got my life together” like a rainbow bookshelf. Or, if you’re more into mystery than visuals, turn the spines inward for that minimalist, “I definitely read these… probably” vibe.

9. Dated Kitchen Hardware

Those oak cabinets might not be in your budget to replace, but the brass knobs and pulls from 1992 definitely are! Hardware is like jewelry for your kitchen, small details that make a huge impact.

For less than $100, you can transform cabinet doors and drawers with modern handles in matte black, brushed nickel, or contemporary brass finishes. This 30-minute upgrade instantly modernizes even the most dated kitchens.

Match your new hardware to your faucet style for a cohesive look that suggests intentional design rather than piecemeal updates.

10. Themed Rooms

Is your bedroom more “Star Wars shrine” than serene sleep sanctuary? May the buyers not be with you!

While we all love a good lightsaber duel, decking out your room with wall-to-wall Star Wars posters, Millennium Falcon bedding, and Yoda lamps might be a bit much. Potential buyers could feel like they’ve entered a galaxy far, far away from their future home.

Swap the full theme for a tasteful nod, maybe a framed vintage poster or subtle sci-fi decor. That way, your space still shows personality without turning into a theme park gift shop.

11. Toilet Tank Covers That Look Like Evening Gowns

Remember those frilly, bedazzled toilet tank covers that transform your commode into what looks like a toilet wearing a prom dress? Stagers shudder at the sight!

These fabric monstrosities collect bathroom germs and dust while screaming ‘1980s grandma chic’ louder than a bingo caller.

Swap this dated bathroom fashion statement for clean, minimalist style. A simple, elegant soap dispenser or small potted plant creates the same decorative effect without the tacky vibes.

Modern bathrooms embrace the toilet for what it is rather than disguising it in formal wear.

12. Refrigerator Poetry Overload

Your fridge has become the neighborhood bulletin board… plastered with magnets from every vacation spot, takeout menus, and enough children’s artwork to fill the Louvre. What started as charming personal touches has morphed into visual chaos that dominates your kitchen landscape.

Home stagers recommend the ‘less is more’ approach. Select just 2-3 special pieces to display and rotate others seasonally.

Use the inside of a cabinet door or create a dedicated memory box for storing cherished items that don’t need constant display.

For necessary papers like schedules, try a sleek magnetic whiteboard in a less prominent area. Your kitchen will instantly feel more spacious and intentional, while still maintaining those personal touches that make a house feel like home.

13. Taxidermy In Unexpected Places

Nothing says ‘welcome to my home’ quite like turning a corner to find yourself face-to-face with a glass-eyed squirrel dressed as Napoleon. Unconventional taxidermy can transform your space from sophisticated to startling in an instant.

If you’re attached to your preserved wildlife collection, stagers suggest creating a dedicated display area in a home office or den. Group similar pieces together rather than scattering them throughout your home like furry surprises.

Consider glass cases that both protect and elevate your collection.

For those willing to compromise, try replacing some taxidermy with high-quality nature photography or botanical prints. These options still celebrate wildlife without the unsettling staring contest between your dinner guests and a mounted fox.