See How a Stager Transformed This Massive Open-Concept Home into a “So-Inviting” Space

What could stop a 5,118-square-foot new-construction vacant home in the northwest Dallas, Texas, neighborhood of Briarwood from selling? Surprisingly enough, a huge open-concept floor plan, according to Park Avenue Custom Homes, the company that owned the home. Listed for $2,689,900, the massive five-bedroom, six-bathroom house has a combined living, dining, and kitchen area, and, without proper staging, there was a lack of purpose for the specific rooms in the home.

Luckily, a home stager came to the rescue. Park Avenue hired Kyndra Outlaw, owner and home stager at Atmospheric Home Staging, to work on the home before it went to market, ensuring that each space inside was properly defined and ready for use.

First, she focused on the living room. Outlaw brought in neutral colors to ensure a broad appeal for the home, through beige linen on the sectional, and grey tones in artwork, throw pillows, and accent chairs. She then added complementary tones through greenery and a rug with minimal striping to enhance the overall feel of warmth in the space.

Next, she placed oversized seating in the living room area, near a grey tile fireplace that served as the focal point of the room. That created a cozy and inviting spot where buyers could see themselves actually living. Then she got decorative, adding gold metal touches with cocktail tables that matched gold finishes in the dining area, and black decorative accessories like vases and artwork to add a bit of contrast and depth. “Without us, the living room would have felt like a blank slate, making it harder for buyers to connect emotionally,” Outlaw says.

In the dining area, Outlaw anchored the space with a textured rug, which she says gave the room purpose while also boosting the aesthetics of the open floor plan. Outlaw acknowledged it’s not that buyers don’t want open-concept homes — it’s just that this one was little too open-concept. “This transitional home has a natural flow between the living, dining, and kitchen areas. Our staging defined these spaces, guiding buyers to visualize functionality rather than feeling lost in an empty layout.”

The entire project took eight hours and one day of planning. Outlaw began the staging project with a 30-minute property assessment that included photos, measurements, architectural details, paint colors, and design finishes. She developed an entire staging plan that included space usage, furniture selection, and design elements, and then she brought it to life. Although most changes focused on the living room, the project encompassed the entryway, office, kitchen, dining area, primary bedroom, and outdoor space as well. The total cost was $5,500.

When the final staging was revealed to Ian Berger, the property listing agent, he was thrilled. “When potential buyers step into the home, the carefully curated furniture creates an atmosphere that helps them envision themselves living there,” he says. The sellers were equally pleased. They told Outlaw that “the staging transformed their vacant home into an inviting and visually appealing space.”

Berger also noted that there was some interest from potential buyers in keeping the furniture used in the staging, and that the online listing received a boost in views after staging as well. Ultimately, the home was on the market for 153 days, but Berger notes that due to the staging, the property got more traffic than it normally would have otherwise.