Home Staging in Lakewood, CO: How We Got This 1930s Tudor Under Contract in 3 Days

Written and Designed by Dana Gutwein

If you’re thinking about selling your home in the Denver metro area, especially in established neighborhoods like Lakewood, staging your listing helps you stand out- ultimately helping you sell your home faster and for more money.  

Home staging isn’t about decorating- it’s about appealing to the greatest number of buyers, ensuring the photos look fantastic, and creating an emotional connection when someone walks through the door.  

Recently, I had the opportunity to stage this beautiful 1930’s Tudor right in the heart of Lakewood. The first time I walked into this house, I fell in love with it. So much charm– original fireplace, arched doorways, warmth and character from the wood flooring.  

I knew immediately that the goal wasn’t to change or hide the character of this home, but to enhance it.  

Living Room | Before and After 

The entrance to the home is the living room– our opportunity to immediately create a first impression. The first decision I made was to lean into the fireplace as the focal point. I selected a larger scale piece of art from our inventory, with a more historic feel (rather than modern) to ground the space and paired it with a mix of light and warm, and midtone pieces. By simplifying the layout and arranging the furniture to support the focal point, the room immediately feels more inviting and intentional.  

Before: 

After:

Dining Room | Before and After 

In the dining room, I focused on flow, proportion, and maintaining the home’s character. I oriented the table to match the shape of the room, which allowed for comfortable walkways, and maintained a sense of openness. I centered the table under the fixture, which helps the room feel more intentional. Again, this is about working with, rather than fighting, the home. I paired it with a textural rug to counteract the more modern feeling of the table and the chairs, as well as adding a textured bench. I styled the table with a few simple accessories; selecting larger scale pieces that look great in photos.  

Before: 

After:

Kitchen | Before and After

In the kitchen, I intentionally kept the staging simple.  While the kitchen was not updated, I was struck by a sense of how natural lighting, wood cabinetry, and views of the mature trees created a quiet, secluded, almost romantic little setting for your morning coffee.  The homeowner had a natural wood table with beautiful imperfections, and rather than replacing it, we kept it. I selected a piece of art – a still life of flowers and paired it with a simple floral vase on the table- white to help contrast with the darker, mid tone woods, creating a “moment.” The goal was subtle: brighten the space, honor the home’s character, and create feeling. 

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After:

 Key Home Staging Takeaways

Every decision throughout the staging process came back to the same principle: enhance what makes the home special, rather than compete with it.  

This home was on the market for just 72 hours and received multiple competing offers.  

1. Enhance, don’t fight, your home’s natural character and floor plan 
2. Create a clear focal point and let the layout support it. 
3. Mixing light and dark elements creates balance and brightness- it doesn’t have to match perfectly, in fact, I prefer it that way!  
4. Prioritize flow, open walkways make a home feel larger 
5. Simplicity, openness, and thoughtful details – create the feeling of “I’m home” 
6. New is not always better- character and pieces that feel collected often resonate more than anything you can buy off the shelf  

About Us 

LaDawn Sperling provides full-service home staging for her real estate clients in the Denver Metro Area, helping prepare both vacant and occupied listings for today’s market. Home staging design is led by Dana Gutwein, our team designer. Contact LaDawn with questions about how we can help prepare your home for success.