A Day in the Life of a London Home Stager
What actually happens between a phone call and a property that is ready to photograph
IN BRIEF
What does a home stager do? A home stager prepares a property for sale by clearing, furnishing and styling it so buyers can picture living there. In London that means working from a floor plan, choosing furniture that shows how each room works, installing it, and handing over a property that is ready for the photographer.
People ask what I do all day when I tell them I stage properties for sale. They picture cushions. There are cushions, but they come last.
No two days are the same. An empty one bedroom flat and a family house that is half full are different jobs. But the shape of the work is the same, and this is what it looks like.
What does a home stager do before install day?
Most of the work happens before anyone sees a sofa. It starts with a phone call.
Clients usually reach out after months of their property being on the market. The agent has suggested a reduction, and they want to know if there is anything else to try. I ask for the listing link, or a floor plan and a few photographs, and I quote within 24 hours.
The floor plan matters more than people expect. For each room I am asking one question: what does a buyer need to see to believe this room works? In a two bedroom flat the answer is almost always the second bedroom. If a bed fits, I need to know before anything is chosen.
Sometimes the honest answer is that I am not the right call. If the problem is price, I say so, and you do not owe me anything.
What does install day look like?
Install day is the day an empty or cluttered property becomes somewhere a buyer could live.
I work to the buyer’s first thirty seconds. Buyers have already done their thinking about location, price and size before they arrive. When they walk through the door I want them to start feeling. That is what the furniture, the art and the soft furnishings are for.
What goes wrong on a staging day?
Something always does, and in London a good deal of it is logistics.
The other thing that goes wrong is the property itself. I can bring furniture in, but I cannot work around a house that is still full. If the seller is not ready to declutter, the day goes differently.
What do clients never see?
The bit nobody sees is the thinking. This summer I mystery-shopped 14 London staging companies myself, so I know what the same job costs elsewhere. I would rather you could compare.
Why do I still love it?
Because of what happens when a buyer walks round a property saying “I love the sofa, I love the art”. They are falling in love with the property too.
A two bedroom flat in North London had sat empty on the market for nine months. It went under offer at the asking price within three weeks of being staged and relaunched. A property in East Dulwich, six months empty, went under offer in its first week at £10,000 above the new asking price.
I cannot claim staging did all of that on its own, but it is the part I am there for.
Frequently asked questions
What does a home stager do?
A home stager prepares a property for sale by editing what is there, adding furniture, art and soft furnishings, and making it ready to photograph. We work on vacant, part staged and occupied properties.
Do you stage properties that are still lived in?
Yes. This is part staging, where we work with the furniture you already have, remove what is working against the space and add what is missing. It suits families who cannot move out before the sale.
How quickly can you quote?
Within 24 hours of receiving a floor plan and a few photographs. If the problem looks like price rather than presentation, I will tell you that for free.
Thinking about staging your property?
Send me the listing link, or a floor plan and a few photographs, and I will quote you within 24 hours. If it is price, you will hear that from me for free. If it is presentation, you will get a fixed quote and a list of what I would change.
Sonja Townsend, Director. T: +44 7572 880 266. sonja@londonpropertystaging.com
This article reflects the author’s professional experience at the time of writing. It is general information, not advice on a specific property.
Sources used
- This article draws on the author’s own experience. No third-party figures are used.
- London Property Staging mystery-shop of 14 London staging companies, August 2026.