It’s quite common to hear people saying that staging and decorating are basically the same process and both terms could be used interchangeably. Despite some similarities they actually serve a different purpose and differ quite significantly. While staging or decorating, I might need the same objects like lamps, plants or pillows but I will use them for a completely different reason.
Decorating is all about the clients who live in a home – listening to their needs, helping to define their style and making the space their own, taking into account their taste and lifestyle.
The purpose of staging is to remove the owners’ distractions and their personalities from the house. It is a depersonalizing process with the goal of featuring the space of the building, not the people who live in it. While there is nothing wrong with living in a staged home permanently, putting an overly decorated, full of personal keepsakes property on the market is certainly not a good idea.