Home Styling Trends With Natalie James

Natalie James’ styling predictions and five tips below were framed for 2021.

A 10-year veteran of styling homes for our video and photography shoots, Natalie James is an essential ingredient in preparing homes for sale in Melbourne.

From her background in visual merchandising, Natalie James brings a head-turning wow factor to marketing property with her signature style that says: livability.

“If there’s a feeling of warmth in a home, it’s worth highlighting the warmth rather than completely replacing it with staging furniture,” says Natalie. “Part of attracting potential buyers is about making a house feel like a home, injecting as much soul into it as possible.”

As far as trends for the rest of 2021, Natalie sees us reaching into our memories and deepening connections with items that matter, whilst valuing quality over quantity. She draws inspiration from travel and nature, whilst her two-year-old whippet, Monty, makes sure she gets to go on lots of walks.

“Given the year we’ve had I’m feeling like we need to declutter, Marie Kondo Style. A home is made up of memories and mementos that tell a story warmer than any trend. Trends will come and go but I feel it’s how you curate what’s already there that makes a house a home.”

Natalie also predicts less spending on fanciful items that end up in landfills and more on pieces already imbued with history and meaning. “The environment and sustainability are trends in themselves and have an impact on how we shop and live. I’ve found some timeless pieces on the side of the road and I find myself scouring Gumtree for the odd treasure and trinket.”

Her background also gives her a unique perspective on the sale process. “Think of your home like a retail space – it’s sales at the end of the day – so why not invite buyers in?”

What we love about Natalie is her focus on what exists in a home and taking a simplified approach to setting the scene for a sale. Her talent is clearly identifying pieces buyers (or shoppers) will respond to and highlighting them in an aspirational setting.  “Light is a really important feature in your home. Afternoon light is my favourite, but if you’re open’s on a cloudy morning, make sure you light your home to bring out its best features.”

“Oh, and clean your windows!” She emphasises. “It’s the easiest thing you can do; takes a bit of effort, but what you put in is what you get back.”

Natalie’s common sense approach is simple and effective with results that speak for themselves in the thousands of homes she’s helped bring to market over a decade in the business.

2021 Top 5 Styling tips from Natalie James

Sustainability and the environment anchor the top styling tips for the times ahead, responding directly to a year of heightened awareness and reflection of humankind’s impact on the planet.

  1. Buy fewer, better things: Quality over quantity
  2. Bring the heat: Highlight warmth in the home
  3. Upcycle and recycle: Borrow history and buy beautiful, used pieces
  4. Leverage the light: Make a feature of ambient or natural lighting
  5. Clean up: Help buyers appreciate the view and the pleasures of a sparkling home

Natalie James’ work can be seen in Resident Dog 2 , available online at Booktopia .

Physical styling, and our Virtual Styling service

This article is about physically preparing and styling a home before a shoot. We also offer Virtual Styling, which digitally furnishes vacant spaces. Our FAQ says multiple styles are available and that we choose furniture suited to the home and the space; there is no public catalogue, and we do not promise that a client can select every individual item. Virtual Styling adds a further 24-hour timeframe after the initial retouching — an addition to the photography and retouching workflow, not 24 hours from the booking or the shoot.

Our service page says virtual styling can complement or replace physical staging for visual presentation. It does not claim that a property will be physically furnished for inspections, and it does not define removal limits, item-by-item selection rights or a revision entitlement. Confirm the requirement and the delivery timing with us. See floor plans and virtual services.

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What is Natalie James’ approach to staging an existing home?

She recommends highlighting its warmth and personality, curating meaningful items rather than automatically replacing everything with staging furniture.

What were her key styling themes for 2021?

Quality over quantity, warmth, upcycling and recycling, using natural or ambient light, and presenting a clean home.

Why does she emphasise lighting and windows?

She sees light as a major feature and recommends lighting rooms to bring out their strengths when natural light is limited, as well as cleaning windows.

Who is Natalie James?

A stylist with a background in visual merchandising. The article describes her as a 10-year veteran of styling homes for our video and photography shoots in Melbourne.

What is her view on replacing existing furniture?

She argues that where a home already has warmth, it is worth highlighting that warmth rather than replacing it entirely with staging furniture.

Do her 2021 predictions still apply?

They were framed for 2021 and are retained as published. Treat them as her view at the time rather than current guidance.

Do you offer styling as a service?

This article is about physical styling before a shoot. We offer Virtual Styling, which digitally furnishes vacant spaces - see floor plans and virtual services for what it covers and its timing.

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