In a sense, I do agree with your commentary ” But there’s another side to that coin. A blank canvas can also be impersonal, sterile and void of emotional appeal. It’s like walking into a hotel room; it’s meant for everyone and no one in particular. Not everyone has that type of imagination.”
While taking my staging certification course, we were taught to neutralize the space, not to make it sterile and void of emotional appeal. Yes, we need to make it a “blank canvas”, but with minimalistic and muted colors. Why? Because the majority of buyers, do not want to see our “life” in a property that they are interested in buying. The buyers want to envision “their life” in the space. This is why we always suggest that de-personalizing (removing family pictures, religious figurines, etc.) are asked to be boxed up and taken to the sellers next home.
We are creating a lifestyle with our staging techniques. We study the neighborhood, the demographics in the area and create our design plan according to that.
In conclusion, there is much more to staging than just placing furniture in a home and when we are tasked with staging a home, as realtors, the ultimate goal is to do everything in our power to represent our clients best interest. Thank you!