Single or double beds?

[cashmerecardigans]

We have just taken our house off the market as it didn't sell over the Summer. We're doing some more work to get it in the best condition possible before we go back out next year but I'm really confused about how best to dress the bedrooms.

We have 5 bedrooms, own of which we are using as a dressing room. The other 4 have double beds in but as our children have left home, they all look very similar and I'm not sure if they need more differentiation.

Should we revert to single beds in 2 of them to create more of a child's room feel? I always thought it was best to put a double in, but they do all look a bit bland. If we swop them, I wonder if people will think ok yes a master, a guest room, 2 children's rooms plus a small bedroom or study etc.

Any advice much appreciated as I am driving myself mad thinking about it!

To be honest if I was looking for a 5 bedroom house I would want to see five bedrooms rather than 4 and a dressing room. Can you each take one of the spare rooms, put your clothes in wardrobes and put a bed of some sort in the 5th bedroom? It is easier for someone to think hum it is a bedroom I could use as a dressing room/ craft room/ office than that it is s big wardrobe that I can use as a bedroom.

Yes, that’s a good point, we could probably still keep one wardrobe on there plus a single bed too.

I'd leave the doubles - if I can see a double bed fits, I know a single will. If I see a single bed, I have to do some mental furniture moving to put a double in there. In a previous rented house, my kids had double beds, plus kids bedding. Might a bright set of bedding lift the room with a much smaller outlay?

I agree with showing the dressing room with a bed in it - unless its accessed through another bedroom, rather than from the landing, in which case, you dont have a 5 bed house imo.

Thanks, no they are all separate rooms, so I'll make sure we keep a single in there.

You could maybe have different coloured duvet covers to further differentiate the rooms, so a neutral wall colour scheme and then various different bed covers so people can see they are all different rooms if they otherwise look similar in photos. You could have different bright duvet covers or more neutral browns, grey, cream etc.

Meant in the nicest possible way, I doubt this is the reason the house isn't attracting buyers!

That isn't the reason OP. Maybe put a desk or a single bed into the dressing room?

Coincidentally, if you have a dressing room, do you have space for wardrobes in all the other bedrooms?

Honestly?! People can work out a dressing room could be a bedroom unless they are very stupid! Leave the double beds. However dress them differently. Don’t buy anything other than white duvet covers. Add blankets, throws and cushions. Make the beds look professionally dressed. Make sure curtains or blinds are good and carpets or flooring is suitable. Add storage if it’s not there.

Sometimes it’s the number of bathrooms with a 5 bed house. Do you have at least two? What else could be not so great, other than price of course!?

Some people don’t have much imagination so I’d present your bedroom 5 as a bedroom and not a dressing room.

Are you sure that’s the reason the house hasn’t sold? Seems pretty unlikely.

The house I immediately decided I wanted had no furniture it at all. It made it much easier to imagine my furniture in it

If you wanted to link, MNers have given great advice to other home sellers in the past.

Agreed, I’m absolutely sure it’s not the reason it’s not sold, it’s just we want to try and get everything right next time! Consistent feedback was our sitting too was too small, so we’ve knocked it through to what was the study and that’s looking good. We’re getting our downstairs oak flooring professionally remanded and varnished as well as trying to make it a bit more conventional, so will carpet upstairs oak floors and replace unusual wall radiators with standard.

To answer other questions, we have one main bathroom plus 2 en-suites, so I don’t think that’s a problem. I honestly think we’ve just not made it look enough like a showhome, hence the question.

I don’t think I’d be covering oak floors with carpet. However, it’ll probably help if you can furnish the sitting room appropriately- with enough seating for a family of 5 + guests but without overcrowding the space.

It does seem a shame, but they aren’t in perfect condition, carpet is cheaper than resanding everything and it appears a lot of people prefer carpet in bedrooms, so we’re going with that as it might just help make the upstairs flow better. I can’t link as it’s no longer on the market, we’re looking to go back on in the new year