Fake Foods in Model Home Staging

Should a professional home stager use fake food in a model home? The answer may not be a straight forward yes or no. I asked this question on my facebook wall, along with a photo of a bowl of fruit that we had used in a recent home staging project.

Professional home stagers weigh in on using fake food in model home staging

The majority of home stagers seem to think that “model home designers” over utilize fake food, including items like fake steaks, seafood, ice cream, and sushi. A recent new construction model that I visited had fake food in nearly every room. A glass of Cognac on desk. An ice cream sundae on the night stand in the little girl’s room. A plate of cookies and milk in the little boy’s room. Champagne and cherries on a tray in the master bedroom, pop corn and sodas in the media room, and of course the kitchen was full of breads, pastries, fruit, cheese, cookies, and cakes. If there was a surface space you could have put food, it was there.

Photo of Equestra Sales Model in Howell, NJ

In answer to the general question, the response is probably whether the fake food helps to imagine the home buyer’s life in that new home. Does the fake food help you notice the features and benefits of the home, or are you noticing the props used to sell it?

Andy Reynolds Homes in St Johns, FL

There isn’t necessarily anything wrong with fake food in model home staging, however, there is something uncomfortable and laughable about the idea of meals set out, uneaten. Did the fake family living in the model home hear about this showing and dash from their waffles with strawberry topping? Will their fake steak and potatoes be cold when they return? How long can fake sushi sit out before it smells bad? Will the fake kitty on the bed, sneak and eat the fake ice cream on the night stand?

If you are setting up a model home, determine if it’s just a counter accessory, like a bowl of fruit, or is it a meal that your fake homeowner just abandoned? If it is the latter, then think twice before you set it out.