From Stuck to Sold at 110%: The Staging Revolution You’re Still Undervaluing

Elaine Penhaul of Lemon and Lime Interiors on data, fear, and why home staging is not an American fad

If you still think staging is about pretty cushions and politely plumped pillows, this might sting a bit.

Here’s the stat that made even Simon Whale stop mucking about for a second:

Pre-listed properties that switch agents and are professionally staged by Lemon and Lime sell for an average of 110% of their original guide price.
No price drop. No tricks. Just better presentation.

Not a one-off. Not a cherry-picked case. That figure comes from a nine-year study with TwentyEA, tracking what happens when you stop treating staging as a fluffy optional extra and start treating it as a serious sales strategy.

In this Kerfuffle interview, Simon sat down with Elaine Penhaul, founder of Lemon and Lime Interiors, to unpack what staging actually does in the UK market, how it holds up through booms and busts, and what the numbers really prove.

This is the story of that conversation and why agents who still roll their eyes at “staging” might be missing one of the easiest profit levers in the business.

The stat that should change how you think about staging

Elaine and her team have been collecting data since day one—not fluffy “we think it sold faster” data, but hard, verifiable numbers.

Their long-term study with 20EA showed that:

• Staged properties are five times more likely to sell at asking price.
• Unstaged properties are seven times more likely to sell under asking.
• Staged properties are 18% more likely to sell over asking.

Across a typical agent’s pipeline of £25–40 million a year, that means around £10,000 of extra pure profit without changing anything else—same portals, same staff, same market.

And then there’s that headline figure:

110% of original guide price on properties that were re-listed and staged, with no price adjustment.

That’s not marketing. That’s maths.

Divorce, dust and a £60k swing: how Lemon and Lime began

You might expect the “doyenne of staging” to have come up through interior design, mood boards, and creative flair. Not quite.

Elaine’s story starts post-divorce, post-financial crash, with a portfolio of half-rented, half-stuck properties and school fees to pay.

So she did the obvious thing: cleaned, painted, re-carpeted, replaced a few fittings, and made her rentals look like someone actually cared about them.

Then a friend’s house caught her eye—on the market, unloved, unsold. The owners were abroad. Elaine rolled up her sleeves, staged it, and it sold for £60,000 more than any agent had been willing to list it for.

Word spread. Agents began asking her to “have a quiet word” with vendors whose homes were… let’s say, less than market-ready.

By 2015, her accountant phoned with an ultimatum:

“Elaine, you have to stop this—or set it up as a proper business and do it on purpose.”

Lemon and Lime Interiors was born from that phone call.

Not a designer - just a three-dimensional brain with data obsession

Elaine laughs about being thrown out of art class at school. No design degree. No swatch books.

What she does have:

• An instinctive eye for three-dimensional space
• A background in property development
• A deep curiosity for data
• And years of experience as a business coach

That last part matters. Because when she walks into a vendor’s kitchen, she doesn’t start talking about colour palettes—she starts talking about goals, fears, and where they’re moving next.

Within minutes, they usually talk themselves into the truth: “We can’t sell it like this, can we?”

That’s not design. That’s psychology.

The fear factor: scaling a staging business

Behind the glossy before-and-afters lies a much more honest reality. Elaine admits that running a staging business can be terrifying.

• Fear of market shifts you can’t control
• Fear of over-investing in furniture stock
• Fear of saying yes to too much, too fast

And that’s before you get to the classic nightmares: turning up to site to discover the sofas never made it into the van, or the accessories are still in another warehouse.

When an average Lemon and Lime project involves 1,500 individual pieces—pillows, bedding, artwork, lamps, rugs—you can’t afford to forget one.

Their solution: cloud-based inventory, checklists, triple sign-offs. But as Elaine says, “human error is human error.”

You can systemise the process. You can’t systemise perfection.

Why staging thrives in every market—boom or bust

When the market slows, staging creates speed. When the market booms, staging creates competition.

In a sluggish market, staging makes your listing the one buyers see first, book first, and fall in love with first.

In the Covid frenzy, some agents stopped staging—homes were flying off the shelves. But those who kept at it saw the difference:

• Instead of 3–4 buyers per home, they had 10–12.
• Offers came in 15–20% over asking.
• The best-staged homes still led the pack.

Elaine’s conclusion: staging isn’t cyclical—it’s counter-cyclical. It wins in the dip and in the boom.

Virtual staging: smart supplement, not a cheap substitute

Of course, Simon couldn’t resist asking about AI and virtual staging.

Elaine’s answer was measured. She’s a fan—but only when used smartly.

✅ When it works:

• Off-plan developments, to build buyer interest before show homes are ready.
• Renovation projects, to visualise potential.
• Rooms with multiple possible uses (e.g. games room, annex, or office).

❌ When it doesn’t:

• Finished family homes being sold empty.
  Buyers walk in, see bare walls after scrolling through lush renders, and feel duped. The emotional connection breaks instantly.

Elaine calls that a “false economy.”

The goal isn’t to make a listing look great—it’s to make a buyer feel something the moment they step through the door.

That’s what converts curiosity into commitment.

The next act: hyper-local staging

Lemon and Lime already works nationally, but the future is local.

Elaine is franchising the business—building local hubs that can warehouse furniture, employ local teams, and work closely with a handful of trusted agents.

The vision:

• Fewer national trucks, more local vans.
• Less travel, more expertise.
• Agents and stagers operating almost as one team.

In short: a network of specialists who know the stock, the streets, and the psychology of their local buyers.

What this means for agents

Strip it all back and there are three things every vendor hires an agent for:

1. Get the price right.

2. Get the promotion right.

3. Make the house irresistible.

Most agents nail the first two. The third is where they leave money on the table.

A “good” agent lists and markets.
A “great” agent brings in staging to prove the property’s full potential.

And the kicker?
On the Kerfuffle platform, agents can earn referral revenue for recommending staging—and increase their fee because they’re adding real value.

That’s two profit lines instead of one.

Three takeaways from Elaine’s story

1. Staging isn’t fluff—it’s a commercial tool.

   Done properly, it improves sale price, speed, and confidence.

2. Virtual staging has its place—but it’s not a shortcut.

   Use it to visualise, not to replace emotional impact.

3. There’s no real downside for agents.

   No upfront cost, minimal effort, maximum upside.

If you’re still treating staging as something you mention apologetically at the end of a valuation, it’s time to flip the script.

Start the conversation early. Lead with proof. Show your vendors what “110%” really looks like.

Watch the full conversation with Simon Whale and Elaine Penhaul on the Kerfuffle platform.
And if you’re an agent who wants to turn “nice extra” into “profitable essential,” this is where you start.

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