Select the Best Paint Colors to Sell Your House Let designers do the heavy lifting for you By Robert T. Kelly In all the years we have been including staging consultations as part of our listing services the same question from sellers arises, “What colors should we paint the rooms?” Often, sellers automatically assume that white or light beige are the safe bet colors. The best look a home for sale should have is one that inspires a sense of calm, warmth and space. That’s a lot to expect from just one little paint chip. Here is the thinking and how to accomplish it. When a home is painted in colors that create a calming influence, buyers will want to linger in them longer allowing them to envision their own furnishings and personal belongings in the space you are trying to sell. If the colors are harsh, overbearing or unusual, the brain reacts in a way similar to the “fight or flight” syndrome -- “That is just awful, let’s get out of here!” Definitely not a reaction you want. The same can happen when rooms have no personality and feel cold and empty. Or when every room is painted in a different color giving the home a chopped up and cramped appearance. Interior designers know their colors Where to start? It’s easier than you think. Go to a fabric store, particularly one that carries home decorator fabrics that must be ordered. They are the latest trendsetters. Find one that appeals to you keeping in mind the colors of your existing furniture. Take home a small swatch that shows all of the colors used to make that fabric. That’s the hard part and it’s already been done for you. Designers work consistently to come up with not only a pattern but a range of colors that complement each other to make that fabric appealing. Borrow from their expertise. Those colors definitely work together and should be the basis for your selection of paint colors. Now comes the tricky part. It’s fine to use the neutral colors for walls, ceilings and woodwork. The accent colors however should be used sparingly. The safest way to use accent colors is through things like accessories and window treatments. Consider those colors on pillows, artwork, matte board colors in framing. Accent colors are a condiment If you start painting walls with an accent color, you may inadvertently cause the room to appear to be closed in. If you want to create an accent wall to highlight a fireplace for example, then select a color two or three shades lighter or darker from the same wall color paint chip strip. This allows the desired feature to have prominence without closing in the room. Taking that same piece of fabric, you can apply the theory to the other rooms. For example if you want a bedroom to have a bit of color, use one of the colors on that same fabric sample. Just be prudent. If the color seems strong, tone it down using a much tamer version of the color. (Match it on the color strip and go lighter by four or five shades.) The point is, one piece of fabric should be your guide to painting the whole interior of your house. The overall appearance will be one of spaciousness and good taste. It will also help to draw buyers into each and every room. Don’t be afraid to use the same color but a shade lighter or darker in other rooms or hallways of the house. It gives continuity which is purposeful. The flow of the house will feel open and be perceived as larger. The designers have trained and worked hard to come up with color schemes that are visually pleasing to the eye. After all they want to sell their fabrics. Why wouldn’t you want your house, the very product you are trying to sell, to have that designer advantage?
Posted on: Mon, 11 Nov 2013 17:44:29 +0000
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