Color Inventory
Article provided by Hillary Roy with Room Renaissance. For more information on services offered by Room Renaissance please see contact info below this article.
I was recently reading an article about Pantone’s new Color of the Year. Taking the honor, this year is Pantone 18-3838, Ultra Violet. It’s a bold color that is better left to accents within your home. I wouldn’t suggest painting your walls purple! However, this year’s color choice prompted me to think about color and home staging.
When you are selling your home, a common question for is, whether to paint the walls. I’ve read a few articles that suggest using different colors if you want to add a little life to the home and stray away from white walls. With that said, many people are on a tight budget and don’t have the means to invest in repainting the entire interior of their home.
If a tight budget is where you fall, I’d suggest going through your home and taking a color inventory. Do the colors flow from one room to the next? Are the colors bright and bold or are they more neutral? Do you have accent colors like a couch, a special chair, or decorations in a bold color that stand out? Get an assessment of what you are working with, and make changes where it is needed most. Asking a neighbor or friend for a fresh set of eyes is a great way to go about this.
While you should touch up any dirty or damaged walls with a fresh coat of paint, not every wall space needs attention. On my last home staging mission, the small dining room had a deep red accent wall while the opposite wall had a large widow open to a court yard. A more neutral color could possibly have opened the space up slightly, but the red worked nicely with the dining room set and made the small space feel quite cozy. I advised my clients to leave the accent wall and focus their budget on improving other areas like repainting their teenager’s room!
In another home, the paint scheme was neutral throughout the house except for a cranberry color in the kitchen. In addition, the entry way that featured some outdated wallpaper under a chair rail. They couldn’t make changes everywhere, so we focused on the entry and they repainted where the wallpaper was with a neutral color to coordinate with the top of the wall. After all, first impressions matter.
As you do your color inventory notice what stands out. Too many bright colors on the walls and a distinct color in each room can be overwhelming. So, remember to maintain a harmonious color palette and it will help you create an inviting environment for potential buyers.
For any Staging, Organization or home design services, give me a call at 830-928-5856. Happy Decorating!
