The Top 4 Colors to Use When Staging a Home

Picture this, your ideal home buyer walks into an intentionally staged home for the first time, and what do you think they see?  How do they feel?  What thoughts are going through their mind?  

To grab the attention of your home buyers, you MUST make a lasting first impression. You want to sell the home at first glance (the colors are perfect everywhere), not have potential home buyers walk away without giving your property a second glimpse.

Today, I'll be sharing with you 4 color families to consider when staging your next listing.  These tips and tricks will undoubtedly help sell a home for top dollar to the target buyer quickly!

1. Create Bright Spaces with Shades of White

It's a fact, and you can fact-check me on this, that most people like light-colored spaces with loads of whites & creams when selling or dwelling.  Using a shade of white makes a blank canvas that gets home buyers’ juices flowing with all its design possibilities. Of course, shades of white also go with almost everything, wouldn't you agree?  

One particular room that fares very well in white or cream is, you guessed it, the hub of the home - the kitchen!

2. Design a Calm Atmosphere with Shades of Blue

Blue tones are serene and soothing and can affect how a person feels in the space. Not only is this helpful color on the walls, but it can be just as serene and soothing in art, pillows, and linens.  

To make this a cohesive color scheme, select blue-greens, and blue-violets for perfect color harmony.  For a complimentary color scheme, think blue and orange, just like those Florida Gators!

3. Rooms Full of Life with Shades of Green

Is it me, or do you feel like green hues add vibrant life to a space?  Mother nature and all her greenery provides us with the best views in the world right outside our windows. You can take cues from her to bring those colors into your own space.  

Would you use green on your walls?  I would, especially in a master bath.  With staging, we want all of our bathrooms to feel spa-like, and that is why the color Sea Salt by Sherwin Williams (SW 6204) works so well. 

Who else is crushing on these rich, dark hues we are seeing in upholstery these days.  Very luxurious, I might add!

4. Warm up a Space with Shades of Brown

Now let's get to one of my favorite topics, warm, welcoming spaces.  As an earth sign, shout out to all my fellow Taureans,  I tend to gravitate towards whatever Mother Nature has to offer. So when I walk into a room filled with rich wood tones that emulate the earth, wind, or fire, it makes me feel safe and secure. 

When I walk into a room dressed in gold, it elevates the space to elegant and luxurious.  Both work well together, and if done right, I guarantee you will feel like you have died and gone to heaven!

Tie It All Together With Undertones

What I love about designing spaces is mixing metals, textures, tones, and time periods.  We are in an era of self-expression through the clothes you wear, your home decor, and furniture selection.  

All colors in a space need to be in harmony, and this is easily achieved by first recognizing the fixed elements in your area like the flooring, fireplace surround, and countertops.  We say "fixed" because you physically cannot move them. However, do not ignore fixed features because they are a part of the foundation of your home.  

My biggest tip: When selecting colors to match fixed elements, always compare, compare, compare them to one another.  It is a fail-proof way of not making a major design faux pas. 

Lastly, I would like to encourage you by saying, “Don't be afraid of color!” We use vibrant color in all of our stagings, just NOT on the walls.

First, we will neutralize everything and then add pops of color using art, rugs, and accessories.  On the other hand, if you love a color for dwelling, not selling, use it!  Just don't go overboard. I recently walked into a client's home and her entire downstairs living area was highlighter yellow on every wall. YIKES!

It was apparent to everybody that she loved the color, but I felt it should be used in a much smaller dose in a much smaller space like a home office and not liberally throughout the entire home.  If you are unsure of where to start at any time, we are always happy to help.

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Warmly,

Theresa