Finding the Right Colors: Guiding Sellers on Choosing Interior Color

Color can make one place appealing and another dreary. It can also transform a plain area into a sensational one. Color experts say that color accounts for 60% of a person’s response to an object or place. Color dictates mood and affects people wherever they go. This is why your home sellers must choose wonderful interior colors. Here’s how they can go about it.

Choose a Color Scheme

Tell home sellers that they don’t have to follow design theories or the color wheel to find great color schemes. They should also refrain from choosing paint colors first because paint can be matched to almost any color. They should start with less flexible room elements like fabrics, furniture, or tile then base their paint colors on those.

When picking colors, sellers should consider the value. A mixture of values prevents a color scheme from becoming chaotic. Homeowners should choose one light color, one dark color, and one bright color. Since home buyers love neutral colors, the light color should be the dominant one in the room.

Test Colors in Small Sample Areas

Homeowners who are wary of color should test it first. They should draw a plan of their home and note down what will be in each room – like the wall colors, carpet, and furniture. They should collect swatches that represent the hues of those items and consider how rooms harmonize. Sellers should focus on one room at a time. To simplify work, they can use one shade in different proportions: as an accent in one room and as a wall color in another.

Add Color with Small Touches

While home buyers prefer neutral backgrounds, there are many ways home sellers can add color. They can invite color in with throws, pillows, rugs, and window treatments. These features also add texture and pattern. Those looking to give their homes personality can incorporate artwork. Flowers and fruits also fill a home with color. Homeowners can also add colorful accents and personal collections in their bedrooms.

While neutrals help homes to sell, there are many benefits of using color. Color can unite dissimilar styles of furnishings and renew worn and dated furniture. A fresh pop of color can quickly enliven a traditional home. Color can also influence buyers’ sense of space. Light hues can make a small room appear bigger while dark ones can make a room seem smaller. Color can also visually lower or raise a ceiling.

Consider the Lighting

Color is greatly affected by light so home sellers must pay attention to the type and amount of light they use in rooms. They should examine natural light and light from fixtures to see how they affect color in paint, fabrics, furnishings, and other features.

Sunlight is considered the ideal source of light because it has virtually uniform intensity over the whole spectrum of colors. As the sun’s rays pass through contrasting amounts of atmosphere, natural light changes. Before sellers choose color schemes for their rooms, they should spend some time in each room during the day to see how it is affected by shifting light. For instance, a room that faces north doesn’t get as much sunlight as the other rooms in a home. A warm color palette can help soften shadows in the room. Artificial light can also be effective.

Many home sellers have a difficult time finding the right colors for their homes. But the thing is they pick paint color first and then go to a lot of trouble finding the right furniture, fabrics, and accessories. Paint color should be chosen last, after other elements in a space have been picked. Share these tips with your sellers to help them gain a competitive edge.