The wonderful world of color (part one)

When you live in your HOME, you are immersed in color. The walls and ceilings, the floors, the cabinets, the doors, the furniture, the wallpaper, the accessories and window treatments all combine to make the pool in which you swim.

Fair warning, my friends, I am in a very analogous mood today.

You should swim in a pool that makes you happy. If you want day-glo orange walls and florescent trim, you should have them.

But, you should always be aware of the depth of the pool, and whether you are risking swimming in a rip tide. Permanent changes will impact the number of potential buyers who will seriously consider purchasing your house...or will cost a lot to back out. There are no right or wrong answers here. This may be a risk you are willing to take, and you have every right to do so. Just understand there is a risk, and keep it in mind when you make decisions.

So, you have lived in your color-pool for several years. Now, it is time to sell the house. What colors should you choose to replace the pool? Oh sure, everyone says "neutrals". But what does that mean?

Am I going to tell you the magic color now? Nope.

Ultimately, this is one of those "consider hiring a professional stager" moments. There are quite a few neutral colors, and pure logic says any one of them will work. You may have noticed "pure" logic and reality do not always get along. Reality says the amount of light (and shadow) in the room, the size and shape of the room, the outside view and the colors in that view, the relationship and visibility between rooms, the flooring; the number, position, and trim on the windows all play into that decision. Different paint colors reflect the surrounding light to give very different effects in different circumstances.

Oh, and we must not forget to include the demographics of your most probable buyers when selecting color.

We begin by asking a question: are you going to live in the house while it is for sale? Or, will the house be vacant?

Tomorrow, we are going to discuss using color in vacant houses.

In the meantime, fellow stagers, what are your current, most popular wall colors? Can you explain why? Many thanks!