Paint Color Sets the Mood

There is no better way to change a room than with paint color. You should think about what you want the room to feel like and then make the color selection based upon that. For example, if you want to accent a color, just paint a section of the room that color.

If you want to have a serene feeling, paint the room a cool color:

If you’d like to heat up a space, paint the room a sunny or  warm color.

Try painting the ceiling a different color than white.  It is unexpected, yet impacts the whole room.

Premiere Home Stagers does color consultations. We listen to what you would like your room to feel like and then suggest paint colors that evoke that emotion.  Your mood will change depending upon how you feel in that room.  Some colors we have recommended recently include brown with mustard, red with grey, pumpkin with green, and taupe with blue.  Let us help you color your world.

 

Choosing Paint Color

Living Room

As previously written in past blogs, Premiere Home Stagers is happy to consult with you when choosing paint colors. We can be involved during your remodeling process, or after your project is completed.  In this case, we were consulted as soon as the drywall was finished. Painting is easier to apply when the trim is not yet installed because there is no “cutting in” and the painter can use a sprayer or a roller.

This homeowner lived in white-walled apartments for many years. She wanted to express her style with color. However, this is an historic house with white trim and cabinets. So, how does one choose paint color from the many choices? How do you avoid having a multitude of colors when going from one room to the next?

When you have white trim, you need to balance that with a darker netural color. The homeowner liked the color green, but Premiere Home Stagers thought a darker tan would be neutral enough, yet warm enough to accommodate green accessories.  She also wanted to paint the ceiling a light blue color.  Dark tan is the perfect choice.

Kitchen and Doorway to Sunroom

We decided to carry the dark tan throughout the main living areas–the living room, the dining room, the kitchen, and half of the foyer.  We thought a sunroom should be bright and cheery, and what better color than yellow to bring out green plants. 

To lighten the foyer, we chose a warm yellow that went all the way up the stairs into the upstairs hallway.  We chose colors for the bedrooms. The homeowner loves a light violet color, so we chose that for the master bedroom.  The second bedroom is a pumpkin color and the third bedroom is a light blue.

Paint Choices

We chose colors in either the second or third row from the end. The main colors are warm, whereas the bedroom colors are on the cool side—-perfect for a calm, restful night.  You’ll note that even though the homeowner likes the color green, we didn’t choose green for any of the walls. Instead, the green color will be in  the area rugs, the pillows, the artwork, and the delicate accessories –vases, candles, and plants. Then if she decides to change out her furniture and accessories, she won’t have to paint again.

 

Little Boy Blue

Premiere Home Stagers blogged a few posts back about the color red.  As we previously said, we love to use red as an accent color.  We also like to use bolder colors in our accessories.  But, where is it written that a boy’s bedroom needs to be blue?  We’ve been in a few houses where the blue color is shocking. 

 Premiere Home Stagers recommended that this bedroom be changed to a more neutral color, or at least change it to a more subtle shade of blue.  We recommend the best case scenario to home sellers. Whether they take our advice is up to them and their realtor. 

Another boys’ room in a different house:

This boys’ bedroom is in a house which will be listed soon:

Even though these three bedrooms are in completely different locations, different price points, and different house styles,  we’ll keep an eye out for the house that sells first.

5/17/10 UPDATE:  The house with the neutral paint in the boys’ bedroom was listed and received 2 offers within 5 days!

 

Themed Rooms

Football Bedroom

For those of us who went to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, we love our Badger football team.  This homeowner wanted to share his love of the Badgers with his young son.  However, now their house is on the market.  He asked Premiere Home Stagers if he should paint over (and over) this bedroom before listing it.

His daughter also has a themed room, but this time it is a “Little House on the Prairie” look with a log cabin and tree.

"Prairie-Style" Girl's Bedroom

Perhaps the next homeowners will have a boy and girl who think these rooms are magical.   We decided that because the rest of the house is gorgeous, the new owners would only need to paint two rooms if these themes don’t work for them. That’s not a deal-breaker to us–especially since the master bedroom and bathroom look as divine as this:

Master Bedroom

Master Bathroom

 

The Color of Red

Paint color is a very personal choice.

When you look up the color red, it can refer to many different things:  to be in debt (“in the red”), to catch a person “red-handed,”  to become angry (to see “red”), to be embarrassed (“red faced”), a false clue (“red herring”), to be annoyed by rules (“red tape”), or even be a radical (Red Army).  The color red is also the color of passion and love. It’s a favorite accent color of Premiere Home Stagers.  However, when selling your home, perhaps not everyone will appreciate your passion. 

Since this is the first room you see when you enter this beautiful home, all age groups can picture themselves watching TV by the fire.  The rest of the house is just as beautiful.  If you would like to see all of it, contact Sara Alvarado at The Alvarado Group.

 

Children’s Rooms

This bathroom is clearly for the children’s use. There are two other full-sized bathrooms in this house, one in the master bedroom and the other in the lower level. However, this bathroom is the closest to the living room, kitchen, and dining room as well as the closest to the children’s two bedrooms.  The question became, “should this bathroom get repainted” when staging this house to sell?

Good question!  We would prefer that this bathroom was appropriate for any age. It need not be dull and boring. It could still be a fun space  if it was painted a brighter color in a lighter tone (light orange, light purple. etc) . You could use complimentary color accessories  (shower curtain, towels, toothbrush/soap holder) that can be easily removed for your next home.  However, since we recommended that the homeowners paint 3 bedrooms, it wouldn’t be a deal breaker if this bathroom stayed the same.

 

Black Ceiling

We’ve not seen a black ceiling in a residential home before.  This family room is quite daring, yet it accomplishes what the owners intended—a dark theatre room to watch sports and movies on TV.  There are music instruments and musical accessories on the walls. It is indeed a cozy spot to grab a bowl of popcorn and cheer for the Packers or Brewers or have a movie night with Indiana Jones or Star Wars.   This is an example of a themed room that we usually do not endorse because we want every room to appeal to all ages.  But this neighborhood is one where a first-time home buyer is most likely to make a purchase and just might want to settle in for a movie.