Painting is one of the most common activities to increase your property value when selling your house.
Often our rooms can be outdated, a little dull, faded or uninviting, maybe they’re too close to your taste and not general enough for the sales market?
When selling in the past, often advice has been to stick to safe creams, namely magnolia. But what works best in 2021-22? Design trends change all the time, there are literally millions of variations to choose from today, so let’s take a look at the paint colors that can help you sell your house in 2021:
Best Interior Paint Colors
Colors for the whole house
If you want to keep things simple and consistent you are generally safe using gray, beige and a warm/creamy white or even greiege – which is a mix of grey and beige.
Painting the whole house in similar neutral tones can help you to save money buying paints in bulk, and it offers a clean – blank canvas for potential buyers to visualize moving into your home.
Do you need to paint the interior of your home?
- Do you have lots of dark colors?
- Are there stains, cracks, holes, writing etc..?
- Is the interior style outdated?
- Is the color scheme inconsistent?
As yourself these questions; there is lots of potential gain to be had by patining the interior of your home, whether you paint one room or several. You don’t have to have a real specific reason, but it may get you a better return on investment if you have a genuine need to paint, otherwise you may sell your house well enough without painting.
Best paint colors by room
| Color | Best for |
| Whites & light neutrals | Small rooms, kitchens and selling. |
| Blues | Bedrooms, living rooms and bathrooms |
| Reds, oranges and yellows | Kitchens and accent walls |
| Greens | Kitchens |
| Pinks | Dressing rooms, bedrooms |
| Light earthy tones | Living rooms |
Living room
Generally, the best colors for a living room are neutral and earthy tones such as grey, cream or white, beige and soft blue. If you’re selling then white and natural colors are also easier to paint over so create less of an issue for potential buyers.
According to a study by Zillow, homes with light taupe-colored living rooms sold for more money than others.
Kitchen
Popular colors for kitchens are again light neutrals and whites, soft greens, reds, oranges and yellows.
Green can help to make a kitchen feel fresh and airy, whereas yellow, orange or red can liven up a kitchen as a place for creativity and entertainment.
According to another Zillow study into house prices, you should also consider light blue – gray. Homes with kitchen walls painted these colors sold on average $2000 more than those with white. Walls with cool, natural tones like soft oatmeal and pale gray also sold better.
If you want to play it safe however, you can of course stick to neutral off whites, grays and beiges.
Bathrooms
Bathrooms look great in blue. Blue colors are typically associated with water and feelings of calm, just what you want relaxing in a hot shower or bath after a long day at work. Lighter shades have the added benefit of making your bathroom appear bigger. It’s generally best to stick to lighter shades such as periwinkle to avoid an oppressive feeling.
In fact the same Zillow study we mentioned before found that homes with bathrooms painted blue periwinkle sold for $2,786 more. A grayish periwinkle was best according to Zillow.
Bedroom
Did you know that blue-colored walls can help you sleep longer and better? It’s even been scientifically proven in various studies. Bedrooms are most commonly used for downtime and relaxing; when you’re not sleeping blue colored walls can help to evoke the right kind of feelings for this downtime and escapism.
Try cooler, subtle blues or even pale grayish-blue tones.
For an alternative look you could also try pale or dusty pink, these pink tones can also have a calming effect, ideal for bedrooms.
Choosing accent colors for home interiors
Consider accent colors to add an extra dimension to the style of your rooms, and possibly even help to boost the sale of your home.
A great way to incorporate accent colors is in removable items like upholstery, ornaments, lights, plants etc..
| Accent Color | Good For |
| Blue | Bedrooms, bathrooms and living rooms |
| Bright reds | Smaller rooms, closets, reading rooms and pantries |
| Oranges | Kitchens and statement walls |
| Greens | Living rooms |
Best colors to paint your interior in general
Cream
The ever-popular (and perhaps overused) cream. It’s still commonly used for home interiors and works in 2021.
If you want to do something a bit different consider the many premium cream paint options available. There are far more today than there ever were, which through subtle differences can offer a completely different look to help sell your home.
A professional painter can help you select the best cream paint for your home.
Gray
Now more commonly used for interior design, gray is no longer as dull and dreary as it used to be. It can be seen as trendy and often gets associated with a hygge Scandi look.
“Generally speaking, Scandinavians prefer to stick to neutral earthy colors such as white, off-white, grays, and any shades which run along the grayscale spectrum,” said Brantmark. “In recent years, there has been a surge in accent walls in dark blue, green, gray, and even black, which do wonders for a cozy, cocoon-like space.”
White
Fresh and clean, white works well in most settings and goes well with almost any color. It’s a reliable choice providing a clean slate and foundation for potential buyers to build their own style onto; simply put it’s a good, safe option when selling your home.
Be sure to avoid stark white, however, choose warmer whites and accent colors to help avoid giving a cold and clinical look. You want your house to feel like a home after all, not an office or clinic!
Never use whites in home offices, it gives off glare and contribute to eyestrain and headaches, in-fact white walls can even contribute to anxiety. “Contrary to popular belief, white can make us feel anxious if too much is used at once,” Dunford says. “While most people report feeling calm and relaxed in spaces with more of a natural and uniform palette, spaces with no variation in hue can elicit the opposite response.” says design psychology expert Amber Dunford.
Blue
As we mentioned before, blue is a calming color, it’s common;y used in bedrooms nad bathrooms and even living rooms. Lighter shades work best. You can add contrast to softer blues with more striking colors in furniture, plants, decorations, accents and furnishings.
Green
Green can offer a similar alternative to blue, working well in kitchens and living rooms. Do stick to lighter shades however, especially if you are looking to sell your property. You can add some variety and offset your pale green walls with richer and darker plants or other decorative features.
Did you know green can help to promote feelings of calm, optimism and pleasantness? If you’re trying to sell your home then these are exactly the feelings you want to provoke.
Questions to ask when choosing the best paint samples
Ask yourself, and other people:
- Does the paint feel warm and inviting?
- Does the paint feel cold and boring?
- Can the old paint be seen underneath?
Choosing the right paint finish
Before you decide on a paint color you need to consider the right kind of finish., It’s important to get this right as light bouncing off it and potential to get soiled can all have an impact.
What is a paint finish?
Essentially it’s how shiny the paint is.
More oily paints tend to be more durable and do a better job of hiding imperfections.
| Paint Finish | Works well for |
| Flat | Living rooms, bedrooms and ceilings |
| Eggshell | Kitchens, foyers and trim |
| Satin | Playrooms, children’s bedrooms and laundry rooms |
| Semi-gloss | Doors, trim, molding and cabinets |
| Gloss | Trim, woodwork and doors |
The Exterior
The exterior of your house is the first impression potential buyers get. They say that people decide within 8 seconds if they like a home or not based on the outside. (Barbara Corcoran – founder of The Corcoran Real Estate Group).
Best paint colors for home exteriors
Neutral colors
Tried and tested, neutral colors help to promote a blank canvas where potential buyers can visualize making your home their own. They don’t tend to offend people or put them off in the critical first 8 seconds they first see it.
White
Suits any style of home, white is common and trendy on new builds and condos.
White helps to show your home as a clean slate to start fresh in.
The shade is important!
Do not choose a stark white, stick to warmer and creamer whites. A professional house painter can advise you on this.
White and black is a classic combination that works well. White also pairs well with gray, beige or “greige” as it is known, a combination of the two. This helps to create a classic and agreeable look for many homes.
Blue
A slightly bolder look, blue can work well on homes with large exterior wall space. It works well on homes highly visible from the street.
Blue can go well with gray, especially when you incorporate the gray on accents and the trim.
Do you need to paint the exterior of your home?
- Is the paint faded or worn?
- Is it a non-typical or outdated color scheme?
- Are there visible cracks, mildew or is there broken siding?
- Is the exterior a non-neutral color that might offend some buyers?
Depending on which study you look at, painting your home’s exterior can help to add more or less value than the interior when selling. Either way, it’s likely to increase in value if you have a genuine need to re-paint.
How much does it cost to paint a home exterior?
According to fixr.com the national average in 2021 to re-paint a home exterior was $5,362 and the average range fell between $3,500-$7,000.
The cost will of course depend on the size of your home, any additional painting like siding and trim. If your exterior definitely needs painting then you could stand to gain even more.
Painting your front door gets far better value
If you do nothing else to the outside of your house then consider painting the front door. According to a large study by Zillow, front doors painted charcoal or smoky-jet black sold for $6,271 more than expected (on average).
The study looked at photos from 135,000 houses within the study.
Painting your front door can also provide an interesting contrast to an otherwise plain exterior, so why not go ahead? Especially when it can cost so little, time and money-wise to do it.
House Painting Advice for Fairfield County, CT
Are you planning to sell your house in the Fairfield County, CT area? F&F Painting Company are artisan family painting contractors who can guide you through the best paint choices for your home’s interior or exterior. Call today for a no-obligation discussion: (203) 583-0119