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RED WALLS.... design darling or staging faux pas?

People love red in the dining room and the master bedroom. Which when you think it about it, seems like polar opposites in thinking.

Red is often used to stimulate the appetite in the dining room. While in a bedroom you are trying to create a calm oasis to sleep in. A place to rejuvenate your self for the next day by using calm, neautral colours. Red really doesn't fit the bill to achieve that end.

I prefer to market homes with calm colours in all rooms including the dining room and master bedroom. However, some homeowners decide they will not paint in neutral colours even though they are trying to appeal to the most people who are out looking to buy a house.

Remember when selling a home...

Staging is marketing your home for sale not decorating to suit your design desires.

When you are selling a home you are selling space and light. Whether you have 1500 sq. ft. or 4500 sq. ft. you are always trying to make it look bigger to increase the perceived value of a property.

Dark colours equal smaller perceived space and light, light colours equal more space and light.

Dark/bright colours do not show well online. With over 80% of buyers looking online to buy, doesn't it makes sense to let buyers see the features of your home while viewing listings online. Buyers click through to the next listing when they see dark/bright paint colours instead of the focal point in the room or the features they will be getting with your property.

You decide... should the red walls stay or go?

red dining room master bedroom kitchen

Posted by Michelle Finnamore on 03/30/2009 09:38 AM

Comments (17)

Paint Colours in the Home Selling Channel

red walls, home staging in barrie, home staging in vaughan, home staging in toronto, advantage staging, michelle finnamore

Originally posted at: All I did was....Home Staging Success Stories: RED WALLS.... design darling or staging faux pas?

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17 Comments on RED WALLS.... design darling or staging faux pas?

MAR

Ok in the dining room but not in the bedroom

It's a chance I think most sellers can't afford to take in this market! When I have sellers unwilling to do chores like repaint, I ask them how many buyers they can afford to have walk through and not appeal to? Personally I find the red dining room lovely, but then I have a purple wall in the living room and mango in the family room! Paint is an inexpensive transformation - a warm neutral appeals to everyone!

I think that neutrals attract more buyers. I'm still trying to get a listing to get rid of the blue front door :)

I have been told to put flowers that are red in a property because it stands out and will get noticed. So these are walls. But we do see a lot of them in dining rooms so I am thumbs up on the red

Maybe they wanted something firey in the bedroom?? I agree, neutrals sell quicker. I had a listing once that had a red hallway. Every showing agent called me to tell me that the hallway was such a turnoff. Red in the hallway made folks clausterphobic. I agreed, but the sellers would never waiver. Finally, I convinced them. Four days after the new paint job, we pended! I have been sold on neutrals ever since!

Amy's Sweet Signature

HI Anne, this dining room is immediately off the open foyer entrance. It hits you right in the face as soon as you enter the home. If you don't like loud colours, it could make buyers turn around right there and leave. Time will tell. It has been on the market for a week, only two viewers so far.

Hi Margaret, I know how much you love colour! :) But you know, when you decide to sell you would paint out those walls wouldn't you?

Hi Karen, neutral sells in any market. Colour is such an individual choice and evokes responses good or bad in everyone. I love orange as an accent but many people find orange an unsettling colour. Blue front doors are not as common here as in other areas. I find the closer you are to water the more blue doors you will see.

Hi Charlie,I use red flowers and artwork extensively in my staging. I agree with you that it brings focus to a room and can highlight a feature fireplace or draw attention to the scope of a room. Dark red walls make the rooms look smaller and in Real Estate we are always selling space and light. Whether you have 1500 sq. ft. or 4500 sq. ft. you are always trying to make it look bigger to increase perceived value.

I think the red walls need go & you're so right about the pictures looking much nicer.

I personally like red and have red walls in my home... but if I were to put my house up for sale I would re-paint. Actually, I've been thinking of painting them and I'm not planning on moving.

It needs to be bright & airy and appeal to all buyers.

Hi Kim, you won't believe how much less stressed you will feel in your home once you have gone neutral for awhile. That is the one of the most common remarks I get from clients after they have painted out the dark/bright colours for more neutral ones.

LOVE red and the problem is that seller's with red (anywhere) love it too and it's a hard sell to get them to paint. Recently I had a red kitchen and dining area (open concept) and I think in this case it was "too much red" but painting was not going to happen. The house is still on the market and I thinks it's because 5 rooms still need painting. (It was the feature of my the faux has to go blog.

My vote is for something more neutral.

HI Amy, wow! four days after the change in wall colour from red to neutral. Now that's a stat I hope you provide in your listing presentations when necessary. Thanks for sharing the info.

Hi Kim, if you want to have less days on the market you definitely have to appeal to more people. The other thing I ask is how many other houses have you ever seen painted (insert loud, vibrant colour here). The answer you get is about how many people would be interested in your home painted that colour.

Hi Ginger, thanks for voting with red has to go. I read (red) your post about the faux has to go. So true. I can't believe when I go in and clients still have the very bad faux painting from the early '90's. You know what I mean.

APR

I just had a homeowner paint over a red faux dining room, it was beautiful, but I felt had to be done.

APR

I get this all the time, "But the model homes show bold colors!" It's difficult for many sellers to understand that buyers of new homes know that they aren't buying that particular model and so it doesn't have the same effect as when they are thinking of buying a house where they will have to pay to change a particularly bold color that won't go with their furnishings.

APR

Hi Cindy, I know what you mean. We have to do what we know will sell the house. The homeowner can paint their next home the same way. But for right now, we need to appeal to the widest range of home buyers and red walls just don't fall in that category.

Hi Pam, exactly. I know builders that will put the current popular wallpaper in a small den/office. It is usually the larger, bold graphics. But when the homeowners move in they never replicate the look in the builders model. It is too hard to live with for most people. The reason the builders do it in a small room, not the main living area, is to give home buyers a reason to remember that particular builder and model when they are out looking at a number of homes in the search for their new home. It is not usually done in the main living areas, only a small room to give a little punch and something to remember and talk about to their friends and family. They use it to create a buzz about their product. Red rooms in the main living area only means one thing to most home buyers- work painting when they move in and most do not want to do that. They want a move in ready home that is painted a neutral colour allowing them to move in with out having to do anything right away.

JUL

Color in a staged home can draw attention away from problem areas. Neutral walls highlight design features. So...if the house is basically boring, or in not so good condition, or has some odd design element, then the not-so-neutral paint gives some pizzazz to an otherwise dull or difficult space. Then I use lots of furniture and accessory neutrals in staging.

JUL

Hi Holly, I agree that when a room has no redeeming design quality, one wall in an interesting soft colour can add some pizzazz. I am still in the school of thought that bright colours do not photograph well for on line listing photos. With over 92% of buyers looking on line now, I think that is a consideration to take into account when choosing paint colours.

AUG

No one ever wants to re-paint a red room. We recommend they paint, and generally settle for the statement that they will listen to their feedback, and make a decision later. In larger upscale homes, we don't always suggest it, because sometimes there are custom features that have been incorporated. Additionally if the room is large, they can sometimes accomodate the color. Rule of thumb, when in doubt, take it out...

AUG

HI Cheryl, I like your rule of thumb. Red tends to not be a selling feature in our area. In larger rooms, it can serve to have a focal wall, however, I suggest that it be a softer histroical colour rather than a deep red. Has the desired effect of adding interest when there are no architectural features to speak of while not offending prospective buyers.

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