The Psychology Behind Colors in Home Staging
When you are staging a home to sell, everything you read and research may tell you to stay away from bold colors or to use trendy, modern and neutral hues when staging. However, using red, green, purple, or yellow can not only liven up a neutral backdrop, these bold colors can evoke feelings in prospective buyers while capturing their attention in a photo when viewing homes for sale online.
No Vacancy Home Staging is sharing resourceful color cards courtesy of Arhaus, one of our favorite furniture stores, for a two-part blog series where we will look at the secrets behind the psychology of color when it comes to staging along with a dash of inspiration if you are thinking about re-designing or decorating a home.
Red Represents Energy, Warmth, and Sophistication
(Kitchen & Breakfast Area staged by No Vacancy Home Staging)
Red is a powerful color that stands out in every room, and for a good reason. Not only is it visually stimulating, it evokes energy, passion, and love. But this is a color we use as an accent color when staging because when used excessively, it can cause adrenaline levels to spike due to its association with warning signals like danger or stop signs.
The many shades of red from pinks to orangey tones are perfect for the family room, kitchen, or dining room. Using various shades of red adds warmth to spaces and encourages prospective buyers to think of these spaces for entertaining and gathering as it also represents friendship and communication. Decorative accents like fresh flowers with deep red or orangey red blooms on a dining room table or a splash of red in a piece of artwork is great for a pop of color in small spaces that display neutral-toned walls and furnishings. For larger areas, crimson red dining chairs, a cabernet-colored slipper chair, or an area rug with maroon or coral can make a bold statement which is perfect to display sophistication in a room when it comes to decorating a home.
Purple Adds a Luxurious Feel
Purple is most often associated with royalty, and wealth, though with so many different shades, it is surprisingly versatile. While the deepest, most intense shades of eggplant or violet are used for a luxurious feel, lighter shades of orchid, lavender, or lilac can evoke creativity, maturity, and calm.
(Living Room in Metropolis Condominiums staged by No Vacancy Home Staging)
Use purple tones as an accent in bedrooms, from décor elements like wall art or throw pillows to a cozy chair in a deep plum shade to create vitality. The lovely bursts of purple in a lavender shade in decorative pillows placed on a living room couch, for example, stand out beautifully against a white or gray background. The richness of the color elevates a room to capture a buyers attention and create a more mature yet calming and inviting environment.
Green Adds Balance, Harmony, and Vibrancy to Your Spaces
While green is often thought of as a neutral, green is a bold color for home staging. Green is extremely versatile because there are so many shades and tones that the feeling one gets from lime is completely different from the emotions brought on by forest or olive. Overall, green is a shade that adds a sense of life and vibrancy to the space, but it’s also soothing and harmonizing. Deep forest shades, pale spring greens, and soft mint are more calming and nature-infused, while lime, emerald, and chartreuse are the more energizing, vivid colors that motivate and energize.
(Guest Bedroom staged by No Vacancy Home Staging)
Greenery of any kind is trending currently in home staging with natural elements like ferns, plants, and flowers, while also using green in the design itself. In living spaces, we use the energizing shades in throw pillows, wall art, and blankets to dress up neutral colored family room seating. However, the softer, more nature-inspired greens are perfect in the bedrooms, in bedding, wall art, or even an upholstered chaise lounge.
Play Up the Positive with Yellow
Yellow is the color of joy, happiness, and optimism, but it can also be overly stimulating, making it a bold, vibrant choice in home staging. While the brightest shades of yellow may not be the best shade for a bedroom or a bathroom, pale colors can be used anywhere, lemon, butter, or banana yellow can brighten a kitchen or breakfast nook, and deeper shades of mustard or gold emphasize positive and happy living spaces.
(Living Room staged by No Vacancy Home Staging)
Yellow brings such a lively energy to a room no matter what shades are being used when decorating. From yellow vases to hold bright greenery to a soft, creamy yellow chest of drawers as an eye-catching accent, yellow is a bold color that works beautifully!
If you are ready to put your house on the market, work with the professional designers at No Vacancy! If you’re in the market for high-quality furniture or a stylish design update, get inspired and check out Arhaus’ Instagram page or visit them online for everything from rugs to bedding and couches and dining sets and don’t be afraid to go BOLD!
