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Painting Your Home: A Look into The Psychology of Colors

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The following article was written by Philip Rudy who helps run and maintain a painting contractor website. If you would like to write a guest post please contact us.

Color psychology is a prime consideration for artists seeking to inspire powerful emotions in the people that view their work. However, you can also use the psychology of colors when painting your home to increase its market selling potential and make it stand out in your neighborhood. Most people are familiar with the concept that bright colors add the illusion of size while darker colors can often make a home seem smaller. However, when painting your home, a look into the psychology of colors requires a slightly more advanced approach – especially when considering the time of year that you plan on selling your home and the buyers that you are targeting.

Seasonal Colors Set the Right Mood

When you decide to paint your home before putting it on the market, you can boost the property appeal by taking the season into account. For example, during the warm summer months, using a cool color might, at first glance, give the illusion of a smaller property. However, this darker color also inspires feelings of comfort with potential home shoppers and promises a welcome break from the summer heat. In contrast, you can use bright, rich colors to contrast with harsh winter weather and give the illusion of welcoming heat. If you go for a bright color, don’t forget to use semi-gloss or gloss paint on wood trim to give your paint job that special twinkle.

Targeting Different Buyers with Your Exterior Paint

Another advanced concept in color psychology for home painting is to take into account the type of buyer that you are targeting. For large, historical homes or expensive properties, try choosing a complex color – easily recognized as a color with more than a one word name (think forest green or periwinkle blue). Complex colors tend to attract buyers with a higher education level or combined income. New home buyers and low income families will, instead, often look for homes painted in simple colors like yellow or even white. If you are looking to sell your home quickly, don’t expect to use bright colors to target a low income family when you have a $300,000 price tag on the property.

Blending the Exterior and Interior

There are a variety of ways that you can make the exterior of your home blend right into the interior and create a welcoming and comfortable space. Use entryways to blend exterior and interior colors naturally. You can use accents of your exterior paint color choice on the interior to create harmony with the entire property. Keep in mind that, although white walls can inspire the illusion of space, the average person enjoys being surrounded by colors – especially shades of blue and green that make them feel calm and happy.