Use Paint To Manipulate Mood

Provided By Realty Times

Painting your home is a great way to enhance the appearance of your home, especially when it's time to sell.

But don't just slather on a fresh coat for the sake of upgrading.

Choose colors that will enhance your mood.

When it's time to sell, anything that you can do to improve the mood of today's buyers also will help you sell your home.

"Repainting is a low-cost way to greatly enhance the appearance of a home, and new paint colors can actually have a positive psychological effect," says Debbie Zimmer, spokesperson for the Paint Quality Institute.

First, a first coat of paint itself is refreshing and uplifting. It helps remove that stale, musty, moldy, moody odor in older homes or those with outdated paint jobs.

Certain colors can further enhance that feeling.

The institute says pale blue or soft greens are great for bedrooms and family rooms because the hues can be very calming or refreshing depending upon the shade.

Likewise, paint in taupes and browns create a more tranquil environment, but they also impart more of a sense of warmth and coziness, than blue or green.

Use taupes and browns judiciously. Darker shades can become overbearing and evoke brooding.

If you want to inject a little more vim, vigor and vitality, even optimism into your environment, look to the sun. Yellow, like rays of sunshine, can lift your spirits and brighten your outlook. Kitchens and baths shine in yellow.

The institute says apricot, cinnamon, and tangerine are also energizers.

Reds and burgundies take that feeling further and can turn a room into a passion pit.

Just be careful where you slather on the reds. They can become overbearing, literally increasing your heartbeat. They may not be a good choice for the home office.

Generally, the tone, brightness or shade of a color should always be factored into the color scheme. Brighter tones invigorate, while those that are muted and softer tend to be more relaxing.

Zimmer also advises using only the best quality paint.

"Top quality 100 percent acrylic latex paints cost more than ordinary paint, but they offer the best value. Not only do they last longer and continue to look fresh over time, but they often save you money right away from an application and performance standpoint,” she says.

Here's one more uplifting factor about paint: The do-it-yourself price of only about $100 to $200 per room will also have you feeling pretty good.

Need more decorative ideas? Give us at call at 972.772.7000 or frontdesk552@kw.com.