Just go with the ultimate color combination that's not technically about color at all -- black and white.
Don't be scared off by decorators telling you that white is sterile or black is depressing. Forget your old notions of black and white being the stuff of silent movies, funerals and institutional bedding.
When using this color combo to homestage, white is usually best used as the predominant color -- walls, appliances, bedding, window treatments -- and black is what adds the punch and contrast.
Consider painting things like mismatched furniture, vases, and frames shiny black. Slipcover your sofa with white. You can add curtains in a black and white print. Buy new white towels and duvet cover. Put white shades on all your lamps. Now you're getting somewhere.
The beauty of simplicity
White goes with everything. It's clean It's classic. The trick is to pick a white that works with the non-change-able fixtures of your home like that white refrigerator, the white carpeting, the white-painted trim, the white toilet. All these fixtures can be creamy white, or greyish white, or blueish white. Look for those undertones and bring home samples of white paint color chips to match what won't be removed when you sell. Once you make your decision to go with the correct white, you're on easy street.Consider painting things like mismatched furniture, vases, and frames shiny black. Slipcover your sofa with white. You can add curtains in a black and white print. Buy new white towels and duvet cover. Put white shades on all your lamps. Now you're getting somewhere.
The formula is a starting point
It's perfectly fine to add some color as long as black and white predominate. There are bound to be touches of wood, and greenery, and metals here and there. If you need photos to guide you on your way, here's encouragement.If you are staging an all-white kitchen, one novel place to add a dash of black to the mix is with hardware and flooring, the way designers here did. Photo: dustjacket-attic |
I love this look. It would make a great entrance in a home for sale! For more samples of buffalo check decor, visit my Buffalo Checks Pinterest Board. Photo: Basilandtate |
No matter what the architectural style or age of your home for sale, there's a black and white pattern that's a perfect fit -- polka dots, checkerboard, houndstooth, buffalo plaids, zebra stripes, chevrons, key motifs, pinstripes, diamonds, wide stripes, paisleys, toile -- all classics. Read about mixing patterns here. Photo: Marimekko. |
Don't let the simple, versatile popularity of black and white pass you by. Instead, harness its appeal to help sell your home. I've written about pastel color schemes and blue and white color schemes. Take your pick, and get staging!