Reprinted from Kylie M. Interiors. http://www.kylieminteriors.ca/the-best-benjamin-moore-paint-colours-for-home-staging-selling/
The skinny on colors from a very talented designer out of Canada who offers online consultations!
To be perfectly honest with you, I’m not a designer who believes that all homes sell better when painted light, neutral colours. In fact, many homes sell faster and for more money because they are painted ‘the right colour’ based on things like flooring/countertops/tilework/etc…
However, if you don’t have a designer/decorator on-call to help you choose the PERFECT colour and are just looking for some basic colour ideas to tidy up your walls then this post should help you out…
Are these colours visually stimulating? Not all of them. Are these colours rich and wondrous? Again…no. These are colours that give buyers the best view of your space with regards to size, shape and mood. It also gives them the opportunity to picture their own furnishings in the space without being influenced heavily by your tastes.
Benjamin Moore Ballet White OC 9
Is Maritime White too orange-base for you? Then check out Ballet White. Ballet White has the appeal of a light tan/beige colour with a bit more warmth. It has just a drop of yellow in it, compared to Maritime White’s slightly more orange bits. And don’t worry, your walls won’t look ‘yellow’ – they will just look soft, neutral, warm and inviting.
Ballet White is great for:
- Your entire home
Avoid Ballet White in…
- Dark rooms. It will get lost in the shadows
Benjamin Moore Lenox Tan HC 44
Lenox Tan is about as rich and dark as you’d want to go if you are repainting your room for the purpose or selling. It is a warm tan with a slightly orange undertone (meaning it’s not toooo yellowy). You will see colours like this in a lot of new homes – although I think it’s waaay overdone.
Lenox Tan is great for….
- North facing rooms (will visually warm up the space)
- Large spaces
- Exteriors
- Woodsy feeling
Avoid Lenox Tan in…
- Small rooms
- Rooms with pink flooring/countertop/pink undertoned cabinets
- Darker basements – while it’s a warm colour it’s a touch heavy
- As an ‘overall home colour’, while it can be so lovely in many rooms, dark rooms or hallways will be weighed down by this colour
Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter HC 172
Revere Pewter is a lovely warm soft gray. Sounds contradictory, right? While many grays pick up a blue or purple undertone, Revere Pewter is more likely to pick up a faint muddy green tone that makes it feel warmer than the average gray.
Revere Pewter is great for….
- Homes with espresso/dark wood flooring or cabinets
- Bathrooms
- Southern facing bedrooms (to balance out the warm exposure a bit)
- Small or large rooms
- When lightened by 25-50%, it is great for dark rooms or hallways
Avoid Revere Pewter with…
- Pink or purple. This will bring out the green.
- In rooms with cream trim, it will bring out the green
Benjamin Moore Balboa Mist OC 27
Are you looking for a gray that is a soft and subtle, with a feather light feeling? Then check out Balboa Mist. This is a gray colour with soft taupe undertone. Compared to more cool toned grays, this one is soft and warm feeling.
Balboa Mist is great for:
- Almost any room in your home
- Dark wood furniture, cabinets, flooring
Avoid Balboa Mist with:
- If you have yellow or orange toned wood, this will bring out the purple tones
Benjamin Moore Chelsea Gray HC 168
Looking to make an impact? Then check out Chelsea Gray. This medium toned gray colour makes for a striking feature or accent wall or can completely envelope a room in it’s loveliness! Is it brave? Oh yes, but if you have the right style of home (generally quite modern or with off-white walls) you can make a great statement with it.
Chelsea Gray is great for…
- Feature or accent walls
- Media rooms
Avoid Chelsea Gray in…
- Every room – it is best for 1 room only, not more multiple rooms
Benjamin Moore Manchester Tan HC 81
Manchester Tan works well in almost every room as long as there is a reasonable amount of light coming in. It is primarily a beige colour that is pretty darned neutral except for a tiny bit of warm in it, compared to more cool, greige toned beige paint colours.
Manchester Tan is great for…
- Any room in your darn home! Small, big, dark, light
Avoid Manchester Tan with…
- Pink tones. The smidge of yellow in it can look sickly when paired with pink/rose
Benjamin Moore Gray Cashmere 2138-60
I have mad love for Gray Cashmere. It is a green/blue/gray. Personally, Gray Cashmere is one of my all-time fave colours as it sits so well in a space and seems to appeal to both men and women without being ‘too colourful’ for selling purposes.
Gray Cashmere is particularily great in…
- Bathrooms
- Bedrooms
- Beautiful way to modernize the look of Forest Green (countertops/carpet)
Avoid Gray Cashmere in…
- Rooms that are dark and dreary, there’s not enough colour in it to support itself in a dark room.
- In rooms with a lot of wood (flooring/cabinets/furniture) it can be hit and miss. If you want to accent the wood it will do the trick, however, if you are wanting to blend in the wood and neutralize it won’t work at all
Benjamin Moore Gray Owl OC 52
This is the most ‘gray’ colour on this page. It is also the coldest colour as it’s a gray with a subtle blue/green undertone. This undertones doesn’t always show up, but in the right conditions it will.
This photo shows how soft and pretty Gray Owl can look. Keep in mind though, it can look DRASTICALLY different from one room to another, depending on the exposure, furnishings, etc…
Gray Owl works great with
- South facing rooms, north facing rooms
- Wood tones and whites
Avoid Gray Owl
- If your target market is 60+, generally speaking they prefer more neutral/warmer colours
- In a north facing, dark room – it will feel too cold
Still not sure what to do? Contact Kylie via her Online Consulting services – starting from $45!
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