Redecorating for sale, All white or a splash of colour?

smileytiger

We've just done ours and it's a combination of magnolia and other soft creams/beige colours on the walls with white woodwork & ceilings - so they are all subtle but each room is slightly different.
I have a friend who recently bought a new house (been on market for 2 years never been lived in) & it was all white - every bit of it - was far too sterile and a bit like a dentists or something

treetrunks

Magnolia walls, white ceilings. Allows people to decorate easily as they see fit, colours appeal to majority, helps rooms appeal clean and larger.

Pennylane

We used to call my late Dad "Magnolia Jack" because he was a painter and decorator and swore by it. Now I'm understanding what sense he talked and how right he was.:)

We have a little house which we rent out and we went right through that with Magnolia paint. We then had a deep honey coloured hard-wearing carpet laid everywhere except kitchen (wood floor) and tiled conservatory.

The people who rent it invited me over and it is stunning. They love colour and texture and each room looks amazing against the Magnolia.

Go Magnolia!!

ttoli

Thanks for all comments,much appreciated.

propertyman

Magnolia is so 1970's but white is so 2000's.

I would suggest a tone to the walls that doesn't clash with what you have.

Black leather sofa with icky whitish ie magnolia walls is just nauseous and looks dirty.

Best to drop into your local paint shop for swatches and stick to white with slight tones such as ivory or wheat or a base that fits.

missile

theGrinch wrote: »

most people will redecorate once they move in; ...... .

Last month I would have agreed, but the house we sold nearly 7 years ago has just gone up for sale. They still have the same carpets, curtains and all but one feature wall in the lounge are the same.

We must have had good taste :rotfl:

Old_Git

north facing rooms paint lemon or lime otherwise magnolia

mungobella

Is it your estate agent who has given you this advice, or is this something you are hearing from a friend or some generic advice? It is difficult to really say anything about what would best market your house without knowing a bit more about it and the area--I think an estate agent would probably know best how your paint scheme looks relative to others that have sold. If it is a bright green or turquoise wall, that might be off-putting, but a subtle sage colour or similar might be fine.

Similarly on the white v. magnolia debate: I think this has to do a lot with the kind of home you're selling and the market you're targeting. Personally, I hate magnolia and think white is okay, but obviously I'm in the minority. We've been looking at homes in our area, and my impression is that a lot of new build and lower end homes tend to have magnolia as a generic color and the older (Victorian or Edwardian) and more expensive places tend to have white as a neutral. Again, that's just what I've observed and it may be quite different where you are. This is why I think it's probably best to consult an estate agent that knows the local market well.

motherofstudents

It really shouldn't matter at all. I would be looking at the structure rather than the decor which can easily be changed. Our first house was painted lime green in every room. I think they must have had a job lot of it. The purple carpet did clash but we soon changed the colour scheme and it was fine.

I do like magnolia as it gives a neutral background and looks light and clean but not as harsh as white. I would do a couple of feature walls just to give it a bit of character rather than looking like a 'Homes under the Hammer' box.

penguingirl

I'm obviously in the minority as a fan of white! I think that might be because when we moved into our 1990s house it was in shades of brown and beige and looked incredibly tired. For me magnolia would have been too beige, whereas white (with feature walls) has made it super bright and modern looking again. I also think it is more flattering on the low ceilings.