2024 Design & Paint Color Trends to Sell Your House
Design trends continue to shift from year to year. Some years the changes are dramatic as we get tired of the old trends, whereas some years the trends or more gradual and evolve gradually over time. .
Design Trends that are out or on their way out!
- Farmhouse style is being morphed into Modern Farmhouse
- All-gray or all-white interiors are out! Finally!
- All Gray kitchens are out
- Shiplap is out – or its being painted with a dark & moody color
- Matchy matchy furniture sets are out
- Open concept is out! Yep its true!!! We no longer want to live, eat & breath 7/24 in the same room!
- Word signs are out!
So what does this mean for homeowners getting their house ready to sell? Do you need to replace all your gray & big box furniture and replace or paint your gray kitchens to appeal to the typical buyer in your neighborhood? No of course not, but with some tweaking, you can adapt your home to the new trends so it doesn’t look dated and will appeal to what buyers are looking for.
How to use 2024 design & paint color trends when selling your house!
Just because a style or color is trending right now does not mean that you should incorporate it into your home. Some styles and trends will fit into some styles and neighborhoods while other may not. Green kitchens are predicted to be the most popular kitchen color for 2024 but the décor of your house AND the demographics of your neighborhood need to be a good fit to make this bold statement in your kitchen.
How do we incorporate the new warm + bold design trends when we’re getting our house ready to sell?
Similarly, more subtle and neutral trends may be too boring for your home and neighborhood. It’s wise to know what trends are going on in your neighborhood, and its just as important to know what trends are NOT going in your hood! Do your research! Check out your competition. Go online and check out new listings. Go to open houses and scoop out current listings on zillow and realtor to keep informed!
Read: think like a buyer when selling your house
10 Design & Color Trends for 2024 to Sell Your House!
1. Luxury style is in! Modern farmhouse is more sophisticated.
Farmhouse style, shabby chic, whatever you want to call the farmhouse style that has been around FOREVER, its out. Sorry Joanna Gaines. Replacing the farmhouse style is a new fresh wonderful mix of vintage + contemporary styles. It make be a bit challenging to get your head around it at first, but once you start pouring over pictures on Pinterest, you’ll start to really like it and think about how you can incorporate that into your home. It may feel like we’ve returned to the 60’s a bit, but with any new trend, the colors, shapes and styling have been updated for a fresh new look.
Photo: Pure Salt Interiors
This stunning room above, designed by co-founders, Aly Morford + Leigh Lincoln of Pure Salt Interiors, perfectly depicts the new style that has been morphing over the last few years. A delightful mix of warm soft whites + beiges, natural textures including a gorgeous wood coffee table, popular boule accent chairs, this room conveys luxury + relaxation.
If you have been apart of one of the past trends, like the farmhouse trend, the all gray or all white, trend, updating your look could be as easy as changing up a few cushions on the sofa, switching around some décor and/or adding in a couple of new accent chairs to replace your worn looking sofa.
Read: What are Interior Design Styles & how do I pick one for my home?
2. Furniture is curvy. Boucle is in! Matchy matchy is out!
Matchy matchy furniture where you do one stop shopping at a big box store is out! NO more! Furniture has alot of variety and its fun with many different textures, colors and styles.
Sofas are soft & curvy now. Bold accent chairs can replace one of the neutral sofas. Coffee and ends tables are wood. They don’t need to match. In fact they look better if they don’t! The trend is to have rustic pieces with contemporary furniture.
Photo: Wayfair
One of the easiest and relatively inexpensive ways to update your look, is to add trending accent chairs and/or coffee tables | side tables.
If you currently have the farmhouse look and live in the city or suburbia, this look is dated and needs to be tweaked to sell your house. If you have succumbed to the all gray, all white, or all big box store furniture, this look needs to be updated to appeal to potential buyers. This can easily be done by switching some furniture pieces like accent chairs, tables and or adding a couple of contemporary accent chairs to update your look. This is where you can have fun with your furniture and explore different possibilities.
Read: Is gray out of style? Tips on how to Neutralize Gray
3. The go-to paint colors for walls are neutrals. Warm white, creams & beiges.
Cool mid-tone grays are out. Off -whites, also known as warm whites, creams, beiges and greiges, have taken over the cool grays are being taken over by the warm greiges. White is definitely the leader as the new neutral for staging your house. BUT it can also be the trickiest to decorate with it. All white can look amazing on Instagram but in real life it can look like primer if the right light, furniture & accessories, AND the right white color is not chosen.
White is the go-to color for neutral walls for staging, but it can also be the trickiest! Cool white looks great in contemporary, modern interiors, BUT if you don’t have the right furniture & accessories to compliment a cool white, your room can end up looking like an institution or sterile. Try a warmer soft white, beige or cream instead. Cool mid-tone grays are being replaced by warmer and lighter grays Just because a staging color is trending, doesn’t mean its the RIGHT color for your home. You also need to take into consideration the fixed elements of your home like kitchen cabinets, countertops, flooring etc.
Read: Best Staging Paint Colors 2024
Read: What is a good warm white paint color?
Read: Best cool white paint colors
Read: Should I paint my walls white?
4. Warm & Bolder Colors are in!
For the past couple of years, the paint companies have been trying to push us out of our comfort zone moving us away from our neutral grays and whites. This year, they’re not so subtle. Both major paint companies, Benjamin Moore And Sherwin Williams have announced green colors as their Color of the Year. Benjamin Moore has announced a gentle shade of sage green October Mist CC-550 as their color of the year whereas, Sherwin Williams has chosen a calming green-gray, Evergreen Fog, SW9130. This color is perfect for homes that are transitioning out of the all gray trend. It could be used in a room that has all gray furniture where you need to minimize some gray. But don’t overdo it. Use it in 1 – 2 rooms the most with your main room and hallways being a neutral paint color like white, beige, or light gray.
Photo: Sherwin Williams Urban Bronze
Other trending colors that we see for this year which is a continuation from last year, is warm beiges, various shades of clay, terracotta, Warm blue-greens, and almost any shade of sage green that you can get your hands on is also very popular.
If you have an enclosed dining room, which is not part of an open concept area, dining rooms are a fun place to create a moody vibe for entertaining whether you’re staying in your home or are planning to sell.
We’re also going to see pops of moody blacks, grays & deeper greens for accent walls & in various rooms like offices, bedrooms and perhaps some family rooms. We will see these colors on walls, painted furniture, couches, accent chairs, and accessories.
We are seeing much bolder & warmer colors in 2024. We can reflect these in our homes as we’re getting ready to sell but in smaller doses. Painting a bedroom or a bathroom a warm & bold would appeal to buyers depending on the demographics. A living room or dining room accent wall as opposed to painting a whole room a dark and moody color would appeal to potential buyers.
5. Accent walls are in! Bold paint colors + wallpaper
Accent walls are VERY popular now with bold paint colors, wallpaper, or decorative plastered walls. Shiplap walls are out BUT stylish decorative geometric molding accent walls are in! They can really add a lot of interest to a room, especially if you have chosen a neutral color like white paint for the walls and neutral furniture. If you have shiplap walls, painting them a few shades darker than your room’s paint color is a great way to add interest and keep the look current.
Adding an accent wall will not only increase the value of your home, it will address interest to a neutral colored room, and appeal to contemporary buyers.
Sage green is an earthly muted shade of green + gray. Its the perfect marriage of these two colors and its crazy versatile. Depending on the shade and intensity, sage green can be used in any room or exterior. sage green is one of those colors that transcends almost any interior design style. Its just a matter of finding the right color for your space!
Read: How to use sage green + most popular colors
Read: Best Accent Wall Paint Colors
Read: Accent Wall Trends that will make your home stunning + add value to your home!
Read: How to choose a paint color to sell your house
Read: What are interior design styles + how do I pick one for my home?
How do you start adding these new trending colors when selling your house?
You can add these new trending colors in certain areas that will add a fun pop of color like a powder room, master bedroom, or a kitchen island. Home offices and entrance ways also a great way to introduce these new colors. Start with a plan and select 2 -3 coordinating colors.
Photo: Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze
You don’t want your house to look like a checker board. One house I staged had a different paint color in every room. The house looked disjointed and did not flow. The homeowner had to repaint his entire main floor to make it look more cohesive and appealing to buyers. But that doesn’t mean that your whole house has to be a boring neutral either. We are definitely in a moody color stage where moody rooms are trending and edgy. But add moody colors with caution!
Staging Tip: Add new colors into your house with intention!
When staging your house to sell, use a neutral paint color throughout the house. Add pops of color intentionally in a couple of areas, like a bedroom, bathroom, or an office. In theory, you should be able to take an upholstered chair to each room in your house and it should be able to fit in comfortably in terms of colors & style. There should be a flow to your home or the house will end up looking awkward and unbalanced. You can add pops of color into rooms like the powder room, office or a bedroom. BE CAREFUL though, to not overdo it! Don’t have too many rooms with colorful walls. You can also add pops of color in your accessories like throw cushions, pictures, accent chairs for an easy way to update your look.
6. Texture & Layers
Photo: Pure Salt Interiors
We’ve already seen movement into textures for styling our interiors, but 2024, is going to bring this to an all new level. We are going to see nubby, furry and cozy fabrics like boucle and natural fabrics. We will see many types of layers using the new color palettes. But texture won’t just be limited to our fabrics, we will also see texture in our furniture and accessories using a variety of materials like leather, wood, rattan, cane, metal and stone as you see above in this gorgeous space by Pure Salt Interiors. Notice the use of real plants to create a relaxing atmosphere bringing the outdoors inside.
Do you need to transition from an all gray or all white room to sell your house? Switching out some accessories like cushions, pictures, and other accessories with the new trends will update your look without having to start all over and incurring unnecessary expenses when getting your house ready to sell.
Read: Is gray out of style? 5 Tips to neutralize gray
7. Kitchens are… Wood. Two-toned. Warmer Colors
Photo: Sherwin Williams
Kitchens have taken a dramatic turn from all white and all gray colors where the cabinets, counters and backsplash were one monochromatic color. It will be common to see either the uppers or lowers to be a different color, or a different color like a bank of cabinets above, or a kitchen island with a different color. An entire wall of pantries is also another feature you will see in kitchens this year with large islands and counters.
If you find yourself with an all gray mid-tone kitchen, considering painting one of these areas a trending color to make it look less like your kitchen belongs from a previous decade. A kitchen can be the place were it can really date a house. Hiring a professional kitchen cabinet paint company would be a good investment if your house is in a high-end area, or your paint skills are at the amateur level range. Cutting back on costs in this area could have significant repercussions on the value of your home if the paint job is not up to what your area commands.
Read 2024 Kitchen Color Cabinet Trends
Photos: Left: ChrislovesJulia.com Middle: Pinterest Right: ACE Architects
We also see wood kitchens coming back (pictured above). Much different and more sophisticated from the 70’s.We see wood cabinets on either the upper or lower half with a different color in the opposite cabinet which makes for some interesting combinations. Greige is replacing gray for kitchens color (middle photo) and green has taken over as the most popular kitchen color for 2024.
8. Flooring is warm, more natural, and wide
We are steering away from cool gray floors after this flooring color has dominated strongly over the past decade. If you still have alot of gray in your home, some flooring addresses this by having planks of gray and planks of beige in their mix to combine the outgoing trend with the incoming trend. Lighter oak flooring and white-washed flooring is becoming very popular, a great combination with the new rustic + contemporary mix that we are seeing in furniture & design styles. Browns are dominating in mid-tones and darker browns.
With the new trends, we are also seeing wider planks, anywhere from 5′ to 7 or even 8′ wide in rarer cases. Scraped flooring follows the rustic trends we’re seeing everywhere.
Read the full post on 2024 Flooring Trends here.
Read Hardwood vs. Laminate vs. Vinyl Plank Flooring: Which one should you choose?
Read: Should I renovate my house before selling? What’s my profit potential?
9. Home Offices are important!!!
Because of the pandemic, we found ourselves working from home. Spare bedrooms were turned into offices, basements were refinished so that we could make room for an office. Dining rooms became offices, closets were turned into offices and even living rooms had to share with an office in some cases were there just wasn’t enough room to accommodate home offices + online schooling.
But as we start to begin life in our new normal, some people are going back to the office full-time, whereas others are working from home permanently now, whereas others are doing a combination of both.
If you find yourself living in a monochromatic home of all white or all gray, the office would be a great place to break that look. Try a trendy color on your walls or perhaps keep your wall neutral and paint your furniture in a warm and new color. Experiment! Have fun!
Office furniture is a great way to try out Benjamin Moore’s bold and warm color of the year for 2021, Aegean Teal. Photo: BenjaminMoore.com
Photo: Sherwin Williams
Sherwin Williams Rosemary 6187, gives this office a fresh warm update. Its a very warm green, and a good way to update one room in the house with a trendy moody green that potential buyers will find inviting.
10. Outdoor spaces are multi-functional
Another change in how we live in our houses due to the pandemic is the use of our backyard outdoor space. We made entertaining outside more to see our family and friends a top priority. As a result of this, we are demanding more out of our outdoor spaces. We are adding outdoor living rooms to be able to relax outside, we are making our dining room areas bigger to accommodate more friends and family, and we have created outdoor kitchens.
Photos: StyledbyEmilyHenderson.com
When you’re getting your house ready to sell, there is one important space that often gets overlooked. Its like an outdoor bonus room. That room, of course, is our backyard patio. If you’re selling in the spring, summer and early fall, you definitely want to set up this space as functional so potential buyers can see and drool over what they would be getting if they bought your home.
If you’re selling in the winter time and your patio furniture is covered in snow, hopefully you have some fun pictures from the patio that your realtor can put in your listing. You don’t need to add an outdoor kitchen to your space, but jazzing up the existing patio with either a dining room table set or lounge furniture would definitely be an asset.
Bonus Tip: House plants
In past decades, we used to have alot of house plants in our home. With the busyness of the world, and working outside the home, houseplants were ignored and became hard to keep up. They were replaced by fake plants or home décor such as long sticks in vases. But plants has made a comeback. And its an easy addition to add plants when you’re styling your home to sell. Plants instantly warm up any room and add a coziness that wasn’t there without plants.
Need help choosing color(s) for your house?
You’re getting your house ready to sell but you have a room or room(s) in your house that have a dated paint color or the walls need a refresh coat of paint to show the house well to potential buyers. But you need help in picking a paint color that suits the current furniture & fixtures in the room but is a current trendy staging color.
Hire Me for a 1 hour zoom call
In a hurry? We can do a 1 hour zoom call where you virtually “walk me through your house” with your computer in hand, and I will make 2 wall paint color + trim colors recommendations for your house. With time permitting, I can give you suggestions for accent walls, and/or suggestions on room(s) that you can “pop” with additional color based on your home’s interior + trending staging colors at the time of our call. You can record our call as your notes.
- *Paint color recommendations & sheen recommendations are clear and concise that you can give to your painter. The paint color recommendations are either Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore. Your preference.
You know you need to declutter and depersonalize to get your house ready to sell but you’re not sure what to do or where to start. You need direction and guidance.
In a zoom call, with you, your computer & camera, we will “walk” through your house where I will give you my savvy staging advise as a professional stager and house flipper on what should stay for staging, what you should remove, and make color, furniture arrangements & appropriate suggestions for your home based on the demographics of your neighborhood. You can record the call for your notes!
As one of the first stagers ever in the industry, I have helped hundreds of clients make their homes stunning, and help them make money beyond their wildest expectations. I’ve staged many clients’ houses that sat on the market unstaged, to help & work with the clients, stage their home where the home sold within 1 – 2 weeks. As a real estate investor, I know what renovations work to sell a house for a healthy profit and which ones are not worth the investment. Let me help you choose the right color for the home.
Click here for my whole house staging paint color consult
Hi! I’m Debi Collinson. Designer. Color Consultant & Real Estate Investor.
I grew up looking at blue prints, going on construction sites and helping my dad, an Engineer|General Contractor|Co-Owner of a Design|Build|Engineering firm pick out paint colors for his buildings. Since 2006, I have been styling & staging hundreds of homes to make them look like they belong in a magazine page whether the client is styling to stay or staging to sell.
In my spare time, LOL, I buy “fixer uppers” to fix up & either sell for a healthy profit or to rent. I’m currently looking for my 10th “fixer upper.” Sign up to receive my e-mails of how to make your home stunning, how to sell your house for top dollar AND how to become financially independent one fixer upper at a time! Read my full story including my design credentials here.
I was really drawn to the segment of your article that talked about how bolder and more daring styles are being used nowadays. With how boring my house has felt recently, I started to wonder what kinds of styles and designs can help make it feel energetic and stylish again. These ideas sound perfect for that, so I’ll start using bolder colors when I hire an interior painting expert to complement the stylish furniture we’ll get.
I’m glad you enjoyed the post! Yes we’re so used to using “neutrals” that we are apprehensive on using bolder colors. We can start out in smaller areas like an accent wall or an office or hallway so we get used to bolder colors before we may want to dive deeper. Thanks for dropping by! Good luck with your bolder color choices!
My wife is going to love your post. I love the ideas here. Keep it up!
Thank you for the kind words! You made my day! Please let her know she can make a request for any topic she would like to see a post on!!!
Saved as a favorite, I really like your site!|
Great post! Love the planked wall on the hallway – need to try that one 🙂
Thanks Suzanne! Thanks for hosting your Link Parties EVERY Friday at thepainteddrawer.com
Saved as a favorite, I like your site!
Thank you!
Wonderful site you have here but I was wanting to know if you knew of any message boards that cover the same topics talked about in this article? I’d really like to be a part of group where I can get feedback from other experienced people that share the same interest. If you have any recommendations, please let me know. Thanks a lot!
Try Facebook – HGTV Fixer Upper Show Followers. It’s a very interactive forum if you have questions. Also, you are welcome to email me any questions or topics you want covered here.
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Great post.
Thank you so much!!!