Companies announce ‘Colors of the Year’ in warmer tones

Warmer colors are on the horizon. Pantone announced its color of 2019 – Living Coral, while Sherwin-Williams revealed its pick – Cavern Clay.

Sue Kauffman, president of the Susquehanna Valley Chapter of the Real Estate Staging Association, said these color picks show a shift from the cooler colors to more earth tones. “We’re seeing warm colors coming back and they’re making their way into decorating,” she added.

Pantone describes the Living Coral as “vibrant, yet mellow… embracing us with warmth.” And they add that it’s a nurturing color that appears in natural surroundings and displays a lively presence within social media.

Kauffman said homeowners probably won’t see this color in more traditional homes. “This color will work well in more modern homes. It has a lot of energy.” She suggests combining it with shades of green like turquoise, forest and olive.

“In the world of staging, it’s easy to incorporate little pops of color to add warmth to a room. You want to use the color in small doses,” she said. “You could use the color on the walls for a small room, like a powder room, where you don’t spend a lot of time there.”

Sherwin-Williams depicts Cavern Clay as a warm terracotta color with ancient, elemental roots, creating the desert modern aesthetic.

“I’m fond of this terracotta color and believe that it will be incorporated into many color schemes,” Kauffman said. “It will be especially easy to incorporate into traditional and transitional homes, as it is a warm aura that will create a cozy spot for both large and small rooms.  I love it paired with black, for instance, Cavern clay on walls and black window trim. That’s such a rich look.  Plus, it pairs very well with the neutrals in tan shades.”

“Cavern Clay is earthy and brings in flavors of the southwest and also takes us back to the oranges of the 70s. Use it with leather and woodgrains, whites, blues and greens. Once you settle in a comfy chair in a room with Cavern Clay walls, you might not ever want to leave. Staging has become more mainstream in the last 10 years. The trend started on the West Coast and HGTV has really made people more aware of the benefits of staging,” Kauffman added.

More than 77 percent of buyers find it “easier to visualize the property as their future home” when it’s staged, according to the National Association of Realtors® 2017 Profile of Home Staging report. Kauffman recommends in staging vacant or occupied homes to work with neutrals and add pops of color. “You can bring color in through the towels in the bathroom, or accent pillows with a comforter in the bedroom. Small bits of color, like kitchen utensils the color on the handles or in napkins, incorporates color without having it look overdone,” she said.

“Staging is truly the way to get people to fall in love with your house,” Kauffman notes. “If a homebuyer is looking at three houses that all fit the criteria they want, it’s the house that creates an emotional attachment with the buyer that will get sold. Color plays a big role in having them fall in love with a home. And the colors you use should reflect the demographic the home is being marketed to. The colors should be inviting.”