Should You Follow New Color Trends?
As with fashion, home décor and interior design have emerging trends that seem to sweep your Instagram and Pinterest feeds without abandon. Just when you think everyone has decorated their home in a palette of glossy showroom whites, along comes the newest design trend to take over your newsfeed: bold colors. Today’s collective mood is all about personalization. Netflix offers up a queue of content that’s similar to your favorite shows. Music streaming platforms like Spotify can deejay your day with a collection of songs that seem to speak to you personally. And there’s a subscription box for every whimsical interest that floats into your subconscious. Point being, our sensory spaces have become reflections of our most personal selves, and design trends are becoming less about speaking to the masses and more about speaking to your senses. So, if someone with a bright, bubbly personality wants a bright, bubbly kitchen, do you cosign their decision to drench their walls in canary yellow?
Consider the Commitment
Experts in real estate have erred on the side of caution when it comes to bold colors within the home, simply because it may turn off potential buyers. Buyers like to envision their own décor, and if your walls look like a box of crayons come to life then prospects may decide to look elsewhere. Not necessarily because they hate your colors, but because they’re calculating how much it’s going to cost them to repaint.
If you’re considering putting your home on the market within the next 3-5 years, experts advise against canvassing your home in bold colors. However, if you’re planning on staying put for a while, go ahead and introduce a new palette into your design.
Use Accessories
Instead of opting for bright colors on your interior walls, design experts recommend purchasing or repurposing accessories in bold shades so that your room has concentrated pops of color. Think throw pillows, blankets, accent chairs, and artwork. This makes it easy to try new colors before committing to them.
Avoid Social Media Pressure
Celebrities and influencers may dictate what trends on social media, but that doesn’t mean that those ideas are practical for your living space. Plus, many designers state that majority of their customers still prefer neutral palettes of beiges, whites, and grays as primary colors for their interior walls.
Create a space that speaks to you, but don’t be afraid to try something new if you see a trend that sparks interest. Search for rooms that are similar to yours before you emulate a trend and you’ll have a more realistic expectation for an end result.
Source: NAR, How to Best Navigate New Color Trends