When you’re thinking about paint colors for your new kitchen or bathroom remodel, you might want to look at Zillow’s report on colors in 2017. It delves into which paint colors helped houses to sell for more vs. which colors decreased a home’s market value.

What color cabinets? Find out first

As we’ve mentioned before in this kitchen cabinets blog, it’s likely you won’t stay put in that home where you’re doing your major kitchen or bathroom remodel, because Americans move on average 11 times in a lifetime. For that reason, you might want to remodel with resale in mind, as discussed here. And now this new information from Zillow can help to guide your color decisions, so you’re adding resale value, not detracting from it, when you choose your cabinet or wall colors.

The big bang of blue bathrooms

The 2017 Color Paint Analysis conducted by Zillow is based on a study of over 32,000 photos of homes that sold. From those photos and the sale prices of the homes, the experts at Zillow were able to quantify the effect of room color on a home’s resale value. For example, a light blue or periwinkle bathroom can increase a home’s resale value significantly (by $5,440 according to the study!), while an off-white or eggshell bathroom can decrease the value by several thousand dollars.

And what about kitchens?

The study looked at kitchens too, although that didn’t find the significant price difference like we see with the bathrooms. According to the study, yellow kitchens will lower price while light blue and soft gray blue kitchens will increase the price (by $1,809 on average). In fact, the study found that in general throughout the house distinct colors like yellow and red will decrease the price although not as much as a total lack of color.

Blue has widespread appeal

Note, however, that the upward or downward effect of the color seems to depend on the room. For example, while blue bathrooms can increase the price, blue living rooms tend to decrease the price.

Yet, with the exception of the living room, blue seems to be an appealing color throughout the house. In addition to blue kitchens and bathrooms increasing appeal and sales prices, blue seems to have a positive effect in bedrooms and dining rooms as well. Keep in mind, however, that these are very specific types of blues, such as light cerulean and slate blue and cadet blue, as well as periwinkle in the bathroom. So not just any blue will do!

Although every color choice is on a case-by-case basis and deeply personal, meaning this study shouldn’t dictate your kitchen or bathroom remodel color schemes, it does reiterate the importance of keeping resale in mind should you plan to move again in the future. Kitchen and bathroom remodels can come with a steep price tag, even when you’re saving money by choosing semi custom cabinets. Make sure you get a return on that investment by making wise color and cabinet choices from the start.