by: Staged Ryte

Forty-two percent of women and 30% of men prefer blue over all other colors. In fact, blue is the most popular color in the world! We have seen this in our own experience as home stagers: on walls, bookshelves, carpets, cabinets, tiles, and sofas. Sometimes we LOVE blue; and sometimes it needs some excitement and finesse.

Here are some tried and true techniques that we employ when we work with lots of blue.

Add more colors

When we are staging a room with lots of blue walls, we treat blue as a background color and bring in a lot of whites, neutrals and pops of color to diminish the strength of the blue. We transform blue from the primary color into one of a number of important colors.

Use strong patterns to offset or neutralize blue

Use a bold pattern in another strong color scheme to intrigue visitors’ eyes. For example, hang powerful black and white photos with spectacular contrast on a blue wall to take some of the attention away from the blueness. Try a large floral-patterned sofa in different shades of orange, which is a natural complement of blue. We employed this technique with a home that was languishing on the market with no offers. After the owner followed our advice, the home sold within two weeks for $50,000 over the asking price.

Blue and white crush with us

A blue and white color scheme is timeless. White walls? Use blue furniture and accessories. Blue walls? Try balancing it with large swaths of white—a large, sectional couch; paint baseboards, ceilings, window sills, bannisters and create a sophisticated and soothing atmosphere that will be pleasing to many people. Guaranteed. (If you love blue and white together, follow the Instagram hashtag #blueandwhitecrush ← we use it sometimes.)

Textures create interest

If you have a large space of flat blue color, like a wall, use accessories with shiny finishes and textures that catch and reflect light. If your blue surface is shiny, try the opposite–nubby textiles and textures. This holds true for any large area of one color.

Staged Ryte is a woman-owned boutique home staging and design firm. We create homes where buyers see themselves in the story we create – living their ideal lives. Our attention to detail and ability to understand what buyers want is unmatched. And no two spaces ever look alike because of our extensive inventory: our home staging facility in Ashley Falls, MA contains over 10,000 pieces in over 5,000 square feet (want a tour?). Our goal is to Wow! home buyers, and make home owners – and real estate agents – VERY happy with faster-than-expected sales at the best price. www.stagedryte.com