The power of color

Quick - picture something you love about your home. Got it? While design experts can't guess what you're visualizing, they're sure about this - color is a big factor of whatever it is.

"Color is one of the great triggers of emotion, and definitely is one of the fastest and easiest ways to perk up the house," says Leslie Harrington, executive director of The Color Association, a color-forecasting group.

If you're hoping to sell, color can also play on the conscious, or unconscious, minds of buyers like an aphrodisiac, and if you've just bought a place, color sense can provide the underpinnings of great decorating decisions.

But what if your only formal color training was back in kindergarten, learning to name the primary and secondary color sets? Not to worry, your own eye is quite adequate, say the experts, who share a few colorful pointers:

Put it in Neutral?

It's one of the "rules" of real estate: Buyers are drawn to beiges and pale whites, not shades of anything bolder.

"When a buyer walks into your home, they have to think, 'This is how I want to live,'" says designer Kate Smith, who runs the Web site SensationalColor.com. "Not everyone wants to live with blue carpet or pink and green tile." Keep the basics that can't easily be changed, like flooring, in neutrals that won't offend, she suggests.

But while it may not turn off buyers, basic beige may not excite either. Smith advises looking for colorful undertones in neutrals to punch up the effect. Light wood cabinets, for example, may have some peach or red undertones, colors you can bring out with accessories, especially if they match your theme.

Go with a Flow

Besides keeping some of the more permanent features of a home neutral, designers say it's usually best if there's one central color scheme flowing through.

"You want people to say, 'What a nice house,' instead of, 'This is an interesting room,'" says Harrington. "If you have one room in blue, another in red, and so forth, it can really fragment a house."

Having a theme doesn't mean you can't indulge in a range of color, though. It may include coordinating colors, suggests designer Kiki Titterud, who runs KikisColourCouture.com.

Forget Fashion Worries

Suppose you do indulge in some of the colorful appliances and home accessories available today. Will future visitors or buyers view your red washer and dryer the same way we look at homes circa 1970 that sill ooze avocado or burnt orange?

Not much danger of that, says Smith. "We used to have color trends that lasted several years, and people had far fewer color choices," she says. "That's why avocado is so dated - all the homes had it.

"If you like a color," Smith continues, "it's going to significantly boost your enjoyment. Walking into a laundry room with a red washer and dryer will make the room much more joyful, and visitors will share in that enjoyment."

Select a Starting Point

While a professional designer may revel in the challenge of a blank slate, ordinary homebuyers are more likely to feel overwhelmed. How do you select paint and bring in furniture and accessories around a theme?

Look for some color inspiration, suggests Titterud. If you love the look of a room pictured in a magazine, or if you find beautiful fabric, use those colors as your theme.

When you're purchasing items, start with the most expensive, adds Harrington. If you must have a pricey sofa, for example, it's easier to coordinate paint and other items around that.

Take it Outside

Every year, Harrington says she paints her front door. "It takes just a quart and makes such a difference"

While home exteriors are often in neutrals (some neighborhoods even have color codes), attention to trim and the entrance can make a welcoming statement. "People look first to your front door," Harrington adds. "It's like a tie on a man's suit."