Forget that white kitchen. Recent and prospective home buyers have apparently moved on to moodier interiors, especially those with dusky gray walls, according to a recent Zillow® analysis of paint color preferences.

The research* finds that buyers would offer thousands more for a place with dark gray walls than one with white walls. How much more?

Homes with a graphite gray kitchen could sell for about $2,512 more than similar homes painted white, while homes with a dark gray living room could fetch $1,755 more. Even a lighter pewter shade could command $2,553 more than expected.

Meanwhile, a white kitchen could reduce the offer price by $612.

As agents well know, a home’s sales price is influenced by any number of factors. However, the findings could be helpful to homeowners who want to be strategic in making home improvements prior to selling. 

Darker colors can make a home feel cozier

Buyers have become accustomed to seeing darker wall colors on home improvement TV shows and social media, but the appeal of darker tones may have more to do with psychology than home improvement trends, according to Mehnaz Khan, a color psychology specialist and interior designer in Albany, New York.

“Gray is the color of retreat,’’ Khan says. “As we come out of the pandemic and return to our hectic lives, buyers want home to be a refuge. They want to withdraw and escape from the uncertainty of the outside world. Rooms enveloped in dark gray can create that feeling of security.”

In every room studied by Zillow, charcoal gray walls correlated to a higher offer price than homes with white interiors. This holds true regardless of whether the color is in the living room, kitchen, bathroom, or bedroom.

Even neutrals pale in comparison to dusky hues: dark gray in a living room and bedroom commands at least $1,755 more than neutral colors.

Earth tones in the bathroom could boost the offer price

Earth tones also are associated with higher offer prices when used in the bathroom. Bathrooms painted terra-cotta brown, a 2023 color of the year, could help a home sell for $1,624 more than similar homes.

The embrace of gray has its limits, however, especially if it’s on the front door.  Buyers offer $3,365 less for a home with a cement gray front door. Instead, they would offer $300 more for a home with a mid tone rosy brown front door.  

Zillow research shows that sellers typically tackle two home improvement projects before listing, with interior painting being the most common improvement. Choosing paint colors associated with higher offer prices could help sellers boost their bottom line.

_{*The  paint color analysis is based on a series of Zillow studies of more than 4,700 recent and prospective home buyers across the country. In each study, they were randomly assigned images of a home with interior spaces and front doors painted in one of 11 or 10 colors, respectively. Each color received a score based on buyers’ perception of the home, likelihood of touring the home and the price they would be willing to pay for the home. This study, conducted from December 8-30, 2022,  included 4,711 participants across the U.S. who indicated that they had bought a home within the past two years or plan to buy a home within the next two years.}