From what I've heard and read there are certain colors that obviously appeal to men versus women that are pleasing. Makes sense, we're wired differently. I know what colors I like, but they aren't necessarily the same that appeal to my friends or males.
I preface this study by saying he wasn't talking about a home or colors that sell a house, he was referencing colors that are pleasing to us that we are drawn to in general. It could be any many different forms.
An interesting study by Joe Hallock on colors by gender and age can be found here polls on color preferences.
Here are findings:
Men's favorites: Blue, Green & Black (Certain shades of Blue were less pleasing like powder Blue.)
Women's favorites: Blue, Green, Turquoise, Pink, Purple, Lavender
Blue and Green are the universal colors for both men and women.
The C.O.P.E. study showed these findings. How Does Gender Color our Preferences and Decisions on the WWW?
What is the preferred color for men and women on thewww and e-commerce? Blue! Yellow, Red and Green was next in preference.
- Do you agree?
- What color is most pleasing to you?
- What color attracts you to certain websites or ads online?
My favorite color is still pink, would I decorate my house with it...no, not unless I had a girl. Obviously it is a poplular color look at "Victorias Secret", that store appeals to women and men!
*I'm not referring to paint colors to use when selling a house.
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There are many factors in a sale. You are right about appealing to visual aspects on a home. Other strong senses to attempt to please are aroma and sound.
Kevin-I'm really talking about preferences of colors, but accents and wall colors do make a difference.
I love the earthtones--browns, rusts, golds, greens. Fortunately, my husband does too. What does that say about us?
I love earth tone....but I also like red, black and white.
I know some very masculine men that love pink...obviously that survey was not conducted in San Francisco.
Tammie-According to his study not so popular, but those appeal to home buyers!
Barbara-That's quite a range. Red, black and white are all bold colors.
Frank- Ha! Like I said, men like Victorias Secret, do you think it's the "PINK" that attract them to that store?
I like red, saddle or beige. My Corvette says it best.
David-Yes, it does! Thanks for the visual!!
I would agree that women are more "colorful" than men generally speaking...though that red corvette speaks loudly and probably produces arm candy....the same driver wouldn't wear a red shirt....
I think choosing color for homes inside and out goes beyond general gender preference. Was the study done by making choices from colors in a book? Colors in and of rooms depend a lot upon the size of the room and the amount of light in the room.
I think Glenn is right on this one.
That's very interesting; I personally can't stand blue and have met many people (mostly women) who feel the same way, at least in regard to housing interior and exterior colors. Color is so important to incorporate when marketing anything - a house or even a bag of potato chips!
Cindy- you wouldn't know it from my closet (all black and white) but I love periwinkle, turquoise, some coral and some shades of purple. For interiors, I love neutral walls as a backdrop to color in accessories!
Same for me....lots of neutrals in my closet too. But when I do color is RED in the Winter and PINK in the Summer!
When I did my interior design training, we looked at magazine ads and what colours were used to attract a certain buyer. The use of colour is a very powerful tool.
Interesting. Looks like we can't go wrong with blue and green. But the least desirable colors seem to be the ones picked for walls...guess they are perceived neutral and can bring out favorite colors in decorating.
In high school I did a science project on color preferences between the general population versus patients in mental wards. Those in the hospital preferred very bold, loud color like oranges and reds. Others blues and greens as you noted.
Interesting study that I would say I do agree with. I think green is the most universal and neutral color.
Hi Cindy,
I think it totally depends on the shade and hue. You can find a version of almost any color that can work. Even pink!
What an interesting post Cindy.
I find colour an intriguing subject. It's good to know that for both men and women there is some common ground in blue and green.
Personally, I love red and my favourite kind of red is pink. Although I've steered away from decorating my house in pink.
You know it's funny. There's a real estate agent who's opened a new office not far from me. Her signature colour (in her business logo) is pink. I've not yet met her face to face, but feel I like her on some level already. Ahh...the power of colour.
Sally & David-Yes, the red corvette is eye candy and makes a bold statement.
Glenn-I think it was just general preferences, not in home decorating.
Will-If you are painting a room for staging, "Royal Blue" is not recommend, but men love that color in general.
Tori- I'm not a blue fan either, maybe a few accents here and there, and of course the "Tiffany Blue Box" is always a favorite. lol
Kathy-I wear black too, and browns, but I know certain colors look better on me than others.
Kathy-Another pink fan, I like red too, it really is bold and makes a statement in fashion.
Sally-I tend to like neutrals for decorating, earth tones, with darker shades for accents.
Ann-A great point are the colors used for the Olympics, mostly shades of greens and blues, they are fabulous!
Cathy-Greens are calming however, I'm really loving the green used at the Vancouver games.
Susan-I'm still a girly girl, and love ping to wear personally, even down to jewelry!
Donna-I think she must be appealing to women. I've seen some of the "cutest" sites and advertising that appealed to me, but I don't think they do to men.
Cindy, One cannot accommodate all tastes and shades, so to speak, but at least with blues and greens in the right blend, we are less likely to offend.
Cindy, I have to admit I was surprised. I have been using more blue and green lately but mixed with brown. I used to hate brown but now I love it and it's everywhere in the magazines. I just finished a staging with quite a bit of blue and green and the clients who are property investers reaction was "Oh, foreclosure blue". They said many house that are foreclosed on are blue but I'm pretty sure that is the exterior. I have been using orange/rust a lot too and they seem to like the warmer colors.
John-Different personalities are what make the world go around and thank goodness we all like different colors. But I think blue and green are safe.
Leanne-In staging, we go more earthy tones, but accents in other colors, give it some personality. I still love brown and blue too.
That's interesting ... I know that my top 2 personal favorites are blue and green (but of course some shades more than others).
Interesting...I do tend to use blue and green a lot in my staged properties...not necessarily in the paint, but in the accessories. They are very cool, soothing colors.
I use neutral colors in my paint choices and use color in the artwork and accessories. I have a client right now who painted almost every room in her home in pea-soup green including doors and baseboards. A few women liked it - all the men hated it. The owner has exquisite taste and I think if she had at least painted all the woodwork in white she would have faired better. After being on the market for a year, it's time for a paint job.
Personally, I lean towards yellowed-greens and apple and pear colors. I love the chocolate and espresso browns too. However, I actually staged a home using orange just before Thanksgiving and the house sold within a couple of weeks (after sitting on the market for several weeks vacant).
I don't fit in this study at all. I wonder what that says about me. My favorite colors are black, white and brown. I must have a stong inner male.