This Controversial Living Room Paint Color Might Make Your Home Worth More, According to a Study

Prepping to sell a home involves a lot of work. Typically, people start by decluttering and cleaning. And then it’s all about addressing any easy-to-fix issues — and freshening up with paint. Nearly one-third of sellers paint their places before listing them. And this begs the question: What color should you pick for your rooms for the most return on investment (ROI)?  

That’s exactly what a recent Zillow study aimed to answer. The brand’s behavioral science team surveyed 4,200 recent and prospective homebuyers nationwide. It showed them an array of interior images. Then, participants were shown the room painted with one of 10 colors, and they were asked to rate how willing they’d be to buy or tour the home, as well as how much they liked it, and even how much money they’d be comfortable paying. 

The results? Even though white can be a designer favorite, it wasn’t the highest-performing color for any room. And gray was a dark horse favorite in an unexpected spot, the living room. 

The study revealed green kitchen cabinets remain popular among homebuyers and that a blue bedroom can increase property value. However, the fact that a gray living room could potentially earn sellers more money was shocking to me, considering how designers have lately deemed this hue a bit dated. 

“Charcoal gray was the top choice in Zillow’s previous paint color analysis, and it remains the preferred color in the living room,” the study explains. “Homes with a dark gray living room can sell for $2,593 more. Charcoal also performed well as an alternative to olive green and navy blue in the kitchen and bedroom.” 

When I interviewed designers late last year, they were all aligned on the best color for living rooms (Spoiler: It wasn’t gray), and in 2020, Apartment Therapy released a piece about the reasons not to paint walls gray. However, this new research has me rethinking gray, especially if it has solid selling power.

And if you love gray-painted living rooms and are looking for a new home, this is terrific news! Before rushing off to grab your paintbrush and gray paint, Zillow suggests checking with your local real estate agent to confirm if it’s a good idea for your area. 

To learn more about how the right paint can help sell your home quicker (and for more money!), read Zillow’s full study here.