The Impact of Color on the Look and Feel of Your Home
Color is one of the most powerful elements in defining the look and feel of your home. Walls, ceilings, furnishing and accessories all play a role in the overall aesthetic. Color can visually alter a room’s proportions and brightness. Light colors reflect light making rooms feel bigger and more open. Dark colors absorb light and create depth and coziness. Contrasting colors add energy but can break up a space as opposed to variations of one color that make spaces feel more expansive.
Have you ever put your home up for sale? If you have, your Realtor may have advised you to paint neutral colors in your home instead of bright colors. Why is that important? Let’s suppose you have a red accent wall in your living room. Red makes a bold statement – one that may not resonate with every potential buyer. Instead of potentially scaring off a buyer over a red wall, it is best to present a neutral space. At Holiday Builders, we sometimes use “accent walls” in our model homes. We call these walls “memory points” because the color is so impactful, it creates a memory.
In November, Pantone, the leading source of color expertise globally, announced the 2026 color of the year, Cloud Dancer. Cloud Dancer is described in a Press Release on Pantone’s website as “A lofty white whose aerated presence acts as a whisper of calm and peace in a noisy world.” The release goes on to say that Cloud Dancer is “Similar to a blank canvas,” signifying a desire for a fresh start. Moreover, the color is described as a “conscious statement of simplification, enhancing focus, providing release from the distraction of external influences.”
Pantone recommends Cloud Dancer in the home to encourage relaxation and quiet focus saying it “builds atmospheres of serenity and spaciousness”. The press release says, “Cloud Dancer introduces a spa-like feeling into bathrooms and an open and spacious feeling in the kitchen.” Alone or paired with other pastels as shown in the photo above, Cloud Dancer brings lightness and air to any environment.
Whether you’re preparing your home for someone else to love, or you’re refreshing it to meet your own decor desires, a fresh coat of paint is a powerful tool. For a minimal cost and a day or two over a weekend, you can completely transform a room with color. The color rule applies to furnishings and accessories as well. Most designers recommend large objects, sofas, beds, walls, etc., stay in neutral tones with brighter colors reserved for accent pieces and pops of color. But of course, the beauty of owning your own home is you can decorate it to suit your personal taste.
Visit HolidayBuilders.com to learn more about new homes and great communities in outstanding locations throughout Florida. And even if you’re not home shopping but you’re looking for some decorating inspiration, visit one of our model homes near you. We look forward to inspiring you.
Tags: home decor, Pantone Color of the Year
