The kitchen colour that willl sell your house faster – and add value

last updated 21 June 2022

When it comes to selling your home, the right colour choices can make a surprising difference to selling your home fast. If you also want to know how to add value to your home, then you should be paying special attention to the colour of your kitchen.

Buying or selling a house? Find more information in our property advice section

kitchen area with fridge dining table and oven

However, new research from Magnet shows that many homeowners are missing out on a simple way to add both value and beauty to their homes, simply because they are afraid to venture away from safer territory such as cream and white. And yet there is mounting evidence that cream and white are increasingly perceived by buyers as boring, despite the traditional advice from estate agents to keep your home colour palette neutral.

Magnet conducted a poll of 2,000 homeowners, asking them about their own colour choices, but also about what kitchen colours they perceive as the most expensive. Blue took the top spot, with 41 per cent voting it as the most attractive and expensive-looking, although green wasn't far behind with 27 per cent of votes.

Despite so many having a white or cream kitchen, one in three people believe that a white kitchen actually looks lower in value, thus making it one of the factors in being harder to sell their home. The problem also extends beyond the realms of the kitchen, with one in two people admitting they have little to no colour in their home at all.

Regionally, homeowners in London are bravest when it comes to colour, compared to those in Northern Ireland who are the least experimental. Hayley Simmons, from Magnet, said: 'This insightful new research brings to light just how tentative British homeowners can be when it comes to incorporating colour in the home, yet the benefits of opting for richer, more vibrant tones far outweigh any risk. We would highly encourage people to step out of their comfort zone and embrace colour in the kitchen, to not only increase the perceived value of their home, but to improve its wellbeing value too. 1 in 3 people (36 per cent) admit that they love colour but are too nervous to use it, in case the shades clash, but this is where expert designers can help.'

Anna Cottrell is Consumer Editor across Future's home brands. She moved to the world of interiors from academic research in the field of English Literature and photography. She is the author of London Writing of the 1930s and has a passion for contemporary home decor and gardening.