how it looks now - yellow covered w/ white primer. DR looking into LR

stripped wallpaper - revealing original calcimine brown paint & stripe of bare plaster where the picture rail was and where the original wood work before they put in the arch.

This post was edited by kashka_kat on Thu, Nov 6, 14 at 16:32

kitchen

kitchen again

Living room looking into DR

Kashka_kat, how many tenants have you had in the past? How much damage done between tenants?

I used to read the forums at Mr. Landlord, and most, if not all, the landlords there recommend staying with a basic color that is easy to touch up or paint over between tenants. If you want a dramatic color, make sure it's one that would go with any style and color of furniture.

I think none of them would advise you to put in any area rugs - if you want to have them after the tenant moves out.

Window coverings should be some that, again, are easy to replace after the tenant is gone and you find one is broken. Mini blinds or the larger blinds.

If it were me, I'd paint neutral, put in blinds, and put most of your money into the kitchen.

"OK, sounds good, except.... I want to make sure that when people walk into the place they get an immediate positive impression. "

I looked at your first photo and immediately said WOW! How I would love for my daughter to have an apartment like that. :)

Here is a color that I have in my home that could work. It's BM Decatur Buff.

The outer area of the arch is Decatur. the right side shows the truer color. It's more of a beige gold. The dining room ceiling is also a BM color in Moss. The background of this photo (the foyer) is also Decatur Buff.

We get very little light in our house, yet the colors don't seem too dark.

You might want to wander over to Apartment Therapy to see the popular paint choices. Light gray and white would be modern choices that suit your space and are neutral for tenants. Leave the wood floors bare - they are a strong point in your rental along with original architectural detail.

Remove the dated window treatment in the kitchen and consider replacing the ceiling fan light unless it's popular where you live. Check that the grout and the chalking in the bathroom looks immaculate.

I would think something that looks superclean and well maintained would appeal to more renters and bring a higher rental fee.

One way you could charge more is to give the tenants a choice of paint colors. You don't have to let them choose anything color out there, but you can have specific paint cards out when they are looking at the apartment and let them know they can choose what they like from those.

Tenants would expect to pay a bit more for something like that. And many, many people would love to move into a rental that isn't all white or off-white walls.

The thing is, gray is really popular right now, but it doesn't go with everything. It would look awful with the browns and golds and sages in my living room, for example. That's why so many landlords go with off-white--it usually works no matter what the furniture the tenant has.

I would say invest in the kitchen. Then give the tenants a choice of paint colors, at least in a few of the rooms. Both those would be a huge draw for a lot of people, and they'd be willing to pay for them.

Prep and prime all the walls, so the place looks nice and light and bright with the white primer. That first picture, with just the primer and the dark wood trim, looks wonderful. I'd want to live there.

Thanks!! I will probably sell it & promote it as an owner-occupied duplex, as opposed to investor-owned, which in good condition is in demand around here and worth a bit more $$ than the typical neglected investor-owned bldg .... this unit on the first floor is the larger and most likely would, or could be the future owner's residence - that's why I wanted to get it looking a bit more appealing, a step up from boring beige rental unit. I'm now living in the little apt on 2nd floor (I just like it better) and renting out the downstairs.

I vote for a lovely warm cream to highlight the beautiful woodwork and so it doesn't get lost competing with strong colors. Neutral too. boring, but for a rental, best for going with whatever the renters bring in.

I agree with camlan. If your timeline permits it and you really want some quality renters, bend a little and paint it (within reason of course) to their desired colors. Maybe even have 2-3 colors pre-picked in a range you'd be comfortable with. A grey-beige, a deeper beige, and a deeper grey. Those would seem to be neutral and would come most likely to work with someone's existing furniture.

As for window treatments, I'd stay away from aluminum mini-blinds. They never seem to last. Although the initial cost is more, faux wood 2" blinds look much better and hold up better. I'd also do the same in the kitchen or as an alternative put up a ready-made wood roll-up or roman shade. Also agree that most of your improvements should be made in the kitchen. The current yellow looks too warm for the cool grey of the flooring. I'd look for a cooler yellow or else put a totally different color like a pale aqua if you want to go retro or a cool blue-grey.

Looks like you have beautiful wood floors, doors, and trim. I would not detract from that with colored walls. Thus, I would stay with white or near white walls.

Also, white walls give an appearance of cleanliness - that is desirable when renting.

Would put $$$ into upgrades to kitchen and bathroom. Nice, new/newer kitchen cabinets, sink/faucet, appliances (stove, fridge), and bath sink/faucet, shower/tub, and toilet - certainly made me pay more for rentals.

Presence of a washer & dryer is also a big plus.

Ok - I've been persuaded! Cream it is for LR/DR, but which cream, specifically? I think it should not be too "white" which would be too cold for northeast/southeast facing windows. This is where my wheels start to spin because there are just TOOO many choices.

What about cream walls and a color or a gray on the ceiling - reverse the usual dark walls/white ceiling? Or what else can I use besides WHITE. Would it make sense to have walls a yellowy-warm cream, and the ceiling more of a cool gray that relates to or contrasts with the yellowy cream? I read somewhere that thinking of the ceiling more as a "fifth wall" can really pay off - in this case because of how big an area it is and how tall the ceiling is, the ceiling really is a significant part of the space. Just slapping on the usual sterile ceiling-white paint seems like a missed opportunity!

I think the bedroom (which is the door to the left in the pics of the living room) can be a room where they can have some choices.... or I could just do something darker/cosier. Had been thinking gray, but there again - which gray specifically? The problem with that space is it gets lots of RED reflected into it from the red brick next door across the alley.

I do like that Decatur buff, may use it for my more vintage-y upstairs kitchen (where I live).

Kitchen.... hmmm kind of like the aqua idea. The bathroom which is adjacent is a mid-tone blue green and everyone likes that. Maybe something similar to that, but a shade or two lighter.

I'd sample the following creamy whites:
BM Linen White, Ivory White, or Elmira White.
For gray, I'd check out BM Edgecomb Gray. It's more on the yellow/beige side, i.e. not blue or green.

It looks like a great apt. I cant help with color because I'm color challenged, but the cream does sound nice. I might replace the stove. Are the counters marble? If so, make sure they are well sealed so they dont stain.

For blues, I'd try Healing Aloe, Quiet Moments, or more blue, like Whythe Blue, Yarmouth Blue, Wedgewood Gray, or maybe Palladian Blue.

My favorite aqua paint is C2 'crystal' It's a very soft blue-green.

I manage rentals. Not vintage like yours but if you think a can of paint will do the trick you are painting for yourself. Things that sell a unit are location and price. (Assuming clean and in good repair). Beyond that it is

Nice kitchen and nice bath.

All the BM paint in the other rooms is a waste of money.

Sorry. But good luck

Well OK. I need to paint the place, and I want to enjoy doing it and finding the right color - so yeah, I suppose it is for me. Just like your need to squeeze out a bit more profit is FOR YOU. It certainly isn't for the tenant - LOL.

Actually - I do happen to believe that people... maybe not everyone but most... do respond to color and light, whether they are concious of it or not, whether they have the words to articulate it or not. That is how we are hard-wired as humans.

That yellow looks ok in the pictures but believe me in some lights it just isnt pleasant - reminds me of that eerie yellow-gray-green light right before a tornado hits! Hahahah. Had about 3 tenants in 7 years, since it was painted yellow and all of them have said at first they wanted it painted something less yellow/more nueutral, but then said no, they could live with it. But then none stayed very long - 2 couples had babies, 1 bought a house - so they had good reasons to move but still. C

Interestingly, my first tenant stayed 7 years - when the LR/DR was a nice warm pinky-rusty red.... gave a warm glow more reminiscent of sunsets and campfires rather than tornados!

Well my thought now is light gray (SW French Gray?) for kitchen, and Classic Ivory for LR/DR

Or....maybe taking that same blue-green of the bathroom and hall and extending it into the kitchen (you can see a bit of it in the one photo - although in reality it isnt that blue, more of a muted blue-green. People have really liked it in the bathroom but would it be too much in a kitchen? (In combination with gray floor/white trim I think its an old Martha Stewart color m( Dupioni)

I'd go with something more neutral, although I personally love blue.
Also agree that paint color makes a difference: I've two rentals, and every potential tenant (although all female) favorably comments on the paint colors.

Neutral in the living areas and a color perhaps blue/green as suggested in the bath and kitchen?

This post was edited by gmp3 on Fri, Nov 21, 14 at 13:35

I'd love your place for an apt! love the old woodwork, larger rooms. Love older homes.

I had my place all painted Navajo White and love it. My sister had her new build all painted that color and I loved it. Her house is Santa Fe style but her furniture is a real mixture from room to room. Not a real white - I'd hate that. It works fine in all of my rooms. Looks good in my bdrm with my antique furniture and even in the kitchen. Just a nice 'background' paint.

with the ceiling fan, you might just try a new globe. OTOH, that style fits with the age of the house. Otherwise I'd leave it - air movement helps with cooling and heating.

Is there room for an upper cabinet between the kitchen windows?

Wow that is a gorgeous space. I rented for many, many years and as the holy grail of tenants (single professional female, no smoking, no pets, never once late in the rent the entire time I rented, which was over twenty years), I can tell you that there is no "wow" color anywhere that wouldn't have had me backing right out again, sadly shaking my head. I've turned down many, many places because the landlords felt they had to give them some wow color. A year after the paint job that trendomatic color was gack color instead.

You will lose some prospective tenants with colors and you won't lose any with white.

EDIT Sorry, part of my post got cut off. I just meant to say that you already have your wow with the architectural details.

This post was edited by writersblock on Sat, Nov 22, 14 at 16:07

Completely agree. The wow is in the architecture, floors, baseboard, trim, etc.

I would love to live in that apartment. :) It has tons of character and charm. I have lived with Valspar's Oatbran for several years and have never tired of it. http://www.pinterest.com/pin/367676757049580860/

I feel the same about a color I put on the walls of my office...I fell in love with it. It's lovely in natural and artificial light. It's also Valspar....Jekyll Grand Dining Sea Mist http://www.pinterest.com/pin/97320041921618380/

Hi, I'm a Realtor, been going into other people's houses for a number of years, did a bit of property management, & here's what I've learned:

Warm tones go with warm tones, & cool with cool.

Bright white goes through periods when everybody wants it, & then after they've cleaned it for a year or so, nobody wants it!

Plus, if a white is too "clean", it'll make furnishings look dingy.
It's a cool-to-cold color, not inviting at all.
(Think laboratories.)

Warm colors are more inviting & they'll harmonize with the warm golden & brown wood floors.

The medium-light warm neutrals will go with most people's stuff, & they'll go with the floors.

The kitchen has the potential to be very charming.
You might get some ideas by searching for images of kitchens in the 1900's or the 1940's...
but there again, warm neutrals will probably be better for a rental.

If the budget will stretch to new kitchen flooring, you might get rid of that cold-looking gray & replace it with a good grade of vinyl (Congoleum used to have a product that will outlast us all) in a warm color & a "vintage" pattern, or even install those linoleum squares like you see in school cafeterias.
They would look appropriate for the age of the building, you can move the fridge without tearing the flooring, & that stuff lasts forever.

I will say that the kitchen in my last house was Decatur Buff and it was a very easy to live with color. Dark enough to add depth, looks very good on plaster walls, and light enough to contrast with dark woodwork.

I can also recommend SW Kestrel White as a very nice white that goes with white, gray, almond, cream, and everything else. I used in in 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms in my current house. Reads white, but has enough color to it to not be stark. A great color to tie together almonds and creams and allow gray accents and it all works.

Oh wow - lots of good advice - am still continuing to look at & consider suggestions from yall!!!

Writersblock makes a good argument in favor of Landlord white - yeah I remember being a renter and much preferring a plain white instead of the various dingy yellow beiges - yuck.

But even so - even looking at whites, I see they ALL have various undertones and nuances - yellows, grays, gold etc. Actually one of my fav apartment paint jobs I did had a slight PINKISH cast to it that was actually very beautiful in combination with maple floors. As some of you have said I think to stand up to wood tones, it does have to have SOME color that works with/complements the wood, but still reads as white.

So I'll just say CREAMY WHITE for the LR/DR and BR, and light warmish gray for the kitchen... whether that SW Light French Gray or something similar. I have Westinghouse White for the trim in kitchen and bath, so maybe that could go on the ceilings I dunno ....

Cant change the kitch/bath floor just now - the bath is due for complete makeover in 5-10 yrs time assuming Im still there. Its actually kind of a nice smokey gray (warm) w/ alittle bit of black and very slight blue -d oes not read as blue gray at all but nice med smokey gray.

The space next to kitchen window - I have the makings of open shelving (wood) that I was going to try staining with a metallic silver glaze. Theres 1 or 2 other locations in that kitchen for same type of open shelving. But if the walls or gray - I don't know, maybe just a wood stain of some sort.

Must say you really have made a good effort in making you tenant's appartment a better place .

Here is a link that might be useful: Wool Carpet

This post was edited by stuartkweston on Mon, Dec 8, 14 at 0:19

FWIW - I painted the kitchen a similar- but slightly lighter/golder yellow (SW Hinoki). It actually looks a lot better -less heavy & green tinged, looks alot better with the grey floor ad white trim. Amazing how such a small difference in tint can have such a profound impact.

The cream/ivory I chose for the LR/DR space however (Medici Ivory) does not look good at. It just seems like kind of a dingy non-color. Not really white but not really a color either. Just kinda... yuck. Dirty dishwater white. I think it needs to read more like a soft gold, but lighter, creamier - not as dark as the Decatur buff above.. Or is the problem Sherwin Williams paint - the white Ive been using for the trim too have this dingy gray tone to it too.

Anyway ....Im still open to ideas for the LR/DR next time I have to re-do!

This post was edited by kashka_kat on Sat, Jan 24, 15 at 16:43

My favorite color is SW Nomadic Desert. It allows for almost any color of furnishings or wood tones. I have it with white woodwork and with natural unstained pine trim. Your ceilings could be one shade lighter...Kilim Biege.

Grays are very popular but I would have hated any rental with gray. Most furniture does not go well with gray. In addition I think that gray makes a home look gloomy!

For our rentals I do not include window treatments. Sometimes a tenant will leave blinds, etc. and I always tell the next tenant that they are free to use them but we will not replace them if they break. People have different preferred window treatments.

We used BM Mascarpone for our townhouse, it is a beautiful warm white with no yellow or pink cast, and not dingy at all. It really brought our place to life! With your dark wood floors I think Mascarpone would go perfectly with everything and it goes with any colors the tenants might bring.

Hi tinan, I found BM mascarpone to have a yellow undertone.

You've already covered the 'keep it neutral' input of other property managers/rental owners but I'll still echo many of the same sentiments.

And ditto tinan's suggestion for Mascarpone. I used it in my parents' dining room and it was a rich, warm creamy neutral that played nicely with both warm and cool accessory & adjacent colors. Sorry, I can't locate a pic of my own but I've been scouring the web for photos of it with dark woodwork like you have. I found a blog showing before & afters. It comes across just a whisper brighter in these pics than in my real life experience, which could be lighting or monitor. I'd personally rank it among lightest creams rather than whites, but that's my eye. Anyway, I'd encourage you to get a swatch or 6 and tape them together for a better idea in your space.

Before and After

Here is one more, they painted their kitchen cabinets in Mascarpone. If you scroll to the closeup of the counter with the white mixer and tile you'll see the hint of warmth of the cabinet color compared to the other truer whites in the photo.