Are the drapes going to convey with the house?

Without seeing the entire room in person, I think it may look lighter, brighter, more welcoming in the lighter suggested wall color. You might find a duvet that has the same light, bright undertone as the comforter might look dingy with a lighter wall color.

Thank you, Jewel! Dried flowers are gone! They are over 10 years old anyway.

graywings, Yes, they will convey with the house. They are on a remote control and won't work in our new space. :-( I love them!

If you plan to paint anyway, then yes go neutral. People are in many different camps when it comes to paint.

You have a beautiful bedroom. Again, many different views. You can get the buyers who love it or hate it and bemoans having to paint.

What is selling in your area? I keep tabs on mine. I would be hard-pressed to find a home that had lots of color on the market. When I do, they are usually very old and haven't been updated.

Just seeing your bedroom, I'm guessing your house is in good taste. Just paint and declutter. Remove personal photos, tschoskies etc.

Sorry I think she's just flat out wrong. If it was a screaming electric blue or just a really heavy dark blue... or even just an assertive blue-blue.... that might be a problem, but it isnt. It makes no sense to change a rather reserved, understated grayed out blue for some blah beige that may end up making the room look dreary instead of nicely pulled together, as it now looks.

My agent once wisely told me its not a matter of it having to be a neutral color, it just has to be the RIGHT color. Meaning one that looks harmonious with the house and furnishings and makes your house look its best.

And what does that word even mean - greens can function as grayed out neutrals and besides - I think a bedroom is one place where darker moodier colors (esp. the restful greens & blue-greens) are commonly accepted. Hope that helps!

Well I'm totally fine with your colors. And I generally don't care what's "dated" or simply not to my liking(which people for some reason can call "dated") as I'm not buying your decor or furnishings.

So to me-you shouldn't change your wall color.

And I'm not a fan of blueish tones unless they're much warmer, but I realize houses can't be perfectly painted to reflect my ever evolving tastes and long lasting preferences. Paint is personal , and I'm usually prepared to repaint if something is not my thing.

The main thing is to love the house as a whole enough to put an offer on it, and many things go into that, very need specific and some obvious some intangible, but paint is the least thing to worry about in my eyes,

What I would do is remove as much small stuff as possible, mostly for the reasons it doesn't photograph well. And you also don't want them to get damaged or lost. And you also want to be able to clean real fast.

So put away collections, reduce amount of dried flowers..I'd take the mirror away because it will look fab without it as well, but it wouldn't be a factor to me personally.

Your room is well appointed..do common sense things, don't overhaul everything for folks you don't know unless paint needs to be redone anyway. Even then you'll need to choose a different color to go with everything else, then cover your walls with primer maybe first..it's a pain, and for what if what you have works?

Do leave your picture, your fringed pillows..I was in my thirties when we bought our previous place with decor much less refined than yours and more "dated", and I didn't even bat an eye. It had tons of personal art on the walls(which were mostly yellow) and shabby chic furniture and valances and armoire for TV..so what, it was interesting to me even though not something I'd pick, it didn't prevent me from seeing great layout and bones, and it felt like home somehow.

And yours is much more "finished" so to say. It's just traditional. So what. Just remove what can be removed and leave what makes sense.

(BTW I didn't repaint most of these yellow walls since they worked great in a very bright place and I worked with them. I repainted dreary neutral walls in kids' bedrooms lol..later, when we had time and inclination to do that, and try colors. The rooms got to be purplish brown for DD's room, and gray for DS's room; and that's how we sold our house last year. Buyers were not preoccuoied with these darker colors at all, might be because firnishings and fabrics were light, bright, and contrasted them nicely. We had different feedbacks of course but never one comment about paint)

The only walls we painted pretty fast were master bedroom ones since they probably used leftowers of their yellows-the darkest one I guess because they had more of it left-and in that different light looked wrong, and irritated me)

eld6161, Our area is a healthy mix of everything. Mostly new construction have the lighter interiors and older homes are converting over to all shades of grey and white. I love that style but not for this house. I do love the color in this bedroom and will remove all the personal little chotskies and pictures before we put it on the market. Thanks for the advice and compliment. I have a great house! It's just getting bigger by the moment.

current resident, I feel the same as you. What does neutral mean anyway? LOL! I usually would have said to her, "I think the color is fine and it's in great shape! I'm not changing it.". And then I remembered you guys! I knew I could get great advice from y'all!

april, you hit the nail on the head. I could make myself crazy making all kinds of changes when everything is really in great shape. My personal style is traditional and I know

it's not the new trend these days. Oh well, I was never into trends anyway. If the new buyer wants to change things then they can do it. I just want to give everything a "fresh" look and not be overly outdated.

Some people may think these drapes are oppressive. I hope that there is someone out there that likes them as much as I do.

Thanks everyone! I love this place! I was a regular poster here waaaay back in the day when Spike had Gardenweb. I used to be riverrat1 if anyone remembers. ;-)

Gorgeous room!!

The curtains are not oppressive and you'll have to keep them open for showings(as well as blinds) anyway. They'll also photograph your room with curtains open. So don't worry.

I'd see a huge(are you kidding me?) well appointed room with custom window treatments that convey:) if I dislike them so much -well it's not like someone's putting a gun to my head to keep them after I start living there. But yes, I'd appreciate them. A lot. Rods perfect height? Blinds installed already? Pleated curtains? I'll know what to do:)

I think your room is gorgeous and so well done. However, I’m in the camp of repainting. When I was a realtor, the one big mistake I saw people make over and over again was thinking, their taste was everyone’s taste when sadly it isn’t (even when a room is as pretty as yours!). The one thing that ALL buyers have in common though is that they want to have to do as little as possible once they move in. Even if they still choose to paint, the idea of painting over a neutral gray or tan (for example) is a lot easier to swallow than having to paint over dark colors.

Actually, now that I think of it, when we bought our house 11 years ago, almost every room was painted dark and after it was all repainted, my exhausted husband said never again. That a house with dark colors would be a deal breaker for him.

Exactly what Aprilneverends said

The color is drab and depressing to me. Would be a turnoff. Just my personal taste. The curtains don't help as I just automatically think old and dusty. (I'm sure they really aren't! Just giving you an alternate view. Doubtless you would hate my lighter house).

I think it's beautiful, and I would leave it alone. If a buyer wants to change the paint color to suit their own furnishings they can. A paint color is not going to keep someone from buying your home

I don't care for very dark colors in rooms, and my terracotta dining room is as brave as I've ever gotten. However, I don't think of this as a dark color, but rather a medium shade. I like color and would probably use yellows and golds rather than beige against that wall color, but that's just me. You have beautiful things, but since you're asking about decor for your new house, I would suggest going outside your comfort zone a bit and introduce more color and even go for a modern painting or two. I would keep pillows with tassels mostly in bedrooms, but a lot depends on what pleases you. I would keep the mirror because it's pretty. Small, scattered objects that don't have some intrinsic value usually have little impact. Those curtains are gorgeous, by the way.

I would not paint. Not unless you got negative feedback in multiples.

However I sold an apartment with a black room and there was overwhelmingly positive feedback about the decor and the buyer did not repaint.

No, the funny thing it wasn't about advice for a new home(unless I grossly misunderstood)..it's just for putting this one on sale!

Or did I misunderstand?

I also think-this room feels to me like being professionally done, or close to it..as such I'd think it reflects the house itself pretty well..it's probably quite big, traditional house, what will attract certain type of buyers with certain amount of money and all, maybe being of certain age..it's not a starter home.

People who'll look at it will be more experienced in looking at houses..or maybe elated they step up from more modest quarters, and concentrate on that, rather that minutia details that are not permanent.

That room is gorgeous and I would not change a thing. Love the color!

I think that room belongs in a magazine! Your agent is nuts! It is so well tailored and at the same time so comfortable. I would kill if my bedroom looked like that and we have beige walls. haha

Well, I'm all about white and light, but I love the color and your room. And if your realtor needs some scientific evidence (haha), blue bedrooms increased sales price by 1,856.00 on average.

http://www.businessinsider.com/paint-colors-that-sell-home-for-more-money-2017-5

Just open the curtains and style the bed with a tray and a champagne bucket :)

RAs always say that. It's part of their playbook, but it's often wrong. I drive by a house all the time that the owners had fixed up to be so cute--it was a light kiwi green with a watermelon-colored door and wonderful tropical planting. (This is FL, so that's not a weird color scheme at all.)

When they went to sell, their stupid agent made them rip out all the landscaping and paint everything white, and that house sat for years in a very brisk market where I'm sure it would have sold right away if they'd left it alone.

I think your house is lovely and I'd wait to see if there is any substantial amount of negative feedback before you paint over what you have.

Who is your target buyer for this house? I am assuming a move up buyer. What do you think their thoughts would be on your decor? What we have seen appears very formal. Depending upon what your competition is, you may want to remove some of the more formal decor.

Hi Karen --

Lovely -- and enormous! -- room.

I think I'd try to keep the paint color as-is unless (as others mentioned) you get a lot of negative feedback.

There IS a movement toward strong color, so people are seeing that on blogs/Insta feeds/retailer sites aimed at a 20s-30s demographic.

That said, the strong colors are often in rooms with more minimal and/or more industrial decor. Think a lot of lighter, leggier pieces mixed with the medium/deep wall shades. Or a more casual, bohemian layering.

A few examples below. If you can add live greneery to the room, do. I joke that "put a plant on it" is the new "put a bird on it."

Also:

• I would try to take out as much furniture as you can to open things up even more. Leave the sofa so people can see how big the room is, but remove the chair, the chest, the mirror, the console you had the flowers on, and the fringed pillows.
• Consider removing the round beside table(s) with fabric as that's a more traditional look. Perhaps you have a small table or chest you could try there instead?
• What's behind the curtains in the sofa zone -- a nice view? I hate to suggest removing all the curtains because they do look elegant, but using just the natural shades would definitely create a fresher, organic vibe. Something to consider, perhaps!

Good luck with the sale!

(below, Sherwin-Williams + West Elm collab)

april is right about me asking for advice for this room in this house that I live in right now. We will be putting this house, with this bedroom, on the market. I'll be back to ask for more advice for a couple of other rooms from this house. Lot's to do and only about 6-8 months to do it! The new house will have a bit of a lighter brighter feel to it. I'm thinking creams, indigo and white with bits of color.

I did have a little help decorating this room about 12 years ago. I knew the general direction I wanted to go with the look but needed a designers help to purchase. :-)

I think the consensus is to keep the color, change out some art, ditch the flowers and put away all small personal collections (I really hate to pack up my paper weight collection ;-)

All of your advice is exactly what I needed to hear. I thought this room/paint looked ok enough to sell the house without having to repaint. Thank you all!

housevixen, Beautiful rooms! I'm going more towards this exact style in the new house. You've read my mind!

What do you guys think of this art in that room? It's in a different part of the house. Maybe to casual? I think botanicals would look really good but I'd like to use something I already have.

opps! Sorry vixen, I miss your sofa zone question. It's a view of the circular driveway with trees in the middle. The trees block the only neighbor we have.

Great advice everyone!

I know I bring this up, but I am really at a loss as to what people want anymore, does a house for sale have to look as impersonal as a hotel?

I did not put these away when the house was on the market. There's about 70.

I agree with jij48. I think your room is lovely, and to me, it seems like a waste of money to paint it.

I really like the color and texture of your rug. What kind is it? Is it comfortable underfoot?

pal, I love your collection! I'm a collection junkie from way back.

chick, it's a natural fiber and is ok for the little while that my bare feet are on it. It doesn't prick or stick my feet. I just don't like the way the bumps feel. I wish I could remember what the fiber was. Sisal maybe?

It does not clean well if it gets stained. But, we don't have anything in the bedroom except water to drink.

Hi again Karen --

I'd love to see that art in your room; it'll repeat tones in your wall color and bedframe while providing a graphic punch.

Since you have other rooms in mind too, you might check Pottery Barn and Rejuvenation catalog imagery to get some staging ideas that are a nice blend of traditional and modern (aka transitional).

To touch on Palimpsest's point a bit -- you'll never please every one who walks into your house. Some want it empty, some neutralized, some decorated how they'd do it, some don't care at all!

I've stayed in smaller hotels where every room is different/unique -- but each room was pretty spare so the eye could roam. "Just enough" is highly aspirational for many of us!

So I always think that's a good note to strive for when selling.

ps Sounds like the view from behind the sofa is a lovely one to showcase -- so do try photos with the curtains open once you're ready to go on the market.

Oh my good, I love this room. I could move right into that bedroom. I do not see anything objectionable about it. The colors are subdued and calming and I don't find it too feminine or masculine.

"does a house for sale have to look as impersonal as a hotel?"-umm...add to it "spa experience"..))

and a lot about selling a dream..like you can sell a dream, buy a dream, trade a dream..

HouseVixen I love some of the rooms! but they're rooms that are currently not in this house..since with such level of attention to decor, I'd presume other rooms correlate to one in question..there's probably some inner rhythm to everything. You start in one room-you don't finish there.

you can't sell a dream. at least not a dream that's worth having lol. you can show yours-or somebody else's as you interpret it.

I say-in this case, leave interpretation to others. This room is good enough to not try and wrigle it into something completely else.

The curtains will be open anyway-no real estate photographer will leave them shut when shooting. No real estate agent will let them be shut when buyers come. Same with blinds. Not because somebody might dislike curtains but because a) photographer needs more light when shooting interiors and b) it's considered-rightfully so-the buyers should easily see the windows themselves, and what can be seen from them.

Your room is stunning! I adore the wall color and the drapes, rug, wall sconces, pretty much all of it! I'd lose the dried flowers and probably put up the Limoges boxes for showings, you'd hate to lose one. I loathe beigey-tan colors, and I think your blue is pretty much almost neutral. Plus it looks fab with the conveying drapes! Take a pic with the drapes open...I think that would lighten it up very much. Good luck with your sale'

I wouldn't change anything huge. That is one gorgeous room.

I'd leave it. It looks nice with everything else in the room. I agree with this statement made above.

My agent once wisely told me its not a matter of it having to be a neutral color, it just has to be the RIGHT color. Meaning one that looks harmonious with the house and furnishings and makes your house look its best.

I can see how going to the lighter color in your drapes would BRIGHTEN the room..I am not sure it would make a huge difference in the sale-ability of your home. If the blue is an issue then the issue will remain with the curtains. They are staying you said, so why can't the walls stay too? Anyone purchasing that home will either be up for removing ALL the blue or they will turn away--assuming they don't care for blue. I find it BIZARRE when people actually consider purchasing new furniture to sell a home.(the bed is FINE) The furnishings are not what you are selling and if any buyer can't see beyond an item they may not care for--well they should not be house shopping. That is their realtors job to keep them focused on the bones of a home. Frankly I would be more likely to neutralize the public spaces in a home for sale..a bedroom that is "off" would be tolerated longer than say a living room that is horridly out of date, in my world.

Although I prefer a very different style, your bedroom, as it stands, is lovely. I would not change the paint! If your RA wants to "lighten" the room a bit, look to the shades on the sconces, the dried flowers, and some of the home accents. Go with a different shape and material for the sconce shades, one that updates them. Buy a solid velvet pillow in a color that pops in your room, and omit the vases and starburst mirror. Less is more. The paint is fine.

And if you repaint, the first thing the new buyers will do is to paint the the walls -- LOL! I'm not sure why it is the "thing" to paint everything neutral in order to sell. Of course if you have purple and puce room is one thing . . . but a pretty color such as your bedroom I truly don't understand why everyone thinks its necessary to neutralize the room's walls.

Didn't zillow just say that was a very in color and homes sell for more with it? It looks great. Sorry but flowers gotta go. As for the curtains, (I don't like curtains and don't have any in my home) yet I like yours and if I were you, I would open them and leave them up. Your home is very nice.

I recommend you meet with 3-4 realtors

Thank you all for sharing your advice and talents! I'm sure I'll be back with more questions.