Top Home Colors and Trends – Portland Real Estate 2019

Color, materials, placement: Whether you just purchased your Portland home or are staging to sell a home in the Portland real estate market, the fresh look you’re seeking is possible with some know-how and inspiration.

Read on for our top Portland real estate agent tips for designing and decorating your interior space this year.

In Portland, should you go Minimalist or Maximalist?

For the past several years, the “look” has been all about clean lines and grey or neutral tones. Inspired by Scandinavian design, people went overboard with whitewash and grey, accented by copper furnishings and fixtures in pointy geometric shapes.

Now, the decor trend is moving away from such minimalism toward “maximalism” — think rich colors, mixed patterns and huge artworks on the wall.

“Colorful kitchens are coming back into style,” says Portland designer Ida York. They suggest tile, a fresh coat of paint, and new furnishings to bring color into the kitchen — or any room of the home.

Boldly Beautiful: Top Colors for 2019

Okay, you’re going to redecorate your interior and bring in some color. But which colors do you choose? This year’s top colors are influenced by nature — flowers and foliage as well as water and stone — and as varied as there are homes on the real estate market.

Let’s start with orange. Portland designer Erin Davis has some tips for incorporating shades of fall into your home decor:

“In the kitchen, put bright orange vases or candles on display—bonus points if you have orange shelving. Or, just in time for the holidays: Try putting out a glass bowl of persimmons on your kitchen island.”

A step removed from orange but still not pink, the Pantone Color of the Year, Living Coral, can brighten and warm any space. Living Coral looks great on furnishings as well as pillows and rugs.

Other colors that are in this year are oceanic blues and warm greys. Using these colors in living spaces and bedrooms will evoke a sense of calm and serenity. Read more about interior paint colors that boost home values in Portland.

Timeless Portland Decor

The best thing about maximalist decor schemes is that they give full permission to show off the things you love. Yes, Portland, that means in 2019, 2020 and beyond you should display with pride the plants, books and tschotches you’ve proudly collected over the years.

Of course, there’s an important caveat: If you’re decorating your home to sell it, avoid any look that could come off as “cluttered”, or distract buyers from the space itself.

Trends: Biophilia …

For many home buyers, getting into a new home is an opportunity to expand into the space and express your personality. And Portland trendsetters have been quick to interpret the design phenomenon of Biophiia as an opportunity to brighten every room in the home with a plant. After all, says the design blog from Ida York, “Plants have always been an important part of balance in the ecosystem, and in our homes. They keep us healthy, quiet our space [and] make us feel good.”

Some ideas for incorporating more green into your home:

A bedroom nook with fascinating succulents that provide a burst of color year-round.
Living room hanging baskets with trailing vines that drape over shelves and cabinets.
A DIY herb garden in the kitchen window, or under a grow light to provide you and your plants with some needed UV throughout the winter.
Potted trees near the front door, and a living Christmas tree you plant in your backyard after the season.

Of course, notes Elle Decor, biophilia isn’t all about potted plants, it’s about incorporating natural materials into all aspects of your decor. Portland is a great place to find handcrafted furnishings, textiles and objects d’art made from stone, wood, natural fibers and even things like antlers and coral!

… and Bibliophilia

While you’re out shopping for a new green roommate, you might run into a bookstore. After all, this is Portland! Decorating with books has never been more fashionable, so feel free to indulge your literary side.

Consider the aesthetic of each unit of built-in shelving by creating a miniature scene. Try horizontally stacking a few books, then pairing them with a vase or favorite framed photo.
Short on space? Try a vertical bookcase in a reading corner, then top the stack with a favorite plant.
Kids’ books are often easier to store off the shelf: in colorful crates, a treasure chest or little red wagon.
Try rearranging tightly-packed bookshelves by color. In doing so, you’ll not only immediately transform your books into a decor feature, you may also come across a few titles you can pass on to the next reader, freeing up space for more books!

Tech-Smart Design in 2019

Here in Portland, the heart of the Silicon Forest, technology seems to infiltrate our lives more and more each year. And, what seems to add convenience may also, in fact, add clutter. Since maximalism is all about adding beautiful stuff, not just any stuff, to a room, where should all those cables, screens and speakers go?

Invest in a cabinet that hides all your TV’s components. In situations where the television must go in the middle of the room, there are cabinets that attractively hide the back of the screen.
Turn your smart speaker into a statement piece by covering it with a case (known as a “skin” or “shell”), or incorporating it into your decor with a recessed mount.
Put an old tablet to use by turning it into a permanent photo frame, mounting it in your kitchen for recipes, or giving it a dedicated spot to serve as a music hub.

Designer Pangaea says Portland clients are always asking about hiding cables. She suggests a number of solutions, from custom cabinetry to carpet tape. Of course, with wireless chargers and docks becoming more common, the problem may soon solve itself.

We hope we’ve given you a few fresh decor ideas for your Portland home. If you don’t think you can work with the space you’ve got, contact our top 1% Portland buyers’ agent! We can help you find the home of your dreams to help you live life in style.