Art specialist warns this popular shade could be secretly devaluing your home
Choosing paint for your home should be exciting but experts warn that by picking the wrong shade, you could be knocking thousands off your property value. Wall colour shapes how a room feels, how spacious it looks and whether potential buyers can picture themselves living there.
Jessie Brooks, Product Manager at Davincified, a premium platform offering custom paint-by-numbers kits, knows which shades stand the test of time and which ones fall flat. In an interview with the Times of India, she shared, “Certain shades might look appealing in the tin but once they’re up on your walls, they can drain the life out of a room.”So what is the colour to avoid? According to Brooks, it is certain shades of pink, particularly muddy blushes and outdated bubblegum tones.
Why pink can be a problem as a room paint colour
Not all pink is created equal but the shades that have dominated interiors over the past few years are starting to show their age. Muddy blush tones – those greyish, muted pinks – looked sophisticated at first but quickly turn dull and lifeless on walls.“These muddy pinks lack warmth,” Brooks said. “They don’t reflect light well, so rooms feel smaller and darker. Over time, they just look dingy.”
Art expert reveals why one particular colour family makes rooms look dull and can lower property values
According to a recent 2026 study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, “Wall colour significantly influences perceived room size, brightness and overall desirability, with darker or muted tones consistently reducing perceived spatial openness.”
Muddy pinks can make rooms feel smaller, darker and less appealing, which can negatively affect buyer impressions.Bubblegum pinks present a different issue. They are bold and fun initially but they date fast. What feels playful one year looks juvenile the next and potential buyers struggle to see past them.“Trendy colours have a short shelf life,” Brooks noted. “When you’re repainting every few years just to keep up, you’re wasting time and money.”
The property value problem of pink paint
Estate agents consistently report that certain wall colours put buyers off. In fact, one 2026 survey in Housing Studies found, “Properties with highly personalised or non-neutral interior colour schemes were more likely to receive lower valuation estimates due to anticipated renovation costs.” Pink walls can reduce offers, as buyers mentally factor in repainting costs and effort.Pink sits near the top of that list of disliked colours. Viewers walk into a pink room and immediately start calculating redecoration costs, which translates to lower offers.“Buyers want to move in without major work,” Brooks explained. “If they’re faced with repainting entire rooms before they can settle in, they’ll either walk away or knock money off their offer to cover the hassle.”Neutral tones let buyers imagine their own furniture and style in the space. Pink forces a specific aesthetic on them, and most people can’t look past it.
The psychology of wall colour
Colour psychology is not just marketing fluff. It genuinely affects how we feel in a space.
Pink can be calming in small doses but certain shades on large wall surfaces create unexpected effects.Muddy pinks can make people feel sluggish or uninspired. They lack the energy of brighter colours and the calm of true neutrals, leaving you stuck in an uncomfortable middle ground.
Specialist explains which shades create timeless appeal versus those that date quickly and drain visual warmth
A 2026 Frontiers in Psychology study revealed, “Muted and low-saturation colour palettes were associated with lower stimulation and reduced positive affect, while balanced warm neutrals produced the highest comfort ratings.”
This validates the discussion on colour psychology, showing why muddy pinks can feel dull or uninspiring, while warm neutrals create a more inviting and universally appealing environment.“Your walls set the mood for everything else in the room,” Brooks said. “If the base colour feels off, nothing else will look quite right either.”Brighter pinks might seem energising but they can become overwhelming. Living with walls that demand attention gets exhausting and the colour can clash with furniture, artwork, and even natural light as it changes throughout the day.
What paint colour works instead
If you love pink but want something that lasts, Brooks suggested looking at warmer terracotta tones or soft peachy shades that have more depth and complexity.“Terracotta has been used in homes for centuries because it’s warm, earthy, and works with almost any style,” Brooks explained. “Rather than competing with your furniture or artwork, it complements them.”For those after something lighter, soft creams with warm undertones create that gentle, welcoming feel without the risks that come with pink.
They reflect light beautifully, make rooms feel larger, and work with any decorating style.Greiges (those grey-beige hybrids) have staying power because they’re genuinely neutral. They do not impose a specific mood or style, which means they will not feel dated in five years.“The best wall colours are ones you stop noticing,” Brooks said. “They should enhance the space and let your furniture, art and personal touches take centre stage.”
The timeless approach
Creating a home that feels current without being trendy requires thinking long-term. Brooks recommended choosing wall colours you can live with for at least a decade.
Expert shares practical guidance on colour psychology and how wall choices affect mood, aesthetics and resale potential.
“Ask yourself if this colour will still feel right when your furniture changes, when trends shift, when you’ve had different artwork up,” Brooks suggested. “If the answer’s no, keep looking.”White remains popular for good reason: it is clean, bright and endlessly adaptable but stark white can feel cold, so warmer whites with slight cream or ivory undertones usually work better.Soft greys work well in modern homes, though they need careful selection. Some greys can look purple or blue depending on the light, so testing samples in your actual space is essential.Homeowners often chase trends without considering the long-term impact on their property. Certain pink shades might feel fresh now but they age poorly and can genuinely hurt resale value. Buyers want to see a blank canvas they can make their own and overly specific colours like muddy blush or bubblegum pink make that impossible.Jessie Brooks concluded, “Timeless shouldn’t mean boring. Warm neutrals, soft creams and earthy tones create inviting spaces that work with any style. They let your personality shine through furniture and art rather than fighting against bold walls. When you’re choosing paint, think about whether you’ll still love it in ten years and whether future buyers will too.”
