Gray -- the fashionable neutral

Tired of beige walls? Want a new alternative to your stand-by black pants? It's time to check out gray -- the freshest neutral in both fashion and home design.

We've built a Pinterest board showcasing some of the best gray:

Here's a closer look at a few of our favorites:

via Pinterest, via Satsuki Shibuya

via Pinterest, via Jaime Derringer

via Pinterest, via Afro Chic, from design*sponge

This week's email from West Elm also features gray (or "graphite", a more glamorous name):

We just used two soft grays in a living room, and we love the results!

photo by Lisa Ratner

The darker gray on the left is Coventry Gray, and the lighter on the other two walls is Horizon (both Benjamin Moore):

A word of warning about grays: they can look really different from the color cards when painted on your walls, depending on the light. We've found that many can end up looking purple or lavender. And these I've shown here look almost green on my screen -- not so in person. So always test your color selections before you buy that big gallon!

Fresh colors help sell a home

Last week we staged our biggest project yet -- a 3-bedroom, 3-bath (plus office) home with an in-law apartment in the back. We were really happy with the results, and so were the developer (who hired us) and the real estate agent! After just one open house, they are expecting several offers this week.

Take a look at the photos below, all shot by the talented Lisa Ratner.

Family room

Living room

Dining room

Office

Kids room

In-law apartment

What made this house so sellable? First of all, the developers did an excellent job. All the material selections -- lighting fixtures, tile, cabinets, etc. -- were spot on, and their work was high-quality. The floor plan was very livable and the home got lots of light.

As far as our contributions, the two top reasons the staging worked so well are:

1. Color choices. We selected a modern fresh palette based on light grays, warm white trim and pops of citrus colors. Note the yellow bedroom, the orange accessories in the in-law, and the green accent walls in the dining room, office and family room.

2. Mixing old and new items. In our staging we take advantage of some Ikea favorites as well as Eames classics, flea market finds as well as new CB2. It's all about mixing the vintage, modern, bold and good old stand-bys.

Knock knock! Who's there? COLOR!

Want your house to stand out from the others on the block? Try painting your front door a bright, cheerful color. We just completed a big Style to Sell job in Berkeley, which included choosing all the paint colors, inside and out. We jumped at the chance to select citron for the front door. We love it with the beautiful gray and clean white trim.

Here's the front door of the main house . . .

And the front door of the in-law apartment in back.

They are actually the same colors, although the lighting makes them look different.

Here's some more bright door inspiration for you!

(via Pinterest, via bhg)

(via Pinterest, via the stir.cafemom.com)

(via Pinterest, via apartmenttherapy)