When it comes to boosting a home’s appeal, owners often think about kitchen remodels, new flooring, or landscape upgrades. But according to new research from Zillow, one of the most impactful changes may be far simpler—and far less expensive.

Zillow’s 2026 Paint Color Analysis found that certain paint colors can influence how much buyers are willing to offer for a home, with some shades potentially adding thousands of dollars to a sale price.

The biggest surprise? Chocolate brown. According to Zillow’s research, bedrooms painted in a warm chocolate brown shade could increase a home’s offer price by an estimated $2,277, making it the highest-performing interior color in the study. The finding reflects a broader shift in buyer preferences away from the bright white walls that dominated home design for much of the last decade.

“Buyers today respond to homes with soul, and paint is one of the easiest, most affordable ways to add personality and character to a space.” says Amanda Pendleton, home trends expert at Zillow, in a prepared statement. “The right colors can stop a shopper mid-scroll and instantly create an emotional connection, which ultimately drives higher offers.”

That emotional connection appears to be dictating many of today’s design trends. Rather than looking for blank canvases, buyers are gravitating toward homes that feel warm, inviting, and personalized.

While chocolate brown topped the list in bedrooms, one color proved remarkably versatile throughout the entire home: sage green. In fact, Zillow found that sage green was the only color to rank among the top-performing options in every room studied. In bedrooms, the earthy shade added more than $1,000 to buyer offers, while living rooms painted sage green also performed well compared to white walls.

But if there was one room where color choices mattered most, it would be the kitchen. The analysis found that homes with charcoal gray kitchens generated the strongest response from buyers, potentially adding $1,373 to offer prices. Dark plum kitchens also performed well.

And while the findings demonstrated what’s working well, it also found that not every color works in a seller’s favor. According to Zillow, ochre yellow—a dark gold shade—was the lowest-performing color tested. When used throughout a home’s interior, it could reduce buyer offers by an estimated $18,164. The impact was especially pronounced in kitchens, where the color was associated with offers more than $6,600 lower than competing paint choices. Fire-engine red bathrooms and pale pink interiors also ranked among the least popular options.

While paint color alone won’t determine a home’s market performance, Zillow’s findings offer insight into how buyer preferences continue to evolve. For builders, remodelers, and designers, color trends can serve as an early indicator of broader shifts in consumer demand.

The data also reinforces a trend that has surfaced across multiple housing and design reports over the past year: Buyers are increasingly gravitating toward homes that feel authentic, personalized, and full of character. So, the takeaway may be less about any one paint color and more about the broader movement away from highly standardized interiors. As people continue to prioritize warmth, individuality, and connection in their homes, design choices that reflect those preferences could play an increasingly important role in shaping future housing trends.