I had an appointment last week with an empty-nester planning to leave the rat race of the metropolitan area of our Nation’s Capital for (literally) greener pastures.   My job was to give an opinion on the decisions made in preparation to place the home on the market. 

A concern of Diane’s was her deep red foyer.  She wanted to know if I thought she should change it to the neutral muslin tone of much of the rest of the house.  Once I walked through the entire house, I knew my original first impression was right.  The brick tone should stay. 

Yes, a deep red foyer speaks to the character of the homeowner, but not any more loudly than the clean, clutter-free, well-maintained rest of the home.  And this is crucial.  Because the impression the rest of the home gives would be appealing to anyone, the red serves to distinguish the home among the masses that may be viewed.  

Builders do this all the time with their display models.  Their designers attempt to create subtle themes that will make a lifestyle impression.  I have been to model homes with golf themes too many times to count.   A few years ago a builder in a new development near me displayed a 2 million home with every single room decorated in pink.  It was the talk of the town. Just about everyone I knew went to see it. 

You just gotta love the internet.  It only took me a few clicks to find it.  From Basheer & Edgemoore: