There are two major factors that influence what home buyers are looking for each year. There’s what each individual person or family wants and needs from a home and there are the popular trends that have caught the public imagination. Where once all home buyers would be looking for a jacuzzi tub in the master bedroom and two separate living rooms (one for entertaining and one for the man-cave), once again the public sense of style, design, and comfortable living have changed and a new set of preferences takes the lead. Here are five of this year’s top design trends in the housing market.
1) Open Living Areas
One thing that’s become abundantly clear both in new home constructions and popular renovation designs is that closed-in floor plans with several separate living areas are out. Way out to be exact. Families and individuals alike are now looking for open, versatile living areas that can allow a family to comfortably share a big space or repurpose the area into something unique.
The primary key to this design is to have the kitchen open up without much in the way of walls or obstruction to the living area so that even the chef can be a part of family time. Oversized livingrooms, often taking up the square feet that might have once been used for a separate sitting room, study, and media room now becomes a big shared family room residents can open or segment at will, or possibly even transform into a home gym, shop, or dance studio instead.
2) Entertainer Kitchens
Along the same lines as the open living area, entertainer kitchens are the ideal arrangement to involve the family chef in the openly shared activities. The center of an entertainer kitchen is the island, possibly with an integral stovetop, with comfy bar stools arranged along the other side. This way, during meal times the chef takes center-stage, very much like they were running their own personal cooking show with the entire living room as an audience. People sitting at the island can either help out or simply keep the chef company and activities in the main living area flow smoothly from one space to the other.
3) Luxury Showers
Where once a house wasn’t considered a home unless you could take a long hot soak in a bath, baths are becoming less and less important to modern homeowners and many are choosing to use the space in an entirely different way. Instead, luxury showers are coming into play. Some tubs are being replaced with walk-in showers which are deep enough to never require a curtain or make a mess while creating a beautiful tile-lined little room to relax in. People with small spaces can get a more luxurious wash from a nice shower stall than they could from a cramped tub, and seniors are choosing shower stalls with benches, bars, and adjustable sprayers rather than risk slipping getting into and out of a tub.
4) A Splash of Color
Of course, not every design trend is one that comes as a built-in part of the home. The modern market is alive with homes painted in ways that are not traditionally salable. In fact, you don’t even have to paint rooms all one color anymore. A subtle mix of ivory and blue-grays has become incredibly popular, often accented with one or two rich color walls that make the accents in the interior design pop. When on the search, if you see what looks like an unusual paint choice, consider keeping the home on the list to see if the color inspires your buyer to imagine what they could do with that color or how they would change it.
Whether your client is looking for a new home alone, with their romantic partner, or for their growing family, it’s important to understand the modern trends both to understand what your clients will expect and to help them determine what they like best. From a kitchen worthy of a cooking show to using whole walls for accent color, look for a home that lets your client’s personality shine through. For more real estate news and for help funding your future fix and flip projects, contact us today!