How To Be "Trendy" When Selling

A new year breaths life and new ideas into many aspects of our lives. I always enjoy hearing from the experts about what home design trends to be on the look out for in the new year as well as which trends are on the decline. Being “on-trend” can be tricky when you are considering a move in the near future. Let’s take a look at the forecasted design trends and how I would suggest you use them in order to appeal to a wide variety of buyers.

1) Bold Colors

Experts suggest that white and neutral wall colors are going to be replaced by more bold and saturated colors. Pantone’s 2023 color of the year is Viva Magenta – a very saturated and bold color! Earth tones are also appearing on the 2023 Hot List of colors like Spanish Moss by Krylon, Terra Rosa by Dunn-Edwards, Redend Point by Sherwin-Williams, and Vintage Ivy by Glidden.

Some may love these bold choices! But I have to tell you, such a bold wall color is going to be a drawback when it comes to selling your home. I can hear buyers now “My goodness, that’s a bold choice! We are going to have to prime and put a million coats of paint on the walls to cover that magenta!”

My suggestion if you are thinking about painting is to stick with a more neutral paint color like these options predicted to gain popularity this year: Blank Canvas by Behr and Rustic Greige by Dutch Boy. Take those bold color swatches you love and sprinkle them around the room in your décor. Think throw pillows, blankets, artwork, flowers, decorative books and rugs! There are so many ways to bring color to your space without putting it on the walls.

2) Dedicated Rooms over Open Concept

The experts tell us that homeowners today are seeking cozy spaces to gather. As many of us have begun working more from home, we now understand the need for all the home’s activities to NOT be taking place in one huge open space. We are seeing renovations where kitchens are staying closed off instead of all the walls being blown out to make an open concept home.

This is an easy theme to apply to your home whether it is open concept or not. I always tell my sellers when staging their homes to remember that every room needs a purpose. Make it clear to buyers what this room or space can function as. If it’s a bedroom – make it look like a bedroom. If there is an office space in the bedroom make it a defined space. The use of a rug to define a space works wonders! This can be applied to open concept homes as well. Create a reading nook by anchoring your comfortable chairs with a rug and maybe a sideboard for some visual separation from the rest of the room. In a large open kitchen create an entertaining area where guests can gather by using a bar cart or a high top table. Make each area of your home purposeful.

3) Kitchen Trends

When you hear “butler’s pantry” it sounds like something homes had MANY years ago, but experts suggest that the butler’s pantry is making a comeback! Think about a pantry on steroids! Butler’s Pantries function as a storage space as well as a prep space. Imagine dedicated spaces for your microwave, air fryer, slow cooker, blender and mixer with room to prep meals while keeping the mess behind closed doors. This is a trend that will be a hit 100% of the time with buyers looking at your home. Ive never met a buyer who wanted less hidden storage in a kitchen! So if you have the space and opportunity to create a butler’s pantry, I say go for it!! Or use this idea of hidden storage and prep space with the kitchen setup you already have. Clean and organized kitchens are a hit every single time.

To summarize, if you are considering selling your home in the near future, let your personality and personal design choices speak through your décor, not in the more permanent aspects of your home. Make all your spaces purposeful, and create discrete storage as much as possible! For more specific recommendations on what choices to avoid when planning a future sale, call your realtor. And if you don’t have a realtor, you can always call me!