While buyers are still seeking homes that offer safe, enjoyable shelter, new wish list items are emerging that give houses better design and function.
Homeowners in 2022 started reevaluating their surroundings resulting in an evolution of home design. This is due to the off-shoot of the pandemic, when life was disrupted and homeowners had to reevaluating their surroundings. Cases in point: the rise of the home office and backyard pools.
Some hot trends started years earlier, including energy efficiency, conservation of natural resources (especially in fire- and hurricane-ravaged areas), and affordable housing.
In addition, each cohort has its own wish list—baby boomers want lower maintenance and millennials want strong broadband connectivity.
One caveat: Know that there’s no universal agreement about what’s in and what’s out, even among our pundits who offered these ideas.
1. High-Speed Internet and Broadband
A home office or workspace remains essential for many home buyers. However, if a house doesn’t have a good digital infrastructure, work-from-home buyers may not be interested.
Young buyers coming from urban areas expect it, yet it’s not always available. This advise is to make sure high speed is available for your buyers, and if it’s not, find an alternative before they invest.
2. Quality, Quality, Quality
Location may still be king, but, not to be taken lightly, buyers want quality in building materials, systems, and appliances. They know how hard it is to secure materials due to supply chain disruptions and find a contractor who’s available and can get the work done right. “They don’t want inexpensive gray and white vanities with a composition top.
Now, most people prefer something like a dark navy or sleek modern dark wood with a thick porcelain top, something that echoes Mid-Century style,” Hoffman says.
Buyers also want personalized items that suggest quality, such as a kitchen island that resembles a piece of furniture, says J.T. Norman, business development, product, and design innovation specialist at Kitchen Magic in Nazareth, Pa.
They also prefer that original brick is left unpainted but given trim that’s accented with a dark color, says architect Eddie Maestri, founder of Maestri Studio in Dallas.
3. An Encore for Home Theaters, and a Welcoming to Yoga Studios and Sophisticated Lounges
After losing appeal because they took up too much space, home theaters are popular again as homeowners seek more at-home entertainment. Most are constructed on the first floor or lower level, says designer Joe Fava, CEO of Fava Design Group in Miami.
A newcomer to the trends list is a yoga studio as homeowners look for ways to unwind and stay fit at home, he says. Maestri also has received more requests for an intimate living space—what he terms a lounge or parlor—that includes club chairs and a bar, but no TV.
4. Purple is the New Gray (or Black)
Once considered the color of royalty, purple has become one of the “reigning” requests in the increasingly colorful world of home design, says Scottsdale, Ariz.–based designer Julia Buckingham of Julia Buckingham Interiors. “It’s a jewel tone that is both rich and neutral as a base for bright or more earthy hues.”
In one project, she mixed it with a lively red and a natural stone chandelier. “It plays well with both vintage and modern, which makes my ‘Modernique’ heart very happy,” she says.
Norman says an earthy khaki green is also a current favorite choice. Color expert Amy Wax of Your Color Source predicts the popular colors in 2022 will relate to nature. She anticipates softer greens, earthy taupes, warm browns, and off-whites. We may also see a nod to happier times and a carefree lifestyle in the form of brighter teals, Kelly greens, peaches, and oranges.
5. More Outdoor Changes
Having a yard or balcony gained ground during the pandemic and remains a big draw for buyers.
As homeowners spent more time outdoors, their wish list for that space evolved. Hoffman finds that buyers want a flat yard that’s more usable than a hilly one.
More people want a pool, so much so that many installers are booked into next year. Huntsville, Utah–based landscape architect Laurie Van Zandt of The Ardent Gardener says she usually designs one or two a year, but in 2021 she designed eight. A fire pit is also still high on wish lists, but an elaborate outdoor kitchen with a pizza oven and beer tap has waned in popularity. With this said, many found they rarely use these bells and whistles. What’s needed is a good 42-inch grill and cabinetry, says Chicago kitchen designer Mick De Giulio of de Giulio Kitchen Design.
When it comes to furnishings, Van Zandt says several clients have asked for nostalgic items that remind them of their grandparents, such as a porch swing, or have wanted to reflect their heritage through plant choices, colors, or design items. They also favored less-manicured gardens and yards with native grass seed blends.
Greenwich, Conn.–based landscape architect Janice Parker says she has started incorporating lighting that looks like it comes from a natural source, such as candles. In climates where bugs are prevalent or homeowners want to extend their outdoor enjoyment, there’s greater interest in screened porches, says home staging expert Kristie Barnett of Nashville-based The Decorologist. To connect outdoor or quasi-outdoor spaces to indoors, more homeowners are replacing windows with movable glass walls, says Norman.
Hi Brent, great article here
Hey thanks!
thx!