Home Trends To Avoid
7 Soon-to-Be-Tired Home Trends That Are on the Way Out, According to Real Estate Experts
Shag carpet was all the rage in the 1970s. Wallpaper borders and glass bricks were beloved in the 1980s. Along came the blonde wood in the 1990s. And now, these features are some of the first things to go when planning a home remodel.
Wondering which current home design trends are heading to join the others in extinction? We posed that question to real estate agents. Here’s what they think is becoming totally overdone:
1. Barn doors
They started as an interesting accent, but now barn doors are everywhere, says James McGrath, a licensed real estate broker and the co-founder of New York City real estate brokerage Yoreevo.
“Not only have they become overdone, they never really made any sense,” he says. “They are terrible at blocking sound since they just hang over the doorway.” Plus, barn doors feel mismatched in more modern or contemporary homes, McGrath says.
2. All gray everything
Gray floors, gray walls, gray kitchen cabinets! Treating gray as a neutral is something that’s starting to feel predictable, says Samira Tapia, a Los Angeles-based Realtor with Compass: “I specifically have buyers asking me not to send them any all-gray listings.”
3. Open-concept kitchens
The open-concept kitchen seems to be waning, says Catherine Silver Smith of Warburg Realty in New York City. “Many of my clients are opting to keep the kitchen and living area separated for a number of reasons, including the feeling of having more space,” she says. Plus, aromas from the kitchen can waft into the living room and kitchens can get messy — something you might want to be reminded of when you’re trying to relax in a nearby room, Silver Smith points out.
4. Media rooms
Having a private media room in your home (a place to watch all those cooking competitions!) was once the “ultimate luxury,” says Minnesota-based agent Aundrea M. Paskett with RE/MAX Professionals. But with streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and HBO becoming the new norm, she doubts buyers will be wowed by media rooms. “In reality, people don’t really use their media rooms,” Paskett says. “It essentially becomes storage and wasted space. I actually had a client who invested in recliners, projectors and all that jazz, but hardly used the media room,” she says...
