Home Design Shifts for 2018!

Home Design Shifts for 2018!

If your DVR is full of HGTV programming, you are not alone! Home design can be more than a weekend hobby, it can be a downright obsession! Whether you’re an investor or a nester, if you’e contemplating improvements to enjoy or add resale value, staying ahead of design trends makes great sense. Here are three home design trendsthat are making a splash in Santa Barbara area real estate and beyond:

Picture of beautiful modern kitchen

Kitchen

  • Open Floor Plan– Gone are the days of the formal living room and dining room! The kitchen has become the beating heart of the home, and open concept type floor plans have taken over accordingly. While this trend started a while ago, creating a kitchen that does not appear as a kitchen but just another space in the room is new.
  • Islands– Islands that look like furniture create great space to cook up some culinary delights. The kitchen islands we are seeing become popular are large and increasingly tech friendly, often equipped with outlets and USB plugins. As furniture, they are often movable to create space as needed.
  • Service Kitchen– With the main kitchen being part of the living area, what do you do with dirty dishes while dining? No one wants to look at them, so the service kitchen provides a great place to handle them. The service kitchen often includes a sink and second dishwasher. It can also be used as a craft room or giftwrapping station.

Bathroom

  • Dual Showers–  Not just multiple showers heads, we are talking his and hers showers equipped with preset heights and temperature preferences. Imagine that!
  • No Thresholds– Having the floor tiled all over is a seamless transition that is very visually appealing. In addition to the visual appeal, having the entire surface be water-friendly means there’s no need to worry about moisture creating problems, as with wood, linoleum or carpet!
  • Seriously Smart Toilets– Welcome to the future, where toilets have learned some very cool tricks! Now your commode can shine at night, open the lid for you and more! Overkill? Maybe, but very appealing to the most discerning buyers!

Picture of huge walk-in shower in master bath

Planning for the Future

  • Wheelchair Accessible– Besides making it easier to move bulky furniture, wide doorways are a key component of a well-thought out plan to age in place. Along with wide doorways, pocket doors help provide optional separation and stay out of the way.
  • Appliances at Waist Height– Long before it is a concern for you, designing rooms to avoid bending and creating back pain is a smart move. Dishwashers, microwaves and more – all waist high with pull out drawers.
  • EVERYTHING Easy to Reach, and Access– From spices to pot and pans and a multitude of other items, being organized yet available (and out of sight) is the name of the game! Cabinets where you don’t have to reach down are becoming more popular for good reason.

For many people, their home is not only where their heart is, but their largest investment as well. We are always happy to consult on upgrades that will add the most long term value. So next time you have a question that HGTV can’t answer, give your local Real Estate Experts a call!

 

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