This regularly-scheduled sponsored Q&A column is written by Eli Tucker, Arlington-based Realtor and Rosslyn resident. Please submit your questions to him via email for response in future columns. Enjoy!
Question: I’m planning to do some remodeling this year and wondering what sort of colors and design trends you’re expecting in 2018.
Answer: If you’ve been inside a new home or professional flip the last few years, the preference towards white and grey is clear in today’s market. When using neutral colors like this, there’s a fine line between a clean, modern look and being too sterile so I was excited that in 2017 market leaders like Houzz and Sherwin Williams started pushing for warmer tones to offset the cool greys that have become so prevalent.
If you’re remodeling with plans to sell in a few years, you’ll want to put more weight into current buyer trends. So visit some open houses for new construction homes to see what finishes builders are using and balance these with your personal preferences.
If you don’t plan to sell in the near or mid term, focus your decisions on personal preferences and don’t be afraid to go against the grain of the consumer market. There’s a good chance design trends will change anyway by the time you’re ready to sell so don’t compromise your style just because it’s not currently in demand with buyers.
Let’s take a look at what the experts are projecting for design and color trends in 2018:
Color
My favorite primary wall paint colors are this light grey or this taupe (each pictured below) from Sherwin Williams. Depending on the color of your floors, cabinets and counters, I think they offer a clean and calming effect that lends nicely to more aggressive accent colors.
Every year paint companies introduce their “color of the year” recommendations and 2018 is definitely a year for the bold. I was not a fan of Pantone’s 2017 selection of Greenery but love their 2018 choice, Ultra Violet (pictured below).
In 2017, Sherwin Williams kept it conservative with Poised Taupe, which I liked a lot and was happy to introduce to clients, but they did a 180 this year and made Oceanside (pictured below) their 2018 color. It makes sense for your beach house, but I don’t see it working well in the DC Metro.
Design Trends
Every year Houzz publishes their design trends and it’s always an interesting read. I pulled out some highlights from their 2018 Design Trends below:
- Matte Black Finishes: We’ve seen the matte finish trend pick-up in appliances over the last year and it’s now carrying over to faucets, lighting and other smaller fixtures. I like the matte finish, especially on large appliances, because you eliminate the fingerprint smudging you get with stainless steel.
- More Color In Kitchens: You may have heard white kitchens are out, but fear not recent home buyers, white kitchens are still the favorite, the growth is just slowing a bit from the surge we’ve experienced over the last few years. Try to accent your white kitchens with some warmer tones or take a shot at using one of the colors of the year noted above.
- Concrete Accents: I’ve always enjoyed this look and am curious to see whether it catches on in our market. I’ve yet to see it used beyond an accent piece (e.g. coffee table) around here.
- Bold-Colored Sofas: Just be careful because you could be one plastic wrap away from recreating Grandma’s house.
- Defining Kitchens In Open Floor Plans: We’ve seen such an extreme trend towards tearing down all barriers between the kitchen and living spaces that South Park did an episode on it last year! I wouldn’t be surprised to see some movement back towards a more defined kitchen space with things like casual seating or storage being used to delineate spaces.
- Dedicated Broom Closet: Nothing beats functional design! Just like putting a sliding spice rack into a narrow space, the idea is to take a few inches next to the refrigerator or pantry to install a tall, narrow sliding closet where you can hang a broom or mop to keep it out of your coat closet or pantry.
Are there any design trends you wish would return to popularity? Which current trends or colors would you like done away with?
If you’d like a question answered in my weekly column, please send an email to [email protected]. To read any of my older posts, visit the blog section of my website at www.EliResidential.com. Call me directly at (703) 539-2529.
Eli Tucker is a licensed Realtor in Virginia, Washington DC, and Maryland with Real Living At Home, 2420 Wilson Blvd #101 Arlington, VA 22201, (202) 518-8781.