Best Kitchen Upgrades for Better Home Improvement ROI

In a previous post, Value of the Most Popular Home Improvement Projects, we outlined for you where your clients can expect the greatest return on investment for remodeling the rooms of their homes. While none of the most popular home improvements offered an overwhelming return, bathrooms and kitchens consistently showed the best ROI. Here, we present some of the most profitable kitchen upgrades to improve the ROI of a remodel.You can use these tips to help close the deal on kitchen upgrades when you have a client that wants to “think about it some more”.Recessed lighting, double sinks and ample room to sit and eat are the top trends in kitchen designs, according to a recent National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) survey. Yet, according to Realtor.com, custom cabinetry, a kitchen island, creative lighting, granite counters, large pantry, stainless-steel appliances, tile backsplash, and breakfast bar.

Hot Trends in Kitchen Appliances

High-end appliances, also known as “kitchen bling”, are typically the most expensive renovation, usually with an equally high ROI. Call it a need for eye candy, but shiny new appliances – fridge, stove, stainless-steel dishwasher – have a huge impact on prospective home buyers, which is good news for the current homeowner.From retro to contemporary, appliances can “make the space” when it comes to kitchen renovations.

Custom Cabinetry in the Kitchen Offers Good ROI

After appliances, cabinets are the most expensive item on a kitchen upgrade checklist, averaging between $3,900 and $12,000.Custom cabinets say something about the homeowner, reflecting both taste and functionality. (Ikea.com) 

Island Living

While a trip to the Bahamas might be nice, island life in the kitchen has huge potential for increasing the value of a renovation. Combined with granite counter tops, another popular improvement, a kitchen island should always be considered, if space is available. (Mutfak Modelleri)

Stone Countertops are Hard to Beat

Pure white is making a comeback. When added to the countertops, you may be creating an unbeatable combination for your client. (Mutfak Modelleri)While the immediate goal of a kitchen renovation is to make the most popular room in the house even more livable, it’s always wise to keep the eventual return on investment of kitchen upgrades in mind for your client.Looking for more new design trends, tips, and ideas? Get in touch with TD Fall today. 

Interior Design Tips: Kitchen Cabinets for the Most Popular Room in the House

It has long been said that the kitchen is the most popular room in the house for most families. Yet, it is often the bane of their lives for interior designers. Perhaps the reason for this is that the kitchen IS the most popular room, meaning everyone in the family has an opinion about it.Well, in case you were wondering, the adage is true. According to a study by Realtor.com, analyzing the rooms most mentioned in listing descriptions, the kitchen has overwhelmingly become the most popular room in the home at 69%, followed by the bedroom (49%), garage (35%), and living room (21%).This means that, as a designer, you must place as much importance on kitchen design, functionality, and comfort as your client does. Obviously, knowing which features of the kitchen will help it stand out among other homes is critical to a successful redesign.Some features will add value to a kitchen, while other amenities are less relevant to buyers. Custom cabinetry ranks at the top of the list for adding value to a kitchen, followed by a kitchen island, creative lighting, granite counters, large pantry, stainless-steel appliances, tile backsplash, and breakfast bar. To protect yourself from angry clients, stay away from over-the-stove microwaves, maple cabinets, and 4 x 4 tile floors.If buyers like custom cabinets (and they do), and they also like wood (and they do), then it makes sense to focus on finding the right custom wood cabinets to add value to your client’s kitchen.Custom Shaker-style wood cabinetry offers far more than ample storage in this redesigned kitchen. (NewHomeSource.com)Lighter woods also have their place when the client wants an open, roomier feel. (NewHomeSource.com)The simplicity of design does not have to mean simplistic. Paints and veneers add flexibility to wood cabinetry that is hard to match. (Phil Kean Design Group)The concept of “home” still pulls at the heartstrings, and homebuilders say that upgrading certain features and adding special flourishes remains high on buyers’ shopping lists. As shown above, #1 on that list is the kitchen!Looking for more new design trends, tips, and ideas? Get in touch with TD Fall today. 

New Interior Design Trend: Mixing Wallpaper Designs

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal (of all places) offers insight into an interesting new trend being followed by interior designers: mixing wallpaper designs within the same space.Say what?That’s right. With the recent versatility of wallpaper from the manufacturers, including much less permanent adhesives that used to wreak havoc on drywall, adding and removing patterns and textures is far simpler than in the past.Now that a room can be stripped and re-papered within a few hours, innovative designers have gotten over their fear and are making inroads into new uses for old-style wallcoverings.“‘The new, vast selection of papers is energizing designers,’ said industry veteran Dennis Shah, president of Studio Printworks in Hoboken, N.J. His company creates handmade papers via centuries-old processes such as block and screen printing, but he has also invested in digital printers, which can produce giant seamless panels, scale designs up and down to fit any wall and achieve effects not possible with analog methods, such as subtle watercolor-esque gradations and razor-sharp photorealism. With this flexibility, ‘designers are excited, unusual ideas are coming to fruition and rules are being broken,’ said Mr. Shah.”

Contrasting Walls and Ceiling

For example, this combination of contrasting papers on the walls and ceiling of a sitting room. Whether you choose to “flex” with patterns or colors, today's choices come in almost endless varieties.

Brave or Bravado? You Decide!

While the word “busy” might be a bit tame for this collection of wallcoverings, it certainly cannot be said that the choices made were not bold. And yet, despite the stunning array of patterns, the oriental theme somehow brings it all together to make a cohesive statement.

Mix n’ Match Colorways

Far subtle is the use of two colorways to add a bit of life to this simple yet elegant living room. The similarity of the patterns, though presented in differing hues, hold the design together beautifully. Whatever you may think of some of the choices shown above, the good news is that wallcovering is making a comeback. This, along with the flexibility of mixing wallpaper designs, gives interior designers an addition to their palettes that had been missing for a couple of decades.Looking for more new design trends, tips, and ideas? Get in touch with TD Fall today.

Spring Design Trends for Outdoor Living

Spring has sprung and, though it may not seem like it in certain parts of the country, it’s time for all designers to begin thinking of what their clients might enjoy when outdoors. Beyond landscaping changes, this year is seeing some interesting spring design trends for the deck, patio, and backyards.

The latest trends in landscaping reflect the desire to bring the indoors outside; to create comfortable outdoor environments that are as functional as they are beautiful. There’s also a shift toward sustainable landscapes that reflect a renewed sense of mindfulness for the Earth and its ecosystems.

It’s important to remember that the backyard is a very private space for most homeowners, yet one which they also enjoy sharing with others. This can make the design of outdoor spaces particularly challenging as they must meet the needs of the client comfort, while also making something of a statement to their guests.

Backyard Design Trends for Spring 2017

With these things in mind, we offer a peek at what you may see enthusiasts of backyard living adopting this year:

Bespoke outdoor living – A fully customized yet livable space outdoors offers multiple opportunities for creativity and innovation from the designer. As more homeowners take entertaining outside the home, many year ‘round, landscapes have become extensions of interior spaces, including the furniture and appliances.

Themed spaces, fire pits, brick ovens and grills, sitting areas with multiple levels, dining areas, fireplaces and fire pits, romantic bedroom areas, yoga gardens, sports areas, and even full kitchens are taking backyard entertaining to a level well beyond simple patios and decks, turning the contemporary backyard into a retreat from the everyday world.

Softer, more calming colors – With nature as inspiration, soothing pink and blue hues will be seen in backyards across the country this spring. In everything from plant life to furniture, from heritage rose bushes, Catherine Woodbury daylilies, Angelique tulips, blue lace delphinium, French hydrangea to sofas, settees, and throw pillows, the colors and shades of outdoor living will reflect a sense of caring for the planet.

High-tech moves outside – As a natural extension of taking indoor living outdoors, today’s most popular technologies will certainly follow, backyard Wi-Fi and TV installations leading the way. Further, creative and functional lighting, with dramatic and boldly colored lights, twinkling accent lighting in walkways, and low wattage LED lighting solutions will be important to the conscious homeowner who chooses to spend more time outdoors.

Water features – The techniques used to manage storm water will no longer be hidden from view. Rain barrels, rain gardens and stone retaining walls add stunning dimension to lush landscapes while serving an important purpose of collecting, cleaning or stopping the water. In fact, water and other non-plant features, including sculptures or pottery, are becoming focal points in landscapes.

“Naturescaping” reaches full bloom – Growing in developing environmentally conscious landscapes will reach a zenith this year, with ever more homeowners focus on their personal environments. Selecting and growing native plants to attract birds, insects, and wildlife, as well as landscapes that require minimal effort to maintain, will become increasingly important to the outdoor living enthusiast.

For many interior designers, the job this year will move outdoors, as a larger number of homeowners take their entertaining, and their lives, into their backyards. Have you seen other movements toward changes in the design trends for outdoor living in your area? Please them in the comments section below.

Looking for more new design trends, tips, and ideas? Get in touch with TD Fall today.

Nautical Home Design Trends for 2017

Even as shades of blue and vintage furniture become ever more dominant interior design trends, so too are nautical themes renewing their presence in homes across the country. From nautical decor to accents in the colors of sky, sea, and sand we’re seeing a freshening of the mood that can be created by living at, or near, a seaside resort.

Whether you and your client are eager to go “All-in” with a seafaring theme, or would rather hint at a maritime feel, a stunning array of furniture, wallcoverings, accents, and wall hangings are available to help you navigate your client’s needs.

The Seafaring Spirit is Alive and Well

Open and airy, breezy and comfy; those are the feelings that homeowners seek when they ask you for a nautical design theme. Here, a “sea of blues” wash over the inhabitants of this home in Martha’s Vineyard. From CountryLiving.com.

Not to be outdone, even the landlocked have access to a beach themed décor, with cushioned furniture in soothing white, cool blue, and relaxed gray-beige tones. From House-Interior.net.

If Living at the Beach is Impossible, Bring the Beach Home

A meal by the shore is still possible, even when dining in. From HouseBeautiful.com.

This beach-style bedroom will take you there, regardless of location. From Houzz.com.

Nautical Accents Make a Subtle Statement

Sometimes, the simplest accents are the best. Nautica throws from House-Interior.net.

Steamer trunks are a beautiful nautical accent that will not overwhelm a space. From HouseBeautiful.com.

Simple yet Elegant Nautical Furniture is Available

The Cape Porpoise Poster Bed in Crème Brulee finish from Somerset Bay furniture brings home the feel of Nantucket, regardless of where home is located. From SomersetBayHome.com.

Looking for more new design trends, tips, and ideas? Get in touch with TD Fall today.

New Design Trends for Home and Office 2017

Based on the latest information from the Realtor.com Home Improvement column, there are a few sharp turns ahead for interior design trends this year. And, while we’ve already shared some of the expected hot new design trends for this winter into spring (here and here), ideas are as numerous as the stars and, though they may not be as bright, we can only hope they illuminate and inspire.

While innovation and an eye for style may be the most valuable tools you possess as an interior designer, there comes a time for all for us when we get a bit stale. It’s human nature to repeat what has worked in the past yet, if you hope to keep your edge, it’s often a good idea to see how others have met a design challenge. Seeing the creative solutions that other designers have developed will frequently spark innovation.

Geometric Patterns are Calculated to Catch the Eye

Whether bold or subtle, whether as accents or focus point, the geometric designs that became fashionable last year will persist and expand into home and offices this year.

Cole & Son “Deco Palm” geometric wallpaper design

Lonny.com Geometric throw pillows

Tropical Designs can make a Room Temperate or Sweltering

Has your green thumb fallen off? Replace live (or dead) flora with leafy greens or tropical fauna for a balmy and sultry feeling in virtually any space.

Realtor.com, shares a photo by Kohler

Flamingos wallpaper design by Cole & Son

Black Stainless Appliances offer a Sleek, Modern Look

While brushed stainless appliances have had their day, black stainless remains easy to care for and maintain, while making a statement the neighbors have yet to consider.

Black Stainless Steel Appliances by Kitchen Aid

Bold Entries that lead to Beautiful Encounters

As the saying goes, you only get one chance to make a first impression and bold front doors and entries are a great tool for letting visitors know there are no shrinking violets behind them.

Adding curb appeal to the front doors, from HouseBeautiful.com

Looking for more new design trends, tips, and ideas? Get in touch with TD Fall today.

2017 Interior Design Trends for the Home

According to the online design magazine Houzz.com, here are some of the hottest interior design trends we will see in the New Year.

First, on the fun side of things, voice-activated assistants are making a huge impact. Leading the way is Amazon Alexa, with Google Home making a recent addition to the marketplace. These devices act as a voice-activated interface for virtually all of the digital devices and appliances in your home or office. Simply speak the activation phrase, and the near-dormant device fires up and awaits your command. You can ask it to give you the weather, play a song from Spotify, dim or brighten your lights or power up the hot tub.

Click here to read a review and comparison of Google Home vs. Amazon Echo/Alexa: Cnet.com.

Amazon Echo uses Alexa as your interface.

Generally seen as the most used room in the house, the kitchen can always use more storage. Now, many homeowners and designers are doing away with expanses of upper cabinets and pushing all that storage onto a single hardworking wall. This one-stop hub frees up the rest of the space to create an open, breezy look.

Kitchen Storage Walls instead of Cabinets

Making a good first impression has value and the entry to your home, like a bathroom or vanity, is a compact space where you can have fun with innovation and design – without blowing a budget.

Innovative Entry Design

Certain rooms, such as kitchens, provide little opportunity to make a statement due to a lack of wall space. In these spaces, graphic floor tiles can be used to dress, and impress, such a space.

Graphic Floor Tiles make an Impression

Most homeowners strive for a calm and cozy bedroom by sticking with walls painted in soothing blues, grays or yellows. But according to a recent Houzz survey, intimate or romantic is the third-most desired atmosphere for a master bedroom after calm and cozy. To achieve this mood, look to colors like raspberry pink, deep ruby red, caramel and even black.

Romantic Colors for the Bedroom

Of course, the list of 2017 interior design trends is far longer than those we’ve shared here. To learn more, click her to read the article, 28 Design Ideas Coming to Homes Near You in 2017, by Mitchell Parker.

Looking for interior design trends and tips? Get in touch with TD Fall today.

Understanding the Millennial Home Buyer [INFOGRAPHIC]

According to an article at MultiBriefs.com, the market of first-time homebuyers was at a near-record low in 2015, accounting for less than one-third of new home purchases. The good news is, this three-year trend has begun to tick upward in 2016, largely driven by the millennial home buyer, making up 35% of new home sales this year.

Critical to understanding this trend is the make-up of the marketplace for new home buyers. Based on a variety of market surveys, millennials were responsible for anywhere from 42% to 61% of the new home buyer market. These are home buyers below the age of 36, who are buying a home for the first time.

This infographic, borrowed from Zillo.com, details much of this home buying trend among millennials, according to their research:

Understanding Millennial Design Clients

“Millennials are shaping the market more than anyone realized. In fact, half of all buyers are under 36 and half of sellers are under 41,” said Zillow Chief Marketing Officer Jeremy Wacksman, referring to results from a survey of more than 13,000 homeowners, sellers, buyers and renters that are part of the new Zillow Group Consumer Housing Trends Report.

Beyond these facts, the research shows growing diversity among the millennial home buyer demographic, from racial to cultural differences, even though an increasing number of this youthful group of home buyers seems to be heading for the suburbs – with 47% of millennials choosing to forgo living in the city.

For interior designers looking to build or grow their business, understanding and marketing this increasingly influential and important demographic group is critical to your long-term business plan.

To help you understand the millennial home buyer in more depth, we recommend these earlier posts from the TD Fall Blog:

Marketing to Millennials [INFOGRAPHIC]

Know Your Marketplace – Millennials Influencing Interior Design Trends

Looking for interior design trends and tips? Get in touch with TD Fall today.

Online Video Marketing is Becoming a Must-do for Designers!

A recent study predicts that 80% of online content will be video-based by 2020.

Depending on who you're reading or talking to, YouTube has grown to become one of the Top Three Social Media sites on the internet, at times eclipsing both Facebook and Twitter. In fact, in the US, YouTube has now outgrown Facebook as Number One!

Beyond this, the trend toward video consumption among online consumers of digital information requires all of us to increase our emphasis on video as a marketing tool.

The study, performed by Cisco, predicts that consumer internet video traffic will dominate other types of traffic by 2020, taking a massive 80% share of the global market. However, when Video-on-Demand, Peer-to-Peer video, and business video are added to the mix, that number may climb as high as 90% of all internet traffic!

Here are a few of the high points from the study:

• By 2020, 80% of global Internet consumption will be video content.
• Traffic from wireless and mobile devices will rise to 66% in 2020.
• It would take an individual over 5 million years to watch the amount of video that will cross global IP networks every single month in 2020.
• Every second, nearly a million minutes of video content will cross I.P. networks by 2020.
• Internet video to TV grew 47% in 2014, will increase fourfold by 2020.
• Consumer Video-on-Demand traffic will nearly double by 2020, to the equivalent to 7 billion DVDs per month.

Of course, in the design business, video can make a massive impression on potential clients, enabling you to share images of stylish, high-quality case goods, luxury upholstered furniture, stunning wall coverings, beautiful area rugs, and other offerings. Video is also the perfect medium for introducing yourself to potential clients by making an impression on them with your knowledge, expertise, and personality; not to mention using video testimonials from satisfied clients!

Whether or not you're currently using online video to promote your design business, the current trend toward online video consumption discussed above should be more than enough to inspire you to begin or expand your use of this invaluable online marketing tool.

Looking for interior design trends and tips? Get in touch with TD Fall today.

Winter Design Trends 2016 & 2017

From cozy and traditional to open and masculine, winter design trends this season, and heading into 2017, are as individual and diverse as are peoples’ personalities and locations. While this is not exactly surprising, it can certainly make your job as an interior designer more difficult.The good news is that, if you can take a step back and look at the larger picture, seasonal trends to tend to follow some sort of pattern, making them at least a bit more predictable, as well as more functional and practical. This can make following those trends far less challenging for the designer who is watching the marketplace closely.Winter is the Season to Get Cozy

Whether you follow HGTV.com or Decorilla.com, “cozy” is definitely an “in thing” this winter. Of course, how get there varies greatly and, perhaps, should. After all, not two clients are alike, and neither are their living spaces.

While the room in this image may seem more cluttered than cozy to some, a closer examination reveals that every piece had a place and a purpose, allowing the room to feel intimate without being muddled or chaotic.

On the other hand, the cozy feeling in this space is enhanced by textures and, with the increasing popularity of flannel, cashmere, wool, and cotton being used as upholstery, throws or quilts as accents, along with knitted accessories, there is an obvious warmth to this space that may not have existed before.

There are several ways to make a room feel warmer and, without a doubt, creating that feeling with wood is one of the best ways to do so.

Expanding the “Man Cave”

Then again, the use of wood in a living space is a sure way to be consistent with another design trend this winter, creating a more masculine interior for those who wish it. For this extrapolation of the “man cave” to a living area, dark, moody, masculine interiors are the countertrend to all-white interiors, which are also increasingly popular this winter. (HuffingtonPost.com)

Clean and uncluttered rather than stark and austere, the all-white interior is making a comeback this winter. And yes, growing desire for spirituality, peace, and tranquility in contemporary culture is the driver for all-white spaces and color schemes.

And, simply because it exists, this unique, and uniquely powerful and beautiful, treatment of a fireplace absolutely must be shared – as possible inspiration – and in pure appreciation.

Which of these trends have you seen in your market? Are there others that have made an impression on you? Share your thoughts and insights with us below.

Looking for interior design trends and tips? Get in touch with TD Fall today.