Hot Home Design Trends!

One of the unfortunate realities of selling your current home is that in order to get the best price, you may have to do some remodeling. When you bought that home years and years ago, it was probably the best home on the block, right? But, as time goes on and trends change, that same home can now seem outdated. More and more people are calling in contractors to do major upgrades on their homes in order to sell it for top dollar.

One of the first things you must do before starting this process is to assess "What needs to be done? What do people want in a home?" Well, fear not, here is a list of three hot home design trends that are sure to get your home noticed.

1. Garages are doing a lot more

The Mansfield at Brookdale Estates

Many home designers are looking at ways to design smaller homes with spaces that serve multiple uses, and that's now including the garage. With space in many homes at a premium, it's not too much of a stretch to consider cleaning up that vast cold expanse of concrete and making it more than a place to park the car. Garages are now sharing space with exercise areas, hobby rooms and other uses.
 One of the most important uses for the garage is storage, but not just shelves tacked to the wall. Built-in storage cabinets with doors achieve a clean and uncluttered look that also protects the contents. There are a number of companies now offering sleek and sturdy garage cabinets, workbenches, and wall-mounted storage systems that are versatile and quite attractive. There are also ceiling-mounted platform lifts for even more storage.
Walls should be drywalled, textured and painted with a washable paint. Use ample lighting, especially in work areas. Consider an epoxy coating for the floor, or even a garage mat surface, which creates a brighter, more attractive area that's easier to clean.

2. Ditto for the laundry room
Another space in the house that's doing double and even triple duty is the laundry room. Rather than having a single room that's used solely for laundry, many of today's designers are looking at making this room larger and allowing it to handle multiple chores, which lets other rooms be smaller or even be eliminated.

A laundry room in Suncrest Village

Once again, storage is emphasized, with lots of cabinet space for everything from cleaning supplies to extra toilet paper. Space can be provided for just about any part-time use that doesn't require a large amount of square footage elsewhere, such as crafts or even a small home office.
For most situations, unless the bulk of the living space is on the second floor, the design pros felt that a first-floor laundry room was preferable. One designer adds a doggie door in her laundry room designs that goes through the wall to the backyard. "The laundry room is a great area for the dog during the day, and the doggie door provides direct access to the yard," she said. "It's been one of our most popular options!"
The designers also emphasized the importance of a transition area between the garage and the house: "The garage wants in," was the way one architect put it.
This transition area might be the laundry room, or it might be another intermediate space such as a mud room area, with a sink for washing up. The transition area should contain a bench or other seating for removing shoes, as well as storage for hats, coats, gloves and other outdoor essentials. It should also include convenient storage for things like keys, and perhaps a charging station for phones and other electronics.

3. Some thoughts on kitchens
Kitchens, of course, are one of the biggest sellers in home design. Some designers are getting away from traditional "work triangle" design, and are looking more at designs that work for specific users.

A gorgeous kitchen at Maple Valley Estates

But one thing that all the designers agreed on was a growing emphasis on islands. Islands are very popular, and may incorporate a cooktop, prep sink or some other element that makes it easier for two cooks to operate at the same time.

Eat-in kitchens remain popular, with space at the island or at a peninsula for eating. But what's definitely changed is the arrangement of the seating. Designers are getting away from the "picnic bench" seating arrangement, with all the stools or chairs in a row, which is not conducive to conversation. That's being replaced by 90-degree seating, with stools along two or even three perpendicular edges of the island, the way they would be at a conventional table.

To see some Dan Ryan Builders homes utilizing these trends, click [here]
To read the full article, click [here]