I’ve written about trends and fads before. An entire career in the homes and possessions business, I take an anthropologist’s view: what we see, do, and buy (and why) is in our cells. Fads and trends are real and valid. They stick because they reflect something already in us.

TRH’s Magic 8-Ball

Fads are shorter in duration and less costly, trends have a longer lifespan and, as you’d expect, are more impactful and pricier. Are you buying, selling, flipping, renting, or staying and improving?  If money and results count, understanding what we’ll see, do, and buy and why will help you make your best decisions.

Health and Wellness is The Big One. The experience of a pandemic has and will continue to shape much of what drives us. A somber theme, it’s brought new sensitivity to both mental and physical health issues, and catapulted the pursuit of wise choices and simple joys to our collective front of mind.

“Smash documentary’ are 2 words you usually don’t hear together, but you will be. Netflix’s latest offering manifests what has resonated in our cells for a while. In their top 25 its first week, the story of 1985’s We Are the World is TRH’s pick for 2024’s #2 influencer.

A one-off fund-raising effort, it’s a reminder of an even older message:  We are our brother’s keeper. Taking responsibility to make the world a better place is both incumbent and uplifting.   Original video, enjoy!

Your space, needs, goals, and circumstances will ultimately determine your best/most appropriate applications, but here are the themes to count on in 2024:

Consumer behavior

• Reduced consumption. Buyers don’t want to see excess. That goes for elaborate decor from decades past, as well as cases of water bottles in the pantry.  Acknowledging excess can invoke guilt and regret in homeowners, but dealing with it straightaway will get you into a happy place real fast.
• Sanctuary and comfort.  From wall color and weighted blankets to colored noise, proper lighting, and good working surfaces in kitchens, baths, and offices: choosing things that make you feel happy and make your life easier pays big dividends.
• The Big Sleep. Find me a person who doesn’t care about quality Z’s. An uncluttered and serene environment, matching linens, fluffy/comfortable pillows is wonderful to behold, even better to experience.
• Use cooler tones for the majority, and warmer tones for punctuation. Gray is still with us. And it will be with us for a while. But gray-toned, more nuanced colors add polish and softness; more saturated colors add life and energy.  Some favs below, L-R Ben Moore Elmira White, Shale, October Mist, Silber Marlin, Agean Teal, and Blue Nova

• Order.  External/visual clutter creates internal noise and unease. Order is peaceful, and indicates a maintained property to buyers.
• Shopping local. From the downtown mom and pops to domestically sourced goods: the shorter the distance between provider and end user, the better for the world, your pocketbook, and everything in between.
• Self-sufficiency: Even here in suburban Westchester County I know many who have gardens, collect rainwater, and keep chickens. But it was the last listing detail on Adam Levine’s $51M  CA property that cemented this trend for me. Among all the amenities you’d expect, chicken coops! Controlling one’s viability is primitive and powerful, it speaks to our cells. Buying or selling?  Know the local ordinances for chickens. Go organic. Start a compost pile, plant early, or cold frame crops like lettuce or peas. Windowsill herb gardens, even just turning over a dormant garden costs nothing and will engage buyers this time of year.

          Breathe easy! A vital sub-group

• See below on off-gassing.
• Have vents cleared and filters changed regularly, especially if there are pets.
• Green plants. Life and energy at face value, but beyond the O2-CO2 exchange, did you know some houseplants can scrub the air of dangerous gases? NASA does! Before they started growing things in outer space, they were sending these plants into outer space for years, to keep the space station healthy.

Design Choices 

• Choose healthy. The home furnishing industries use a lot of chemicals to make things. Buy low or zero VOC paint, and let new items off-gas before being delivered or installed.
• Biophilic design: Look for elements that foster a greater connection between people and the great outdoors. Big-picture: More sunlight (skylights, more/bigger windows, minimal window treatments) and spaces that blend/extend living space like sunrooms, decks, patios, and balconies, Smaller picture: decor like an aquarium, new plants, and other organically inspired decor comforts us, and are buyer-nip.
• Niche spaces. Create/show specialty spaces that support the need for personal space, as well as aspirational and leisure activities. Great for how you really live, x2 for buyers to see.   Workbenches and dog-washing stations, meditation and yoga/workout spaces, reading nooks, craft, and studio spaces fill real needs, touch buyers’ dreams and convey value.

• Floor plans meant for connecting. Comfortable seating, set in groups as space permits, with good lighting, table space, and generous walk spaces encourage interactions and get those feel-good endorphins pumping.
• Rejuvenating, and thoughtful re-purposing. Economic drivers come after; those based on creativity, function, and the greater good are primary. Think cool stretchy slipcovers that breathe new life into serviceable upholstery. Thrifting. Online auctions, vintage stores, resale shops like REstore, and free/safe online sites like Freecycle to get or donate things. Listings that include info on nearby physical community sites like  TILI Sheds or Zero Waste facilities add to the vibe that buyers seek.
• It’s doubtful the Grand Millenial look will amount to anything more than a curiosity for most of us, but if it’s got Martha’s attention, well, you never know. Fine of course if it’s the space you live in. But for sellers who think they can skate on clearing out and updating:  IMO the heavier, multi-layered and embellished look will keep buyers at bay and money out of your pocket.

The Refreshed Home and its sister company Orange Boom are design and listing prep consultancies. Independent, and with a fiduciary mindset, we work with you to:

• Thoughtfully assess what you have
• Discuss what works (and what doesn’t)
• Create a plan with you that’ll get you to where you want to be.

We untangle the thoughts of buyers, sellers, agents, flippers, landlords, renters, and homeowners. Dollars and logistics are as much a part of our job as dreams and aesthetics. We help you make your own best decisions so you can get on with the rest of your life. Interested or curious? Just start the conversation!