Resale vs. Personal Style - the Do’s and Don'ts of Making Design Decisions
Recent design changes in my own home.
Often there is a tension between someone’s personal design style and their awareness of how that might affect resale. How you decorate and renovate your home will certainly affect your resale value but that doesn’t mean that your home has to look just like what you see trending on social media or HGTV. I love walking into a home and clearly getting a sense of the inhabitants’ personal interests and style. There are lots and lots of ways to make a home beautiful and unique. Before we get into the do’s and don’t of making design decisions, if you struggle with making your house feel like your home, here are a few things that might help.
Don’t wait to make your house feel like your home. At least half the time I am listing a home for sale, the sellers say they wish they had done all the work to get their home ready to sell as soon as they moved in. Don’t wait until you are about to sell your home to make it pretty. Prioritize in the busyness of life making your home your sanctuary.
Figure out your personal style. I think a lot of people don’t decorate their home because it can be overwhelming. Are you a minimalist, a maximalist, or somewhere in between? Do you like muted tones or bright colors? Are you sentimental? Do you have a certain style you are drawn to like mid-century modern, grandma chic, or English cottage? If you aren’t sure, there are some great online quizzes to help you figure out your personal style, try some below.
Quizzes:
DSA Society Interior Design Style Quiz
Christina Cleveland Interior Design Style Quiz
And here is a blog breaking down design styles by designer Bobby Berk.
some key points in deciding what you should do or not do when making design decisions:
Consider your budget. The design and style of your home is determined by what you use to furnish the home plus what the in-place architectural elements are (things like the layout of your kitchen or bathroom, and the fixtures that remain with the home like cabinets, flooring, and light fixtures). You can truly spend very little money making your home feel like your style with your decor and you will get to bring all of that with you to your next home. If you are doing more expensive, permanent things to your home, I would advise getting an opinion on what it will do to the value of your home.
Think through how long you plan to be in your home. About 10 years ago my parents redid their kitchen. White kitchens were all the rage as were marble like quartz countertops. As the person who will eventually be selling my parents’ home, I was a bit dismayed to find that they had picked a yellow and brown toned granite and oak cabinets. However, this kitchen has been bringing my parents a lot of joy and earth tones are making a comeback. If you are planning to be in your home for a while don’t feel the need to follow the latest trend but pick what you really like. Chances are by the time you are ready to sell, it will be time for a new update anyway.
Don’t expect to recoup the cost of the non-trendy update. If you spend a lot of money on let’s say an expensive pinkish marble, chances are the person buying your home is thinking through their expense to replace that marble instead of valuing it at your cost. If you really want the 4 person hot tub in your bathroom (this has been a real thing in a house I showed), know that you will most likely lower the value of your home by the cost of removing it and putting in something more traditional. There is a good chance that the distinct granite my parents’ chose will be replaced by new owners.
If you have a unique style, spend your money expressing it in ways that are easy to change if you have to sell your home. I am all for everyone’s home being the place that brings them comfort and joy. But, occasionally what does that for a person is so unique that it is going to be hard to resell the house. Let’s say you love The Wizard of Oz and want your home to feel like Oz. By all means paint walls and use decor to give you that feeling. But if you want to use tile to put a yellow brick road through your home, consider the cost of redoing the floor before moving.
Consider the functionality for most people before you make major permanent design decisions. Don’t combine 3 bedrooms into one giant bedroom by taking all the walls down unless you realize that you are greatly decreasing the value of your home. Don’t build a 3000+ sq. ft home and then have a tiny galley kitchen because you don’t cook much without realizing that most people with a large home expect a large kitchen. Don’t rip out every tree, plant and blade of grass from your yard and replace it with gravel just because you have allergies unless you expect to spend some money on landscaping before you sell your home. Again, it is fine to do to your home what you want to do to make it work for you, just know that it can decrease the value of your home.
I always tell clients and future clients to please reach out to me if they are making design decisions. I have seen the reactions of hundreds of buyers over the years to all kinds of unusual choices in homes. Everyone should live in a house that feels like their unique home - a place that functions for their life and brings them joy and peace. If you are ever planning to sell your home though, it is important to think through the repercussions of those design decisions.
For fun click on the photo below to see a gallery of truly weird interior design choices.
