So, you are thinking about updating your kitchen, bath, or maybe changing up the floors in your house. Or maybe you’re in the middle of a new build, and you are at the point of picking out your hard finishes. With all the million options out there which direction do you go, trendy or timeless? Well, that’s actually an easier question to answer than you might think. But, before you can find the answer to that question, you need to ask a different question.
How long do you plan to live in your house?
Why does this matter? Well, did you know that design trends only last about 10 years? So, if you plan to sell your house in the next 5-10 years, you need to think long and hard if you are going to go with the current trend, especially if the current trend has already been around for a few years. Do you want to remodel your home again in order to sell it? You might be thinking, “no way, that will be up to the buyer.” Guess what? Buyer’s will not want to remodel the home either, and you may be left with a home that’s unable to sell. This will force you to drop the price so low you won’t make a profit.
What if you decide your current home will be your forever home? Will you be satisfied with a dated home in 5 to 10 years? If so, knock yourself out and go with the trendiest finishes you can find. Or you can drop another $80,000 plus to remodel every 10 years, so your home will always be the trendiest home on the block. And yes, $80,000 is the minimum you will spend (this is not HGTV, and no HGTV is not real). I’m not saying it’s wrong to have a trendy home, it just depends on what you want and how much you want to spend on your home in the future. Your home will more than likely be your largest investment, so you should think long and hard about how you want to invest that money.
Did you know you can actually have the best of both worlds? How’s that? Make your hard finishes like the backsplash, countertops, and floors timeless. Use your paint color, furniture, and soft finishes to display the latest trends. The great thing about making your hard finishes timeless, is you can decorate your home any style you want. Then, when you go to sell it, every buyer that walks in will see that their furniture can go in the space as well. Or if this is truly your forever home, when you get tired of your trendy décor, you can change it out at the fraction of the cost of changing out your hard finishes.
What are timeless finishes?
Flooring – like trends, tile flooring for the main living area has a shelf life of about 10 years, that’s it. Your best option is to go with a wood floor. Why? Wood floors are like a pair of jeans, they go with anything. What happens when you walk into an older home with wood floors? Most often you comment on the floors, even though they were installed in the 1950’s. Just keep in mind color does matter. A light or medium stain is your best option. Do not go with a gray stain, it’s trendy and on it’s way out. And don’t even get me started on those wood looking tiles. Your dark wood is also a bit trendy and shows every speck of dust. Who wants that?! If you live here in Arizona, be sure to buy engineered hardwood floors. Solid hardwood does not do well in the dry climate.
Backsplash – okay, so I know the long skinny colored glass backsplash is beautiful and they come in so many colors. Stay away! They were trendy and now out dated. My pick? Subway tile. I know, I lost about half of you but stick with me. Watch any outdated movie and look at the kitchen. Most kitchens in movies are white with subway tile. Why? They are timeless. We can tell an outdated movie from the bad hairdos and cars, but the kitchen is usually pretty neutral. Subway tile does not have to be boring though. Go with a color, or colored grout. You can also lay your tile in different patterns to create interest. Just be sure to pay attention to your countertop, which is next on my list.
Countertop – Granite was trendy, and is now outdated. Why? People are realizing that beautiful Granite is bossy. Meaning, if you have a busy Granite, it will dictate what you can put on your floors, backsplash, and even your paint color. Most people who bought into that Granite craze (me included), has realized they are unable to change up the décor in their kitchen or bathroom because of the bossy countertop. I recommend a nice quartz, with very little movement. This will give you so many options with your décor, and there is NO maintenance, yeah!
Pulling it all together
When pulling all three of these finishes you need to pick them out together at the same time, to ensure you have the same undertones. (I will be talking about undertones in another blog, stay tuned!) There is also one rule I follow: you get one pattern, that’s it! What that means is if your countertop has a pattern your floor and backsplash should be as solid of a color as possible. Don’t make two patterns compete with one another (like below), it rarely works. If you still insist on having Granite, that’s your pattern. Don’t use a patterned backsplash. (Mixing patterns with your soft finishes, like pillows and window treatments are perfectly fine and I actually insist on it, but that’s a subject for another blog.)
With all that said, if having a trendy home is something you want, then that is what you should do. The trick is to make sure your finishes go together, and Blooming Daisy Interior Design can certainly help with that. If you want to be a little trendy without going too bold, then go ahead and pick a fun backsplash. In a few years if you tire of it, it’s less expensive to replace than your counter tops or floor. You can also consider your hardware like the pulls or knobs on the cabinets, or your faucet. Go trendy, and if down the road you want to change, it won’t break the bank to do so.
The fact is, there are no set rules. We can help create that beautiful and functional space you have always wanted, because at Blooming Daisy Interior Design your home really does matter.
If you’d like to find out more about our timeless design services, please click here to contact us!
