Renomaxxing
5 design faux pas to avoid in 2027
When showing homes these are design choices that we see clients audibly groan at and skip the house altogether. Smart designers know to renovate for the future, and know what worked in the early 2020s does not work today.
Right now, home buyers love novelty and nostalgia, if you are able to showcase a home with updated features to create a healthier home and also offer a feeling of nostalgia, your home could sell faster than homes with the features listed below.
Wine is Out
You can thank Penn Badgley for the fact that glass rooms in the basement give clients the ick. The all-glass wine enclosures on the main floor are also extremely unpopular. Where there could have been a pantry or mudroom, now stands a useless cube that needs the glass polished and the bottles dusted weekly.
Padded Vinyl Flooring
Yes, it might be warmer in a basement, but it feels and smells like a faux-wood plastic gym mat. Padded vinyl flooring can give a basement an oddly muted, almost soundproof feel. In modern homes, not many items are made out of 100% natural components anymore, so the plastic-fantastic feeling and smell can be overwhelming. It’s better to invest in heated floors or carpeting than padded vinyl flooring.
Oversized LED Lighting
When showing a home, sellers can naively leave all the lights on for that open and clean feeling. Sometimes we have to pull out our sunglasses just to find the off switches. Having LED pendant lights over the kitchen counter and then a massive chandelier in the dining room is too much intense lighting, even during the day. Lighting design is a true art. It is important to know the difference between ambient, task, accent, and decorative lighting. Researching Kelvin scale and colour temperatures is one of the easiest ways to make your home more upscale and inviting.
Millennial Grey
The all-white landlord's special had a moment during the pandemic, when mania filled the air and Live, Laugh, Love signs flew off the shelves. Luckily, black, grey, and bright white finishes can be updated with warmer paint and tile tones. Home buyers expect the outside of their home to be cohesive with the inside. Keeping interiors in line with the exterior is a very smart move.
Piecemeal Renos
If you have ever worked with manufactured products you know there are batches, runs and dye lots. What you purchase today may not be available in that exact colourway or tone a year from now. Home buyers will pay a premium for a renovated home with consistent cabinetry, hardware, flooring, wallpaper, and trim throughout. Trying to match products years later is a total nightmare.
If you plan on renovating and cannot afford to do all the rooms all at once, restore what is already there. You might be pleasantly surprised that your restored home is popular with buyers that want something vintage and different!
Free Home Consultation
Before you spend thousands on renovations, let’s talk! At Magnolia Group, we offer a complimentary home valuation and preliminary design consultation to help you understand what’s not worth updating before you sell. We’ll help you identify your home’s potential, also known as renomaxxing. If you chose to work with us, we will create a comprehensive staging and marketing plan that showcases your home at its best. Save your renovation budget for your next chapter, not on projects that may not pay off. Contact Magnolia Group to get started today!
Buyer and Seller Real Estate Agent: This post was written by Albertine Huizing, a licensed REALTOR® with Magnolia Group at First Place Realty. Specializing in Calgary detached homes and interested in preserving Calgary's original character homes and vibrant community spirit. Providing a personalized experience is my priority, all client consultations and private home viewings are arranged exclusively by appointment. Please call or text +1 403-471-7587 to connect directly. Registered brokerage office address: 1822 10 Ave SW #305, Calgary, AB T3C 0J8.
