Investor · Newnan, GA · Member since 2015 · 81 posts · 24 votes
I'm remodelling my 1965 home that has the oh so popular wood wall paneling instead of sheet rock interior walls. I have seen plenty of hones with beautiful hardwood floors that were covered with carpeting as well. While I'm remodelling, I try to stay away from anything that is 'in' or newly popular that I think will eventually be unpopular again.
What do you all see that is ultra popular now thay will eventually be seen as just awful?
I think farm style sinks will be one that are big right now and will stick out as a dead giveaway that your kitchen was remodeled in the 2010's.
I think stainless steel appliances and granite will run their course. Stainless steel is very hard to keep clean. It looks too sterile. And most granite stone is just hideous, so busy and distracting. When that happens the person who discovers a productive use for the millions of pounds of granite that will be thrown away will become very wealthy. I agree with the loud back splashes mentioned above. I am also not a fan of fake looking things like laminate, or even the wood looking ceramic tile.
1) laminate floors that sound like you are walking with tap dance shoes on
2) vessel sinks
3) anything that is painted "faux" style
4) open floor plans (although I think this is still 2-3 decades away from becoming an undesirable floor plan)
I have wondered for years what will replace SS appliances. I don't know the answer.
I agree on vessel sinks. I think loud back splashes will be the same way.
I think "fake" materials will gain in popularity if anything. A lot of them are getting to a point where you get the look and to some degree feel of the simulated material with the practicality of the actual material.
I think SS appliances and granite counters will maintain some level of popularity long-term, because they last fairly well. Porcelain/Ceramic tile has been that way, you can see it in a variety of eras of housing . One big thing SS appliances have going for them is they don't automatically clash if you re-decorate or even replace and appliance with another color. Day to day SS may be hard to keep clean, but it will be fairly shiny for an home viewing even if the appliance is fairly old.
I don't know that the open floor plan will go away, but I could see the general kitchen obsession being reduced on some properties. To some degree this has happened with bathrooms. While people still want nice bathrooms the jacuzzi tub is a lot less prevalent. What could replace an open plan would be rooms that were easily configured. I think there would be some technological advances and a lot of design work to do this well. 20 to 30 years from now how cool would it be to remotely configure your dining room if you have family coming over for dinner or create an open configuration for friends coming over to watch a football game?
Shag carpet is the ultimate example in home fashon victim lore.
1) impractical...remember raking your bedroom? Caught all the dirt and was haed to vacuum.
2) Trendy colored. To muliply the sin, we all got harvest gold, avacado or rust shag...or all,three mixed.
3) High Investment cost... It stayed around so long because we had to live with our choices until we could afford to replace it.
Leasons learned:
If it pops, It dates. Don't spend much unless it can be updated...with paint? There is primer to both paint over or tile over backsplashes...we just need super thin tile, like wallpaper tile.
If it is a maintenance comitment from the get go (atrium garden in the entry hall) or if something comes along that is easier to live with, it will likely quickly become a negative.
#1 if it costs 5-10% of the dwelling to replace ( coral bathroom fixtures or a suite of chocolate brown appliances) tread carefully.
Wood flooring is about as timeless as you can get....and style trends and preferences go from light to dark, red to brown to gray undertones and small plank to large, shiny to matte...and who,would have guessed people would pay up to,get flooring that looks like old shipping containers planked together and sanded. I kind of like it, too.
PS. Kitchenaid announced a black stainless. Whirlpool? Has the Arctic ice...white glass look. So maybe stainless will recede in popularity and hold the spot along black and white that almond used to have. My sister in law just did her kitchen in new reto appliances in turquoise. Middle income with strong style preferences.