When it comes to selling, it’s a good idea to stay up-to-date with features which buyers are looking for, because trends that add value now might devalue your home in the not-too-distant future.
The arrival of a new season is a great time to make changes to your home but whereas an impulse fashion purchase can be quickly put on Vinted when it’s out of date, changes to your home should be properly planned and considered.
Unless it’s something you are prepared to live with for a number of years or can be easily adapted, fads which might be described as ‘brave’ or ‘bold’ could impact the value of your home by dating it or making it appealing to fewer people.
A home is most people’s biggest investment and where we spend most of our time so it’s important your décor has longevity and is practical. Here are the trends you should avoid this spring.
Some trends are worth avoiding GETTYColour drenching
Colour drenching is replacing feature walls. Instead of neutral tones with a pop of colour or wallpaper on one wall, the trend for 2025 is to paint all walls and woodwork in colour.
This might be great for a showroom or the kind of homes with lots of light and space, but in most homes, it can make a room feel smaller or stuffy if you don’t pick colours with care. Colours for this year are yellows and warm, earthy tones. Yellow in particular is a strong colour which might feel great now the sun has made a return, but it can actually have a polarising effect.
Yellow is considered the most difficult colour to the eye and research has shown that people are more likely to lose their temper and babies are more likely to cry in a yellow room.
Wallpapered ceilings
Wallpapering can be enough of a chore when it’s on a vertical wall but wallpapering the ceiling is set to be a trend in 2025.
This is a very niche style and most people will prefer a simple, painted ceiling which can make a room feel more light and airy.
Not only can a wallpapered ceiling be a huge hassle, but it can also make your room feel smaller and fussy and will likely be viewed as something which will take a lot of time and effort to remove in the future, particularly for anyone looking to move in.
XL sofas
As we spend more time at home - a long-lasting impact of the pandemic - people are investing in huge sofas. These L- or U-shaped designs can ensure uber-comfort when you’re relaxing at home, but they can totally dominate a living space.
If you’re lucky enough to have open-plan or large rooms it’s less of an issue, although how you get them in and out of the house if they aren’t modular needs to be considered. But for those of us with standard-sized rooms, they can limit space and be rather impractical. And on property viewings, they can prove a massive turn-off.
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Some kitchen trends can put buyers off
GETTYThe unfitted kitchen
The farmhouse trend is on its way out but one of the features of a traditional rural kitchen would have been unmatched units – and this is another trend for this year.
The coordinated, practical kitchen units are making way for unfitted kitchens which look like they have been assembled over decades. Think of free-standing butchers’ blocks, vintage dressers and mismatched chairs.
But most people will want to know their kitchen has all the essential home comforts we expect along with plenty of space for our appliances, crockery and food.
The practicality of a well-planned, fitted kitchen may seem a little square but for day-to-day living, it’s a tried and tested design which appeals to many.
Interior and homes expert Kate Conrad is the founder of Madison and Mayfair. For more information visit: https://madisonandmayfair.com/
