Interior Design Insights For 2021

Interior design is a hard beast to tame, especially in the process of selling a home. Apart from the contemporary trends themselves, an agent may run into a number of additional questions and issues in this area.

One of the first things you will have to consider as an agent is what your role in the interior design element of the sale will be. It is likely that you will play not just one role, but many, even if you have no home staging expertise.

These roles, however, may be more conceptual or diplomatic than practical. Interior design can play a part in everything from minor renovations on the seller’s part to gauging and maintaining the buyer’s interest in purchasing the home.

Your role

On the side of the seller, you may need to help them detach from the property as their home. They will need see it as a product instead. Sellers may be convinced that the paisley loveseat they inherited from their great-grandmother is the perfect accent for their sitting room, and you may have to be the voice of reason.

This doesn’t mean that you can’t get them involved in the aesthetics of the sale. You can get a feel for their tastes and recommend to them a home stager or interior designer they can trust. You also have the opportunity to suggest renovations that will improve their home’s value.

via Serpaco Painting: The simplest details, informed by trends, can make all the difference.

On the side of the buyer, you will need to be able to point out opportunities to make the space their own. Regardless of any work the home stager does, the buyer should not have to do the leg work themselves.

How might a sheer curtain in their favorite color capture the light streaming in from the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room? Can they envision a happy relative dozing in their monochromatic guest room?

Example: Trends from 2021

Thinking back, geometric patterns were a big trend in late 2021. You might suggest that a more financially able seller add geometric trim to their bathrooms, with towels or tiles to match. To a buyer, you may point out that a small, trendy table would be the perfect accent piece in one of these bathrooms. Or you might point out the calming effect the geometric patterns invoke.

This past year also saw the rise of sustainable interior design trends. This focus on nature and energy-efficiency owes its prevalence to the increasing importance of sustainability to emerging demographics of homebuyers. It is especially important to highlight these features to buyers not only for their convenience, but for their aesthetics.

via Homes To Love: Sustainability is and will continue to be a major factor in home sales.

Looking forward to 2021

Many of the trends for 2021 represent evolutions of those we saw in 2021. For example, while marble prevailed in the past year, the next year is leaning toward finishes made of glass whose features echo those of marble.

Other trends, however, are entirely new. As demographics and cultures shift and more people are moving toward urban living, multifunctional and space-efficient furniture and decor are becoming more popular.

New trends can easily excite buyers. Variations on past trends, on the other hand, can be appealing to those who did not get the chance to buy a home by the end of the year and don’t want to find that they’ve missed out on the next big thing.

Whatever your position, and whatever your experience in interior design, remaining informed of decor trends is important and will benefit buyers, sellers, and agents alike.