Updated Kitchens
According to Remodeling magazine’s Cost vs Value for 2020 a minor to an upscale kitchen remodel can recoup from as much as 71.2% to 48.1% of your investment. Kitchens are one of the most costly to renovate and homebuyers take this into consideration when making an offer. The renovation you choose including the selections can determine whether you receive a good return on investment. Choose products and colors that have a universal appeal to guarantee more homebuyers show interest. Check out some of the top kitchen trends of 2020 and contemplate whether a kitchen remodel can help you sell your home fast.
Kitchens: The Focal Point
Referred to as the “heart of the home” kitchens have become the focal point in a home’s floor plan. In today’s trend, the other rooms nearby converge in some way to the kitchen. Formal and separated rooms are passe’ so adjacent rooms will tend to blend well with the kitchen color palette. Neutrals with pops of color and nature influenced colors like green, blue and brown are often chosen in the rooms surrounding the kitchen. Keep the cabinets neutral since you won’t want to change those to meet updated colors and styles as the years’ progress. Use the accessories to pick up color and to blend with the balance of the surrounding rooms.
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- Farmhouse meets Industrial
The farmhouse style is still trending and the selections paired with this warm and casual look is industrial style lighting and sleek modern countertops of granite and quartz. Cabinets are painted or stained but the color of stained cabinets runs more in the ash-gray tones and not the yellow gold tones of the past. Painted cabinets in neutrals and muted earth tones are popular with darker painted island. The corbel is out and remodels include a sleek design with no countertop supports.
Appliance Trends
Stainless steel is still the top choice for homeowners and homebuyers alike but with a satin or matte finish to ward off the fingerprints and pairs easily with fixtures. French door refrigerators with bottom freezer doors are still in the lead but the professional-style stainless gas stoves and ovens are going out as homeowners are opting for a more sleek look. Included in the 2020 trend are the under-cabinet appliances such as microwave, warming drawers, wine storage to name a few.
Appliances are now fortified with technology. You can use smartphones and tablets to control your appliances from anywhere. Some of the newer appliances are equipped with USB ports and digital screens. There are now refrigerators that order groceries automatically when sensing a product is low. Unbelievable! Cooktops can remember your temperature settings as you place pots and pans on the surface. With internet-connected appliances, voice-activated control is also possible.
Top Kitchen Cabinet & Countertop Trends
The top feature homebuyers are requesting in the kitchen is the island. According to a recent Houzz study two-thirds of the kitchens renovated include an island. The kitchen island has been popular for quite some time and is not losing its charm to new home buyers. What we are noticing today is the increased size in these sought-after features even up to ten feet long! Homeowners are also using kitchen islands to coordinate other colors and countertop surfaces with the perimeter cabinets. Appliances are installed into the kitchen island such as sinks, cooktops, undercabinet wine coolers, microwaves, and dishwashers. Kitchen islands add function and extra dining space and can be great in causing a natural division in an open concept.
What do your kitchen cabinets look like? The neutral color palette is still holding strong for this part of the kitchen. White painted cabinets are tops with earth tones coming up next. Light wood tones are especially preferred over any dark or yellowy stain. If you choose to paint your cabinets and update your kitchen prior to selling be careful that the project is professional. It would be better to show a home with outdated cabinets than an amateur paint job.
The countertop surface in your kitchen can make a difference to homebuyers even if the cabinets are somewhat outdated. Homebuyers may be considering DIY projects for their new home and include painting of the cabinets, but countertops require professional installation. Many homebuyers are looking for granite or quartz for their countertop. But glass, stainless steel, and concrete are increasing in consumer interest.
Kitchen Flooring
Hardwood flooring is still top choice, especially with the open floor concept. Hardwood is timeless and can last for the life of the home with periodic refinishing. The runner up is ceramic or porcelain tile due to the diverse colors and patterns and its durability. Some tiles today can look just like wood making it even more desirable with the open concept. This allows resilient flooring in foyers and kitchens impervious to dampness and yet look warm and inviting in the dining and living areas of the home.
Wood-look Ceramic Tile
What has caused a big stir is the popularity of luxury vinyl. Once vinyl flooring was the low-end choice for flooring and considered quite tacky. Now luxury vinyl can take on the look of stone, tile or hardwood. Vinyl is very durable because it doesn’t break or crack like tile and doesn’t need refinishing. Still less expensive than the other two choices mentioned it is climbing in cost as products emerge that one cannot discern as vinyl. Beautifully creative, resilient and cost-saving flooring for the whole house.
Wood-look Luxury Vinyl
Best Investment Home Renovations
The best return on investment comes with choosing to focus on main living spaces such as kitchens, bathrooms, laundry room and storage organization. Choosing a neutral palette gives assurance that more homebuyers will find your home attractive. Remember to keep certain special features such as special moldings, built-ins, and other original details particular to your style home. Do your best to preserve the original bones of the structure. Keep your ideas away from customization and shoot for things that garner appeal from the majority of people like the 2020 top kitchen trends.
The top interior styles that homebuyers are looking for are transitional, contemporary and modern. Still holding some ground is the farmhouse/industrial look. For other tips in updating your home for resale check out Top Home Features Trending. It addresses an NAHB survey of the top features sought by today’s homebuyers.
Make sure you don’t outprice yourself in the neighborhood with too much renovation. Also, realize that if you are in a high-end neighborhood you should keep up with the comps in the area, so don’t choose lower quality products for an affluent neighborhood. Realize that an outdated home could be judged negatively and may cause subliminal messages to buyers that the home isn’t well kept.
