01/17/2023 | News release | Distributed by Public on 01/17/2023 08:27
As we kick off 2023, we surveyed U.S. homeowners to learn about their design preferences and priorities. With fears of a recession looming, cost-effective approaches are top of mind for many American homeowners. We discovered three things: a move toward something we're calling universal decor; a roundup of tried-and-true decor must-haves, and a shift toward ultra-functional spaces.
Here are our top findings, along with some of my own tips to enhance your space without breaking the bank.
Homeowners are cutting back on decor investments-and getting scrappy. Inflation is causing frequent home decor updates to drop: 25% of homeowners swap out their home decor once a year or more, down from 32% in 2021, suggesting that pieces that work year-round-universal decor-will reign supreme in 2023.
In addition to rising prices, 33% of our respondents say they are intimidated by decorating costs, and 29% have trouble finding decor they like within their budget. Instead, homeowners are opting for cost-effective decor options, including fresh paint (66%), moving furniture (49%), new throw pillows (43%), new house plants (41%), and updating wall art (39%). Other cost-effective decor ideas involve DIY craft projects: making a new lampshade or throw blanket, staining a vintage piece of furniture, painting kitchen cabinets, new peel and stick tiles for the bathroom and kitchen floors or backsplash, repainting a room and adding modern wallpaper to give it new life.
Our data suggests that the living room has overtaken the kitchen as the home's central space: 24% say the living room as the indoor space where they spend the most time to feel energized, while 54% say it's also where they feel the most relaxed-even over the bedroom. Some 55% of homeowners also say the living room is where they spend the most time to feel close to others, with the kitchen coming in at number two (21%).
Rooms that are designed to be ultra-functional will see the most use in 2023, maximizing indoor opportunities for connection, rest and relaxation, solitude, and productivity. And with 41% of homeowners saying they want a fully open layout for the kitchen, living room, and dining room, maximizing space is a top consideration. Try placing living room furniture to delineate a separate space-such as with a couch in the middle of the room, backed by a console table-which also fosters a feeling of openness and connection to other parts of the home.
Even with decelerating home prices and a cooling housing market, owners will always need to sell. Which means that whatever their next life chapter is, impressing buyers is always important. Our survey respondents shared the role design plays in that process:
Buyers' biggest design turn-ons:
Buyers' biggest design turn-offs:
Another easy upgrade is switching out light fixtures. It can have a major impact on how buyers perceive the space. I highly recommend replacing outdated vanity lights, pendant lights, or builder-grade flush mounts in favor of more reasonably-priced design-forward options.
Buyers find updated kitchen appliances (23%), a kitchen island (21%), and quartz countertops in the kitchen or bath (15%) to be the most desirable home elements. To further entice them, opt for durable, high-quality materials that can withstand everything from stains and spills to kids and pets. For durability, I recommend quartz counters and luxury vinyl plank (LVP) flooring in colors and patterns that mimic real stone and wood for timeless design.
It's also worth noting that, as mentioned above, 41% of our respondents / those surveyed want a fully open layout for the kitchen, living, and dining room, signaling a shift from open concept - where rooms can easily be connected - to fully open spaces, which have minimal barriers. These open floor plans are still popular in home listings in Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Orlando, Tampa, Riverside, and the San Francisco Bay Area.
2023 trend forecast for architecture, design & decor trends
From the most captivating design features to what they consider "in" or "out" in architectural styles, homeowners revealed what's resonating-and some of it might surprise you.
Architecture
Design
Front door colors
Interior colors
Outdoor features
Renovation priorities
Here are my tips for designing with the top three most captivating indoor design features:
This year, we also expect to see eco-minded homebuyers take an indoor/outdoor approach. Inside, they are more likely to refinish existing floors, cabinets, and fixtures (50%), invest in energy-saving dimmers (47%), or refinish or repaint an old piece of furniture (38%). Outdoors, as in 2021, they will want solar-powered lights as the most eco-friendly landscaping feature (46%), followed by native landscaping (43%), drought-resistant landscaping (40%), solar panels (26%), turf lawn (22%), and drip irrigation (21%).
Are you searching for a home right now? Download the Opendoor app to learn how we can help you find the house of your dreams.
Yasmine El Sanyoura is a Home Designer for Opendoor.
National Methodology
The Opendoor survey was conducted online by OpinionRoute among 929 nationally representative U.S. homeowners ages 25-74 in November 2022 who are interested in either decorating or remodeling their home (or have remodeled in the past two years). For the purposes of this report, Millennials are defined as ages of 25-39, Generation X is defined as ages 40 to 55 and Baby Boomers are defined as ages 56 to 74.
Local Methodology
Opendoor examined the listing descriptions, or public remarks, of all recent listings across all of our markets from January 1, 2021 through December 1, 2022, and analyzed how quickly or slowly a home would sell vs. the market average when certain one or two word patterns were present in the listing description. This helped us identify what key characteristics and home features are correlated with buyer demand. The result is an indicator of what features are sought after by buyers, but it is not a prediction of market demand or intended as financial advice.