How Elevated Design Can Hugely Increase Your Home Value

A few decades ago, home buyers looked for simple things — location, square footage, and the number of rooms. As times have changed, so have the interests and concerns of home buyers. When a person prepared to put their house on the market, real estate agents once advised making the home as plain as possible, allowing potential buyers to visualize themselves and their furniture in the space. Now, the opposite is true, as home buyers are searching for move-in ready homes with elevated design elements.

Choosing the perfect design style for your space can be daunting, but by taking the extra time and effort to elevate your home's aesthetic, you can also elevate your home's asking price. Bold, elegant design choices like quartz countertops and custom cabinetry can really wow a potential buyer, tipping the scale in your home's favor. These design elements increase your home's value yet still leave the buyer feeling like they scored a deal rather than settled, making the initial investment worth it.

In the United States, the price of housing has risen exponentially over the past 50 years, leaving many buyers feeling taken advantage of by the market. This real estate climate makes buyers less willing to take a chance on a house that might need a little TLC, so by presenting your home as a cohesive, intentional, and finished design piece, you can justify a higher asking price.

To achieve an elevated design, it's important to design your rooms based on a concept instead of a theme. Style concepts like Japandi, which combines traditional Japanese and Scandinavian interior design, give you ideas on how to approach a room without nailing you down to a theme. Choosing a thoughtful concept, especially one that matches your home's original design and exterior, will maximize your return on investment without requiring you to commit time and money to a full-scale remodel. Don't just pick the most expensive countertop — pick one that pulls the room together.

For the modern home buyer, it's all in the details. Something as simple as a high-end lighting fixture can transform a room and push your home's listing price up a few digits. Adding wainscoting to your walls, giving your kitchen cabinets a fresh coat of paint, and updating bathroom hardware are all great ways to turn your home into an upscale experience rather than just a house. These little details can be added on a budget, but they make a big difference in how your home is perceived.

As you elevate your home with a new paint color or custom features, keep in mind the basic interior design rules designers want you to know, such as the rule of three and the 60/30/10 rule. Placing three objects or pieces of furniture near each other creates a mentally pleasing, balanced image, especially when it comes to accessories like vases, candles, and books. The 60/30/10 rule, which dictates how much of a dominant color, secondary shade, and accent color should be present in a room, can give you helpful parameters when choosing throw pillows or art pieces to stage your home. Adhering to these rules can help influence buyers to view your space positively, even though they might not be able to articulate why.