Although the structural potential of a property, in combination with its geographical location, form the basis for its value, there’s one other big factor that’s easy to overlook when it comes to determining the price of a home: its interior design. From the layout and utility of each space, all the way down to the fixtures, fittings and finishing touches, the way that a property is decorated can make a massive difference to its price.
So whether you’re selling your home and looking to maximise its value in a competitive market, or buying a property and wanting to redecorate in a way that makes it a viable long term investment, it’s worth taking the leading trends in the most luxurious homes in the country into account. Here are some of the major trends in store for 2017 that will help you to do just that.
Low maintenance gardens
In our increasingly busy lives, garden design is leaning more and more towards super-low maintenance spaces that maximise outside utility while minimising the amount of time needed to keep it looking great. Advances in artificial grass mean that you can have a perfect looking lawn all year round with almost no effort; high tech barbeques and outdoor kitchens are also ‘in’, along with exterior adventure playgrounds for the children.
Broken plan living
The recent trend for open plan living has morphed into a slightly different interior design movement: broken plan living. This leaves the living space open without dividing walls, but encourages separation of the space with screens, furniture, or even just lighting, to provide individual areas that are defined by their function. Think an area for studying, another for sitting and relaxing with friends, another for eating, and so on. This often goes hand in hand with a recent trend to leave certain areas of the home free from all technology and gadgetry, further defining the separation and dividing leisure, relaxation, and work.
Improved practicality
Luxury homes are all about improving the ergonomic utility of the spaces we use for the more mundane factors of everyday life. These range from a separate space for pets to hang out in complete with muddy dog washing facilities and heated sleeping areas, to upstairs laundry rooms that mean you don’t have to carry your laundry up and down the stairs to a downstairs utility room. Other functional spaces include games rooms complete with televisions, games consoles (including virtual reality headsets for the technologically minded), and impressive stereo systems.
