Home Renovations Bounce Back With Neutral Colors

By Scott Van Voorhis

Boston.com Correspondent | 01.13.15 | 3:54 PM

Marble, quartz, and honed granite, as well as more neutral color design patterns, are the hot tickets now in home design when it comes time to sell, experts say.

The changing tastes come amid an uptick in spending on home renovations (including kitchen revamps), a brightening economy, and rising home prices.

Home renovation spending was on track for a record year in 2014. Home and kitchen upgrades were expected to surpass the $145 billion tallied in 2006, according to the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University.

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But while spending on home renovations are back, new styles and tastes are taking hold over the excesses of the irrationally exuberant bubble years. Crazy expensive customized kitchens are definitely out.

I think there is a decrease in excitement about granite everywhere, said James Roche, chief executive of Houseplans.com, which tracks building design trends across the country. The idea of covering everything in granite is equated with the Baby Boom McMansion phase. I dont think people like that aesthetic.

Homeowners who went nuts building over-the-top custom kitchens in the 1990s and 2000s learned the hard way, with the new owners often ripping things out and starting over, notes Neda Vander Stoep, a top agent in the Back Bay office of Coldwell Banker Residential Mortgage.

Some examples include crazy ornate backsplashes, black appliances, ornate floor tiles, customer, custom cabinets with ornate detail and overly customized cabinet hardware, she said. Instead, while owners still want great looking kitchens, they also want to ensure they are making a wise investment as well, she added.

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Home Renovations Bounce Back With Neutral Colors