Sellers Should Avoid These Controversial Interior Design Trends

One of the best things about owning your own home is the ability to change the interior in any way you want. Do you love pink carpet and wood paneling? Go for it! (Well, maybe don't go that far.) However, if selling your home is anywhere in the foreseeable future, then you should put some effort into keeping your interior design relatively conventional. While most current design choices won't make or break a sale, there are some common trends that can seriously turn off buyers.

Before listing the trends to avoid, it's worth pointing something out: yes, buyers should in theory be able to look past cosmetic differences of opinion in an otherwise good home. Unfortunately, the reality is that people often get hung up on details and allow them to color their perception of the entire home. Because of this, it's important to consider every decor choice if you want the smoothest sale possible.

Bold Kitchen Colors

If you plan on renovating your kitchen prior to the sale, then try to resist the trend of coordinating things like cabinets and the fridge in a bold color. By committing to a particular color, you are immediately narrowing the pool of potential buyers to only those who share your taste in hue. Changing the color of the entire kitchen can be an expensive undertaking, so it's not surprising that buyers might be hesitant to buy a home with a bold kitchen. Instead, opt for a traditional, neutral color palette.

Dead Animals

If you love to decorate your home with things like taxidermy, animal skin rugs, and fur pillows, then you are welcome to do so; however, you need to be aware that this is perhaps the most controversial of all interior design themes. "I'll just leave them out", you think. "Buyers won't care since they aren't staying in the home." Remember what I said above? Many people have a visceral dislike of animal products, particularly taxidermy, and so their entire perception of the house will be influenced by the presence of these items. Always be sure to remove these decorative pieces before showing the house.

Color-blocking

The use of color-blocking (placing two non-matching colors next to each other) in interior design has seen an increase in popularity in recent years, but the look isn't for everyone. Even the most common and simplest type of color-blocking (black and white) can be polarizing, especially if it is used in semi-permanent places such as floor tile. If you love the look and really want to incorporate it into your home, consider doing so only on accent pieces.

If you'd like to read more about these and other controversial interior design trends, then check out this article from Apartment Therapy!