MH Insider – Peer Through the Looking Glass
HAVE YOU FELT IT?
This year, there is a mood swing sweeping across the country. We seem to be f inally pulling ourselves back together after a difficult few years and people are starting to make plans to buy homes again. But with this optimism comes a sense of caution, and people are more concerned than ever about living within their means. Many of us, including our customers, spend more and more time on social media checking out TikTok, “how to” videos on YouTube, and beautiful photos of homes ‘Insta-worthy’ are my homes?” on Pinterest. Ask yourself a question… “How Are you showing the latest trends in your model homes, and are they staged so a buyer can see in 60 seconds that they want to live there? Here are some design and lifestyle trends that we think will be important in 2025, ones that you can show and sell in your homes.
Multiple Personalities
Factory-built homes are about constructing production-friendly designs to keep costs low and values high. The home, Great Escape by Cavco Homes, is among the favored floor plans for new In-Neighborhood community homes. Even though the home and finishes are the same in all of these community homes, each has its own personality using different colors, furniture, art, and design trends. The bayside model at Copano Bay highlights coastal bird watching, the home in San Antonio has a framed flag that flew over the Alamo, and the Flores Valley home has a boho/urban ranch feel that plays up the surrounding area. The home in Denton highlights its beautiful surroundings of live oaks and sunflowers, along with its close proximity to The University of North Texas. There are no changes between these homes to the materials and colors — all of the colors and lifestyle nuances are items we added that the new homeowner could purchase themselves at their leisure. Using different styles of accessories and furniture along with impactful art can make any home feel different from the ones around it.
Be Bold
Minimal, colorless homes and kitchens are definitely an anti-trend. Gone are all-white, hard-to-keep-clean kitchens, and they are being replaced by soft, warmer colors with bold accents of darker colors, large art, and statement pieces. A striking blue wall is a beautiful statement when you walk into this smaller-scale home, for instance. But many potential home buyers might need to learn how to decorate around it. The buyer can understand how the look can come together by adding other colors, using a neutral sofa, and tying the blue into the rest of the room with accent pillows, patterned accent chairs, and lighting. Wilsonart is a well-known laminate surface supplier that offers thousands of different patterns and colors for countertops and other surfaces at a fraction of the cost of a butcher block or natural stone. This allows us to have fun with accent areas like a kitchen island or bath without breaking the budget. Stone looks, especially travertine in warmer colors, are very popular, and you will see many more patterns and matte finish looks in 2025.
The Great Outdoors
Greens, especially leafy colors, continue to be a strong trend, and more natural-looking plants can be found in staged interiors. Bringing the outdoors in can make the home feel larger and more open. Outdoor entertaining areas remain essential, with porch model homes growing in popularity. At the 2024 International Builders Show, Cavco showed a home with a rooftop deck, which is a great way to use space on a smaller lot.
Eco Trends
Living an eco-friendly green lifestyle is necessary for most consumers. Besides being a way to keep utility costs down, it is the right thing to do. Consumers are asking for recycled materials like the 100 percent recycled material tiles that Kohler showed at the Kitchen and Bath Show. Concrete is a material you will see a lot more of in design. Kast concrete basins had an incredible choice of colors, and are a great way to add color to any bath. Be sure to highlight how your business and your homes are environmentally friendly.
Get Cozy
Our home is our haven, and comfort is back in style. Soft materials are a must, with beautiful woven textures that make you want to snuggle up. Rounded corners give any room a softer feel, and the new neutrals like camel, honey, and terra cotta give home interiors the warmth buyers want.
With 2025 being the year that more consumers than ever will be taking a look at manufactured homes for the first time, the industry must be ready to show how the homes from our builders are not only a great value but also help create that Instagramworthy home that buyers love
LED Lighting
LED lighting is an area that will be trending heavily in 2025. With the cost of LED lighting coming down, now is a great time to try using this easily installed design element to add backlighting for a mirror, to add night lighting to the base of a kitchen island, or for accent lighting to open shelving. Recessed lighting for the ceiling has also come down in price and is a great way to light a room. Be sure to have the dining room and other spaces wired for chandeliers, ceiling fans, or pendants that the consumer can add. It is an excellent way for a buyer to easily models that can add aromatherapy to a shower or bath to make life a little bit sweeter. customize their home.
Spa Baths
Bath areas are another place where buyers can customize their homes after purchase. Interchangeable shower heads are now available to turn any bath into a spa retreat. Kohler has its new line of Spa Viva hand showers with a cleansing device, and there are models that can add aromatherapy to a shower or bath to make life a little bit sweeter.
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