The average homeowners spent $6,650 on home improvement projects in 2018. The bulk of that money went for design upgrades like modernized kitchens, “spa” equipment in bathrooms and other high-end decor and design concepts. Personal tastes change from year to year, but people do have a few perennial favorites when it comes to home decor. For example, stand-alone porcelain bathtubs seem to cycle in and out of popularity approximately every ten years. The same can be said for items like energy-efficient windows, water purification systems, “luxury” kitchens, greenhouses and custom cabinet projects.
One reason so many projects begin in April and May is related to tax season. Millions of people receive tax refund checks via mail or direct deposit in April and May, to the tune of $270 million in 2019 alone. It’s no wonder there’s a bump in home decor spending and travel activity during those two months each year. Many homeowners who use software from https://turbotax.intuit.com to electronically file their returns get their refunds in about three business days. That’s lightning fast compared to paper-filers, who have to wait up to six weeks for their money. Once the funds arrive and those home decor projects move from the planning stage to reality, what are the top choices among today’s homeowners? Here are the three most beloved decor and design projects for 2019 based on surveys of more than one million adults who own their own home:
Art Everywhere
Art is all the rage this year, and it’s not just a “painting and sculpture” thing. So-called world art is making a big splash in homes everywhere. That often means tapestry wall hangings with embedded gemstones and alluring designs. There’s also a mini-trend in miniatures. Any piece of artwork that measures less than 8-by-10 inches is technical considered small. Bathrooms, hallway nooks, reading rooms and other areas that typically don’t get much attention are being filled with tiny works of art. Tapestries, paintings, figurines and other diminutive objets d’art are hot for 2019 and are enjoying a brisk market at online stores.
Bed Canopies
A cyclical trend, to be sure, but one that has grabbed hold of 2019 like a honey-badger on a cobra. Large and small bedrooms, for both adults and children, are not immune from the power of the decor trend of the year. Some sellers even offer tiny canopies for baby beds and more than a few doll houses feature canopied beds for their tiny, non-human occupants. The most luxurious canopies feature super-thin silk and specialty fabrics that are able to breathe and let the air circulate throughout the room. There’s also a home decor “trend within a trend” with patterned canopies that sport art-print designs, one-color pieces and geometric patterns.
Reading Nooks
All those dead spaces at the end of hallways are now being transformed into reading nooks. No one is sure just how much reading takes place in these spaces, but they sure look better than dead space at the end of a hallway. The advantage of putting in a reading nook is simplicity. In less than an hour, you can add a small chair, tiny table and small lamp to an otherwise wasted part of your home to make it more inviting.
