The 2022 Home Interior Design Trends That Sell

Real estate agents aren’t interior designers.

But thinking like one could help your real estate business.

Sellers are always looking for ways to give their homes a competitive edge in the market — things that can make their home more appealing than the one around the corner. 

One big way to do just that: reflect the styles of the moment. Showcase the interior design trends that prospective buyers are saving to their Pinterest boards and admiring in magazines. 

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Any real estate agent can recommend a fresh coat of paint to their sellers.

A great real estate agent should be able to recommend strategic, money-making tweaks — from tiny improvements to small renovations — that make their sellers’ homes truly pop. 

To do that, you need a sense of what’s trending. Which is what we’re talking about today.

Here’s a look at the 2022 home interior design trends that sell.

Sustainability

This trend is here to stay. What used to be more of an interest for niche buyers has become a key consideration for most.

Think smart technology that maximizes energy efficiency. Materials — from building to decor — that are earth-friendly and sustainable. Replacing older, power-sucking appliances and lighting. 

This is a trend that can be utilized in big ways and small. Plus, mentioning a home’s sustainability advantages is a great way to make a listing stand out (especially if those claims lead to cost savings).

Functional-Meets-Fun Foyers

Foyers are often ignored. But in 2022, designers are predicting that these forgotten areas will be the subject of renewed interest. And the name of the game will be blending function with fun.

That means ensuring that a foyer meets one’s needs — namely, storage — in a way that doesn’t detract from visual appeal. After all, a foyer is a first impression for the rest of the home.

Invisible storage, double-duty furniture (e.g., a bench seat that houses spare umbrellas and dog leashes), statement-making mirrors, clever accessories and pops of colour are all ways to impress while at the same time showing a buyer that the space can be highly functional.

Indoor-Outdoor Connections

After two highly stressful years, we’re craving calm — and that extends to our living environments. 

In the building and design industry, there’s a term called biophilic design. The underlying principle of biophilic design is that design isn’t just about improving function or aesthetics; it can improve wellbeing. 

Increasing the connection between an indoor space and the natural environment is one common biophilic design technique. That connection is predicted to be a major 2022 home interior design trend, and it’s one that sellers can easily take advantage of to boost the appeal of their home. 

How a seller executes this trend can vary. Here are a few possibilities:

• Switch out heavy window coverings with light and airy curtains to increase natural light
• Add large house plants (such as tall palms and cacti, which look impressive in real estate listing photos)
• Replace an old, solid exterior door with one with a large glass pane (again, for more natural light)
• Accessorize an outdoor space to show its potential for relaxing and entertaining
• Add humidity-loving plants to a large shower or tub, or stage a shower by hanging eucalyptus from the showerhead
• Create flow between an indoor and outdoor space by using the same flooring material or coverings both inside and out
• Place a work desk by a large window to show the possibility of outdoor vistas

Privacy

For years, open floor plans have been a reigning design principle. Living rooms flowed to dining rooms that flowed to kitchens that flowed to breakfast nooks. Bedroom floor plans grew to accommodate desks and workout areas.

Then, the pandemic began. Everyone was doing everything from home — school, work, fitness. The need for separate spaces and privacy was obvious.

As the world returns to some version of normalcy this year, the want for privacy is coming along for the ride. Preserved privacy is a key interior design trend for 2022.

This doesn’t mean your clients have to put up drywall to create new rooms. It’s about illustrating how a space can become private. 

On the more affordable (and instant) end of the scale, strategically placed furniture and room dividers can do wonders to demarcate space. On the more expensive (and intensive) end of the scale, a barn door on sliders can easily close off an open hallway to create newly private nooks and rooms. 

Built-to-Last and Easy-to-Maintain Features

When you spend all your time at home, you start to zero in on all its foibles and inconveniences. You also start to resent the time required to maintain its upkeep. A glass stovetop may look nice and sleek when you only see it a couple times a day; when you’re home all the time, the fingerprints and grease splatters are magnified. 

That’s why low-maintenance, forgiving, durable and convenient features and materials are trending for 2022. Things like quartz countertops instead of marble, composite decking instead of wood planks, metal roofing instead of shingles. 

Of course, not every client is looking to take on a major project before they list. 

If a client’s home happens to already have low-maintenance features, now is a great time to play up their easy upkeep in the real estate listing. 

Otherwise, there are smaller-scale improvements that can have the same effect, such as using paints with washable finishes, replacing old faucets with motion-detecting varieties, removing carpet (if there’s hard flooring beneath) and switching out standard outdoor lighting for motion-sensing types.

What tweaks and improvements do you most often recommend to your real estate clients?

Last Updated on August 12, 2022 by myRealPage