The Use What You Own Trend

2025 Interior Design trends say “Move over microtrend, Target design aisle, here today, gone next month home goods - Authenticity in design, layering personal finds, and vintage aesthetics is now the new design darling.

Embracing what you already have, up-styling vintage, creating a one-of-kind personalized style, and loving what you inherited is at the forefront of this year’s style profile.

• Home dwellers are creating homes that reflect personal stories and values.

• Old is now New - meaningful objects with sentimental value or cultural significance layered within in the home to spark conversation, express identity, and create micro-havens within a home (i.e.. readying nook)

I personally think that the whole vintage re-imagined came out of the Pandemic when logistics prevented us from buying new. Using or reinventing what you have, shopping pre-owned, and scouring thrift shops isn’t a new discovery, all these sources have been right around us all along, just forgotten because for decades ‘fast and new’ has been the mantra.

Celebrate it, use it, restyle it and make it your own.  

JOIN me this Wednesday, April 2nd at the Orland Park Public Library for a “Use What You Own” workshop 6:30pm. Register here -

INTERIOR DECORAITNG WORKSHOP

Head over to Orland Park Library 4/2/2025

THE USE WHAT YOU OWN AESTHIC

Nana’s plastic encased sofa has a timeless style and it’s vintage craftmanship towers over today’s fast fashion made version. Scoop that treasure up and have it reinvented to create a personalized, unique piece that can be a showcase of a space.

Photo: (source).

Old silver-plate serving pieces are collected and displayed on a wall of a bedroom to create a unique focal point.

Photo: BHG

One of my clients was struggling with her husband's gifted grandparent's dining set. They really wanted to honor it in the dining room, but the dark wood wasn't appealing and the table wasn't going to work with daily use.  The restyle solution was to purchase a new table and have the rest of the set painted to match.  The celebrate what you have result is the perfect mix of old and new. And the big bonus is they now get to love that set as much as his Grandparents did.

Have an old chair with in good condition fabric, but in a less than desirable color? YES, you can paint it. At my direction, my client painted his Mom’s accent chair with a new hue using chalk paint.

YOU CAN PAINT YOUR ULPHOLSTERY!

Reinvent an old piece with a fresh coat of paint - in this case, fabric!

Why not get ready every morning in vintage style and maybe a wink and nod to Mom with a lovely vanity vignette of your makeup necessities organized in old silver serving pieces.

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Don't haul that old sofa, chair or ottoman out to the curb - instead, have it reupholstered. If you have a vintage piece of furniture that you just love, it’s comfy, just the right size and it’s made fantastic - reinvent it instead.

Have a sofa you just love and is just right for a space? Reinvent it.

Great pieces in your home, like these accent chairs, can be reupholstered and refreshed.

Aunt Millie's tea cup collection boxed in tissue somewhere?  Unwrap them, head over to a craft store and cook up a batch of wax to make them into candles. They'll warm your heart with their romantic flicker on your sofa's end table as you settle in for the evening.

Photo: (source)

Transform an antique photo of your heritage with a blown-up image updated in a wrapped canvas technique. Add a few more in various sizes to create an unique gallery wall.

Photo: (source).

I'd love to know what you have done with your old stuff!

2025 Home Trends - What Buyers Want

New technology, old-world style: Zillow reveals 2025's home trends

Zillow® is unveiling its data-driven predictions for the trends that will define our homes in the new year. In 2025, homeowners and buyers will blend the latest technology with nostalgic, old-world charm to create comfortable, sustainable and climate-resilient homes. That means features such as whole-home batteries and EV chargers will coexist with cozy home libraries, vintage fixtures and 19th-century sculleries.    

Zillow identified five emerging trends by looking at hundreds of home features and design styles mentioned in millions of for-sale listings in 2024, then identified the keywords showing up far more frequently than a year ago. When certain features appear in a rising share of listings, it's a signal that they are in demand and desirable to a buyer. Real estate agents are uniquely attuned to what buyers want, and savvy agents will highlight those features when marketing a home for sale.

2025 Zillow Home Buying Trends Infographic by InteriorStylist.org

interiorstylist.org

Electric features: Today's home buyers are looking to live their values, seeking out homes with sustainable and environmentally friendly features. Mentions of whole-home batteries have surged by 62% since last year, the fastest-growing feature in this year's analysis. Whole-home batteries store excess energy from solar panels, acting as a generator during a power outage or when the sun isn't shining. Solar panels are appearing 18% more often in for-sale listings on Zillow, as are the terms "sustainable" and "green." 

It's not just solar power. Electric vehicle (EV) chargers are appearing in 34% more for-sale listings on Zillow today than a year ago. And electric ranges are gaining traction, too. Mentions of induction cooktops are up 5%.

Cozy vibes: The term "cozy" is no longer a negative real estate euphemism — it's a sought-after design trait. Listings mentioning "cozy" have increased by 35% compared to last year. Yes, home buyers are embracing smaller, cozier spaces for affordability and sustainability, and rejecting the cavernous open floor plans and pandemic-era need for more and more space. The great room has been replaced by smaller, cozier, color-saturated rooms that serve a specific purpose, such as dens and dining rooms.  

Cozy living spaces are replacing the cavernous great room

(Photo: Julea Joseph).

Old-world comeback: Move over, Grand Millennial style. 2025 is set to go full granny, with floral patterns, tapestries, antique furnishings and chintz making a strong return. Nostalgia is a growing trend, appearing in 14% more listings than in 2023, while "vintage" mentions are up by 9%. Additionally, bibliophilic decor and home libraries are on the rise, showing up 22% more frequently in listings on Zillow. The Victorian-era scullery is also making a 21st-century comeback. This second kitchen, or back kitchen, where entertainers can hide the dirty work of meal prep and cleanup, is appearing in 8% more listings today than a year ago. 

The Victorian-era scullery is making a 21st-century comback

(Photo: Jason House & Home)

Climate resiliency: With climate-related disasters becoming more frequent, sellers are highlighting features that offer some degree of protection, and buyers are seeking them out. Zillow research finds that 86% of recent home buyers say it's very important that a home have at least one climate-resilient feature. 

The share of for-sale listings on Zillow that mention flood barriers is up 22% compared to last year, seismic retrofitting is up 20%, and references to water catchment systems are up 19%. Drought-resistant turf yards are showing up 14% more often compared to a year ago. 

Spa-inspired wet rooms: This luxurious design element, most often found in high-end hotels, is the latest spa-inspired upgrade to start showing up in homes. A wet room combines the shower and bathtub into one waterproof space without the usual shower curb or enclosure. Wet rooms are being featured 19% more often in listings on Zillow. 

A wet room combines the shower and bathtub into one waterproof space.

(Photo: GETTY images)

This 2025 bathroom trend is part of a growing emphasis on wellness design. As buyers become increasingly attuned to the ways their home impacts their physical and mental well-being, the share of for-sale listings that mention wellness features is up 16% compared to last year.    

ARTICLE REPRINTED : SOURCE Zillow Group, Inc.

Spring Displays using a Wired Tiered Basket

I encouraged my client Kim to purchase a tiered basket for her Kitchen island to use both as a seasonal display piece, as well as a fruit holder. It's what I call a "Good Bone" accessory.  A piece that can be used in multiple ways and can change from utility to display easily.  Each season, Kim will asks for ideas.   Here are a few ideas for your display Kim.

Photo: Source

Violas & veggies! Perfect for your Easter Sunday celebration!

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Source wood Easter eggs, add letter stickers, a few colorful Easter related finds - all placed in a nest of grass green basket shreds.

Photo: Source

Peter Rabbit would be very happy to hop up to this basket!

Photo: Source

Faux greenery and flowers create this base with just a few ceramic rabbits and a bow to complete.

This wicker tiered basket is filled with Easter Basket basics.

Photo: Source

Simple small clay flower pots wrapped in Easter dress gingham, spring blooms and eggs.

Photo: Source

Plaid napkins line these baskets, with kitchen and silk floral finds for a perfect little setting.

Staging Tips: Styling for the Photo Shoot

You have worked tirelessly preparing your home for sale. Don’t let all your hard work fall short with the often forgotten, most overlooked step in a great home staging – The Pre-Photo Shoot Styling.  Before those photos are taken, your home needs one last interior makeover before making its grand debut on the internet.  I often compare it to going to the hair salon before a big event, getting a great color, cut and style, only to go home and wash it.  Don’t stop short right before you publicly introduce your home to potential buyers by not making it perfectly groomed for its Internet close-up. 

Home Stagers are experts in styling homes for photo shoots. In a few hours, we can whip and flip a home into a stunner.  Your on-line photos are the #1 advertising element of your for sale home. 

Here are a few of our tips and techniques.

-Remove all scatter rugs from floors.  Have cleared counters and make the space extra inviting with a bowl, vase or pot of something fresh.

HOME STAGING TIP: Room look bigger and spacious in photos without rugs or counter clutter breaking up the room's lines or distracting the eye.

-Set a spectacular bed. Perfectly tucked, primped and pampered - the bed is the trophy of every bedroom.

HOME STAGING TIP: Create added interest on a bed with a colorful accent pillows and textural throws.

-Every bath needs fresh, clean, fluffy towels, a seat down, glistening surfaces, and not a personal product present.

HOME STAGING TIP: Nothing says fresh and super clean than a stack of fluffy white towels.

-Light it right. Showcase rooms and the home by making sure the space is lit well by turning on light, opening shades and pulling back drapes. 

HOME STAGING TIP: Photograph the home at the time of day that allows just the right light in.

Getting your house ready for the market? Squeeze the most equity out of it by utilizing our design to sell -Home Staging services. From pre-photo styling to giving sage update advice when just starting - we help capture a home’s equity that would otherwise be overlooked.