Waterfall Countertops May Be the Latest Kitchen Trend…But What Comes Next?

Waterfall Countertops May Be the Latest Kitchen Trend…But What Comes Next?

Five designers give Domino their predictions.

First came the hands-free faucet, then the smart refrigerator, then poured concrete countertops. However, a kitchen island has always been a kitchen island…until the arrival of the waterfall countertop trend in 2020. Having the stone wrap over the sides down to the floor is now a mainstay in contemporary kitchens. Actor Adrian Grenier opted for white marble to contrast his Brooklyn brownstone’s natural oak cabinetry, while Aelfie Oudghiri went bold with wild navy veining in her colorful Long Island home. But kitchen islands will only continue to evolve, so we asked five designers and architects what they think the next big iteration will be. 

Bringing in the Dining Table

We have found that the one area in a home that clients comment they never use is the dining room. People live in their kitchen and spend most of their time at the island. Island seating is not conducive to conversation, though, and counter stools can get uncomfortable after a while. One trend that we think is on the cusp of taking off is eliminating the dining room altogether and putting the dining table in the kitchen, in place of an island. The result is ultra-casual and effortlessly cool.—Jillian Smith-Mohler, cofounder of Twenty-Two Twelve

Treating It Like Furniture

Waterfall islands aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. They’re a beautiful way to showcase a stunning piece of stone and a key gathering area. However, I do think they’re getting more interesting, and we’ll be seeing more refined details and uses beyond purely kitchen storage, like added shelving on the sides that will blur the line with furniture and better blend in.—Susan Nwankpa, founder of Nwankpa Design

Bending the Rules 

Waterfall islands are all about the finished ends of your cabinetry. We’ve had a lot of fun with curves lately! Whether it’s a painted finish or tamboured walnut—curved cabinetry creates a modern yet elegant vibe. —Kevin Bennert, cofounder of Oak Design Project

Looking Up

Vent hoods with pizzazz feels like the next wave to me. Designers and homeowners are thinking out of the box and finding inventive ways to clad theirs with wood, plaster, stone, and brass. Anything goes, and I’m here to witness the creative expression. —Natalie Myers, owner of Veneer Designs

Toning Down the Modernity

I’m anticipating and loving the more frequent inclusion of stand-alone furnishings in kitchen spaces. Whether that be a vintage weathered butcher block island or glass-front curio cabinet and hutch, I am expecting to see kitchens trending back to a less slick, more comfortable and collected feeling. —Megan Hopp, founder of Megan Hopp Designs

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If there is a home that you would like more information about, if you are considering selling a property, or if you have questions about the housing market in your neighborhood, please reach out. We’re here to help.

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These paint colors can boost your home's sale price by $5,000

Homeowners typically spruce up their properties before listing them, taking steps such as decluttering and repainting to make their houses more attractive to buyers.

A new analysis suggests that sellers may want to choose their interior paint colors carefully since they might make a difference in a home's potential selling price. 

Bathrooms painted a sky blue color were the big winner, with buyers saying they would pay almost $5,000 more for homes with the restrooms painted this shade, the real estate listing website Zillow found in a recent analysis, which surveyed about 1,300 recent or prospective homebuyers on what they'd be willing to pay for homes based on specific interior paint colors. Blue appears to be a long-standing popular color for bathrooms, with Zillow finding in 2017 that homebuyers preferred that shade for their powder rooms and could impact a home's price by as much as $5,000.

The price premiums are based on the typical home value of $290,000, Zillow said.

The other winner: Bedrooms painted a "moody dark blue" color, with buyers saying they'd pay about $1,500 more for homes with that shade on their bedroom walls. 

To be sure, the hot real estate market may make it seem like any property can attract multiple offers above asking price — but even in a seller's market, some homes may struggle to attract buyers concerned about future costs of their new homes. An earlier Zillow study found that fixer-uppers are selling for about 13% less than expected despite the current overall higher demand for properties. 

Bedrooms with dark blue colors are associated with a sales premium of almost $1,500, the Zillow analysis found. Repainting interior rooms can prove an effective bang for the buck, given that the average cost to repaint is about $385 per room.

Repainting a home can prove a cost-effective way of attracting homebuyers, and possibly increasing the perceived value of the home, Zillow said. The typical cost of repainting an interior room is about $385 per room, the company said.

It pays to play it safe with colors, the analysis found. Buyers threw shade on trendy colors like mint green kitchens, saying they'd shave about $1,800 off the purchase price due to this tint. Other trendy colors were snubbed by homebuyers, including Pantone's Color of the Year — a sunshine yellow tint. 

"Our study found homebuyers may be particularly sensitive to paint color, despite paint being a relatively easy and inexpensive change, because they're navigating a complex environment with a lot of uncertainty," Kate Rogers, a senior behavioral scientist at Zillow, said in a statement. 

Aside from appealing paint colors, homes with certain features like high-end kitchens are also associated with price premiums, Zillow has found. One classic caveat: Correlation doesn't mean causation, with Zillow noting that adding features like gourmet appliances or appealing colors won't automatically guarantee a higher selling price.

High-end kitchen appliances such as steam ovens and pizza ovens were associated with higher selling prices, the earlier Zillow analysis found. That comes at a time when consumers are spending more time at home and cooking more home-prepared meals amid the ongoing pandemic. 

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If there is a home that you would like more information about, if you are considering selling a property, or if you have questions about the housing market in your neighborhood, please reach out. We’re here to help.

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9 Tik Tok Organizing Hacks for Small Spaces

Has this pandemic made you want to break your lease and just live in a tiny home in the woods?

Am I the only one? As long as I have an internet connection, I can work remotely. I would feel safe because I wouldn’t have to interact with a ton of other people. My dog would definitely approve.

The only real question is: where would all my stuff go?

I’ve been binge-watching “Get Organized with The Home Edit” with the rest of the world, and while it’s entertaining, I can’t say I have a whole lot in common with Khloe Kardashian and her merch garage (complete with a parking garage for her daughter’s cars and an art corner for her newfound love of painting).

You know who does have great organization ideas for tiny spots? TikTokers who live in tiny homes and vans. Here are nine organization hacks to keep you organized if you’re downsizing, according to people who’ve done it.

Turn crates into low-cost wall shelving

Crates and baskets are obviously great for keeping things organized, but if you really want to maximize their functionality then it’s time to think outside the, ahem, box. Instead, flip a crate on its side and secure it to the wall with brackets and drywall anchors to make room for books, dishes, clothes, or anything else you’d like to keep within reach.

Hack a magazine file to store everything but magazines

Once you have your shelving up, you’ll still need to organize within that. There are many office supplies that can double as organization tools, and a standing magazine file folder is one of them. In a pantry, set a few side by side to help separate cans, potatoes, or fruit; in a bedroom, use them to hold socks, tights, and other small accessories.

DIY a full pull-out dresser under your bed

You probably already use the space under your bed as storage—and if not, you should—but there’s a way to make it even more practical. TikTok user @alaskanguru really optimized his under-bed storage by DIY-ing an entire dresser underneath his bed, complete with different drawer compartments to stow different categories of cothing.

Consider rolling or sliding drawers a must-do if you’re moving into an apartment that’s low on closet space.

Add LED lighting for those hard-to-see places

Remember that storage is only useful if you can actually see what you’re storing. Installing LED lighting underneath your bed is a simple way to make use of the space so that you can access your belongings with ease.

Put IKEA mesh bags to work in every room

These IKEA mesh bags are in so many tiny homes and #vanlife TikToks. They’re not only great for holding fruit, but stick a command hook on the back of your bathroom door, and they’re great for holding dirty clothes. Hang them on a hanger or nail in your closet area for ways to keep socks and underwear separated.

What’s great about mesh bags is that, unlike boxes, they can fit irregularly shaped objects without wasting any storage space. And when not in use, they take up practically no room.

DIY your own high-end bins

It’s no secret that bins are key to keeping things categorized and organized, but the most practical and wallet-friendly picks aren’t always the prettiest.

TikTok user @fifth_wheel_living repurposed some old totes with rope, DIY-ing her way to high end organization.

Create moveable shelves inside your cabinets

So you’ve got your cabinets installed, but you want to be able to use every inch of them. An easy way to double your storage? Add extra shelving. Drill holes in the side, add pegs, cut a board to the width of your cabinet, and voila—extra shelving space. Add bins to maximize space even further.

Invest in some IKEA spice racks for every room

Another IKEA hack staple: the BEKVAM spice rack. It can hold spices in the kitchen, bathroom products in the bathroom, books near your reading nook, but turn it upside down and it can be a mini-hanging rack for kids’ clothes, a space to hold your tea towels, or even a nail polish rack.

DIY a skinny rolling pantry cart

TikTok user @er_dayinshuffl_in said the few inch gap between her refrigerator and her wall was getting on her nerves (wasted space!) so she DIYed this skinny rolling rack pantry to fit perfectly in the spot and maximize her organization. 

So whether you’re DIYing an entire dresser underneath your bed or just hanging IKEA mesh bags on command hooks all around your tiny home, the key to staying organized in small spaces remains the same: have a spot for everything.

For more info, go to Apartment Therapy.

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What To Know Before Leaving the City for the Suburbs

With an airborne pandemic rendering the restaurants and crowded cultural energy of cities less appealing, buyers are increasingly looking at homes in suburbs and small towns.

Condo prices and sales suffered worse drops than single family homes in April and May, and have yet to rebound, according to Redfin, even as single family prices are on the rise again.

“The notion that COVID has actually been a rationale for buyers to move into the ‘burbs, or even further out, was to me a ‘tall tale’. But it appears to be playing out,” says Adam Rosenbaum, a realtor with Century21 Adams in Arlington, Mass. One of his clients, having lost out on a few homes in the competitive Boston area, was about to make an offer on an 18th-century house in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, some two hours away. “I’m now a believer,” he says.  

But a move to the mountains wouldn’t be just a change of scenery and lifestyle for his client, who’s been living in urban Somerville, Mass. Even for experienced homeowners, moving from the city to the country can present some unexpected surprises and force buyers to become acquainted with unfamiliar home systems—starting with what happens when you flush the toilet. Ahead, find five things Apartment Therapy thinks you should really read about before making the move.

Septic systems

“The first thing that pops into my brain is the septic,” says Corey Morris, realtor and team leader of the Level Up Group at Keller Williams in Braintree, Mass. “A lot of people, they’re very used to town-provided, municipal things, and they’re not necessarily ready for the potential expense of a septic system and all the ins and outs that come with that.” 

Septic maintenance is straightforward enough, but it does carry an expense, Morris says. Even if the septic tank passes inspection, buyers should try to determine how old the system is, and how well the previous homeowners maintained it. And if you’re buying a four-bedroom home, it’s important to make sure the septic system is rated for four bedrooms, not just three, he adds. 

“The other thing people need to keep in mind is that, if the septic doesn’t pass inspection when they go to sell after they’ve lived there for 5 to 7 years, most times the responsibility of replacing that septic system will fall on the seller,” Morris says. “And that can be anywhere from $25,000 to $35,000.” 

Well water

Homes with private well water can be another system unfamiliar to city dwellers. While you won’t have to pay for water going forward, buyers generally have to pay for a well inspection. “You have your home inspection, and you tack on maybe a few hundred dollars more to get the well water tested to make sure there’s not an overabundance of bad bacteria,” Morris says. Because the Environmental Protection Agency doesn’t test or regulate individual water supplies, the Centers for Disease Control recommends testing your well water annually. 

“Most urban buyers of rural property are scared of wells and septic, but they shouldn’t be,” says Sara Holland, owner/broker at Sara Holland & Co. in New Hampshire. She notes that these systems can be managed with a pretty simple maintenance schedule, offset by the lack of any municipal fees. “Don’t believe the horror stories. They are few and far between,” she says. 

Zoning and permitting

The thing Holland has seen catch city-based buyers off guard, though, is the variety of zoning and permitting in rural communities. Some small towns have similar permitting practices as the more urban communities buyers hail from. “But some towns have none—zero,” Holland says, meaning just about anything goes. “Some buyers love this because they can ‘do what they want!’ But so can their neighbors, which is not as favorable.” So if your next-door neighbor decides to, say, build a backyard motocross course, you may not have any right to complain.

Generators and water pressure boosters

If your new home is in a remote or woodsy area prone to prolonged power outages, Morris says another cost to consider might be the need for a whole-house generator. Water pressure, or lack of it, can also be an issue. “Some homes need a pressure booster because they’re so far out or the town doesn’t have good water pressure,” he says, a deal breaker for at least one client. “This won’t work for me,” she told him, as she turned on the upstairs tub faucet. When Morris asked her why not, she said, “Do you know how long it would take to fill up this tub to give my daughter a bath?” 

There are other obvious expenses and tradeoffs to moving to a rural area, of course, from extra yard work, to pest management, to arranging propane delivery if natural gas isn’t available and you’re hellbent on a gas cooktop. But, Morris says, what might seem daunting at first will soon become second nature. 

“Especially for people who are new to an area, it all seems overwhelming, it just seems like there’s so much to do,” he says. “But just like anything else, I feel like people catch their rhythm, and as time goes on people get used to doing what they have to do to maintain their home.”

Are you considering making the move from city to suburb? Give us a shout, we’d love to chat.

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What's More Stylish Than a Glass Garage Door?

Swap out the traditional steel garage door for a stylish glass one, adding a modern touch but not sacrificing privacy.

A new garage door can give a home’s exterior an instant upgrade. If you want to add a modern edge, consider glass garage doors, which provide maximum light.

“From coast to coast and everywhere in between, we are getting an increased number of requests for all-glass garage doors,” says Jeffrey Nofziger, president of Haas Door in Wauseon, Ohio. “The all-glass design increases a home’s curb appeal but can still provide privacy for the homeowners.”

Here’s one tip to make this look work: Match your glass garage door to your entry door. View this picture below of a garage door featuring Haas Door Spiced Walnut powder coat rails and stiles. The tempered dark gray glass and woodgrain elements complement the home’s entry door. Also, the dark gray glass reflects sunlight well during the day, but passersby are unable to see anything inside the garage.

Visit the National Association of Realtors for inspiration + places to buy.

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