Here’s What Homebuyers and Residents Will Want to Know About The Latest Trends in Manufactured Housing
It’s show time!
Just like the fashion industry debuts its new collections at certain times of the year, housing and home building companies use the first few months of the year to attend events where they can show off what’s new and exciting.
As a Lifestylist, one of the most important things I do is to track “what’s hot and what’s not”. And share how these modern mobile home trends will affect consumer lifestyles in the years to come.
Here are nine of our favorite trends that consumers will be looking for when shopping for manufactured and mobile homes. And they’re ones that we are keeping an eye on!
Home Trend 1: Inside Out
There is a favorite saying: You never get a second chance to make a first impression. How your home looks from the outside could convince a buyer to come inside or to keep driving. There is a renewed interest in exterior lighting that is more than a bulb and socket, and with LED lighting becoming so affordable, one small, nondescript lamp by the front door isn’t enough.
Lighting is a great security device and theft deterrent as well, and with the new affordable smart devices, you can turn all of this on and off with an app on your phone. A fun painted door is an easy, inexpensive way to add personality to your home. A great covered porch is the least expensive way to add square footage and entertaining space to your home. Make sure that this space is spacious enough to add some fun rockers or outdoor furniture, but your guests still have room to walk past people enjoying these areas.
Home Trend 2: Small Spaces
Tiny homes are still very popular, but after living in them full time for a year or two, people realize they may need more space. Builders are using this trend to show how livable a single-section home that is a little bit larger can be, and are doing a great job of adding well-designed spaces that consumers can use. Even in larger houses at the recent Louisville Manufactured Housing Show, builders were showing pantries that are open and large enough to serve from or use as a bar. And smaller rooms that could function as a quiet home office or zen room also were popular.
Home Trends 3: Wallpaper
Site-built housing has revived a trend that we never let go of — wallpaper is back! We are seeing a lot of it in high-end homes, and consumers are using it as a way to get past the beige blues. There was some incredible new wallboard shown. We were mesmerized by this textured, iridescent wallboard in the entry of a Clayton home. The wallboard was so well done it looked three-dimensional.
Home Trends 4: Textures
Wall-to-wall carpeting is a thing of the past. Consumers are embracing solid surfaces to open the floor, with area rugs to add color and texture. Prices have come way down on these as well, and there are indoor/outdoor rugs that are almost indestructible but still have lots of texture and are easy to keep clean.
Home Trends 5: Soothing Colors
Beige, greige (that’s grey-beige, see?) and grey are still the colors that consumers are looking for in the main areas of their homes. However, we are seeing color starting to come back in places we haven’t seen it before. One of the hottest trends at the recent International Builders Show and Kitchen and Bath Shows was kitchen appliances that featured a bold color such as emerald green. Green, turquoise, and coral were the favorite colors, which we are seeing as accent colors.
Home Trends 6: Entertaining Kitchens
One of the hottest trends we are seeing right now is that people are going back to their kitchens — not only to enjoy takeout and entertain but to actually cook. Because of this, consumers are no longer willing to settle for “builder basic” appliances that don’t heat or cool evenly and make cooking a chore. Countertop appliances such as a convection oven or InstantPot are finding their way into almost every home. As a result, consumers want to be sure they have a countertop to use these appliances and storage to keep them in.
Higher-end, luxury homes are coming complete with wine storage, food preservation columns, steam convection ovens, and sous-vide. Cooking is becoming fun again and is a hobby as well as a necessity.
Home Trends 7: Industrial Chic
Do It Yourself projects we are seeing on TV are coming into the home, especially pipe shelving and coat racks. It’s a fun way to give an artisan feel to your new home.
Home Trends 8: Something Old, Something New
White walls and cabinets with dark or black accents with carefully placed pops of color are still very popular. Shiplap-styled wallboards are a great way to incorporate this look into your new home, and lighting and accessories that have that well-loved look continue to grow in popularity.
Home Trends 9: ‘PreFabulous’
The new Clayton Homes ad campaign is indeed changing the way many consumers look at manufactured housing. And it is a gift to all of us. The challenge now is to present our homes with the excitement and professionalism that new buyers expect. Get ready to see a whole new generation of buyers looking at our homes without the baggage of thinking that we sell “mobile homes”, “double-wides” or “trailers”.
Today’s manufactured homes can compete with any other form of housing. It’s exciting to see so many ideas and trends that we’ve seen in site-built homes now being offered to MH buyers.
