In the pursuit of your dream kitchen, prioritizing your specific design preferences is certainly understandable. After all, home design is about creating an oasis tailored just for you. But sometimes, personalized design is not the best move for your home long-term, as some kitchen design choices can hurt your home’s resale value. Speaking exclusively with House Digest, professional home stager Whitney Vredenburgh, owner of Nested Spaces Home Staging & Design, explains why. “Having a taste-specific kitchen can narrow the pool of potential buyers,” she said. Nested Spaces offers interior design and home staging services to clients throughout Indianapolis, Indiana, and works with everyone from homeowners to realtors to builders to optimize home design elements for the market. “When selling a home, you want to open up the pool of potential buyers and sell to as many people as possible,” Vredenburgh explained. “Potential buyers are often looking to level up their lifestyle and want to envision what their new life could look and feel like in a home.”

Using hyper-niche designs or going overboard on a theme makes it harder for buyers to envision themselves in your home. To assess your kitchen decor, Vredenburgh suggested asking yourself a simple question: Is the decor style or a particular item a point of interest or distraction? “You want your design choices to be a point of interest,” she advised. A taste-specific design will come down to the execution, and ultimately, Vredenburgh said, it’s a risk. “For example, if you go for maximalism, it really has to hit the mark,” she explained. “If it doesn’t, it can be a turn off to potential buyers.”

When it comes to kitchen design choices, people often miss the mark by doing too much. For example, Vredenburgh said, “Too much black in a white and black kitchen — black hardware, black lighting, black counters against white cabinets can feel stark and cold.” While black is a popular design theme right now, an overly-black kitchen aesthetic can spell bad luck when it comes to selling your home. Going too loud or too bold with elements like the range hood, tiles, or countertops can also backfire if overdone. “Accent islands, accent walls, bold backsplashes have their place, but often can be time stamped or not appeal to a large demographic of potential buyers,” Vredenburgh explained in her exclusive interview with House Digest. She shared that even high-quality options like natural stone can put off buyers if too bold or overbearing, making them as detrimental as cheap flooring options when it comes to hurting your home’s resale value. 

The other major downfall too many homeowners fall into is a super niche kitchen theme. Collectors might love being greeted by their Disney-themed kitchen accessories or their assortment of rooster-printed towels, wall art, and tablecloths, but buyers likely won’t be as charmed by the knick-knacks. “Often, turnoffs are very niche decisions a seller will make that appeal to them but not to the entire population,” Vredenburgh said. When it comes to selling your home, you want to appeal to as many buyers as possible.

If you are the proud owner of a Disney or rooster-themed kitchen, don’t worry. We aren’t saying you need to deny your niche design preferences — we are all about celebrating personal home decor style! But if you are getting your home ready to list, it’s worth packing those collector items away for now. According to Vredenburgh, the kitchen is the most important space in a home when it comes to selling, so doing all you can to make it appealing to as many potential buyers as possible is the goal.

How, you ask? Speaking exclusively with House Digest, Vredenburgh shared her best tips to get your kitchen ready to sell. She said to start small, by cleaning off countertops completely and leaving only a bowl of fruit or a bouquet of flowers in a tasteful vase. Other touch-ups are a little more involved, but make a big difference to potential buyers. “Updating hardware and lighting are two great investments,” Vredenburgh said. “They are often inexpensive and create a large impact.” When it comes to color palettes, Vredenburgh said the more neutral, the better. “Stick to neutrals like tans, beiges, cream, white, and black,” she advised. “Often referred to as the Nancy Meyer’s kitchen, it’s a popular and timeless choice.” Any bold elements should be restricted to small doses, and use soft, muted touches to create a soothing and inviting atmosphere, so buyers immediately feel right at home. Vredenburgh reminds us of the overall goal: “You don’t want a potential buyer to leave, you want them to want to stay,” she said. “And then make an offer.”