What styles should I use in my renovations? PLEASE STOP USING GRAY!

[Alan Asriants]

Often times when my clients close on their investment properties, they come to me and they ask me what kind of styles should they go for when renovating their property.

After going through lots of homes with prospective buyers showing my properties to tenants I have gotten to know what people like and what people don't like.

Let's get this one right out of the way: STOP USING GRAY!

Gray was such a style back in 2018 until 2021. You would walk into any single, flip renovation or newly done apartment and you would see the same thing gray floors, gray walls, gray kitchen cabinets. For a bit it actually seemed pretty cool. But then it got extremely old and the environment felt incredibly cold.

Gray makes everything feel too dark and it doesn't invite people when they are looking for a place to live. 

If you want your space to feel inviting and comfortable to live in, you have to trigger certain emotions in people. 

Your goal when renovating is to create a warm, comfortable and spacious environment.

Typically this is done by using good lighting methods lighter colors with some sort of accent color and creating an open floor plan.

For flooring, I would recommend using a lighter oak color. But please avoid that extremely cheap Home Depot laminate. A lighter floor is going to create a more comfortable environment, but it will also create a more open environment as well.

For walls, I would recommend using an off-white for the majority of the space, and adding in a light beige accent wall throughout the home. Use flat for the walls, semi gloss, white for trim and doors, and flat white for the ceiling. The light colored walls will make the place seem bigger, and the accent walls will break it up and make the place feel more warm.

For Kitchen, you could never go wrong with White cabinets. White cabinets look clean, sleek, and very simple. If you're investing in a solid area, your tenants should take great care of them. I would also recommend going light with your countertops. If you were using a plain white quartz countertop, then you can break up the color with your backsplash and try to match it a little bit to your flooring. So if your flooring is So if your flooring is light Oak, and the rest of your kitchen is white your backsplash can implement some light, beige and gold colors. 

For hardware, go with brushed, nickel or brass gold. Brass gold is back in. But make sure it's a brushed finish not a shiny gold finish. Shiny gold screams 80s and 90s. Black was a big style with the gray arrow but to me it feels a little bit cold. Plus, it leaves a lot of stains and needs to be consistently cleaned especially near water.

for lighting it's really important what kind of temperature color you choose. Also, don't kill your apartment with Spotlights. There is such a thing as too many. Do you want to strategically place your spotlights were you would think people would have their couch, TV, kitchen cabinets, and other strategic places throughout the property. If there is a dedicated dining area, a decent light fixture is better than spotlights. For temperature color I would recommend 2500 K or 3000 K, this creates a warm and comfortable environment. LED is the best because the light will be bright. 

For bathrooms, you can use a higher temperature color like 5000 K. White walls white ceilings is great. If it is a rental property, basic subway tile is perfect and rarely goes out of style. Avoid using too many patterns on the floor tile if you already have a lot of patterns on the shower tile. ADD a NICHE!. The niche is actually a great place where you can implement some flair. Match the niche to the floor. 

Choosing a style for your property has a lot to do with opinion, but there also is an art and science to it. Follow these basic principles when making your own design but remember to add a little bit of your own creativity as well to make the property, unique. Have fun!

[Jeff Henderson]

@Alan Asriants im late to this post but I agree with a lot of what you said. Im a GC who does most remodeling myself. Gray is way overdone and gives a cheap feel if not done well. 

@Theresa Harris flat paint is an absolute god send if the walls are not in excellent shape. In my opinion eggshell works best for certain colors/situations on walls in that are in great condition.  

[Alan Asriants]

Quote from @Jeff Henderson:

@Alan Asriants im late to this post but I agree with a lot of what you said. Im a GC who does most remodeling myself. Gray is way overdone and gives a cheap feel if not done well. 

@Theresa Harris flat paint is an absolute god send if the walls are not in excellent shape. In my opinion eggshell works best for certain colors/situations on walls in that are in great condition.  

 Yes exactly needs to be very well executed!