Reporting from the International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas

 

 

I felt like I was dog paddling in the middle of the Pacific Ocean at the NAHB Home Show. There were over 180,000 attendees checking out the latest in lighting, wall colors and walking through the simulated rain forest at the Kohler Bathroom display. It was enough to make you want to build a new home or at least remodel the 29 year old home I am living in. The overriding style was simplicity and a tone on tone palette with subtle texture changes. Neutral grays and creams with natural wood accents was everywhere –from kitchens to bathrooms. What I also learned was every square foot of a home is important due to high construction and labor costs. The oversized owner’s spa bathroom, a must have before the pandemic, is now equally elegant with European tiled walls and floor in a neutral palette but with space saving features like the mirror with a built-in fancy medicine cabinet and a 36 inch vanity cabinet raised off the floor with a bottom shelf for towels. And that private water closet may no longer be so private.

 

Kitchen islands are getting larger –no longer just the place for the kitchen sink or stove top with a couple of stools for the kids’ morning breakfast. It’s now the central gathering place for the after school or work get together. And that expensive ‘waterfall’ is now being replaced with a longer countertop supported by legs for an even larger sit down area. And as the waterfall goes so does the dining room chandelier because once you define the dining room space with an expensive chandelier that’s where all those Thanksgiving dinners live on for decades. Why not move the chandelier to the island rather than keep those three pendants so that you can give yourself and a future homeowner some flexibility as to where to put their dining room table.

 

Lighting definitely remains the jewelry of the home. And it as a streamlined and contemporary look. But my favorite of the entire show was this vanity sink—smooth and irregular shaped. It catches the eye but doesn’t lose its functionality. I want one! The farm sink which is now in almost every new home regardless of price point is now stainless and compartmentalized with its own racking system. Glass cabinet doors and open shelving, particularly on both sides of the built in stove, is now all about adding visual space in even the smallest kitchen. Glass doors and corner shelving is all about making a small kitchen appear larger. I saw a lot of natural or look alike wood in various shades of brown for cabinetry in the kitchen and in living area credenzas. But its still mostly white in the bathrooms. And the idea wallpaper is back seems like more of a marketing ploy than anything else. But what is important in kitchen back splashes is tone on tone texture with a palette matching the primary color in the quartz countertop.

 

Anchorage is trying to create more housing with its limited amount of residential land which is often more costly and difficult to develop due to wetlands, drainage issues and challenging topography. We have a new ADU ordinance and a unit lot subdivision allowing for smaller than 6,000 square foot lots but still with the same setback requirements. We need more housing of all types and market price points as agreed by the MOA assembly in a December 2022 ordinance. So we need more than new light fixtures and a change of wall color to sustain the value of our 42 year old homes. Yes, refreshing is always an option—new flooring and paint. Remodeling on a price per square foot basis is more expensive than a new build. New homes will have a starting point of $750,000 this year. If you can negotiate or find one for less—buy it! Meanwhile, visual and vertical space will become more and more important as buyers squeeze their budgets and builders cut square footage in order to make concessions for a new home.