Here’s what’s new in new some homes

The prospect of making any major home design decision, like picking out flooring, cabinets or counters, turns my intestines into a Gordian knot. Like most people, I fret: How will this choice look with everything else in the house? Is it too boring? Too novel? How will it affect resale? Will it stand the test of time? Will it make my hips look big?

And that’s just one design choice. When new home buyers have to make all of those design decisions at once, they might as well just plan on dissolving into sobbing puddles of self-doubt.

I know. I have been in those design showrooms, struggling to make humongous, bank accountdraining decisions with long-term consequences, biting my fingernails to their moons, while the design room salesperson impatiently waits with raised eyebrows.

At first, you think, wow! Cool! I get to pick out everything I want for my own house! Next thing, you’re as frozen as a pigeon-covered statue in the park.

Ironically, the pandemic has helped folks get unstuck, says Gena Kirk, head of the design studio for KB Home, a national home builder with building projects in 45 markets and eight states. For 20 years, Kirk has helped new home buyers through the daunting design decision labyrinth, a process she says is both “exhilarating and exhausting,” especially for first-time buyers, which make up 65% of the company’s customers.

“COVID pushed more customers to use the online studio tools we have available in most of our markets,” she says.

So rather than stand stymied in the showroom, they go through the design process at home using web-guided tools, and take as long as they want to mull their options before committing.

“The in-studio experience is still essential,” Kirk says. “Because there customers can touch the counters, feel and open the cabinets and put their feet on floors. But if they come in better prepared, they don’t feel so overwhelmed.”

Today, though more customers are back to visiting showrooms, more home buyers are still starting their process online.

“The virtual experience followed by an in-person visit is the perfect combination,” she says.

For those looking to choose finishes or fixtures for a new home or to remodel an existing home, here’s what Kirk says is in, out and likely to stay:

• Cabinets. Customers still like white cabinets, however, the whites are getting warmer, leaning toward bone and beige. Gray is fading, and dark espresso and cherry wood cabinets have been out for a while. Buyers also want natural wood finishes in taupe and beige tones.

• Counters. Quartz counters, especially ones with open veiny patterns, lead the field, and are what almost 75% of KB buyers choose. The rest go with granite, which traditional buyers still like.

• Flooring. Luxury vinyl plank ranks high among buyers because it offers the look of wood for a lower price and less maintenance. Floor colors are also getting warmer, as buyers steer away from gray and even greige toward taupe and natural wood tones. Flooring that has red or cherry undertones are out, though black floors are hot among high-end buyers.

Marni Jameson is the author of six home and lifestyle books, including “What to Do With Everything You Own to Leave the Legacy You Want,” “Downsizing the Family Home What to Save, What to Let Go,” and “Downsizing the Blended Home — When Two Households Become One.” You may reach her at marnijameson.com.