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Hilary Farr of ‘Tough Love’ reveals the worst furniture fails
Hilary Farr has renovated plenty of homes so they’re more functional — first on “Love It or List It,” and now on her new show, “Tough Love With Hilary Farr.” But sometimes, the biggest problem is not the house itself but what the homeowner has chosen to put inside.
In the Season 1 episode “Coming Back to America,” Hilary Farr meets with Tom and Michele, who recently moved back to the U.S. after living in Germany for four years. They’ve bought a 110year-old house in Haddon Township, NJ, for their family of five. However, once they unpacked their extensive collection of German memorabilia and unloaded their oversized furniture, they realize that the home feels cramped rather than cozy.
Furniture that’s too big (or small) for a room is a common decor fail, yet a tough one to fix if the homeowners aren’t willing to make a change. So Farr has a tough road ahead of her, despite the $175,000 budget she has to carve out more space. Find out how she persuades them to pare down their furnishings, which might inspire you to unload some bulk around your own abode, too.
Don’t crowd a dining room with storage
Michele and Tom are lucky to have a large, dedicated dining room. However, the space feels cramped with the family’s oversized table and bulky old hutch. Unfortunately, fixing this room isn’t as simple as updating the furnishings because Michele feels connected to these inherited pieces.
“There’s always room for one or maybe even two little pieces that have sentimental value, because there is something to that, I believe it,” Farr explains. “But when it’s clearly going to interrupt everything you’re trying to do in a renovation, you have to find a way to just let go of it.”
Farr removes the old furniture and replaces the pieces with one simple dining table. While the family does lose some storage space, it’s worth it for the simple, uncluttered look in the room. Now, the family can store their extra plates in the kitchen and enjoy a lovely dining room where there’s plenty of room to gather.
“This space was completely dysfunctional. It had mismatched, oversized furniture, and now it’s gorgeous,” Farr says.
A Murphy bed may fold away, but it still takes up space
Michele and Tom want to upgrade their living room so it can feel like a retreat for their three kids. Farr knows that replacing the furniture and painting the walls will do wonders for this space, but she’s disappointed when Michele makes another request: adding a Murphy bed.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Farr says right away. “If we put a Murphy bed into the wall, the room is going to be too small to function as a comfortable living room.”
Instead, Farr installs some elegant built-ins that take up less space than a Murphy bed; they provide storage for family photos and knickknacks.
While a dual living room/ guest room could be convenient for visitors, a Murphy bed would make this space feel tight and uncomfortable. Farr’s design shows that sometimes it’s best to simplify, not just with furniture, but also with function.
Don’t go too trendy in a traditional kitchen
When Farr first sees Michele and Tom’s kitchen, she’s not impressed. It’s dated, closed off, and desperate for a makeover. She opens up the wall between the dining room and kitchen and then completely redesigns the kitchen with simple gray cabinets and a geometric backsplash.
“This is very safe, which is what she would love,” Farr says of the cabinets. The backsplash, “on the other hand, makes a spectacular statement.”
At first, Michele is worried the new backsplash will look odd in an old-fashioned house. But Farr assures her that this design won’t feel out of place in the 110-year-old space. The geometric tile is fun but doesn’t seem trendy.
In the end, it’s clear Michele had nothing to worry about, but it’s a good lesson for homeowners wanting to update their old space. While modern styles might look lovely, it’s important to think about how a feature will look in an old home. A simple, timeless style is always a good bet.
A busy backsplash calls for a simple counter
To finish the kitchen, Farr finds a quartz slab countertop that complements the backsplash. While selecting a countertop seems easy for Farr, the designer explains there’s a trick to it.
“When choosing a countertop, you have to have already decided what your backsplash is going to be,” Farr says. “And in this case, my backsplash is quite complex and it’s going to make a big design statement. So I want to pull back on my countertops and make them very simple, very functional, but still very beautiful.”
In the end, the quartz slab looks great in this kitchen, proving that Farr’s technique works: Choose your backsplash, then pick your countertops to make sure these features complement each other rather than compete for attention.
Build a closet rather than using bulky dressers
Upstairs, Michele and Tom complain that their bedroom feels cramped and crowded, but Farr points out that the room is actually a good size.
“You have these old pieces of furniture taking up usable space that could solve your storage issues,” Farr says.
Farr removes the bulky storage pieces and borrows part of the room to create a large closet. While the bedroom is technically smaller now, Farr proves that without the dark and dated furniture, the space feels much more open.
To finish the design, Farr paints over the dark blue accent wall and replaces the small window with two big ones. With lots more natural light, Michele and Tom won’t even notice that their bedroom has actually shrunk in size!
“Hilary Farr of ‘Tough Love’ Reveals the Worst Furniture Fail Your Own Home Might Have” appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights on www.realtor.com.
Soaring demand, ultra-tight inventory. The theme of 2021 continues across the country’s in-demand real estate markets, including the Bay Area, Wine Country and the Monterey Peninsula. Global real estate brokerage The Agency, which has several boutique offices across Northern California, recently released The Red Paper, an annual market report identifying the latest trends locally and globally, as well as what buyers and sellers should expect in the year ahead.
The report notes that nationally, price appreciation surged more than 19% year over year, the highest growth rate in recorded history according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Index. Despite the year’s tight inventory and rising prices, over six million homes sold, the highest number since 2006. Pandemic-induced lifestyle decisions still ruled as buyers continued the trend of expanding their horizons and living spaces.
A return to city living trended nationally with San Francisco remaining a hotspot, seeing strong demand across all districts. Single-family home and condo transactions were up 33% and 40% respectively over 2020.
Still, Bay Area residents continued to trend toward suburban and rural opportunities, often trading the benefits of urban living for more square footage and outdoor space. The North Bay, East Bay and San Francisco Peninsula saw an increased flow of San Francisco residents taking advantage of remote work opportunities.
In the East Bay, the lure of more land and amenities, such as guest homes, in-law spaces, pools and sports courts fueled buyer demand and resulted in year-over-year price gains for Contra Costa County in excess of 20%.
Following a slow trend over the last decade, Silicon Valley residents filtered into the East Bay, with Danville and Alamo seeing the median single-family home price rise 29%.
Across the Golden Gate in Marin, prices soared with the median single-family home price up 15% year over year. A new record-high sale was closed by The Agency in Ross at $28.1M, which was also the second-highest closing in the history of Marin. After only 15 days on the market, the home sold for $3.105M over the asking price.
Many San Franciscans moved north to the Wine Country, spiking the net migration to that region by 65%, as compared to
prior years.
Listings were sparse, with only two to three weeks of inventory on the market at any given time. Single-family home transactions rose 37% and the median price rose 12% over the year before.
Spacious living and golf properties drew buyers to the Monterey Peninsula, which saw the median single-family home price rise 18% while inventory dipped 55% year over year.
Beyond the Bay Area and Southern California clientele, a large number of buyers were Texans, especially when it came to those seeking to purchase in coveted Pebble Beach.
One trend that was further solidified in 2021: More homeshoppers are taking to social media, thus driving sales in every market. Virtual tours, visual tech and digital media took center stage, helping ring in the digital age of real estate.
With connectivity happening in real-time, the agent’s role became even more crucial. The Agency noted it is investing in PropTech platforms designed to ease the transaction process while fostering the human touch and power of the agent, who remains the integral local expert and personal guide.
So what can we expect in 2022? A strong market across the board. Even if price appreciation slows to single-digit gains, home prices will still be 20% above pre-pandemic levels. Mortgage rates are rising, but still more favorable than in the recent past.
What the future of work looks like will certainly shape major markets. Migration back to the city will continue, while buyers will continue to seek opportunities to maximize their living space, indoor and out.
Forecasts for the Bay Area, Wine Country and Monterey Peninsula remain strong, with more inventory expected to free up around springtime. Explore NorCal real estate at TheAgencyRE.com.
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