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Last year when the pandemic struck, as a necessity, Americans began spending exponentially more time in and around their homes. This gave them the opportunity to get intimately in touch with how their homes “live”. And those many months of staring at uninspired spaces resulted in record levels of exciting renovations and remodels.
This wasn’t a big surprise to the astute team at Seville Home. They quickly found their homebound customer wanted to reconsider every available space in their house. “We call it ‘Whole Home Living,’” says owner Stuart Wilkins. “Spare rooms and living spaces—including underutilized outdoor areas—are now being transformed. Every corner is being reconsidered.”
Wilkins says whether you’re tackling one room or doing a complete overhaul, the veteran design team at Seville Home is ready to help you reclaim and refresh your spaces. “It just depends on where people are in their journey,” he says. “Some are upgrading their main living areas. Others are literally going wall to wall and reimaging it all. And the results are more than dramatic, creating an instant and impressive return.”
Reinventing Home
No matter if clients want to reinvent a dormant bedroom or rarely used dining room, one thing is certain, home is now a place for work, relaxation, gathering, entertaining, and sanctuary. “And they want what they want and are taking an all-in approach,” says Wilkins. “It’s really exciting to see so much attention going into creating rooms both beautiful to look at AND wonderful to live in.”
Principal bedrooms, for example, have gone glam with plush surfaces, warm colors, high function, and dressed-up designer touches. It’s a welcome change, says Carrie McColgan, Seville Home’s gallery manager. “Master bedroom makeovers have traditionally taken a backseat. It’s been the last room clients decorate, because entertaining spaces made first impressions,” she says. “Now, people are focusing on where they personally spend time . . . to truly be spoiled by personalized luxury.”
Wilkins agrees that luxe bedroom makeovers are popular. “And home owners are not settling. They want their personal retreats to feel upscale and spa-like. It’s a beyond-the-bed philosophy,” he says. “They want to spend time in this room—as an oasis, a getaway, a true leave-it-all-behind, no-travel-required destination.”
Comfort is Paramount
And living rooms are also taking a decidedly delightful turn—combining sexy sectionals for lots of leisurely room to spread out and let your personality shine. After a year apart, people are slowly but surely reuniting with friends and family. Book clubs, coffee klatches, and movie nights are all returning. “Stylish comfort is the most important thing our clients keep telling us they want,” says McColgan. “Before Covid, living room furnishings were something wives picked out. Men had their mancaves and that was sufficient. Now we see couples teaming up to transform every room. They both require comfort combined with that wow factor. And that’s more attainable than ever!”
Toward that end, sectionals are back in a big sexy way, McColgan says. “Gone are the days of low-fashion, L-shaped lounging pits. Today, our finest makers are creating absolutely stunning pieces that embrace the edges of your living room and even curve around to create a renaissance of cozy moments. And the addition of high-end motion is an on-trend reality here to stay—anything that moves or glides.”
Wilkins also points out that sectionals can be customized right down to the arm style and leg shape. “It used to be that ‘beautiful to look at and wonderful to live in’ were mutually exclusive, and now they are one. Discriminating consumers can pick exactly what they want, down to the last detail.”
Color is also making a comeback—and not just pops or splashes either. “Our customers are confident and going bold to branch out from beige and grays. And we’re here to help,” says McColgan. “It’s self-expression. Color is your own, so claim it and love it!”
McColgan has seen a flurry of buyers snapping up vibrant wall art. “Wall art comes in and it’s sold on the spot. Sometimes we sell it out of the back room. It doesn’t even have time to hit the gallery floor,” she says with a laugh.
Snoozy, old-school dining rooms are also being transformed into multi-functional home offices outfitted with the perfect combination of Zoom-friendly flair and casual comfort. It all depends on what the client needs. “Everyone is at a different place in this whole home journey,” says Wilkins. “Sometimes people need a magic wand touch, where our design team leads the project. Other times, our clients have a clear vision and plan and we’re simply there to implement it flawlessly. I do think, however, our professional design services – always included at no extra charge – give our customers tremendous reassurance, regardless of how much they tap into them.”
Indoor Translated Into Outdoor
Forget sitting rooms and parlors. Seldom used formal areas are officially out. Outdoor meccas are in. Transitional outdoor living spaces add livable square footage, as well as new luxury to your personal haven. “People quickly tired of being cooped up,” says McColgan. “As a result, outdoor and indoor living is more blurred than ever. And outdoor upholstery is so upscale now that people are actually suspicious of it—and whether or not it can be used outside. They call it performance fabric for a reason; but you’d swear it was made exclusively for the swankiest indoor furnishings.”
McColgan says customers are gravitating towards two specific brands—Inside Out and Sunbrella. “Both can go indoors and outdoors with ease,” she says. “And customers are very attracted to the idea of if life happens, the piece is not ruined.” Sunrooms, porches, patios, decks, and poolside can now all make big, beautiful statements.
Room by Room
No matter what your needs, the design team at Seville Home can translate your ideas into reality. Looking for professional room design, multi-task space planning, or unique, hand-crafted furniture and accessories? It all starts with collaboration.
“Here, you’ll work with one designer from the beginning to end of a project. Your trust is paramount and the process of bringing together beautiful spaces requires that level of professional relationship,” says Wilkins. “We approach your home thoughtfully and carefully to discover how you live, and only then do we start helping you create a vision. We’re all learning to love our homes again in totally unexpected ways—and whole home living has truly made this one of the most exciting times in our twenty-one-year history serving the entire Kansas City area and beyond. Now, as small gatherings make way for larger reunions, there’s never been a better time make your home everything you’ve dreamed of—and be reunion ready.”