What better way to do that than to create various settings such as an outdoor living room, a dining area to entertain guests or have family meals, an area with a firepit to enjoy chilly evenings, a flat grassy area where you can meditate or do yoga, or a garden area where you can grow some veggies and get down in the dirt. Outdoor rooms are limited only by your imagination and budget. NO. 13 Privacy In many new construction developments, we are seeing a compression of lot sizes where you can “reach out and touch someone” due to the proximity of the home next door. Many homeowners are now hiring landscape professionals to install or create more privacy. As they expand their outdoor living spaces, they are looking for screens, pergolas, fences, natural plantings, and other ways to create intimate spaces, provide separation from neighbors, or block a less than pleasing view. •
love the respite of a long soak in a tub, free-standing tubs are the new trend. Lighter than the old cast-iron bathtubs or clawfoot tubs, these new tubs are lighter with more modern curves for today’s at-home spa experience. As long as you have one tub in your renovation for those who love a respite at the end of a long day, you should be good! NO. 11 Aging Gracefully in Style As baby boomers hit retirement, they are embarking on renovations to create their forever home. Incorporating design elements that will assist with ease and accessibility in the future are key as they age in place. Gone are the old hospital-style grab bars. We’re seeing universal design products and features that are as attractive as they are functional. We are finally seeing grab bars
come in more modern and trendy finishes like champagne, bronze, or matte black. They often function as a towel bar to camouflage their true function, doing double duty while still meeting ADA guidelines. Zero entry or curbless showers, nonslip flooring, and shower benches have become alluring and stylish features for homeowners of all ages. NO. 12 The Outdoor Living Room One trending design theme we’ve seen in the last year—and you likely have too—is connecting to the outdoors. From color palettes to more sustainable products to bringing the outside in, people are looking for ways to connect to Mother Nature. People now want their backyards to be a relaxing extension of their interior living spaces.
Lorraine Beato is the CEO of Atlanta’s Residences powered by eXp Realty. She is the author of “Flip the Switch,” a practical guide for real estate agents and
professionals ready to invest in real estate and real estate-related assets in order to build wealth and secure their retirement. Beato has been a full-time, successful real estate agent and investor for more than 25 years. She specializes in thinking outside the box to get clients to the closing table fast. Combined with her personal experience in MBS trading with Merrill Lynch and building her own retirement portfolio using creative strategies to acquire properties and improve their cashflow, Beato’s ability to negotiate and navigate her clients’ way to winning investments has made her a favorite with investors nationwide who trust her to acquire, improve, list, and sell their properties when they are not able to personally manage projects in the Atlanta area.
18 | think realty magazine :: may – june 2022
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