HOME TRENDS
for 2018
By Melissa Erickson
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W
hether you’re buying a new home
or looking to freshen up your
own, knowing the latest building
and decor trends will keep you in style.
• Move over, man caves: Women are
getting a room of one’s own, said Real-
tor Marie Presti, owner of The Presti
Group in Newton, Massachusetts. Called
she rooms, babe caves, she shacks or
she sheds if they’re located in the garden
area, these rooms offer a getaway space
for busy women juggling home, work and
family.
“It can be a place to hide out, especially
since open floor plans in homes are so
popular,” said Presti, president of the
Greater Boston Association of Realtors
and 2017 Greater Boston Realtor of the
Year.
Having a home office will never go out
of style, and that’s just what many buyers
are asking for — except instead of focus-
ing on a desk and cabinets, women are
transforming these spaces with window
seats and decorative pillows, Presti
4 • Spring Vermont Home, Garden & Auto 2018
The ultra-luxe feel of
velvet furnishings
will wow in 2018,
but if you’re not bold
enough for a purple
velvet couch, try the
look with some
velvet throw pillows.
said. The extra room in the house or the
converted garage now becomes a music
or relaxation room, upscale closet, yoga
studio, or just a place to hang out with a
glass of wine and book club friends —
and there’s still space to curl up with a
laptop and get work done.
• In the bathroom, the whirlpool bath
is being replaced by a high-end shower,
Presti said. These spa showers are gener-
ally bigger, with benches, inset shelving
and multiple shower heads like a rain
head, body jets and a handheld jet.
“Close the door and it becomes a steam
room, and there’s no drain set in the
middle. Instead, the floor angles so water
runs off to a drain hidden underneath,”
Presti said.
• Home bars are once again popular,
both as a family focal point and for enter-
taining guests, Presti said. A great way
to use up some extra space, home bars
are outfitted to suit the family’s drinking
habits, whether that means a built-in keg,
wine refrigerator, espresso bar or a cool
place to store juice, water and soda.
• Accessory apartments are also
becoming increasingly popular as the