Closing a Sale with Today's Design Trends & Digital Landscape in Mind

Nowadays, many homeowners take to social media platforms like Pinterest, Instagram and more for inspiration on the latest exterior design trends. Additionally, due to Stay-At-Home orders there has been a spike in Google searches as it relates to home improvement projects. Homeowners now have more time to research and compare options for the projects they've been wishing to tackle, and oftentimes there is a desire to ensure plans align with the latest trends.

With 2020 halfway through, now is a perfect time to uncover which exterior design trends are predicted to continue dominating this year. In this blog, we offer an overview of the top 2020 exterior design trends so far along with practical advice to execute each to ensure you remain competitive-particularly during this time of social distancing.

Modern Farmhouse

Trend: The modern farmhouse trend is still white hot, and there's no sign of it slowing down. In fact, Zillow recently reported this particular home style sold 10 percent more than expected over the past two years. As long as Joanna Gaines and Fixer Upper continue to dominate, it is likely this trend will too as homeowners seek to replicate her signature modern farmhouse aesthetic.

What You Can Do: Ensure you are carrying products that allow you to build with less visible seams in order to achieve the crisp lines of the modern farmhouse design. “Because of LP's 16-foot lengths LP^® SmartSide^® Vertical Siding reduces the number of panels needed, which offers a clean aesthetic,” says Craig Kuhnle, LP Building Solutions territory sales manager for the Southeast region. Ensure you are educating your clients on how different substrates impact the visibility of seams—and why they should care. 

Especially during this time of social distancing (and with homeowners having more time to dedicate to project planning), utilize 3D technology software like the LP^® SmartSide^® Home Visualizer to give them the tools they need to experiment with how LP SmartSide products will look on a modern farmhouse (and a variety of other home styles). For example, customers can either pick a modern farmhouse style or upload a photo of their own to visualize the materials and colors that best suit their vision.

Bold, Saturated Colors

Trend: One of the biggest 2020 exterior design trends is saturated, bold colors. “Traditional tans and pastels are being replaced with bright, bold, rich colors,” says Kuhnle. “In particular, homeowners are gravitating toward black and dark blues.” 

What You Can Do: Because homeowners can often become overwhelmed by the sheer amount of siding color options and ideas, make sure to carry products that will take the guesswork out and help guide them to a decision. By offering LP^® SmartSide^® ExpertFinish^® Trim & Siding, a prefinished siding option featuring 16 of the most popular exterior colors, you can help homeowners stay on trend without the headache. For example, it is offered in rich hues like Abyss Black and Rapids Blue.

Additionally, each region has its different color siding trends. Research the color preferences in your specific area (for example, by asking architect contacts, paint store sales representatives, etc.) to further show your expertise on the local landscape and help buyers reach an informed decision.

Smooth Siding

Trend: Recently there has been a shift in siding texture demand from cedar to smooth, and this trend isn't going anywhere. Smooth siding's popularity can be linked to the increased demand for modern farmhouses, as smooth siding creates an interesting juxtaposition against its classic design. In particular, Kuhnle says the Southeast is becoming a hot spot for the smooth market. 

What You Can Do: As more and more meetings are being conducted virtually, the ability to show homeowners samples in-person may not be an option. Once again, an online visualizer is a helpful resource to allow homeowners to experiment with textures and land on what best suits their aesthetic preferences. Additionally, read up on how smooth siding can accentuate the architectural features of a variety of homes, including the modern farmhouse, ranch and Cape Cod, so you have key selling points in your back pocket according to your client's home style. 

If your client isn't quite ready for a re-side with an option like LP^® SmartSide^® Smooth Trim & Siding (including lap or an all-new vertical option), suggest incorporating smooth accents to achieve the look on a smaller scale. For example, LP recently released a smooth finish narrow trim and soffit for added design flexibility.

Mixing Materials

Trend: Finally, Kuhnle says a big 2020 trend has been mixing multiple materials on the exterior of the home to create visual interest. For example, homeowners are mixing exterior siding panels with stone, brick, metal and more to make a strong statement.

What You Can Do: The LP^® SmartSide^® Home Visualizer allows customers to select an area of the home (walls, dormers, eaves, etc.) to mix and match materials (including siding, stone, roofing and more) along with color. In particular, suggesting an online visualizer tool to your customers may give you a competitive edge while homeowners have additional time these days to explore new designs and builds to implement once construction operations pick back up.

Want to keep reading on 2020 trends? Click here to check out 2020 trend predictions from LP executives to see how their expert opinions are shaking out.