The Retro Decor Trend That HGTV’s Unsold Homes Stars Recommend for Resale

When you move into a home, your first instinct is often to update and modernize it with modern decor. While this may be great if you don’t plan on selling anytime soon and you love the decor you’ve chosen, it may not be the best option if you’re worried about resale. Lindsey Lamb and Leslie Davis from HGTV’s Unsaleable Homes. know a thing or two about preparing homes for resale, and they say the best strategy is to enhance the home’s charm by drawing on period decor and design.

The age of a home is rarely a secret, and potential buyers won’t be fooled into thinking that a 100-year-old home is a new build just because you decided to add fancy decorative features. Instead, understand that an older home will likely appeal to buyers who love vintage charm and decorate it to highlight it. Decor choices like old electronics, as well as elements like wallpaper and built-ins, can make the unique beauty of your old home shine, helping it stand out in the minds of potential buyers.

When you decorate and list your home for saleIt’s best to keep personal jewelry and trinkets to a minimum, removing most of the personal touches. An ideal alternative to these is to use a retro stereo, telephone or even TV as a decorative item. When decorating a 1950s home, Lindsay and Leslie decided to use a charming retro record player as decoration that would perfectly tie into a living room that was as practical and comfortable as it was charming.

Preparing a home for resale is all about creating a space for potential buyers to imagine themselves in, but that doesn’t mean buyers, especially those looking at an older home, don’t want the home to have character and uniqueness. Also. By using real antiques or quality replicas as decorative pieces, you can highlight the history and uniqueness of your home while still showing how it functions as a practical living space today.

Built-ins often add retro charm to a home, so if your home doesn’t have these features, you may want to consider adding them before selling. Making your own built-in bookshelves. not only will it provide buyers with more storage space (something often lacking in older homes), but it will also add to the home’s vintage Craftsman appeal. In their 1950s home, Lindsay and Leslie decided to create stunning built-in shelves and wallpaper the backs of the shelves to add an extra patterned element.

While you may not be able to completely repaint or wallpaper your home before selling, adding even a few sections of vintage-style wallpaper can perfectly pull together the colors in a room and give your home a sense of history and place. While some colors and patterns may be too much for an entire room, bold wallpaper can be suitable for an accent wall or the back of a bookcase.