Dear Jean and Richard, I’m struggling with whether to upgrade my home to totally suit myself or with an eye toward resale. Should I play it safe with neutral color choices and more conventional surfaces to be sure it’s more marketable? Karin, Atlanta

Richard: Seriously? Are you just buying the home to “flip” or are you actually living there? Before I give you my opinion I want you to ask yourself if you chose your car based on what some future driver might like! Or if you bought your clothes based on what some future thrift store might be able to sell...

Jean: Calm down, Richard. I’m sure this question occurs to most people when they’re making expensive decisions about their home. Of course, their choices of cars are also expensive decisions, so you have a point. But the home represents more than transportation or lifestyle statement—it’s the lifestyle itself.

Richard: Exactly! And all the more reason to make it your own! If you’re mimicking a room from Pottery Barn’s catalog, make it something unique and your own or you and your friends will be bored with it in a month. Unless it’s your goal to be like everyone else, the home is the single most important part of creating your own unique environment. Think of those neighborhoods in the ads, with every house looking like every other house on the street, except the cars are different. Imagine that in reverse, with every house unique, but everyone is driving the same white Chevrolet. Isn’t the lifestyle more important than the symbol of the lifestyle?

Jean: Wow! Mr. Philosopher! But I know what you mean. Most of the houses we start with have some version of beige walls and brown upholstery—the plain vanilla of décor. And that is, well, comfortable for some people. But I agree that when someone is planning to upgrade, their decision criteria shouldn’t be what someone ELSE might like down the road. Because frankly, even if there are different homeowners in the future, they may or may not like plain vanilla. And they’ll probably change it anyway.

Richard: That’s right. I think the general public has been trained by marketers to think this way. There’s always some latest fashion that will date your clothes, your car, and even your countertops. To some, the way to avoid being trendy is to “play it safe”. Everyone once thought Almond was the perfect neutral for appliances, and installing sheet paneling or grasscloth was a natural way to modernize a room. So I say do what feels right for YOU, because even avoiding trends is trendy!

Jean: Wow, Richard! That’s so deep I’m thinking I should put my boots on. Except I’m afraid they’re last year’s designs, and someone might think I’m being anti-trendy.

Richard: Are they beige, Jean?

Jean: Nope. They’re brown, to match my sofa! Your comment about actual lifestyle verses a symbol of lifestyle makes me think of my grandmother’s house. I remember it clearly, but I don’t remember the car she drove. Her home was an extension of her personality, and it’s fair to say she never worried about what someone else thought was an appropriate wall color. This is a conclusion we share—upgrade your home to fit your tastes and lifestyle, not someone else’s!