The ‘color drenching’ design trend | Real Estate Newsletter
And a million-dollar home surge.
This week, I bring to you a home decorating trend that folks are curious about, if the spike in online searches is anything to go by: color drenching.
It’s exactly what it sounds like. You pick a color and cover a room with it. I’m talking walls, trim, doors, ceilings.
But it’s about more than just throwing buckets of paint at every available surface. Read on for the nuances and how to do it right.
Keep scrolling for that story and more in this week’s edition:
Price surge: Learn why the number of homes worth $1 million or more in the Philly area has almost quadrupled.
Refocusing: See why the homebuilder Toll Brothers is getting out of the apartment business.
Not just a luxury: Read about home cleaning services, which are growing in popularity, especially among Philly’s young professionals.
Catering to a lifestyle: Peek inside this mid-century modern home in Cherry Hill that an architect said pays homage to a “really special” time.
— Michaelle Bond
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Kyle Taveira’s rowhouse in Pennsport is decorated in common, neutral tones. Then you open the door to the home office.
Everything on the walls — box and crown moldings, baseboards, shelves — is painted charcoal.
“At first the color hits you, but then when you start to experience the space, you see those different textures and architectural details pop,” he said.
His office is a straight-forward example of the color drenching trend — the use of a single color throughout a space. But homeowners also can use different shades of the same color, which adds dimension.
Then there’s pattern drenching.
Keep reading to learn about that technique and how and why more people are embracing color drenching.
📮Would you color drench a room of your home? What color and why? Share your thoughts.
If you close your eyes and picture a million-dollar home, what do you see?
If you’ve been house hunting (or scrolling through online listings) recently, you know that your budget doesn’t go as far as it used to. Same goes for budgets of $1 million-plus.
Prices across tiers of the market have shot up in the Philly area, but they’ve climbed even faster for luxury homes.
What’s behind price surges?
💲Strong homebuyer demand
💲A shortage of homes for sale
💲Rising construction costs
💲Rapid home appreciation
A home builder I talked to summed it up like this: “Years ago, $3 million in Bucks or Montgomery County, and you were living on a giant estate in a 8,500-square-foot house. That’s not the case anymore. Now you’re living on, you know, a half an acre with a 3,800-square-foot house. It’s crazy.”
Over the last five years, the number of homes worth $1 million or more in the Philly area has almost quadrupled.
Keep reading to learn more about this housing trend.
The latest news to pay attention to
As the housing market slows, Toll Brothers is getting out of the apartment business.
Can you name the people behind some of the Philly area’s most recognizable buildings? Test your knowledge.
Many of Philly’s office buildings are plummeting in value — and it’s costing the city millions.
Philly-area natives have turned to TikTok to mourn the glory days of Neshaminy, Exton Square, and other Philly-area malls.
Deptford Mall tried charging $10 to park closer to the doors. It didn’t go well.
House of the week: For $337,500 in Callowhill, a penthouse condo with large windows and views of City Hall.
Speaking of luxury, do you consider home cleaning services to fall into that category? Because young professionals are increasingly calling them a must-have.
These services have gotten popular nationwide and across the Philly area, especially since the pandemic. And local home cleaners say they’re seeing rising demand among 20- and 30-something clients, which is a shift in demographics.
Keep reading to learn more about this trend, how much professional home cleaning costs, and why more people are willing to shell out the money.
Nikki and Dean Drizin bought their Cherry Hill home in 2024. Within a year, it had transformed into what their architect, Jay Reinert, calls “an architect’s icon.”
Reinert had to undo renovations made in the ‘90s that had created awkward living spaces. He split the home into three areas:
the “service zone,” which includes the garage, mudroom, and kitchen
the “living zone,” which includes the foyer, dining area, TV area, and ping-pong space
the “sleeping zone,” which includes the home’s four bedrooms, bathrooms, and the laundry room
A two-sided fireplace separates the living room from the dining area.
The foyer features one of the biggest changes in the home. A slatted wooden partition separates the entrance from the main living space while still allowing light to shine through from the large windows that surround the double entry doors.
Reinert says the home pays homage to a time when architects tried to reimagine how homes could support their residents’ lifestyles.
📷 Photo quiz
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Last week’s photo featured a Benjamin Franklin statue on the University of Pennsylvania campus.
Shout-out to John S., Robert S., and Betsy F. for being among the first to get that right.
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A bunch of you had a lot to say about what should happen at the former site of Gillian’s Wonderland Pier in Ocean City. As a reminder, proposed plans for the property now include building luxury townhouses.
I didn’t hear from anyone whose first choice for the site was townhouses. Most of the readers who responded to my question aren’t fans of building any homes at the site, but especially not ones labeled “luxury.”
They told me they want to see the space kept as an amusement park or at least turned into some kind of other entertainment area for families.
We’ll keep you updated on developments at the site.
Enjoy the rest of your week.
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