I’m waiting for 60s split levels and brass to come back…figure it will be within the next ten years!
I have plain white ceiling fan also with no light. It’s very contemporary looking, too. Hardly notice it.
I have 3 pendant lights over dining table and a very simple three bulb brass with white globes fixture in foyer. Pot lights in my family room and kitchen. Having pots put in big bathroom and sconces (which I haven’t picked out yet, but will be very contemporary, on both sides of mirror.
When I had all the windows replaced in house we used a whitewash stain on the wood trim. I love how it looks( it’s softer looking than painted wood, imo) The mullions are whitewashed too.
Everything comes back sooner or later. One of my first jobs was restoring an old Craftsman style house. In the 1930s it got completely remodeled with colonial trim everywhere. The only reason we knew what it had looked like was it had been published when it was new so we had some pretty good photos of the original.
“I’m waiting for 60s split levels and brass to come back…figure it will be within the next ten years!”
CD, the splits with brass are flying off the MLS in some areas here… anything under a mil sells like the next day.
Start going to open houses in your neighborhood. Talk to the realtor there and ask what was done to update that house, why was it done, what are they seeing sells the best, what do they recommend when listing a house (just clean it up vs more comprehensive remodel, etc.). Ask how the market is doing in your neighborhood. Ask what improvements are getting the best ROI in your particular area.
On a good weekend, you can cover 4-5 open houses each day and get a good variety of perspectives in a short period of time. You can also see for yourself the “competition” and get ideas of what condition is commanding what type of price.
^And this is one of the reasons our last realtor didn’t hold open houses - all the lookie loos. 
^^ @BunsenBurner, maybe I should move my house to your neck of the woods!
We need some serious remodeling in the master bath and kitchen – previous owners did cheap upgrades in the early 90s and the cabinets and tile are falling apart. The prices we’ve gotten are ridiculous and we would be unlikely to recoup much of it at sale because the comps just don’t go above a certain point. Am trying to convince dh we should fix it the way we want and just enjoy it – he’s ready to have a smaller place, but not at all ready to deal with the idea of cleaning and selling. So, if we’re going to be here another twenty years (!!!) we might as well get it done and do proper maintenance.
Reading this thread is an education. Our house is 20 years old and apparently filled with everything people don’t like. The good news is we aren’t planning to move anytime soon. We have stained wood trim everywhere including some crown moulding and a chair rail in the dining room. Also some brass fixtures, not cheap ones, but still brass. I get that those things are dated, but what is the problem with ceiling fans because of course we also have a few of those.
Ceiling fans with the down facing lights are dated. Ceiling fans in bedrooms are practical, but the styles have changed.
We have ceiling fans in the living room and each bedroom. All have down-facing lights since there were no overhead fixtures when we bought the house. Around here, those seem to be a good thing!
I also have a 30year old house that we plan to sell in the next 1-2 years. We have stained wood trim around the windows and baseboards, brass door knobs, and ceiling fans (without lights). I certainly think talking to a realtor and/or going to open houses is what we’ll do before we start doing any renovations, especially because DH and I can’t agree on what our priorities should be. The biggest disagreement is that I’m willing to get less for the house than he is if that means having to do less big ticket work. I know we have to paint and replace some flooring. Fortunately, we’ve been very diligent about the mechanicals and roof.
Actually, I’ve noticed brass coming back in design magazines and in sites like Houzz. But it’s not grandma’s brass; it’s called “satin brass,” and it’s very pretty.
http://centsationalgirl.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/gray-cabinets-brass-hardware.jpg
http://styledstagedsold.blogs.realtor.org/2016/09/26/the-new-brass/
I dunno, it still looks nouveau riche to me.
I like (most of) the lamps, but I really hate the kitchen pulls.
^^^I wouldn’t be likely to use them as cabinet hardware because it seems very vulnerable to becoming dated quickly.
But there are lots of things I find pretty that I wouldn’t actually put in my house.
But if you are the type that wants to stay on trend, drawer pulls and hardware are a less expensive and easy way to go. Much cheaper than many modifications!
I agree 100% with @bouders. The most important thing is to make it extremely clean and tidy, and that it shows like it’s been cared for very well these last 30 years.
Don’t like it at all. Much prefer brushed nickel.
Though I do think it’s pretty, I also strongly prefer other finishes. Brushed nickel is lovely.
Like the off white kitchen link, the overall beige on beige.
My holes for knobs are already center drilled.
It all depends where you live! We live in an area/neighborhood of very large houses that are well maintained and updated. About a quarter of the homes are being gutted and switched from thick custom oak woodwork to painted white woodwork. Granite countertops are being changed to quartz, tile changed out for marble bathrooms. The popular look is clean lines and much more contemporary even though the home exteriors are more stately.
I have changed my cabinet door pulls several times. I get bored with the same look and they are easy to change. I think they are like jewelry/accessories.