The Ultimate Guide to 2007's Hot Home Resale Decorating Trends

Did you know that 90 percent of the growth in the home improvement industry over the last 10 years was fueled by high-end home owners, according to Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies? As Miranda Priestly and team so aptly explained to our heroine Andy in "The Devil Wears Prada" during the "lumpy blue sweater" speech, it takes a while for the style of the elite to trickle down to the masses. It pays to tend to the trends if you want to boost the resale value of your home for new home buyers to take notice. Of course, it's also wise to find out what's standard for your neighborhood so you don't over-invest. And making sensible decisions about classic choices versus the whim of the moment is always a prudent way to hedge your bets. Here are some of the hottest new home trends for this year:

Fab Faucets

Two consumer trends, personalization and energy-efficiency, are making faucets a hot item in 2007. You don't have to be Paris Hilton to afford the upscale specialty finishes that add a special touch to your bath and kitchen décor. As the bath's color palette warms up, classic chrome is still popular but polished chrome, brushed nickel, oil-rubbed bronze, pewter, and glass and cut crystal are the latest options that are now widely available to the mass market. As home owners show they are serious about transforming their homes into sanctuaries, the new glam finishes add texture and richness to the two rooms that always make it to the top of the "A" list in resale value for new home buyers.

Porches Are The New Jacuzzi

Florida rooms, screened-in porches, sunrooms ... the rooms where the outdoors meets the indoors are as big as ever in 2007. These versatile spaces add an entirely new dimension to the idea of "cocooning". Whether you like to settle into a comfy chair with a good book, have a few friends over for a glass of wine, or just sit and gaze out at the garden after a long day's work, a screened-in porch or sunroom is the way to go. Here's how you can heat up this investment: make it maintenance-free and add such amenities such as climate-controlled glass, remote-controlled screen system, sky lights, heat and air conditioning, arching windows, and sliding doors. New home buyers will surely be drawn to these state of the art features combined with homey comfort and the great outdoors.

The New Countertops

Move over granite, there are not one, but two new kids in town. Durable, modern, and über-practical, concrete countertops are showing up in new home decor and are in demand. Designers love this versatile natural stone because it can take any shape and home owners favor it because each countertop is hand-crafted yet highly functional. This year's ultra-modern kitchens will also showcase highly polished glass, nonporous, stain-proof countertops that it will take your breath away. You'll never crack them with hot pots and they come in a huge assortment of appealing colors, shapes, thicknesses, and textures.

Other hot trends showing up in new home design include outdoor kitchens, safety lighting, multi-room master baths, accessibility items, exotic veneers, wood finishes, home theater systems, bamboo, blue, and earthy browns. Still in-demand classics? Hardwood floors and custom storage space and the new classics: anything eco-friendly and energy-efficient.