The luxury housing market is a curious beast: while properties often stay on the market for months as the perfect buyer is wooed, trends in design and technology seem to change at lightning speeds. 2017 is proving to be an exciting year for luxury real estate, as new developments in smart tech for the home and unusual blends of design styles make luxury homes even more enticing for potential buyers. If the next luxury property on your list needs some love and attention to bring it up to speed, we’ve come up with some of this year’s hottest home renovation trends that will impress luxury clients.

Top-of-the-line kitchens

Here at Modernize, we hear it from homeowners almost every day: the kitchen is a make-or-break area of a home. Outdated appliances, last year’s decor, and any sign of wear will make many luxury clients move on to the next property without looking back. Make the kitchens in your portfolio shine this year by outfitting them with stone worktops (classic white marble is always a winner in the luxury market), oversized islands, and tech stations. Always select top-of-the-line appliances like smart technology, which is on the rise for kitchens, and offer coffee bars and wine coolers to make the room memorable. Finally, maximize storage to keep your luxury kitchen space appear pristine and staged at all times.

The latest smart home technology

Homes of the 21st-century embrace technology in exciting ways. A connected home with smart technology throughout has been the norm for contemporary luxury properties for several years now, but making sure the homes in your portfolio have the latest and greatest smart gadgets will make them stand out from the rest. Home security systems, smart thermostats and carbon monoxide/smoke alarms, and smart lighting systems are all essentials. Add linkable smart appliances and home hubs to this already impressive list and you will see potential luxury buyers lining up to view your properties.

Mix and match metallics

Luxury interior design is all about opulence. Gold and silver are firm favorites among many luxury clients, but the latest design trends incorporate both warm and cool metals throughout the home for a modern and elegant look. Revamp your homes’ decor by combining copper, gold, and bronze with steel, silver, and chrome in lamps, furniture, appliances, and other decorative accessories. For the most dramatic effect, combine these mixed metallics with a monochrome color palette, or inject a few bright jewel tones into textiles and wall art for extra glamor.

Design juxtaposition

As far as design style is concerned, homeowners from both luxury and traditional markets are creatively combining styles for a unique look in 2017. Mixing popular design styles such as Scandinavian and industrial, modern minimalist and rustic, and vintage and contemporary makes a property stand out for all the right reasons—as long as the blend is done to a high standard. Luxury homes, in particular, make use of high-end decor, such as genuine antiques, designer furniture, and the highest quality textiles for a finished product that is absolute perfection.

High-end furniture

Filling a home with furniture usually involves choosing pieces that are both functional and affordable. The luxury market is concerned with function, to a certain extent, but the real desire in luxury homes is finding pieces that ooze luxury. Furniture as art is a concept that luxury clients embrace in a variety of ways to complement their individual design styles. Heirloom pieces that are decades or even centuries old are handed down from generation to generation (think chairs and loungers from mid-century modern design giants Charles and Ray Eames). Contemporary design enthusiasts often opt for exciting new pieces such as redesigned classics (like Italian designer Francesco Molon) or new, ultramodern talking pieces that tell a story (artists such as Louis Kazan offer pieces like these). Completing your clients’ homes with high-end furniture will surely impress potential buyers as they browse your properties.

Creative use of extra space

The most sought-after luxury homes on the market today make use of extra space in creative ways. Wine cellars, home cinemas, music rooms, offices, and home gyms are commonplace in the luxury housing market. Make your homes memorable by ensuring that any extra space is fully equipped with lavish extras and timely decorations. The ultimate goal of renovating spare rooms is filling a need, but luxury homes can go above and beyond necessity by creating some truly unique spaces that get clients excited about the prospect of life in their new home.

This months guest blog post was contributed by Kaitlin Krull at Modernize. Modernize works with local experts in solar, windows, heating and cooling, roofing, and siding all over the United States.