This is an edition of the WSJ Homes newsletter, a weekly guide to luxurious properties, celebrity homes, interior design and the housing market. If you're not subscribed, sign up here.
Nothing gets me turning off the television quicker than when I invest an hour watching my favorite home renovation show only for the final product to be revealed and everything is awash in white, beige and...bland.
Don't get me wrong -- neutral colors can provide a nice canvas for colorful furniture and fun furnishings, but I want more. Luckily, our story on the rise of maximalist design scratched that itch for me. This is what I'm talking about.
After years of white walls and light-oak floors dominating the home-decor world, maximalist interiors are gaining traction across the country as homeowners experiment with bold prints and patterns, enveloping colors and showstopper embellishment. Opinions are divided, however, on how these types of designs fare when it comes to attracting a buyer.
"We're seeing much more pattern, color drenching with richer colors, and then layering on bold window coverings and fun furnishings," said Simon Beardmore of Sotheby's International Realty in Los Angeles. "It's going away from white marble countertops in white kitchens, white-oak floors and white walls."
This week, we also take a trip to Sullivan's Island, which has South Carolina's priciest homes as ranked by median listing price, according to a custom analysis by Realtor.com. (Realtor.com, which is operated by News Corp, developed this methodology exclusively for The Wall Street Journal.)
The 3.5-mile-long stretch has become year-round draw for both full-time residents and vacation-home buyers -- but buying there "is a long game," says Alex Brener, a real-estate agent with Carolina One, who notes that inventory is tight, with about 1,100 residences. "A real estate deal could be in the works for years if you're looking for something specific."
Finally: Ever wonder how a home becomes a WSJ story? WSJ subscribers can submit a question here by April 10 and Katherine Clarke and E.B. Solomont, our luxury real estate reporters, may answer it.
A growing number of people are favoring bold and colorful over bland and beige interiors.
A former military base, the 3.5-mile-long stretch of Sullivan's Island now commands big money for its waterfront properties.
A 40-foot-wide townhouse in New York's West Village is in contract to be sold for more than $70 million, in one of the highest-ever residential deals downtown. Designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects, the six-story residence was combined from two century-old walkups into a singular home.
In Paradise Valley, Ariz., a home built into the side of Mummy Mountain is hitting the market for $27.5 million. The roughly 5.2-acre, gated property is among the most expensive for sale in the affluent town.
A 1930s Los Angeles estate that was once home to Hollywood icon Jean Harlow is coming on the market for $16.8 million. The Colonial Revival-style mansion was built around 1932 for Harlow, who filled it with antique furniture, rare porcelain, mink headboards, gold bathroom fittings -- and even toilet seats covered in ermine.
"It's like Napa or Sonoma on the beach." After buying an oceanfront home in New Zealand, Aaron Patzer poured $500,000 into a renovation to make the home his own.
Hosting an open house or home showing? Here are some ways you and your agent can protect your home from damage or theft.
Fab 5 Freddy reflects on the evolution of graffiti in New York. "At first, kids just scrawled things with markers and spray paint to get their names out there. Then the form mimicked comic-book covers."
WSJ's House of the Week brings readers to a historic cottage in Key West, Fla. While preservation rules protected the exterior, the owners spent roughly $350,000 on a renovation that prioritized indoor-outdoor living.
"I picked this Key West home as a House of the Week because it captures the spirit of Old Florida," says Mansion reporter Jessica Flint. "Sure, the 118-year-old property recently had a $350,000 facelift, but it still offers an authentic slice of a bygone era that feels increasingly hard to find elsewhere in the state."
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Kerry Barger is Mansion's senior platform editor.