What style home is the right fit for you? Is it a ranch, a colonial, a Mediterranean, a modern, a contemporary, a cottage or any other number of designs? Or is the home of your dreams one that just feels right and has the perfect location? If you’re a stickler for labels, there are a few changes in the popularity of home styles that may surprise you.

In the state of Florida, you can hardly drive a half mile without seeing a Mediterranean style home. Obviously, Florida builders decided that the Mediterranean Sea was close enough to the Gulf of Mexico and Pacific Ocean to justify flooding the market with stucco walls, tumbled stone and wrought-iron accents. But guess what? The quintessential Florida Mediterranean home has fallen both in popularity and in value around the country in the past four years per Realtor.com.

Replacing it is the modern/contemporary home the value of which has increased 37.4 percent during the same time. Even the traditional Victorians and colonials have surpassed the Mediterranean in value between 14 and 19.4 percent.

So, what exactly is a modern home compared to a contemporary? Not such an easy question to answer. Modern homes typically have simple lines and aesthetics that are minimalist, reminiscent of the 1950’s and 1960’s mid-century era. Sounds kind of like contemporary me, but the website Houzz says the contemporary homes are more playful in materials and bright colors – a little less Frank Lloyd Wright and a little more beach/mountain relaxed.

According to the National Association of Realtors, single-family houses described as modern make up only 0.6 percent of the homes listed compared to 10.3 percent for homes described as contemporary. In addition, homes listed as contemporary sell on average for $275,000 more per Realtor.com. indicating the days of flat roofs, monochromatic colors and exposed steel and concrete may be over.

Confused? Of course you are, as you should be since the lines between contemporary and modern are so blurred as to not be clear to anyone. It’s all in the wording and the buyer’s perception of what the difference is.

And if changing fashion in home styles isn’t enough for one week, how about changing styles in home appliances? Remember those oversized sub-zero refrigerators and Wolf ranges that everyone lusted after? Well, if you never got one, you are so back in style.

It appears that although minimalist may not be popular in homes anymore, it is very much in style in appliances. Compact appliances that are common in Europe and Asia are starting to make their way into the traditional American kitchen. Twenty-four-inch refrigerators, 18-inch dishwashers and 24-inch ovens are all the rage. Even your mother’s Kitchen Aid mixer has been downsized to a mini version, and manufacturers are experimenting with washers and dryers in the kitchen, again very European, saving valuable square footage in what once were laundry rooms.

GE says it is continuing to look for ways to downsize appliances, pointing out that approximately 10 percent of U.S. living spaces are smaller than 1,000 square feet. Besides, do most Americans really cook on a daily basis? Two career families, kids in after school activities and the ability to get almost anything delivered is putting a real dent in nightly family dinners. Build another walk-in closet and keep the appliances small.

The only thing I ever looked for in a home is what I see out the windows. I’ll take a Mediterranean with an awesome water view over a contemporary in a cul-de-sac any day. And keep the sub-zeros – I never wanted one anyway.