Indoor-outdoor spaces, neutral colors, and materials such as engineered wood, laminate flooring, and quartz are all elements currently trending in home design, The Daily Herald reports. Spring time brings new designs, colors, and finishes, and the newspaper highlights several different trends currently popular with model homes and in the industry.
Kitchen Highlights
Quartz reigns in today's kitchens with its clean, consistent look, and it comes in a variety of colors. Quartz is durable, never needs to be replaced or refinished and visually mimics the look of even more expensive materials such as marble and slate.
With the kitchen more integrated into the rest of the home, many people like to add panels that match the cabinetry to the appliances. When the appliances are hidden, other features of the kitchen can shine. Expect to see more copper accents this year along with a mixture of other metals. Mixing metals has been prevalent in light fixtures for some time, but now it's seen in faucets with some really cool combinations, Brennan said. With brass and gold making a comeback, along with bronze and other metals, there is no reason to stick with just one finish. Brass is a warm alternative to the expected steel accents.
Connect With the Great Outdoors
Blurring the line between indoors and outdoors is big as homeowners desire to connect with nature and their natural surroundings, Brennan said. Many homes offer an optional morning room with vaulted ceiling, which is light and bright and accesses the deck. The morning room and screened porch often extend from the house, and being in the space feels like being outdoors. Also, as designers feature fewer kitchen cabinets, it allows for an expansive window wall that lets in lots of natural light and offers views of the outdoors.
Forever Gray?
Jeremy Lund, sales director at Shodeen Homes, believes whites and grays will stay around for a while. A lot of people coming from older homes realize it's better to go neutral so homes stand the test of time, he said. All whites are not created equal though, and many people are moving away from the bright, stark whites and embracing off-whites that feel warmer and cozier.
What's Underfoot Matters
Lund of Shodeen Homes says many people are moving away from hardwood flooring and favoring a engineered wood or laminate flooring. Fewer and fewer people want high maintenance products, and solid wood flooring always means maintenance, Lund said.
Even in the bathroom, tile flooring that resembles wood is on trend. The wood look planks come in many styles and colors and look very authentic. The luxury vinyl plank flooring (LVP) is also popular. It's a wood-look vinyl, very durable, and it mimics the look of expensive woods.
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