10 Design Trends Coming to a Home Near You
Designers and builders reveal the colors, materials and other features their clients are asking for
Design trends flip and flop over time. For example, when bright colors are popular, you can expect darker, moodier colors to take over next. You can probably chalk it up to homeowners getting tired of designs they’re seeing everywhere and wanting something different. Whatever the reason, design trends are always in flux. To get a snapshot of what’s trending now, we asked several designers and home builders what their clients are requesting. Here are 10 design trends they think are on the rise.
2. Wood Beams Everywhere
Designer Cynthia Soda of Soda Pop Design says she’s getting requests to add wood ceiling beams “anywhere our clients can have them.”
Soda incorporated several large beams in the Toronto kitchen seen here as a way to bring warmth to all the white. The beams also help accentuate the height of the room by drawing the eye upward, and they coordinate nicely with the brass accents found throughout the design.
Designer Cynthia Soda of Soda Pop Design says she’s getting requests to add wood ceiling beams “anywhere our clients can have them.”
Soda incorporated several large beams in the Toronto kitchen seen here as a way to bring warmth to all the white. The beams also help accentuate the height of the room by drawing the eye upward, and they coordinate nicely with the brass accents found throughout the design.
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3. Wall and Door Decals
Soda is also seeing “quirky design elements that speak to individuality,” she says. One example is wall or door decals that personalize a space, such as the stenciling on the frosted glass laundry room door seen here.
Soda is also seeing “quirky design elements that speak to individuality,” she says. One example is wall or door decals that personalize a space, such as the stenciling on the frosted glass laundry room door seen here.
4. Arched Doorways
Sometimes it’s not the client asking for something but the designer lobbying for it. That’s the case for Soda when it comes to arched doorways. “I am personally shoehorning them into every design,” she says. “I can’t get enough.”
An arched opening offers an interesting architectural detail and gives a little more delineation to rooms while still maintaining openness.
Sometimes it’s not the client asking for something but the designer lobbying for it. That’s the case for Soda when it comes to arched doorways. “I am personally shoehorning them into every design,” she says. “I can’t get enough.”
An arched opening offers an interesting architectural detail and gives a little more delineation to rooms while still maintaining openness.
5. Flat-Panel, High-Gloss Doors
At DesignLoft Cabinets, designer Kimmie Rokahr is seeing many more requests for modern-leaning flat-panel cabinets in a high-gloss finish, like those in this Dallas kitchen. The finish helps bounce light around while the flat-panel design keeps things sleek and can help make the cabinets visually recede if you want another design element to stand out.
At DesignLoft Cabinets, designer Kimmie Rokahr is seeing many more requests for modern-leaning flat-panel cabinets in a high-gloss finish, like those in this Dallas kitchen. The finish helps bounce light around while the flat-panel design keeps things sleek and can help make the cabinets visually recede if you want another design element to stand out.
6. A Customized Place for Everything
Paying extra attention to creating enough storage space in a kitchen for all the utensils, dishes and gadgets is nothing new. But designers like Rokahr are seeing homeowners more willing to go the extra mile during the planning phase to ensure everything has its custom-designed spot. Some designers take inventory of every dish and serving utensil to create the right-size cubby inside, say, a kitchen drawer.
The owners of this Buffalo, New York, kitchen took exactly that approach. They gave their cabinetmaker all their silverware so he could measure each piece and create a spot for everything.
Paying extra attention to creating enough storage space in a kitchen for all the utensils, dishes and gadgets is nothing new. But designers like Rokahr are seeing homeowners more willing to go the extra mile during the planning phase to ensure everything has its custom-designed spot. Some designers take inventory of every dish and serving utensil to create the right-size cubby inside, say, a kitchen drawer.
The owners of this Buffalo, New York, kitchen took exactly that approach. They gave their cabinetmaker all their silverware so he could measure each piece and create a spot for everything.
7. Dark Cabinets With Brass Hardware
“Kitchens with contrast” is what designer Tecola Robinson of Tecola Camille Interiors likes to call the trend she’s seeing lately that pairs black or dark kitchen cabinets with warm brass or gold hardware. The combination delivers a high dose of drama and elegance, and creates contrast with the white tones found in popular backsplash and countertop materials.
“Kitchens with contrast” is what designer Tecola Robinson of Tecola Camille Interiors likes to call the trend she’s seeing lately that pairs black or dark kitchen cabinets with warm brass or gold hardware. The combination delivers a high dose of drama and elegance, and creates contrast with the white tones found in popular backsplash and countertop materials.
8. Porcelain Slab Showers
Tile is a popular material for showers. It’s durable and offers lots of options to bring in color and texture. But the idea of maintaining all those grout lines turns a lot of homeowners off. Designer Brooke Brown of L&B Limited Co. is getting a lot of requests for using porcelain slabs instead. The approach minimizes grout lines while still offering durability and visual interest.
Tile is a popular material for showers. It’s durable and offers lots of options to bring in color and texture. But the idea of maintaining all those grout lines turns a lot of homeowners off. Designer Brooke Brown of L&B Limited Co. is getting a lot of requests for using porcelain slabs instead. The approach minimizes grout lines while still offering durability and visual interest.
9. Maximalism
Designer Laura Fox of Laura Fox Interior Design is seeing a shift away from minimalism to maximalism. “People are rebelling from the recent minimalist trends and embracing the idea of actually having stuff,” the designer says. “We’re seeing more and more people looking for bold colors and patterns and, more importantly, ways to show off their stuff.”
Designer Laura Fox of Laura Fox Interior Design is seeing a shift away from minimalism to maximalism. “People are rebelling from the recent minimalist trends and embracing the idea of actually having stuff,” the designer says. “We’re seeing more and more people looking for bold colors and patterns and, more importantly, ways to show off their stuff.”
10. Black, White Oak and Stacked Brick Tile
When you see several design elements trending, why not combine them all? That’s what designers Morgan and Jamie Molitor of construction2style did in the Minneapolis bathroom shown here. They were noticing lots of black, white oak and stacked brick tile coming up again and again, so they decided to bring them all together in one design.
Black rectangular marble tile in a stacked pattern and black porcelain hexagonal floor tile feature in this all-black shower. The custom floating oak vanity adds a sliver of warmth and texture to the otherwise cold surfaces.
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When you see several design elements trending, why not combine them all? That’s what designers Morgan and Jamie Molitor of construction2style did in the Minneapolis bathroom shown here. They were noticing lots of black, white oak and stacked brick tile coming up again and again, so they decided to bring them all together in one design.
Black rectangular marble tile in a stacked pattern and black porcelain hexagonal floor tile feature in this all-black shower. The custom floating oak vanity adds a sliver of warmth and texture to the otherwise cold surfaces.
More on Houzz
32 Home Design Trends That Will Rule in 2019
Designer Shares Her Top 10 Kitchen and Bathroom Trends
Browse millions of photos for inspiration
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Designer Phoebe Schuh of PS & Daughters says she’s noticing people moving away from grays and heading toward warmer colors. “Coral in all shades is becoming popular and ocher is also catching on as a fun ‘boho’ color,” she says.
Here, a sofa in a light coral shade delivers a little dose of warmth to the bohemian-style living room.
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