While every homeowner has specific ideas on style, the overall trend is toward simpler living and low-maintenance design, and accents that don’t overpower. This aesthetic extends from clean and simple kitchen cabinetry to “bulletproof” countertops, pre-finished wood flooring, solid “pops” of glass, rich color and sparkling textures. The trend toward simplicity is also seen in a growing demand for safer, healthier and more sustainable homes.
Now, here are the top ten trends this year:
- Kitchen Cabinets: A clean, simple, contemporary look is popular with homeowners who want to economize and eliminate unnecessary clutter and fussy details that equate to high maintenance and complicated living. For those who don’t want to spring for new cabinetry, re-facing or refinishing cabinets offers more bang for the buck.
- Countertops: Granite has been dethroned. While granite isn’t going away and still has many die-hard fans, the new king of countertops is quartz composite-the closest thing to no maintenance, bulletproof countertop materials available today.
- Hardwood Floors: Pre-finished and engineered wood flooring is becoming more popular than the once gold-standard of site-finished flooring. Pre-finished woods provide a hard, durable finish, are an installation time saver, and eliminate sanding dust dilemmas. Engineered wood floors are also compatible with under-floor heating systems, a big plus in colder climates.
- Glass Backsplashes: Glass mosaic tile is on the way out. Taking its place are glass/stone/tile mosaic composites that can add more texture and visual interest and that tie in more readily with stone or quartz countertops. Be on the lookout for back-painted, solid glass panel backsplashes in contemporary settings, which provides an ultra-clean, almost ethereal look to a polished, modern kitchen setting.
- Stylishly Simple Sinks: Goodbye double-sinks, hello deep single-bowl sinks. With accessories such as fitted colanders and dish drains, deep single-bowl sinks have all the benefits of a divided sink, plus the large size to actually fit that roasting pan or those baking sheets into the sink all at once. Stainless is still popular, but the quartz composites are a great value and durable option.
- Color Palette: Charcoal is the new black. This silky color is everywhere these days as it blends the right amount of chocolate, grey and a touch of green.
- Bathroom Stone: Synonymous with luxury, Calacatta marble will find its way into both traditional and contemporary bathrooms. Calacatta is a rarer stone than Carrara marble, but is quarried in the same region. It is valued for a whiter background and bolder grey veins.
- Texture and Sparkle: Finding its way into home decor and design as homeowners seek a blend of classic textures and colors with pops of bold color and elements of sparkle, glossy glass tile backsplashes and sparkle on polished nickel fixtures are more popular than ever.
- Living In Your Home Longer/Multi-Generational Living: There’s a growing trend to help aging baby boomers safely “grow old” in their homes, for as long as possible. Easy kitchen and bath upgrades enhance functionality, comfort and safety.
- Healthy Home, Healthy Living: Green and sustainable design is here to stay. The number one trend is to create a healthy living environment, free of toxins and harsh chemicals. More and more homeowners are taking advantage of federal and state incentives to evaluate their home’s energy efficiency and overall performance. Upgrade trends include the use of low VOC materials to improve indoor air quality, testing combustion safety, and radon mitigation.