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When it’s time to refresh the look of your home, you’ll probably spend time learning about the latest trends in home renovations and design. Some trends come and go pretty quickly, while others have staying power to lasts for years.
The designers at Giraffe Design Build firm have their fingers on the pulse of emerging home design trends, while taking note of the directions that are going to have staying power. As we enter a new decade, it’s exciting to review the upcoming coming movements in home design. Here are ten upcoming trends you can expect to stick around.
1) A Timeless Look
The next decade will see a return to the classics and the essentials. As we all become more thoughtful of our environmental impact of our purchases, we expect to see investment in styles with a timeless quality.
One expression of the classical look is built-in seating, nooks, and cabinetry. Built-in features provide a classic look that continues to evolve as your home is ready for fresh touches. A new coat of paint, a change of fabric, or a variation in texture create a stunning new effect on a room while maintaining the classic lines for years.
We’ve worked with several families who opted for a classic approach to their home renovations. Some introduced a built-in feature to their family room, while others used trim or door selections to set the timeless aesthetic.
2) Bold Monochromatics
Color choices in the 2020s will trend toward bold and monochromatic. White walls with black accents are on the rise, as are striking colors like cobalt blue and kelly green.
The monochromatic palette works well with the classic look, creating a striking visual element in a room with understated moldings and trim. The effect has a fresh yet timeless quality many homeowners are looking for.
Giraffe Design Build is employing this approach on several projects right now, creating white walls with black accents, using black facing, or introducing matte black doors.
3) Sustainable Materials
Homeowners are making more eco-friendly home renovation choices in recent years, and you can expect to see a greater variety of options in the coming decade. Not only will sustainable materials be more widely available, they will also become more affordable and more efficient.
One product we’re particularly enthusiastic about is Havelock wool insulation. Natural wool insulation improves indoor air quality, manages moisture, and neutralizes volatile organic compounds. We’re beginning to use wool insulation in our sustainable home build projects, and our customers are excited to have it as an option.
We expect to see an emphasis on incorporating long-lasting materials into both home renovations and new home construction. Customers and builders are becoming more waste-conscious and there seems to be a pause in unnecessary, "fast furniture.
We’re also seeing a greater focus on environmentally responsible lighting. As LED fixtures can last for 25 years, many of our customers refuse to use any other lighting option in their home renovations.
4) Old Meets New
As environmental consciousness comes to the fore, homeowners are looking for creative ways to reduce their consumption. One approach gaining popularity is layering in old and new materials. Rather than buying all new furnishings, you can mix in some old with the new.
One of our current projects is a charming 1800s farmhouse renovation. Reclaimed fixtures are incorporated with new furnishings, invoking the old character of the house while also embracing the latest elements of the 21st century.
5) Grandmillennial Style
Another home design trend of 2020 and beyond is the grandmillenial style, which blends traditional elements with modern art and clean-line furniture. So named because of its popularity with Millennial homeowners, the style blends clean-lined modern furniture with vintage design elements such as chinoiserie, scallops, and natural fiber rugs.
Think of this not as your grandmother’s house, but your modern house highlighted with some of your grandmother’s pieces.
6) Integrated Technologies and Smart Homes
While homeowners embrace connections to the past, they will continue to reach for the future. We’ll see more tech in kitchens and bathrooms as we move further into 2020. Smart home technologies will be integrated throughout the home’s infrastructure. Growing awareness about sustainability will increase the availability of smart devices for energy and water conservation — from smart refrigerators, to electronic thermostats/heaters, to water integrated water heaters and showers.
This trend won’t be limited to just new home construction projects — even older homes will get wired and become more tech-savvy. Expect to see historic homes with integrated technologies and smart devices.
7) Outdoor Living, Expanded
For years, Giraffe has helped homeowners realize indoor spaces that open to natural outdoor light. Many of our projects transform living areas by integrating the outdoor space with the indoor. As we enter the next decade, more homes will incorporate indoor and outdoor spaces. In warmer locations, this will include outdoor kitchens and fully furnished outdoor rooms.
In Southeast Michigan, design-build companies are limited by the climate. However, people in Ann Arbor still want the opportunity to enjoy the blend of indoors and outdoors. We’re finding inspired ways to take advantage of this trend in several homes. One project features a wall of doors opening onto a patio. Our own designer, Joel Beals, built a covered deck that extends his indoor living space outside in the summer months.
8) Accessibility
As Baby Boomers reach their retirement years, more and more people are looking for ways to stay in their homes as they age. Independent living is no longer the exception, but has become an expectation as we grow older. Only about one percent of existing homes are conducive to aging in place, which makes this a growing home renovation trend in 2020.
While finding an accessible home is a challenge, it’s almost always possible to remodel your home with accessible design in mind. Giraffe Design-Build has helped many homeowners to transform their current homes into their forever homes.
9) Healthy Homes
With a global shift of awareness toward environmental health, we’ll see more attention turning towards building healthy homes with fewer toxins. At the core of Giraffe’s values is a commitment to delighting people and planet. An important part of that is fostering environmental and personal health. This informs our selections of paint, insulation, and even wood — using products that are free of volatile organic compounds, or VOCs.
Indoor air quality tops the list of concerns, and we design HVAC systems to promote healthy living within your home. We do everything we can to design a healthy environment for our clients and their families.
10) Kitchen As the Hub of the Home
At one time, the family room or living room was the focus of the home. It was the space where guests were entertained and families spent their evenings. More recently, that focus has shifted to the kitchen.
Kitchens are increasingly the hub of the home, and the coming decade will see an increased emphasis on designing family space that connects to kitchen space.
At the Forefront of Design
These are the home design trends we expect to take hold and evolve over time. While other design trends may come and go quickly, Giraffe is paying close attention to the ones we expect will have staying power.
For fresh perspective and inspired designs that will remain timeless for years, consider Giraffe Design Build as your partner of choice
