8 Home Design Trends to Look Out For This Year
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Are you planning to build or renovate this year? If so, you'll want to get across the latest trends in home design. There are some incredible ideas amongst this list of the 8 hottest trends. Here are some styles to look forward to this year:
1. Timber, Timber, Timber
Last year, timber was big. This year, it's going to explode. We've already seen examples of timber-clad floors, walls and ceilings. We expect the love of timber to grow this year - it's a renewable resource, it's beautiful and warm, it's good for acoustics (no more echoing rooms) and there's an option for every budget and style. These two examples are just the beginning of what timber can offer:
Above: Ignoring the fact that this house is shaped like a cloud (cool, huh?) the richness of timber is used to great advantage in this extension by McBride Charles Ryan. Oh, and an example of how to use brave, bold colour (see point 3).
Above: This project by Sean Godsell Architects (we recently featured it here) shows the timber look is possible even on a more restrained budget.
2. Keep it Raw
Similar to the trend towards timber, we think people are sick of filling their homes with poor quality products that need to be smothered in paint to look respectable. The idea of using materials that look great in their raw, natural state is going to be big this year. Think concrete, timber, steel, tiles and stone.
Above: Notice the use of in-situ concrete, exposed steel and timber left-to-weather in this project by Drew Heath Architects. The house was inspired by the ancient temple of Angkor Wat in Cambodia and uses materials in their natural state, celebrating the way they age, patina and change over time.
Above:This home by Swale Homes creates a homely and warm space using exposed concrete, steel and corten (rusting steel) - all in their raw state. Not usually materials associated with warmth or cosiness, but successful nonetheless. These materials create a richer experience than plasterboard, laminate, and a vinyl floating floor could ever hope to.
3. Brave Colours
For years the home design shows have been advocating a neutral base with accent colour. But that approach is, in a word, boring. This year we'll see homeowners being more adventurous with colour (after all, it's only paint). The feature wall (and antique white everywhere else) is a thing of the past, look out for tropical greens, rich reds and sunny yellows - on all four walls. Similarly, the expansion of colours that companies like Laminex now offer will see the growth of kitchens and cabinetry with more personality than we're used to seeing.
Above: Bellemo & Cat's Polygreen certainly lives up to it's name. Zesty greens on all walls are combined with timber to create fresh, welcoming (and fun) open-plan living space.
Above: The Klein Bottle House, by McBride Charles Ryan uses rich shades of red on the carpet and walls in this unique home. The use of this bold colour on the floor and walls draws attention to the central courtyard.
4. Frame the View
Our love of full-length windows is not going to fade any time soon. However, there will be an increase in smaller, well-placed windows which frame desirable views and block out the neighbour's clothesline. Expect to see homes with a range of differently shaped windows to suit their location. Also expect to see windows in unusual locations, like a long slit window at ground-level, or high square window overlooking the tree-tops. While we're talking about windows, let's hope we don't see any tall, narrow windows in groups of 3 this year - that's been done to death, hasn't it?
Above:This project by Andrew Maynard Architects demonstrates the move towards more considered windows. High slit windows and skylights to capture a view of the sky, corner windows to give the ceiling a sense of floating, and slit windows at floor level to open up room all combine with full length sliding doors that serve a functional as well as aesthetic purpose.
5. Getting Smaller
People are beginning to realise the hassle and costs of living large. Houses will get smaller in the coming years, as people realise it's not more space they need, but better utelised space (and think of how much cleaning time you'll save with a smaller house!). Tying in with this trend towards smaller home, the use of higher quality material - favouring quality over quality - will become become more important.
Above: Make Architecture's House Reduction project demonstrates that an extension is not always necessary. In this example, all of the client's needs were met by reconfiguring the existing spaces, creating multi-functional spaces and opening the rear of the house up to the outdoors. They were actually able to reduce the overall footprint of the house!
6. Multi-purpose Spaces
Even tiny spaces can serve a number of purposes. We've been spoiled in Australia with all our wide open plains and seemingly limitless space, but with rising house prices and cost of living pressures, it's logical to find space where you might not have thought possible - like existing backyard structures.
Below: This project, Tardis (great name), by Edwards Moore Architects, demonstrates how versatile and functional even very small spaces can be. Expect to see more bedroom/living/kitchen spaces in the not too distant future!
Above: This holiday house's intentionally dark, cozy space acts not just as a bedroom nook, but as a breakout living space for the children. Read more about Merricks Beach House.
7. Landscape First
Whether you have a tiny space to work with, or you're lucky enough to have a cricket field-sized backyard, this year we'll start thinking more about how the landscape works with the house. Rather than treating the backyard like a lump of soil that might get some attention if there's enough money left at the end of the project, people will start putting a significant amount of the budget aside for landscaping, and considering as part of their overall design.
Above: Andrew Maynard's Hill House is an example of how the design of the outdoor space will begin to influence the form of the home, rather than the other way around. While this is a particularly urban response to landscaping - Astroturf everywhere - the idea that the outdoors is as much a part of the overall design as the indoors is clear. At least it would be low maintenance!
Above: While this is technically cheating (it's an International Flower and Garden Show display, not someone's backyard) the attention to detail in this landscape is akin to that of a house. This is the type of backyard landscape we'll start to see more of as people realise the importance of quality, integrated landscape design. Let's face it, in Summer we spend more time out than in - might as well do it in a space that is as good (if not better) than inside, right?
8. Home Offices
Not a cramped study off the entry hall, and not a converted third bedroom. This is the year that dedicated home-offices (that actually operate as an office) will rise in popularity. It's easier than ever to work from home, and even if you don't do it on a full-time basis, it's nice to know you have a professional space to get stuff done.
Above: A professional, functional and dedicated home office won't be such an uncommon thing over the next few years, like this example from Bark Design Architects, Queensland.
What do you think? Did we miss anything that you think will be huge in home design this year? If so, let us know in the comments.
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