2020 is the start of a new decade, one which promises rapidly changing home improvement and DIY trends to keep up with the swift advances in manufacturing capabilities and technology. If you’re thinking about a home renovation project or designing your new home, we’ve put together a list of 12 design trends which we’ve seen a sharp increase in over the last few seasons, paving the way into the new decade.
Multi-function Kitchen Islands
Kitchen islands are definitely a popular home design trend in the last decade and people are now expanding on their functionality. It is not out of place to see a modern kitchen island with a built in hob, preparation sink/bowl, chopping surfaces, hidden garbage bins, a variety of storage and even wine and beverage coolers.
Two or Three Tone Cabinets
Instead of the traditional single tone cabinets and islands, modern home design incorporates some variation by having a different colour for the above and below counter cabinets or making the cabinets around your kitchen island a different colour to the ones around the walls. This is a great way to add some variety and depth to your kitchen.
Cabinet Door & Handle Face-lifts
With modern kitchen cabinet prices and the good quality of traditional cabinets, people are simply choosing to replace the cabinet doors and sometimes just the pullers/handles as a means of giving their kitchen an update. It’s an easy update to do and can be a really effective way to modernise your kitchen.
Paint Makes Things Look Good Again
People are always looking at ways in which they can save money, and paint is a popular and effective tool for home renovations. Paint is relatively inexpensive and can be a great way to revive an old item of furniture, add colour to a room or even to update your old outdoor patio set (even the cushions!).
Chandeliers and Large Lighting Features
Modern lighting has seen a return to the use of chandeliers and large lighting features to make a statement or create a focal piece in a room. People are considering lighting choices during the early home design phase and are even designing rooms around the lighting. And for good reason. Effective lighting is one of the best ways to make your home look and feel more designer and luxurious.
Double Vanities
Double vanities used to be exclusive to high end hotels and luxury residences but their practicality has lead to them become a popular addition to modern bathroom design and remodelling. Another great addition is to install floating vanities so that you can easily access and clean the floor around and underneath the vanities, while creating an illusion of more room.
Shower Ledges
Shower ledges are not necessarily new but they’re becoming increasingly popular in modern shower designs. They require a lot less building effort than a traditional niche and they mean that you don’t need to hang unsightly caddies or put up baskets or racks which inevitably start to rust.
Minimalist Living Rooms
Living rooms used to feature a wall to wall array of cabinets housing your television, VCR and audio equipment as well as book shelves, drinks cabinets and storage for all of your vinyls, CDs, VCR tapes, DVDs etc. With the majority of these done away with in the last decade, living rooms have become far more basic. New decor trends centre around a good quality sofa and coffee table with a large, smart TV mounted on the wall over a simple and small TV unit.
Focus Around Energy Saving
Many home renovation decisions now involve looking at ways to save energy or save money in the day to day activities around the home. People are happy to spend more on a renovation project, such as by installing water tanks, grey water systems, solar panels or better insulation if it means that they will save money down the line and generally live a more environmentally friendly lifestyle.
Tech Is Becoming A Part Of Modern Homes
Technology is rapidly finding a place in our homes. Smart lighting and home automation used to be reserved for tech enthusiasts and show homes and often provided more frustration than ease of use. This has since changed as companies have found affordable and easy ways to integrate modern technology into our homes with minimal disruption. Modern smart lighting doesn’t require your whole home to be rewired and smart vacuum cleaners are left to roam your home when you’re at work, while smart home hubs are becoming increasingly intelligent and are able to control everything from your lighting to locking your doors and ordering a pizza.
Create A Statement With Your Home’s Entrance
Your home’s entrance is often the first thing guests and passers by will see, so people are spending more money on making sure that this area looks good. Have a look at some of these great ways to upgrade your home’s entrance and improve your home’s curb appeal.
Competitive Markets Mean Luxury Is Becoming Commonplace
Competitive markets mean that there is always a gap for smaller companies to gain market share by capitalising on differentiation, usually by adding “luxury” features to existing products. Think of custom sized cabinets and soft closers on hinges and drawer slides, these were only found in high end custom renovation projects a few years ago but are now commonly available from a range of timber outlets and home or DIY stores.
What are some of the home design trends you’ve noticed or incorporated into your home? Let us know in the comments section below.