Design Trends

Posted by Matt Brooke on June 10, 2016

This is a post we created a year ago. Interesting read and these design trends just seem to be hotter.

We’ve been in the home renovation and design business for quite a while and we’ve see trends come and go. In fact we’ve been around long enough to see a few things start coming back in fashion. Brass plumbing fixtures? Big news in the 80’s and then they were the first things to go and be replaced by chrome and nickel fixtures. Well, they are making an appearance again, this time with a bit of an aged patina.

One of the latest trends that we have seen over the last few years is shiplap siding as an interior wall treatment. We installed this treatment in a display project we did at Phipps Plaza a year or so ago. It seems to be in all of the shelter magazines now and we’re big fans. The wood can read as warm and farmhouse with a nod to vintage style. It can also be a fantastic almost sculptural element to a clean lined contemporary space. The wood isn’t cheap and there are a few installation methods to consider but nothing creates a sense of permanence and stability in a home design like wood. Most typically we see this treatment painted out in a crisp white but we’ve seen a few bold choices painted in inky saturated hues creating the ultimate moody space. A classic installation is done in mudrooms and kitchens or breakfast spaces but the element is beginning to pop up in more formal spots as well. Start looking, it’s soon to be everywhere.

Want the next trend? Concrete and patterned tile. We typically have advised big ticket renovation materials to stay on the neutral side. You don’t want something expensive and hard to replace to be something you tire of and want to replace when the trend isn’t so fresh. However, we are smitten with these and it seems as though a lot of designers are as well. Now we wait for the bold clients.

concrete tile