Some home design trends quickly come and go while others stick around and solidify their appeal over the course of ten years or so. As we remodel homes across the Pacific Northwest, we see the following home design ideas being popular in 2024 and likely shaping our current decade overall.
COLOR, PATTERN, & TEXTURE
We’re recovering from pandemic-induced minimalism and re-enting the world of color, pattern, and texture. Once again we’re creating unique and interesting spaces that reflect our own personal style.
“All of those neutral trends that we saw before have given way to a personalized trend, which is a lot of fun,” says Neil Kelly’s Portland Design Director Mary Miksch. “You can make choices that are just for you that make you happy rather than thinking about your home as a showpiece or looking to sell it to somebody else.”
In the coming year, we expect more and more interiors to feature:
- Narrow vertical lines: Ribbed tile, fluted glass, beadboard, wood slat & pole wrap
- Dramatic wallpaper and painted murals (on ceilings, too)
- Checkerboard pattern tile— and in color, not just black and white
- Striking natural stone with lots of color and movement
- A refined, smaller format herringbone pattern
- Color drenching: Painting walls, trim, and ceiling in one color
- A semi-maximalist mix: All of the above and more in a tasteful and personal way
If you’re looking to bring some of these trends into your home, just be sure that you genuinely love them, and then consider incorporating them into your home design in a way that can be changed down the road.
ARCHES & CURVES
The use of arches in architecture dates back as far as 4,000 years and has risen and fallen in popularity many times throughout the history of home design. Arched doorways, windows, and shelving niches started trending again a couple of years ago, and they don’t appear to be falling out of favor any time soon. Backed by a biophilic appeal, arches will add calm and character to any abode, humble or otherwise.
“Custom niches that are curved at the top make a nice showcase, and it’s softer. It’s more pleasant and it allows you to relax in a space where it’s not all hard edges,” says Miksch.
And it’s not just arched openings. There’s no doubt you’ve seen all the round and organically shaped mirrors. We’re also seeing spiral staircases and curved couches. In the coming year, we expect to see even more curved lines, with rounded kitchen islands and cylindrical shower stalls starting to pop up in trend-setting interiors.
A HARD-WORKING KITCHEN ISLAND
As the central gathering place in any home that has one, the kitchen island is where everything happens. And because of that, we’re expecting more and more from it in terms of function and fashion.
“Everyone hangs out in the kitchen, so the island becomes that central hub, ” says Miksch. “Therefore it needs to serve all these different purposes more than it had to before—kids being able to sit there and do homework or parents taking a quick Zoom call when working from home. The kitchen is where people gravitate now more than ever.”
Homeowners want their kitchen islands to serve as a food prep station, buffet, dining table, and desk— and look good doing it. As we welcome guests back into our homes post-Covid, entertaining in a beautiful kitchen is often part of the vision when remodeling and our islands have become the centerpiece. So, we’re working in convenient storage for knives and cutting boards, ample seating for family and guests, hidden charging stations, and topping it off with a beautiful yet easy-to-clean countertop.
EARTHINESS
A comforting harmony of nature-inspired colors is what many homeowners are looking for in their personal retreats from a not-so-harmonious world. Stark whites and cool greys are taking a back seat once again to warmer whites and soft neutrals. Add to that a rich palette of earth tones like soothing blues and greens, peachy terra cotta, mustard, and brown.
Neil Kelly’s VP of Design, Barbara Miller, adds, “Everything is a reaction, and it’s all about the human experience. The world was chaos during Covid, so people leaned toward modern lines because we were trapped at home and we wanted it clean, light, and open. But then we thought… this doesn’t feel very cozy. So now we’re back to warming things up again.”
Nothing says “nature-inspired” more than bringing organic materials into your home. One trend we love to see is the return of natural wood and natural stone.
Homeowners are appreciating natural wood cabinets and millwork as opposed to painted. If you spend much time scrolling through social media you’re bound to see one of the millions of videos out there where someone is seen stripping and scraping generations of paint off of cabinets, doors, and furniture to reveal beautiful natural wood.
Many people are also choosing natural stone with character, color, and movement over plain and simple man-made slabs. They’re making a statement with their stone selection, using it not just for the countertop but as a backsplash and a little shelf above the backsplash, or as a floating bathroom vanity with an integrated sink. We’ve also seen stone that’s backlit to really show off its color and character.
NOSTALGIC DESIGN CHOICES
The clues as to what’s ahead often lie in the past. Many of us are inspired by our parents’ and grandparents’ homes, keying in on design features that bring us familial comfort, which we can modernize and incorporate into our own homes. Subsequently, the interior design trends of the 60s, 70s, and 80s are making a comeback. Mid-Century Modern design has been popular again for many years, while the groove of the 70s and postmodernism of the 80s are influencing many of today’s homeowners.
“We’re seeing antiques being incorporated back into homes in a way that they haven’t been for a long time,” says Miller. “We’re seeing more area rugs with color, and lamps, and more homey kind of antiques like copper and brass which we haven’t seen in a long time.”
Miksch adds, “People are buying or maybe inheriting older homes that haven’t been touched, like a Brandy Bunch house that has a lot of nostalgia already. Looking to design within that context and be respectful of that history is something that our designers are trained to do.”
STATEMENT FLOORS
Whether it’s hardwood, tile, luxury vinyl, marmoleum, or linoleum, many homeowners are making their flooring the main character of their bathrooms, kitchens, and other spaces.
“Statement floors are everywhere,” says Miller. “People are putting in variations of the checkerboard with mosaics, or sometimes softer with grey and white which I think is a nice complement.”
We’re seeing hardwood (and materials mimicking hardwood) set in herringbone and other parquet patterns. Yes, parquet is back in a big way! We’re also seeing checkerboard tile and colorful pattern tile in a lot of homes. It’s an unexpected way to showcase your personal style. It can also be a big motivator to keep up with sweeping and mopping.
OPTIMIZED STORAGE
We are no longer accepting things in our homes that don’t function to their fullest potential. No more cavernous corner cabinets, no more countertops covered in clutter. The organizationally obsessed are thriving with custom pull-outs and lazy susans in every nook and cranny of kitchens, bathrooms, and closets.
While we’re making things work better, we’re making sure they work better specifically for the way we live. If you’re a pet owner, you’re going to want a special cabinet for pet food and a pull-out drawer for food dishes. If you’re dedicated to staying hydrated, you’d surely appreciate an extra-deep drawer for water bottle storage. And if you’re a home chef who has everything, a walk-in pantry or full-fledged “back kitchen” is probably on your dream home must-have list.
We’re maximizing every available square inch so there’s a place for everything, and often that place is hidden. This is the era of hidden pantries and small appliance garages. Recessed medicine cabinets are making a comeback, too.
“It’s a balance of hiding things, but then wanting to show people how cool your solution is for hiding something,” says Miksch. “So it has to be tucked away, but also thoughtfully designed so that you can have your guests see your hidden door and what it leads to and have it be beautiful, too.”
Read more: Kitchen Storage Ideas to Get You Organized for Good
DISAPPEARING APPLIANCES
Speaking of hiding… Many of us want our kitchens to look perfectly picturesque without a photobomb from a mismatched fridge. So, while manufacturers are giving us plenty of attractive options these days, more and more homeowners are opting to blend appliances into their cabinetry by choosing panel-ready models, resulting in an uninterrupted aesthetic.
“I don’t know that stainless steel appliances will ever go completely out,” says Miller. “Lately, I see a lot more appliances that are some other version of stainless or aren’t straightforward stainless. But, we’re going back to putting cabinet doors on them. We’re coving them up, we’re disquising them.”
There’s another factor at play in our effort to hide our appliances: Now that we’re all living in open floor plans, when we’re relaxing on the couch in the living room we’re probably within earshot of the dishwasher. This has led to a steep rise in demand for quiet appliances.
“I think that’s always been a priority,” says Miksch. “But now that we’re using the kitchen as a multi-use space, it’s more important. So, back to that hard-working island; If you’re sitting there on a Zoom call, you need to have a quiet dishwasher.”
ADDITIONS
With the current state of local real estate markets discouraging people from moving, when a homeowner needs more space there’s just one way to get it: by adding on to their existing home. Whether we’re building out (adding to the main floor), down (digging out a basement), or up (adding an upper floor), there’s no doubt that additions are on the rise.
“Some of them to meet the needs of a mother-in-law suite or guest suite, and some of them to create home office space,” says Miksch. “Or, just expand the comfortable living space you already have to create more options.”
WALK-IN SHOWERS & WET ROOMS
If you’re considering swapping out your tub/shower combo for a large walk-in shower, you have that inclination in common with millions of homeowners right now. And, if your shower is large enough to fit a free-standing tub inside it, you could be part of the wet room trend seen in fashionable bathrooms from coast to coast. Walk-in showers are also a safe solution for homeowners who plan to “age in place” or live out their golden years at home.
Wondering what might happen to your home’s resale value without a bathtub? Read our earlier blog post about the pros and cons.
“This might be a little negative Nelly,” says Miksch. “But what I’ve always shared with people that were considering taking out to tub and putting in a giant shower is how cold you may find yourself. It’s a totally different experience. So before committing to a giant open-air shower, try showering with the curtain open and see how it feels. Because you no longer get to capture all that steam and have the cozy experience, and sometimes people don’t realize that till it’s too late and then you’re cold in your shower, and nobody wants that.”
ELEVATED LAUNDRY ROOMS
Every room in our homes can and should bring us joy, and the laundry room is no exception. These days, many homeowners are interested in designing this space on par with their kitchens with custom cabinetry and tons of storage, their chosen hang-drying apparatus, a deep utility sink with a kitchen-worthy faucet, and some counter space for folding. Adding design appeal in your laundry room is a great way to create cohesion with the rest of your home and make the mundane task of washing clothes a bit more enjoyable.
Are you ready to bring your home design up to date? Learn more about Neil Kelly’s design/build remodeling services and visit our contact page to schedule a complimentary design consultation.
Neil Kelly serves homeowners in Portland, Seattle, Eugene, and Bend for projects big and small.
