Ready to give your space a makeover? Whether you are renovating your current living space, moving to a new home, or upgrading an investment property, choosing aesthetics that are as current as possible will help with your home’s value.
2020 brought many changes, including the way we utilize our homes. Shutdowns due to the pandemic forced many of us to create home offices, homeschool spaces, and gyms. Many people discovered that elements they loved in their homes, no longer work for them.
3 Decorating Trends to Avoid in 2021
1.Open Floor Plans
Open floor plans are homes in which two or more traditional-use rooms (like the kitchen, living room and dining room) are combined, forming a much larger space. Open floor plans have been the most popular architectural trend for new home construction and renovation projects in the country since the 1990’s.
Open floor plans commonly focus on the kitchen as the command center for the home. Fewer walls allow for better traffic flow and natural light. With the increase in remote learning and working from home, people are becoming all too aware of the drawbacks to this design. Aside from lack of privacy and poor sound control, various workstations set up in a home with an open floor plan can make it look cluttered, despite your best efforts to keep it tidy.
Many of us have enjoyed the extra time at home with family and the slower pace, but let’s be honest, sometimes you just need a space where you can be free from noise, someone else’s conference call or video chat, or just to be in your own head.
If you have an open floor plan, do not fret. Options for dividing living spaces into separate zones are endless. Privacy screens, parlor furniture and double sided bookcases can provide separated spaces and work zones.
2. Shiplap
Shiplap has been a popular design element since the 2010s, but is it time to send shiplap back out to sea? The earliest version of shiplap was found on Viking ships over 1,700 years ago. An ancient boat was found using overlapping planks around the outside to keep the water out. The technique of overlapping planks around the outside of the vessel was called lapstrakes. The planks overlapped at rabbeted edges to create a completely watertight fit.
It worked so well keeping water out of ships, it became the go to material for barns and sheds. When it made its way into homes, it was originally used over a home’s framing to provide a smooth backing for interior wall coverings, such as wallpaper. It was not until 2013 that it gained popularity as a design element. Joanna Gaines decided to leave a home’s shiplap exposed on an episode of the popular show “Fixer Upper”. People fell in love with the texture and style it brought to a room and a new trend was born.
Why is this popular trend on its way out? Put simply, most designers feel that it has been overdone with the rise of the modern farmhouse motif. New trends are focused on using more creative ways to add texture to your space. Tile, rattan and living walls of plants are popular new ways to add texture and make a statement. There seems to be a mass exodus from everything faux, so make sure your plants are real.
This brings us to the outgoing trend that will have many clutching their pearls.
3. Modern Farmhouse
DIY home improvement shows inspired the rise of the modern farmhouse, but many designers think it may be time to put the farmhouse trend out to pasture. Farmhouse-style decorating is a throwback to a simpler time while balancing old and new. The look is meant to be clean while being warm and inviting.
A major element of the modern farmhouse is the barn door. Barn doors are good options for spaces that do not have room for a door that opens in and out, but there is typically a gap at the bottom and sometimes the top, making it a poor choice for rooms that request privacy. Designers are opting for pocket doors as a sleek alternative to the bulky barn door.
If we are talking about the farmhouse, we should address the elephant in the room. I am talking about word art signs. Hanging signs to label each room is a dying trend. With the increased amount of time we are spending at home, we no longer need signs to tell us where the laundry room is.
The main problem designers have with the modern farmhouse, aside from it being overdone, is that it has spread to city apartments and homes. The look doesn’t feel organic in these homes and can appear out of place.
How Do I Know Which Design Options to Choose?
The internet offers an endless supply of new decorating ideas and tips. Today’s trends are focusing on warmth, color, and timeless pieces that create an eclectic space that feels homier than the minimalistic trends of late. Be on the lookout for the rise of the grand-millennial motif. It is meant to recreate the classic comfort of your grandmother’s house with modern accents and seems to be growing in popularity.
If you’re making upgrades to an investment property, make sure you’re thinking about your return on investment. Choose designs and upgrades that will outlast the test of time while attracting quality rental applicants. An experienced property management company can guide you in choosing upgrades to boost your ROI.
Whatever style you choose, designers suggest that you keep the Live, Laugh, Love sentiment in your heart, but leave the sign at the store!
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