The finest minds in Meteorology can’t predict the weather in a week. Political pollsters, eggheads every one, were wrong about the two major political campaigns in the last two years. I don’t know what I’m having for dinner in five hours. With such a track record, why wouldn’t we predict home design trends eight years down the road? That’s a disclaimer, folks. The past is easier to report than the future is to predict. Here is what Gildshire Magazines thinks, and not what we know. Speculation is fun, though, so here we go!
1. Size Matters: That doesn’t have to mean big, at least not in every case. Experts from Coval Homes, a leading Pacific Northwest home builder, expect the exterior dimensions of homes to decrease markedly over the next ten years. We know that the tiny home movement isn’t going anywhere. Millennials are driving the smaller living space trend, and they will only have a larger share of the home purchase market as time goes by. What does that mean for home design? Oversized furniture is on the way out if we can get it through the tiny doors. Expect furniture to be custom built for the new and smaller living space.
2. More Open Space: So, how is that possible given the decreasing home dimensions we are predicting? Remember Grandma’s house? It was full of end tables, coffee tables, settees, and throw pillows, and no one noticed that they couldn’t breathe. Those days are gone. The home built for the next generation will celebrate space and openness. The coffee table was a family fixture twenty years ago. It was a handy place on which to pile mail. What is the point of this table, since it has nothing to do with email or Snapchat? Get it out of here!
3. Spending Less on Decor: The age of “stuff” will never totally disappear, but it is waning. Today’s homeowner is spending more on experiences and less on possessions. The trend is apparent in the sales statistics for expensive (think $800+) handbags. It will soon follow in the world of home decor. Ideas gleaned from Pinterest inspire us to make something pretty out of not much cash.
4. A Lighting Revolution: The incandescent bulb was a miracle when Thomas Edison used it to light the Hotel Del Coronado in 1888. Today’s LED options are making light bend and move to the interior designer’s will and whim. Gone are the Bob Vila track lights from 1996, likewise unlamented are the pot lights from 2006. In are tomorrow’s lighting notions that are interior decoration all by themselves, and we think Mr. Edison would be on board.
5. A Copper Penny For Your…Kitchen? Brushed nickel, chrome, and stainless steel had their day, but it was yesterday. Copper and rose gold in the kitchen and the bathroom are what is hot in home design today. Those same features, all over the house, are tomorrow.
6. “Could I Get Three Hundred Copies of This Report, Oh and, Could You Print a Loveseat For Me?” Does that sound like science fiction? If so, it is near future rather than far future. The 3D Printer will soon be affordable and making small items near you. Since we were asked to picture 2027 it is fair to say that 3D printing of small furniture will be a daily occurrence in your town.
7. Green by Choice and Green By Necessity: Climate change is up for debate, but interestingly enough, only in this country. Everywhere else, the Science seems settled. The health (and even survival) of mankind on this planet will necessitate a greater harmony with Nature. It would be nice if living Green would be trendy and popular but, either way, it will occur or else. Interior design will lead the trend. That’s the optimist in us talking, hoping we’re right.
There is an old song that says, in part, “Many things about tomorrow I don’t seem to understand,” and that’s where we find ourselves with respect to trends and styles. However, we know what we see in our home design windshield. Trust us, that the styles will be magnificent, except for the ones that aren’t.