29 May Home Trends for 2015
As custom home builders, we feel it’s important to build homes that reflect the distinct style of each of our clients. Some have sleek modern lines, some are traditional craftsman styles, and others have a mountain lodge aesthetic. Regardless of the overall style – whether it is futuristic or classically old world – incorporating current home trends can enhance livability, improve efficiency, and even increase resale values.
We’re not talking about flashy fads. Integrating current design trends adds can distinguish your home from another. Today’s building trends also involve ease in maintenance and energy and water efficiency. Here are some of our favorites:
- Open Spaces: After the kitchen became the home’s hub, the next step was to remove the walls for greater togetherness. Open floor plans utilize a large space, connecting what were formerly separate rooms and creating a free-flowing design that invites interactivity amongst family members and friends.
- Shades of white kitchens. Unlike the annual announcements of the trendiest paint colors, the all-white kitchen is still a favorite . What’s makes today’s white kitchen new is that all-white does not mean the same white, since variations add depth and visual appeal. White can go from stark white to creamy and beyond to pale blue-gray. And cabinets are white, you can choose bigger, bolder hardware.
- Freestanding tubs. You may think of freestanding tubs as the claw-footed, Victorian classic, but the newest iteration shows a cool sculptural hand. Adding a tub like this will also complement other bathroom trends like open wall niches.
- Storage. Think “specialized storage,” located right where it’s needed and designed to hold precisely what gets used most there. This puts everything in it’s place and minimized clutter. More home owners are increasingly willing to pare the dimensions of a second or third bedroom in order to gain a suitably sized walk-in closet in their master bedroom. In the kitchen, it’s a large pantry and in the entry or mudroom, it’s built-ins or hidden closets.
- Outdoor Living: Being outside is synonymous with living in Bend, Oregon. We are building homes with larger patios, outdoor kitchens, and a connectedness with the interior of the home. There is also a trend to enhancing these spaces with outdoor showers adjacent to pools and hot tubs, and private dog runs and wash stations.
- Fireplaces and fire pits. The ability to sit around the fire, telling stories, watching the sunset, and relaxing is no longer reserved for camping. Modern designs and efficient options have brought wood and gas fire pits into our backyards.
- Water conservation. While the concerns of drought have spread nationwide, the desire to conserve water in the Central Oregon high desert are not new. Home owners can now install rainwater harvesting tanks and cisterns, graywater systems, weather-controlled watering stations, and drought-tolerant plants.
- Wellness systems. Builders and homeowners across the nation are increasingly concerned with environmental and health concerns in their homes. In addition to non-toxic building material, more people are opting for systems such as heat recovery ventilation that filter air continuously and use little energy, and lighting systems that utilize sunshine.
