Top 5 Home Design Trends of 2014

When designing a home, or decorating a home, it can be challenging to incorporate style, taste and trends. If you go overboard with trends, in a year or two you may be frustrated with home design or decor that you no longer like.

When designing a home, or decorating a home, it can be challenging to incorporate style, taste and trends.  If you go overboard with trends, in a year or two you may be frustrated with home design or decor that you no longer like.  It is important to consider and implement design and decor elements that are timeless and put in touches of trends so that the design of your home is not aesthetically overwhelming.  If you are designing a new home, or remodeling, below are a list of home design trends for 2014 that you may consider implementing in your own home.

• Open Concept

You may have heard the term “open concept” and wondered what exactly it is.  Essentially, it is the idea that there are less walls segmenting the home with more open space so that you can see from one room to the next, making spaces throughout the home feel bigger.  It is a continual flow of open space that maximizes square footage and makes entertaining a breeze.  Open concept has become very popular in home design and many that are remodeling hoes are opting to knock down walls and open up their home.  CBS News makes note of this  trend for 2014 and going forward, “Perhaps the most fundamental shift in home design over the past 25 years has been the open concept kitchen.  In the past, kitchens were relegated to one, disconnected room, generally in the back of a home. Now, kitchens open up into the living space, a trend that isn’t going anywhere, according to John Petrie, the 2014 president of the National Kitchen and Bath Association and the owner of Mother Hubbard’s Cabinetry in Mechanicsburg, Pa.  “Walls are going to continue to come down,” he said.  The folks at the American Society of Interior Designers are seeing the same thing:  “Lately we’ve seen a focus on entertaining from our clients,” said Jase Frederick, ASID Illinois’ director of communications. “They are looking for spaces that maximize their ability to gather and relax with friends and family.”

• Indoor/Outdoor Living

We have seen a focus on joining the indoor and outdoor living spaces, rather than leaving them completely disjointed.  Big patios with comfortable outdoor furniture, televisions, outdoor kitchens and more are very on trend right now.  Doors that can open wide or disappear completely so that the two spaces become one will make entertaining easier and spending time inside and out more enjoyable.

• Luxury Master Bathroom

You spend a lot of time in your home and in yoru master bathroom.  While you may not be able to go to the spa every day, you can create a spa right in your master bathroom.  Rather than just a small room with a sink and a shower, many are choosing to design their dream retreat right in their own master bathroom.  From soaker tubs to steam showers, your dreams can come true in your master bathroom.

• Media Rooms

Gone are the days of a television propped up on a TV stand in the corner of the room.  With a shift towards smart homes that are automated and technology centered, many are choosing to create a media room in their home.  Not only are big flat screen televisions being installed but dedicated home theaters with comfortable movie theater style chairs or plush couches that seat the whole family.  With new technology, at the push of one button you can close the drapes, dim the lights, turn the television on and start a movie.  With such a luxurious space right in your own home, you will never need to visit a movie theater again.

• Eco-Friendly & Energy Efficient

Going green is not a new concept and it is not going anywhere.  As consumers become more informed about the  eco benefits of going green as well as the impact it can have on utility bills, many are opting to install eco-friendly elements in the design of their home.  Angies List discusses this 2014 trend, “Green home improvements have been trendy for years, but remodelers and designers say homeowners continue to strive to improve the efficiency of their homes — from installing home automation systems that prevent energy waste to replacing outdated light bulbs and shower heads.  “LED lighting, which was really prohibitively expensive in the beginning, is really affordable now,” Bolman says. “People are using it for under-cabinet lights as well as their recessed can lights. It’s very nice and it comes in a lot of color temperatures.”  Merrifield says he fields a lot of requests for efficient windows and doors. “Fiberglass doors are five times more energy efficient than the old wooden doors,” he says.”