Natural Materials

Barn doors are seemingly becoming more popular in new or remodeled homes. You may find them being used as sliding doors to define spaces or in smaller places such as a closet or pantry door.

Julie Walter, showroom manager at Boffi Georgetown, an Italian luxury kitchen and bath designer, describes how Boffi displays a rustic wood shelf with a modern shape, a metal sink below, and a big mirror above it. Walter explains the trend as she says, “It’s an interesting play between old and new. People like contemporary lines, but they want the warmth of bringing in an older element into their home, especially the kitchen where people have an emotional connection with their childhood kitchen.”

Color in Unexpected Places

In contrast too neutral tones and natural wood are colored LED lights that we are seeing more and more of in unexpected places like gas fireplaces, kitchens, and even bathrooms.

Stacy DeBroff, brand strategist and chief executive of Influence Central in Boston, says, “Colored lights that you can control with an app were everywhere at the Vegas shows from gas fireplaces to above kitchen cabinets to around the rim of a shower. They had showerheads with lists so that you can take a purple shower or a red shower on a whim. Essentially, you can make a space really cool that isn’t otherwise all that interesting.”

Artistic Elements

Artistic elements that bring in some sort of personalization appeals to many millenials. While introducing a unique piece of art to your home décor can be costly, you can find affordable tempered glass bowls that can transform an ordinary bathroom into a museum-quality space.

Multidimensional tiles with a pyramid-type shape or with a wave pattern are being used to strike visual interest.

Modern Style

While colorful touches and artistic accents can be used to add some character to a space, the majority of millennials still prefer their homes to have clean lines and modern style.

In bathrooms, large tiles allow you to have a cleaner look with less grout. Crown moldings are still popular, but millennials prefer simple, streamlined styles near the ceiling and opt not to include chair rail moldings or wainscoting.

In addition, they are opting for stainless-steel appliances with a matte finish or slightly darker tone to make them easier to keep clean and free of fingerprints.

Sustainability, Organization

The Nest thermostat, which “learns” your patter of using heat and air conditioning, is at the intersection of technology and sustainability that appeals to millennials.

Millennials are looking for highly efficient appliances to reduce their energy use and want to use sustainable and natural materials everywhere they can.

In addition, they are drawn to an organized home with efficient and abundant storage. “Millennials are likely to be intrigued by the new kitchen designs that come with a complete built-in organization system so there’s a place for knives, spices, and every specialty kitchen gadget” says DeBroff.

Source: The Washington Post