Design Trends In Phoenix for 2018

In our previous AFT Construction post, we began discussing design trends for 2018 by focusing on the kitchen. In this post, we will expand our discussion to include trends throughout the home that we will see in AFT Construction for 2018.

FLEXIBLE SPACES

Over the past several years, people have embraced the open-floor concept. Having your kitchen, dining, and living room all spill into each other provides great spaces for families and for entertaining. Parents can keep an eye on their young children while making dinner in the kitchen, and guests have more space to mingle. Perhaps the next step in the open-floor concept is to have flexible spaces. What do we mean by that? Often times, even in open-floor concepts, room layouts are predefined in terms of where furniture goes, televisions are placed, etc. With flexible spaces, instead of those predefined layouts, the rooms are open to changing the layout. This provides the ability to change the look and feel of a room by being able to completely rearrange the furniture. Depending on the true openness of the space, not only can you change the furniture layout and where the television goes, you may be able to completely swap rooms such as the dining area and living area.

COLORS

The past few years have seen the gravitation towards white, grays, and more cool colors. While those colors will continue to thrive, this year will bring additional color trends including a move towards warmer colors and more vibrant, bold colors. Colors have a way of affecting your mood and it is worth considering what feeling you want for each room to provide. For kitchens, you may choose a bright, airy color such as yellow if you like to spend a lot of time cooking or use your kitchen as a fun, gathering place. However, if you prefer to unwind after a busy day, you may rather have your kitchen be a more tranquil or calming color such as greens and blues. Dining rooms provide a great opportunity for a bold, vibrant color such as red, which is often thought to bring a feeling of intimacy and stimulates appetite. If you work from home and have a home office, a warm, vibrant color such as orange can stimulate creatively. Another popular trend is the use of greens, which can simulate nature. While whites and soft grays can bring a tranquil, spa-like feeling, do not be afraid to use bold, vibrant colors to set a particular mood for a room, or to have the room reflect its intended purpose or role you want it to play.

TEXTURES AND PATTERNS

Color is not the only method to add visual interest to your home. Implementing varying textures and patterns into your design can also turn an ordinary space into a unique space. A product that is once again beginning to trend that can offer both texture and great patterns is wallpaper. Many people think of wallpaper in terms of what they saw at grandma’s house years ago, but wallpaper has come a long way since then, especially with technology such as digital printing. For texture, you can look to embossed, grasscloth, linen, and even natural bamboo. For patterns, the choices are virtually limitless. Examples of patterned wallpaper include geometric, floral, and strips. With the advent of digital printing, there are wallpapers that can effectively reproduce the look of brick, stone, and just about anything else you can imagine. Additionally, wallpapers such as flock wallpaper combine both texture and pattern by adhering fabrics or fibers, such as velvet, to the paper in the form of a pattern. Tile is another great way to incorporate interesting patterns into your room design. As mentioned in our post on kitchen design trends, selecting a shaped white tile instead of the standard rectangular subway tile can add subtle interest. If you want more “wow” factor, you can select a tile with a painted or printed pattern.

FLOORING

When it comes to wood flooring, AFT Construction has been seeing a move towards lighter wood finishes such as a bleached or washed wood look, gray tones, and blonde tones. In fact, we have incorporated these lighter finishes in many of our recent AFT Construction projects. One reason for this trend is lighter finishes make rooms feel bigger and more open, which compliments the open-floor concept mentioned earlier. While darker tones are still a good option, there has been a move away from the red and orange undertones and more towards to the darker browns. Another trend in terms of finish has been the move towards a more natural matte or satin finish rather than the high-gloss finishes we often used to see. These types of flatter sheens are both easier to maintain and do a better job of hiding scratches, dust, and other imperfections. We are not just seeing new trends in colors, but also in the size of the planks. Wider planks have been trending and will continue to do so for 2018. Instead of 4-inch wide planks, many people are opting for 6-inch and even 8-inch planks. As with the lighter tones, wider planks can help the room feel bigger. Another big trend in flooring is the expansion of the porcelain tile that is made to look like wood. Manufacturers have done an outstanding job with their ability to accurately reproduce the look of real wood. In fact, the products have become so good that many people have a difficult time differentiating between the porcelain tile and real wood by looks alone. The benefit of using porcelain tile is you get the look of wood in a much more durable product that requires much less maintenance.

SMART HOME FEATURES

The last trend that we will touch on in this blog post is the continued explosion of the availability and incorporation of smart home products. We are seeing more products in more categories than ever before, with many of these products becoming more affordable. Smart home products allow you to control devices through your phone and tablet from anywhere you have an Internet connection. Examples of smart home products that we will continue to see a rise in 2018 include:

• Voice assistants such as Amazon’s Echo and Alexa and Google Home

• Smart locks

• Garage door openers

• Smart lighting products (bulbs, switches, etc.)

• Security cameras

• Thermostats

• Doorbells

Whether you are building a new home or remodeling your current home, it is certainly an exciting time in terms of the choices and products available. Contact AFT Construction today and we can help you get started on your project.