There is no doubt that the Triangle market is hot right now and is poised to prosper throughout the New Year and beyond. Due to our rank as one of the fastest growing metros in the nation, increased housing demand and evolving design trends throughout 2018 are anticipated. With the growth in affluence and population come new ideas fueled by the expanding palette of our increasingly diverse culture. Today, in a jet-set, Internetof-Everything milieu, our well-traveled and knowledgeable clients are often inspired by cutting-edge designs and products from around the world for their custom home. Based on what we and our clients are excited about as of late, here are our predictions for luxury custom home trends in the next twelve months.
Floor Plan Features
An advantage of designing and building a custom home is the ability to integrate features that enhance your lifestyle into the home’s layout. Art and music studios, meditation rooms, themed pubs, and pet showers have made appearances in our homes recently, and we believe these bespoke features will continue to trend as people demand more personalization from their floor plans. We all know formal dining rooms are out for many modern homebuyers, being replaced with oversized open kitchens. Blending indoor and outdoordining space is becoming increasingly popular, facilitated by large folding or sliding panel doors. In the Lodge at Avalaire, our 2017 parade home, a corner of the dining nook opened into the screened porch and outdoor kitchen. This was a big hit with the public and judges. Creative uses of dead space within the walls are also on the rise. Luggage hatches, concealed compartments, pocket doors, and secret rooms add extra utility to what would otherwise be unused space.
Interior Design
Mixed materials and textures were popular in 2017, and we can expect to see even more interesting combinations of metals, live edge wood, stone, fabrics, and wallpaper. This will be apparent in lighting and plumbing fixture selections, premium textured wallpapers, custom carpentry, and furniture. Cozy elegance is a concept that we often discuss with our clients – the idea that a home should exude luxury and familiar comfort simultaneously, encouraging relaxation. Expect to see soft, clean lines and blended color combinations in 2018. Warm neutrals like muted taupe and lavender are being contrasted with deep ocean blue, rich merlot, and black. Bathrooms are increasingly bright, open, and accessible as universal design becomes more mainstream. To this end, curbless showers and European in-wall toilets have become very popular.
Home Tech Burgeoning consumer-level hometechnology solutions officially reached critical mass at the end of 2017, evidenced by the more than thirty million voice assistants like Alexa or Google Assistant in US homes. How will this affect custom home technology planning, which typically includes expensive hardware and software integration? Wi-Fi networks will no longer be an afterthought but rather an integral part of home design. This allows homeowners to add connected devices like Wi-Fi speakers, smart bulbs, and even irrigation controls in and outside of their home. The question remains: will Amazon and Google make a push toward automation and device consolidation such that multiple apps and settings can be managed through the Alexa app or Google Home? If they do, we might see a decline in more expensive whole-home software systems. Other tech areas to watch in 2018: electronic tint glass, color changing and tunable LED lighting, and occupancy sensors for health, safety, and energy savings.
Evan Bost is director of marketing and green initiatives at Bost Custom Homes, an award-winning custom building firm serving the Triangle. With thirty years of proven expertise, Bost Homes designs and constructs truly-custom residences with superior craftsmanship, a focus on health and sustainability, architectural authenticity, and structural integrity. To begin the conversation of your forever home, call 919-460-1983 or email info@bosthomes.com. Learn more at www.bosthomes.com or www.facebook.com/bostcustomhomes.