When I looked at this year’s design trends and saw that taupe is the color of the year I was immediately brought back to the early 1980s. We owned a framing store and art gallery at that time and I remember how mauve was the big design color back then… mauve matting was big, in a color I am not sure was ever used much before or since.
This year’s color is a softer gray, creating sanctuary from the stresses of the world. What reminded me of the 1980s is the strong pink undertones also prevalent in 1980s mauve. Then I thought of parallels in political climate… both now and then saw foreign policy turmoil, rising violence, and a strong conservative political shift with a new president taking office. And then I remembered the taupe draperies my mother so careful stitched in the early 1960s. Cycles tend to repeat themselves, with a new twist.
Other 2017 design trends to watch for are:
- Gathering spaces both in homes and communities, as people crave more face-to-face time in response to the prevalence of social media
- Play spaces to unwind, such as indoor golf simulators and backyard putting greens
- Natural and warm materials, such as cork
- Less costly energy conservation upgrades, such as low-e window film and ceramic insulating paint coating for walls and a thermal energy shield for attics, solar glass roof tiles for passive heat gain
- Personalized use of space, for how you really live
- Higher suburban walk scores, living close to a town center and public transit into the city
- Environmentally healthy homes, with healthy water supplies, purifiers, HVAC systems, nontoxic paints and adhesives, lighting to promote healthy sleep patterns
- Fireplace shifts, including less costly ventless alcohol-burning fireplaces, outdoor fireplaces
- Countertops moving away from granite, using materials like quartz, laminates that mimic stone and wood and distressed metal and concrete, eco-friendly overlays using materials like recycled glass
- Flexible office space, as more people work from home but need less dedicated space
Sharlene Hensrud, RE/MAX Results – Twin Cities Realtor
HomesMSP Team- Sharlene, John, Angela – Minneapolis-St. Paul Realtors
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