2017’s Hottest Custom Home Building & Home Design Trends

fresh green is on of the hottest colors for 2017

Thinking about building your own home in 2017? It’s still a great time to take advantage of low mortgage rates and a thriving economy in the Des Moines metro area! One of the most fun parts about designing your own space is choosing colors, finishes, fixtures, and accessories to make your home your own. Here are the trends that design experts, realtors, and custom home builders agree will be hot this year (and likely for a few years to come) to get you started on your own home design!

One common theme running through 2017’s custom home design trends is weaving together traditional designs with modern, chic styles. This can mean using reclaimed materials, vintage fixtures and furniture, and rustic elements right alongside ultra-modern touches like steel and glass doors or contemporary styled gas fireplace elements. How do you get the look?

Start with Warm Neutrals

For the last decade or so, home design trends have leaned towards cool grays as a base palette for walls, textiles, cabinets, flooring, and furniture. In 2017, things are forecasted to warm up! Taupes, beiges, and grays with warmer undertones are perfect choices for living rooms and kitchens. (Sherwin Williams named “Poised Taupe” as its paint color of the year.) Richer brown tones like caramels and earthy reds are good choices for bedrooms and master suites. Use warm, natural materials like terra cotta, cork, bamboo, timber, clay, and wicker rather than cooler slates, metals, or stone finishes. If you already have gray cabinets, flooring, or trim, using gray-toned taupe paint or furnishings can harmonize with these existing features to update and warm the space.

Add Rich, Lush Color and Texture

Once you have a warm, welcoming neutral base, it’s all about accenting with lush textures and bright colors! Pantone’s color of the year is “Greenery,” a fresh, spring-like green, and all shades and tones of green are hot right now. Emerald tones capture both the green trend and another complementary trend of deep jewel tones (amethyst, turquoise, ruby red, royal purple, etc.). Both intense and deep colors of blue are still in style, from royal shades to deep navies, which are a classic, conservative pairing with the edgy jewel tones. Use bold colors on accent walls or furniture pieces, in soft goods like draperies, area rugs, or pillows, and for accessories like glassware, light fixtures, and art pieces. Soft, bold textural choices like velvet are very stylish right now, as are vibrant patterns and prints incorporating bright colors. Mixing in floaty silks and transparent sheers can lighten up the heaviness of jewel-toned velvets and keep things looking and feeling balanced.

Tone Down the Shine

Shiny stainless appliances stand out coldly against these warm, rich colors. Instead, choose matte finish appliances in other metals, like satin brass or brushed bronze. You can mix and match vintage finds with artisan, one-of-a-kind pieces for fixtures, lighting accessories, lamps, vases, faucets, and more. These choices give you an industrial edge while maintaining a cozy, traditional ambiance. Complement the fixtures with natural marble counters, backsplashes, and accessories, which look timelessly elegant. (Marble-handled kitchenware and small goods are also trendy for 2017, so it’s a great time to pick up a few marble accessories like candlesticks, vases, and serving pieces.) Subtle, geometric, neutral-colored subway tiles remain popular for backsplashes, kitchens, and bathrooms.

Tech Forward & Design Friendly

While cozy, rustic finishes and colors are returning to center stage, 2017 will also likely see even more of a trend toward “smart” home furnishings and accessories. New pieces that seamlessly support plugin devices, like nightstands and tables with built-in charging pads and docking stations, allow you to keep your technology close at hand without being overtly high tech in style. Vintage-modern craftsmanship allows you to update pieces with history and character, like an old workbench, into a fully functional laptop docking station for a one-of-a-kind home office. This kind of “upcycling” remains extremely popular for all rooms of the modern home, from converting desks into bathroom vanities to building in shelves and storage from reclaimed barnwood.

If you’re ready to start designing and building a custom home for your family, give us a call! Homes by Brill has built over 500 homes in the Des Moines, Iowa, metro area, including the surrounding towns of Johnston, Waukee, Ankeny, Altoona, and Urbandale. We can help you find land, create a custom home design, and explore your options for private and government financing.