Bulletin Board Magazine 2022 Volume 2

Trends in Homebuilding for 2022

Trends in Homebuilding FOR 2022 by Deanna Lorenti, Owner/Designer, Deanna’s Interior Designs

Bulletin Board | 35 | www.shorebuilders.org Nature has been and continues to be a big influence for many of our interior finishes. I nterior design trends come and go through the years. They tend to respond to current external conditions that are happening around us. From floor plans to finishes and furniture, what are the current trends in home interiors today and which ones have become more timeless and are here to stay? The open floor plan continues to be a major draw for homeowners, but the past two years, stemming from the pandemic, has shown the need for separate or designated office spaces. More people started working from home and have continued, while kids were going through months of home-schooling, so having distinct rooms to work quietly have become extremely valuable. White kitchens are also here to stay, but popping the island, base cabinets or prominent areas of the kitchen (stove and sink) with a color or wood tone is becoming part of the new trend. Colors as bright as yellow and green are just behind blue when it comes to kitchen island colors. Tones of greyed woods are also popular. Topping any of these cabinet colors off with a white-based quartz is also becoming more popular. Granite is still important, but homeowners tend to want a countertop that looks like marble but is more durable, which many of the quartz products offer. Quartz also offers consistency in color where granite has a lot of movement and color variation that makes homeowners a little more apprehensive to want to use.

It has inspired patterns in building materials, such as marble, stone and wood-looking ceramic/porcelain tiles for flooring and backsplashes; a trend that only continues to grow. Concrete materials can even be molded into natural looking elements. Paint colors this year are also nature-inspired. From Sherwin Williams 2022 Color of the Year, Evergreen Fog, to Benjamin Moore’s October Mist, both colors are soft, tones of green that invokes a calming and meditative feel. Both soothing green colors blend well with neutral beiges and grays. The neutral beige and gray (aka greige) color palettes continue to be current in the more permanent finishes throughout the home. They work beautifully with just about any other pop of color. Continuing with the nature-inspired trends, natural materials, such as travertine and marble, mixed with wood and rattan has become the latest trend in home furnishings. The mix of materials is specifically seen in dining tables, coffee/end tables and buffet/ storage cabinets. Wicker, rattan, wood, shells, and feathers can be seen in decorative lighting fixtures. We all want to get back to nature, it’s ingrained in us, and that’s why the interior and the building industry have been incorporating these textures and tones into their products…. from materials and finishes to patterns and color. Nature will continue to influence how we live and what we surround ourselves with in the home, so count on these products and designs to be a trend that will become timeless.

Deanna Lorenti