Hot New Home Trends For 2014

There must be a million trends out there for every coming year. (It’s no wonder that making New Year’s Resolutions is so popular – a new year equals change, and change is the exciting unknown with limitless possibilities.) Good news: 2014 is no exception.2014 pleads for genuine simplicity in lifestyle and getting back to the basics.

Go Bold AND Go Home.

Elegant minimalist dining room yellow art work
Elegant minimalist dining room yellow art work

The time for traditional, cookie-cutter, furniture-store-taupe-or-bust home décor has long past (if it ever existed). 2014 is the year to showcase who you are and what you’re about in your home. Shove a standout piece of furniture into the limelight. Choose a colorful large appliance and go with it. At the very least, incorporate some eye-catching throw pillows or cabinet knobs. Something that might say, “I’m here, I’m alive, and I’m ready for anything!”

Intentional Design for Real-Life.

Elegant minimalist dining room yellow art work
Elegant minimalist dining room yellow art work

Mix and match the uses and functions and storage options of your stuff. Add a workspace in the living room, if you can and want to work close to where your family is. Invest in furniture with casters (wheels) so it can be easily moved around as circumstances require. Choose hardy upholstery. Design your space with those things that make sense in and for your life.

Scandinavian Style.

Elegant minimalist dining room yellow art work
Elegant minimalist dining room yellow art work

The clean lines and classic look of Scandinavian décor are hot right now. We’re talking white walls and simple silhouettes and plenty of wood and bits of red thrown in for good measure. Be sure to add some bold patterns that complement the style’s trademark blonde wood tones and design simplicity.

Going Green.

Elegant minimalist dining room yellow art work
Elegant minimalist dining room yellow art work

Sure, this could be interpreted to be throwing a bunch of solar panels on your rooftop. But, more realistically, it means literal greenery. Incorporating plants, plants, and more plants into your home décor is a hot trend for the upcoming year. While you’re at it, check the level of wood items in your decorated space – do you have enough for genuine warmth?

Creative – but Always Impressively Functional – Storage Options.

Elegant minimalist dining room yellow art work
Elegant minimalist dining room yellow art work

You don’t have to have a wall of shiny new built-ins to be able to organize your life and store your stuff. Crates can hold hats, boxes can be stowed away (kind of) beneath benches and tables. Incorporate your storage ideas into your overall design aesthetic…and not the other way around.

High-Tech Everything.

Elegant minimalist dining room yellow art work

From futuristic kitchen appliances to home theatre gadgets to state-of-the-art fireplaces, there is a place in every home for high-technology stuff. Sleek, contemporary, and useful, these contemporary gadgets provide opportunities for efficient living and look chic and modern doing it.

Metalology 101.

Elegant minimalist dining room yellow art work

Brass is the new black. And other cool metals are everywhere else. Feel free to mix and match – chrome goes with gold, and brass goes with everything. Think of incorporating metal at all scopes in your design, from lighting to furniture to small details on your accessories. Don’t overlook the smallest details, as they are what complete your style.

Grey is the New Neutral.

Elegant minimalist dining room yellow art work
Elegant minimalist dining room yellow art work

Where the world once embraced brown as its go-to neutral, the current trend leans toward grey. Depending on your space and style, you might lean toward pale grey, deep grey, cool grey, or sand grey. But this year encourages the use of greys to round out a space’s underlying tones.

Vibrant Colors, Patterns, and Textures.

Elegant minimalist dining room yellow art work

Bright and vibrant colors are where it’s at – as evidenced by the 2014 color-of-the-year Radiant Orchid, Pantone’s vivid blend of purple and fuchsia with pink undertones. Incorporate plenty of mixed patterns and various textures for a contemporary look.

Touchable, Luxurious Textiles.

Elegant minimalist dining room yellow art work

While there’s still a place for cotton and burlap in one’s style, it’s time to introduce your style to elegant and graceful fabrics like velvet and silk, if you haven’t already. Rather than swapping out your sturdy upholstered pieces for more luxuriously adorned furniture, incorporate the trend with smaller accessories, such as throw pillows. Your tactile senses will thank you.

Standout Accents & Accessories.

Elegant minimalist dining room yellow art work

From edgy pieces to industrial bits to rare artisan objects, adding unique accent pieces to your décor will bring your space up-to-date this coming year. Think tribal textiles, oriental rugs, ornately carved furniture, or hard-edged industrial finds. In essence, 2014 is the year of bringing pieces from all parts of the world into your space. An exotic flair is both trendy and warming to a space.

Art. Art is totally in.

Elegant minimalist dining room yellow art work
Elegant minimalist dining room yellow art work
Elegant minimalist dining room yellow art work

The style and type you choose for your home is up to you, of course – go with your gut, your heart, and your mind – from landscape oil paintings to retro geometric prints to abstract sculptural pieces, it’s up to you to add heart to you space with art. A good rule of thumb for 2014 art, though: the bigger the better.