Our home is such a special place. Even amongst the conficts that arise between family members, your home can project peace, joy, and comfort. With the day-to-day business of our lives we do not always have time to give home projects our attention, but if you are ready to take on a new home project or just want to refresh your home’s style, here are some trends for 2014 that we adore. These trends are all about comfort and joy.
1. Wood – Wood creates a warmth and coziness in our home. Begin to think of wood as not just a basic floor covering, but also a natural element that can serve walls or even ceilings. Adding wooden beams to a ceiling creates that feeling of being cozied up in the mountains or in a comfy cabin on a boat. If you are looking to just add a little bit of this look, think about buying a wood carved bowl as a dining room centerpiece or an antique wooden bench at the end of a bed.
2. Textures – Textures are the new pantones. From grasscloth wallpaper to metallic glitter paint, adding textures to your home adds personality and an element of fun that evades plain white walls. You can also add hints of textures. Think about framing panels of grasscloth to hang on one wall, adding metal ceiling panel doors to a sink cabinet, replace smooth door knobs with vintage wood or antique crystal ones, or lay a natural element throw rug like bamboo or jute on top of hardwood floors.
3. Marble – When it comes to countertops and even walls in bathrooms, marble is the trend. We recently renovated our kitchen and since we spend so much time in our kitchen we wanted it to be a little paradise inside our home, so we chose to add marble countertops. Marble adds natural beauty and a cleanliness. Keeping kitchens and bathrooms neutral with a natural element like marble creates a feeling of serenity.
4. Color – For years we saw almost all rooms of homes draped in varying shades of white and beige. I like to call this trend ’50 shades of beige’. Talk about no personality. I do love a beautiful palette of whites in kitchens and bathrooms, but in living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms, dens, etc – it is so fun to add color. Plus it adds a spirit and energy that otherwise is missing in an all neutral home. You can add color with an antique leather sofa, an antique donegal rug known for their vibrant woven colors, a tufted fabric headboard, brocade throw pillows, or even a chandelier with pops of colored crystals. Even think about adding colored grout to a tiled backsplash or colored books to shelves and tables.
5. Antiques – Fortunately the life span of Ikea seems to be getting shorter and people are realizing the importance of family heirlooms and investing in real wood furniture. Whether its a chest of drawers with beautiful wood inlay, a chinoiserie china cabinet, or a handsomely upholstered Queen Anne chair, these pieces last and they each have a history and a unique personality of their own.