Predictions for What's Hot This Year

With February almost upon us, it's now or never to make some predictions for what is gonna be HOT this year. But before we dive into our thoughts on what should be on everyone's radar, we asked a few of our fellow designers to share their worthy opinions. Like...

STUDIO MCGEE

You read that extra large print correctly - Shea McGee of Studio McGee! We asked Shea if she would share her 2018 predictions with us, and she was kind enough to give us her thoughts on what interior design trends to pay attention to in the coming months. So, get out a pen, pencil, crayon, sharpie, whatever...here's what she had to say: 

"This year, I'm hoping that we'll continue to see more refined rustic aesthetic coming in finishes, furnishings, and even accessories. I love the warmth that raw textures brings. Also, whether it's in wood form or painted, I love the dimension that vertical paneling gives a space." - Shea McGee

You know how much we love texture and we totally agree that natural and raw finishes are a current, yet timeless way to bring them into your home. Here are a couple visuals to demonstrate Shea's insight (they both come from Studio McGee's Park City Canyons Remodel). The raw wood stools and floating shelves are giving that "refined rustic aesthetic" and the skinny, vertical, black paneling is a fresh twist on all that horizontal shiplap we've been seening for the past few years.

CC AND MIKE CREATIVE

We were also lucky enough to get some predictions from CC and Mike Creative. You may have read the awesome interview they gave us last month (click here to read it). CC also gave us her predictions for 2018 trends, we just saved this wise nugget until now:

"I am in love with the green tones and recently painted our dining room Benjamin Moore’s Dark Harbor and couldn’t be more pleased with the results. I also painted our pool bathroom Benjamin Moore Newburg green. I think the navy and jewel tone trends will continue into 2018. I also predict that we will continue to see more and more return to natural wood cabinetry in kitchens and bathrooms. I love the return to natural wood, especially paired with patterned tile floors!" - Carissa of CC and Mike Creative

Well, you know how much we LOVE green these days, so we were so pleased to hear that CC is on board with our current obsession. Also really interesting to hear similar thoughts to Shea McGee when it comes to natural wood. 

This is CC's dining room in Dark Harbor. Completely and utterly stunning.

BRIA HAMMEL INTERIORS

And the fun continues with a prediction from the insanely talented Bria Hammel of Bria Hammel Interiors. Here is what she told us about the 2018 trends she's predicting (and loving): 

"We are so excited for the new shift towards traditional styles. I never really got on the mid-century bandwagon but so happy to see more brands and designers embracing this updated traditional look coming on. Finally people aren’t afraid to use pink and florals, but in a really fresh cool way. We have never had so many male clients open to us adding a soft feminine color to their rooms as they are now! Bring on the classic pinstripe fabrics and floral wallpaper!" - Bria Hammel

We couldn't agree more. While we do love mid-century furnishings and stylings, nothing is more timeless than traditional. And if there's anyone who hasn't gotten on board with pink yet, even after the millennial pink craze, it's officially time.  

This gorgeous living room is from Bria Hammel Interior's Mendota Heights Townhome project. You can see where she's going with this pink, floral, traditional prediction - subtle and soft and completely inviting. PS - keep your eye out for a full blown interview with Bria next month. She had so much design wisdom to share with us and we are excited to pay it forward!

GRAY OAK STUDIO

And, last but not least, us. What are OUR design predictions for this glorious new year? We think cozy is the name of the game this year.

Everyone wants to live in a space that is beautiful, but, more than anything, feels like home. Hence the absolute rage of modern farmhouse style (Thanks Chip and JoJo, we all owe you). While we don't think modern farmhouse is going away just yet, but we do think that it's taking a more streamlined turn. A little more minimalist, a little more traditional. We think neutral palettes will rule, and not just gray, but all neutrals. From white to beige to taupe to tan to...alright, fine, gray.

Natural wood and natural fibers are part of this neutral trend. Like Shea and CC, we think that raw woods are just at the beginning of their climb to HOT HOT HOT. And with that, we'll see a lot of mixing of wood tones. You don't have to buy everything in "walnut stain" anymore. Just like you can mix and match throw pillows, you can mix and match wood finishes, you just need to find the right balance. Finally, pops of deeply saturated color (black, caliente red, blue and, of course, green) will provide the whimsy and fun that every space needs to give it some personality and interest.

And there you have it. Documented predictions ready to be affirmed...or WAY OFF (Swim? Swammi? Slippy? Slappy? Swenson? Swanson?)

- Leah, Michele & Sonia

Sonia's 2018 Design Goal

Last week, Leah revealed her 2018 design goal and this week I'm up!

If you've ever heard the old saying that it's the shoemakers children that always go barefoot, the same holds true for designers, our homes are not immune to spaces that need some design lovin'.  This year I'm on a mission to update my home office. Over the past year our office has become a landing spot for packages awaiting their return, random baby gear and a load of unorganized papers. This year my goal is to update my home office, so over the past few weeks I've been pinning away and developing a plan. 

My current home office has a few problems to be addressed: first, I share it with my husband and at the moment it is really set up for one person. There is only one desk and one chair. We need desk space and seating for two. The office is also lacking some necessary feng shui - the desk is currently facing a wall with a big ol' window on the opposite wall. Not an ideal layout, facing a wall is not great for productivity and doesn't provide much in terms of inspiration. Design wise, the room is lacking overall in texture, it's a bit one note and it needs something to bring it to life. Plants? Wall paper? Leather? Hmmmm....

On the bright side, it has lots of windows and gets amazing natural light. It's also a decent sized room and has some nice storage options. All major pluses. It's a great space, it's just a matter of making it work for our changing needs and updating the general aesthetic. Below are some initial ideas I've gravitated toward. You'll see deep blues, brass, dark gray and wood tones, neutral rugs, and two person working stations. 

(SOURCE: Amy Kartheiser Design)

(SOURCE: Studio McGee)

(SOURCE: Traditional Home Office by Denver Interior Designers & Decorators Duet Design Group

Back to pinning...I'll keep you posted...

- Sonia

Leah's 2018 Design Goal

January is a great time for resolution making. It's also a great time for design goal making. If it's not completely obvious, design goals are goals you have to update/renovate/transform your house. And it doesn't have to be your whole house, in fact that would be a totally unrealistic, stress-inducing, setting-yourself-up-to-fail goal. Instead, the idea is to pick something narrow and achievable. Successfully meeting any goal leads to more goal making and more goal achieving.

With the blog to keep us honest, Sonia, Michele and I are all going to reveal our 2018 design goals to you over the next couple weeks. Because we don't just design and transform other people's homes, we are constantly working on the transformation of our own homes. And we fully expect you to question us, remind us (and even berate us for procrastination) as the year plays out and (hopefully) our goals become reality.

I'm up first and I'm really excited about my goal because it really needs to be achieved. Here it is: CLOSET ORGANIZATION.

The inside of my closets are not just eyesores that lack any semblance of function. They are truly dangerous. Opening my cleaning supply closet will almost definitely result in a concussion as a mop handle swings at your dome. My linen closet is partially full of bottled water. Hmmmm...take that one in. My basement storage closets, which I'm very lucky to have, are full of things...things I can't tell you about because I don't know. These closets are so completely disorganized there's truly no telling what's in them. I won't even attempt to describe the state of my clothing closet or garage. 

So, my design goal is really a design necessity. Now for the fun part - my inspiration, so far. 

SOURCE (Bliss at Home)

That's a magical linen closet. It's not so big. But, manages to look beautiful without skimping on use of a single inch. 

SOURCE (house of philia)

I love this closet. My own closet is a small walk-in that I share with my husband. It has a window, which is awesome for the natural light, but not awesome for the wall real estate it takes away. Function will be top priority here because a heap of shoes in the middle of the closet floor isn't working out so well.

SOURCE (A bowl full of lemons)

This garage is dream like. Can you imagine?! It's so good it feels unachievable. But, let's not start down that path. I have 11 months to do this. And I will. I must...

As a general inspiration, I'm turning to The Home Edit (I'm a huge fan). The Home Edit is an organization company that has designed the closets, pantries, etc. of major celebs - like Gwyneth Paltrow. Apparently Gwyneth has more than one pantry. Of course. Anyway, it's completely ironic that I'm a huge fan of The Home Edit because I have harnessed absolutely none of the organization power they bestow on their followers. Until now. Until 2018.

Get ready mop in my cleaning closet, you're about to get properly secured to the wall. 

- Leah