Elisabeth Stubbs

5 Ways to Match Your Home to Your Lifestyle

BY ELISABETH STUBBS

Chances are, you are using your home differently than you were two years ago. We aren’t entertaining as much, we are spending more time outdoors, and many of us are working from home and homeschooling. With all of these changes, our homes need some updates, including these top five emerging home design trends based on internet searches, recently identified by www.houzz.com.

1. Create dedicated activity spaces. Since the beginning of the pandemic, people have been relying on their homes to provide new avenues of activity and entertainment, and it shows in the emerging search trends, including searches for craft and art studios, home bars and wine cellars, home theaters, gyms and offices. 2. Refresh your living room. The living room has always been an important gathering space within the home. As people have spent more time in their living rooms the past year, they’re seeking inspiration to refresh the space. Searches for living rooms are up 52% this year, compared with the same period of time in 2020. Accent pillows and home accents in general have seen some of the most dramatic increases, along with decorative accents, art, display shelves and chair covers. 3. Choose luxury fabrics, materials and colors. Incorporating velvet, gold and crystal into interior design is trending up. Luxurious textures and warm tones are teaming up to make homes more inviting. 4. Implement flexible design. Many homeowners are turning to design options that offer more flexibility within the existing footprints of their homes. Searches for TV armoires with pocket doors, queen murphy beds and nesting side tables, are all up. These furniture pieces can create dual uses for a room by creatively hiding them away when not in use. Swivel accent chairs also are a great option in open floor plans, and daybed sets offer multiple uses. 5. Bring the outdoors in. The role of greenery in our homes is a trend that seems to be accelerating. Searches for artificial plants and trees, as well as indoor pots and planters, have increased significantly since last year. Window treatments that let more light in, opening our homes to the outside, are also in demand.

Before your next shopping trip, consider how your family lives. The way you use your home has changed, and so have design trends. Multi-function is the new aesthetic.

Elisabeth Stubbs is one of the owners of Enhance Floors and More, one of Atlanta’s top-rated flooring dealers, located in Marietta.