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“In our area this still goes with a modern lodge feel,” said Bridget Northway, Great Furniture Gallery Interior Design Sales. Northway shared combining soft neutral solids with heavily textured fabrics really helps to create warmth when combined with wood grains. Both Northway and Gowen also described seeing more customers drawn to the mid-century modern style with clean lines. The overall trend is an organic feel, less industrial, that incorporates a mix of eclectic items. In casegoods, an emphasis of blending new and aged pieces along with painted and lighter woods like white oak, bleached and pecan tones tied in with some darker stains is prevalent. In addition, Northway said, “We try to keep unique and vintage pieces to make them look like they’ve been acquired over time.” Finding a true antique or repurposed piece is a common trend as well. Stores here in the Brainerd lakes area like Design Consign or Salvage Sisters are on the rise as people are becoming more conscientious about sustainability and upcycling or repurposing products as part of the green movement. Sometimes a person really wants to create a vintage feel throughout their home with the use of aged items like doilies, quilts and antique furniture, otherwise known as “Grandma Chic.”

Countertops and Accents

Cambria is a huge name in the countertop industry and it’s a Minnesota-based company specializing in quartz surfaces. St. Germain’s Cabinets and Supreme Counters (SGCSC) has a remodeled showroom in the Brainerd Industrial Park where numerous displays of various colors and ways to install Cambria along with other brands of countertop materials can be seen.

Berit Rosenberg, AKBD (Associate Kitchen & Bath Designer) with SGCSC said she has been paying particular attention to market trends, stating that it is fun studying those that have come out of the recent huge national Kitchen and Bath Industry Show better known as KBIS by design professionals. KBIS happens yearly, typically the end of February, and is where all types of innovative ideas and trends are introduced. This last year more than 49,000 trade pros were in attendance. There are continuing education seminars and vendor booths among other activities. “The trends across the board are seen in every booth,” said Rosenberg. Some noteworthy trends include décor tambour and fluting both commercially and residentially. This can be used in cabinetry or to create an accent wall. It is repetitive vertical lines with narrow wood strips that can be done, for example, on a curved furniture piece or a straight wall. Rosenberg added, “It can be curvy soft lines like Art Deco or it’s warm and soft, high detailed fabrication with custom edges.” Fluting is slated to be displayed at their showroom in the coming months. For now check out a plethora of additional design ideas. Rosenberg described that Cambria even had a unique sliding backsplash with a hidden track system behind the range including vertical countertop cladding that revealed a hidden spice rack when opened at their KBIS booth. The sky truly is the limit with design.

Customizing Showers

A single glass panel versus a swinging shower door has become super popular. This eliminates the swing which can sometimes be an issue, especially for meeting accessibility guidelines. The use of rain shower heads or massage jets creating a spa atmosphere has become more commonplace as well. One of the biggest rises the industry has noticed with bathrooms is the removal of tubs, creating larger showers both in a remodel situation and new construction. Wall cladding or shower panels can really elevate the shower space and is a nice alternative to grouted tile. Tim Paschall, manager of Fabricators Unlimited, in Pillager said, “Wilsonart’s Wet Wall is really starting to grab attention. It’s a fast, simple way to get a great look for a shower.” This product has 10 colors and can be DIY’d or installed by a general contractor.

Fireplaces and Outdoor Living

The fireplace is still a major focal point in many great room/living/family rooms. Gwen Torfin, interior designer at The Hearth Room in Baxter, said when designing spaces she is still seeing many clients gravitating toward classic stone fireplace surrounds whether cultured or real stone but some homeowners are starting to explore other options.

“Materials such as metals, sheetrock, woods, tile, solid surface materials; all have been making an appearance on fireplace surrounds. When using different materials, it can create texture and color contrast on the fireplace adding visual interest to it,” said Torfin. Another hot item is incorporating bringing the outdoors into the rest of your living space. Do this with an open passthrough area to slide dishes out to an outdoor eating space. Or add large scale sliding doors along with creating an outdoor living room and kitchen space. This is popular whether it’s a screened in area or open off a deck or patio adding usable living space, depending on the season in our neck of the woods. When speaking with fellow design colleagues I think organic neutral tones, clean lines and eclectic mixes with a push toward Mid-Century Modern was a common theme along with brushed gold metal accents and pops of color.

Finally, not being afraid to personalize your space with your own unique touches is a must. Try and incorporate some of these exciting trends into your own home either on your own or with a design professional. Who knows, it just may help you find your “true north.”

Contributors

Sheila Helmberger lives in the Brainerd area and is a frequent contributor to Brainerd Dispatch and Echo Journal special publications.

Linda Hurst was one of the original founders of the award winning Minnesota Home magazine. She has written articles for several Dispatch magazines and publications. She now works at Breen and Person/Quality Title. She has a loyal following on social media of people who are actually following the adventures of her dogs, Ginger and Jack.

Alyson Levig is a part-time freelancer who enjoys being out in nature. Her writing reflects this passion as all of her work engages nature and the wildlife living in it from her point of view. When she’s not writing, Alyson can be found working full-time at Jacobson Excavating and Landscaping in Brainerd, which takes up most of her time. In the free time she musters, Alyson enjoys hiking, hammocking, kayaking or maintaining her garden at home with her friends and family. Alyson also maintains a blog in which she publishes some of her writing or hiking adventures, reflecting on the beauty of God’s creation she witnessed. Feel free to follow her adventures at pinesandprairies.com.

Danae Blanck Anderson, ASID, CID, NCIDQ, can be found designing in the Brainerd lakes area. She owns I.D. Your World, an interior design consulting business specializing in remodels and new construction for residential and commercial projects. Anderson has more than 25 years of experience and is a member of the American Society of Interior Designers, Certified Designer in the State of Minnesota and has passed the National Council for Interior Design Qualification test. Freelancing combines her love of writing with design. Danae enjoys camping, walking, traveling and spending time with family and friends. She has two boys, Jace and Jude, with her husband, Jarrett, who often works with her doing blind and art installations.

Travis Grimler is an award winning reporter/ photographer/videographer with the Pineandlakes Echo Journal Newspaper. He has been on the staff since 2013 and has since gained recognition for business reporting and his historical food column, Grim's Grub.