The Best New Home Design Trends for First-Time Homebuyers

As a first-time homeowner, it’s exciting to finally have a place you can totally decorate the way you want (without needing to ask for permission from a landlord). But of course, when sky’s the limit, it can be hard to decide on an overall style or even individual pieces. To narrow it down, we’ve looked at the best interior design trends and selected the ones that are realistic and say, “This house is mine!”

Bold Colors

It’s your first house, why not be bold in your choices? Rather than just using a bit of color here and there as accents, make a statement instead. A jewel-toned sofa, colorful kitchen tile, a large, colorful rug, or a patterned floor or ceiling… These are all ways to incorporate bold colors without overwhelming your space.

The painter and printmaker Pierre Bonnard said, “Color does not add a pleasant quality to design — it reinforces it.” Keep that in mind as you consider which pieces to place within a room, and make sure that even when you use bold colors that you maintain a sense of balance in a room. Having everything in jewel tones would make that sofa a lot less special.

Black is Back

Black is back, and black is also bold — but it is also often overlooked as an option in interior decorating. That’s a shame, and many agree considering it is one of the design trends of 2018. Sure, you could use black for accent pieces, but we encourage you to think bigger than that. Consider choosing black for a large piece of furniture (like a dining table or tall bookshelves), for walls or ceilings (especially in the bedroom for a cozy feeling), and even in kitchens.

“Dark walls give a space more depth, focus, and create a cocoon-like feeling, not like the prevalent notion that deep, dark colors make a space smaller,” says Interior Designer Wilmer Lopez of Design Firm and store Space Encounters. He also has advice for those unwilling to commit to dark walls: “Go for dark-colored furniture and fixtures to add contrast and create layers of interest. You may even do a dark on dark palette using different tones.”

Geometric Patterns

Scandinavian, minimalism, and mid-century modern design all continue to influence trends, and geometric patterns are no doubt a result of that. As Liz Toombs, President of PDR Interiors, states, “People are returning to the symmetrical aesthetics of geometrics as an alternative to busy patterns or florals.”

There are so many ways to incorporate the geometric pattern design trend into any room.

• Kitchen: tiles and kitchen towels
• Living room: pillows, rugs, artwork, wall panels
• Dining rooms: napkins, tablecloths, fabric seats
• Bathroom: tiles and rugs
• Bedroom: duvets, sheets, wallpaper

Velvet

Velvet is one of the 2018 design trends that I didn’t see coming, but I’m so glad it did! It adds so much warmth and texture to a room, and it’s a material that just begs to be touched. That jewel-toned sofa I mentioned earlier — that should be velvet!

Iconic textile designer Madeline Weinrib confirms, “Some of the top designers I work with have been asking for our hand-cut velvets. Velvet in rich jewel tones is definitely on-trend this fall, along with cashmere and other soft, luxurious fabrics.”

Velvet is the ultimate lux fabric, and no one will ever convince me otherwise. I absolutely adore it, so this is a trend I can embrace with 100% of my being. How about you?

Hidden Appliances

This design trend is best considered prior to purchasing or building, but it is also possible to renovate or redesign later on. As Yvonne McFadden, an Atlanta-based Interior Designer, points out, “Concealing most, if not all, of the appliances allows for a kitchen to have a more seamless look.”

While this is a 2018 trend, this is really just the beginning of it as technology and machines become more seamlessly integrated into our lives. Before long (and in some cases, already), there will be all kinds of processes and systems running throughout your house that you won’t need to see or even manage. Seamless and nearly invisible integration is just a first step.

Make it YOURS

While some may worry that they will have to redecorate when a trend fades or dies, there is a rule of thumb that will ensure you don’t quickly get tired of your decorating choices: whatever you do, make sure it isn’t a departure from your own style. Billy Baldwin, known as the dean of American Interior Decorators (he loathed the term “interior designer”), said, “Be faithful to your own taste, because nothing you really like is ever out of style.”