2017 Trend Predictions

A new year is always an exciting time to freshen things up around your home. I love looking for trends in design, and trying to use them in a way that makes them more classic and less "trend". Design trends typically follow trends from other areas, like the runway. Unlike the runway, these "trends" can last years. Here are my predictions for 2017: Green

Over the past year deep greens, sages, and emeralds have been popping up more and more. Then, Pantone picked Greenery for their 2017 color of the year and that was all I needed to know that green will be a big part of 2017. It can be a subdued sage, a pop of chartreuse, a moody, deep green, or a bold emerald.

I've seen walls, cabinets, and accessories that all incorporate green effortlessly. It’s a pretty easy color to integrate into your home with accessories; especially with the blues that have been popular in recent years. I love chartreuse against navy. Green also looks amazing against the bright whites that were color’s of the year, in 2016. If you’re wanting a change from the blue bathrooms that have been popular, try a subtle shade of green on the walls or an emerald vanity with white walls for a change. In a nursery or kid’s room, it is a fantastic gender neutral color.

Bringing Nature Indoors

Having indoor plants is nothing new, however, with the popularity of succulents that need little water (and some with little light) I’ve seen indoor plants in every room of the house. They are fantastic for softening a space and cleaning the air. There’s also something about plants that lift your mood.

You don’t need to bring an actual plant into a room to bring in nature. Floral prints, butterflies, and landscape art and murals are also ways I'm seeing nature being incorporated. If you don’t have a green thumb, you can always use art and accessories, wallpaper, or window treatments to incorporate nature.

Texture, Texture, Texture

Whether you love neutrals or color, texture adds interest and gives your space a layered look. Faux fur accessories and hide rugs add the layer of cozy during the cold, winter months. Jute and sisal rugs remain pretty neutral while adding interest with a large area of texture. Marble and velvet are textures that can add a bit of glam to the space. Try combining several textures so your space can feel as good as it looks.

When it comes to built-ins, after years of having painted cabinets as the finish of choice, natural wood cabinets are making a huge comeback. If you feel like you just painted your cabinets white, try white cabinets with natural wood island (or table as an island). In a kitchen, the combination of wood and white cabinets will always look classic.

For the walls, shiplap is still a great look and painted brick is gaining popularity, again. In fact, subway tile back-splashes are going a step further by adding texture with pavers and clay tiles. Both are a great way to add texture while maintaining the monochromatic color palate.

Well-Crafted

After years of DIY popularity, people understand more of what it takes to make something really well and are treasuring their pieces that are truly “art”. There is something to be said of a piece that has been handcrafted, carefully thought about, and made well. There has long been an appreciation of antiques for this reason, but local artists, builders, and crafters are also gaining more and more respect. This “trend” is also a push away from the spec and mass produced, and a need for people to have their home and surroundings tell their unique story. You can see this trend become apparent in hand paintings and murals, custom furniture and built-ins, pottery, hand-made and vintage rugs, and industrial style with more detail and sculptural elements (almost steampunk).

To find more design inspiration, you can follow me on pinterest.

Nikki

7 Tips To Create An Inviting Entryway

Curb appeal is the first thing a guest notices, quickly followed by your entryway, so when guests start filing in for holiday parties you want it to look and function as best as it can.  

Front Door

Take some time to think about how your front door is working for your entry. This may sound silly, but the front door in our home was a solid black, metal door. From a far the curb appeal looked great, but we have a small entryway with very little light so having a door that blocked all natural light wasn’t doing us any favors. I noticed when we first looked at the house that everyone went in the side door and quickly passed through the small, dark entryway. We recently installed a wooden front door with a half-height window, so the light filters in and visually expands the space. Whether you do a black, wood, or colorful front door make sure it goes with the style of your house, attracts the visitor to come in, and lends itself to the look of your entryway.

Seating

I am not a clean freak by any means, so I never make anyone remove their shoes, however, I have noticed that most guests feel like they should (especially in winter, with snow).  A small chair, stool, or bench is all that is necessary. Depending on the amount of space you have you can do a long, beautiful bench or even have an adjacent area where guests can go to sit.

A Place For Belongings

This can range from a place to set keys, to coat and purse hooks, to a basket for bags, to a coat closet nearby. Giving a guest a place to set their things make them feel like their belongings won’t always be in the way.

Rug

A rug is a great way to make a statement and add warmth to the typically hard entryway floor. You can use a round rug, runner, or large rectangular rug depending on the size and shape of your entry.

Plants

There’s just something about greenery and colorful flowers that say “welcome”. Not only that, but in the colder months, having greenery around your house boosts your mood.

Show your personality

Whether you do colorful art and prints, natural textures, or sleek candles and mirrors your entryway will begin to tell your home’s story. Also, speaking of mirrors, they are a great place for guests to quickly take a glance in or out the door, and will create the illusion of a larger space so they are great for small entryways.

Lighting

No matter what height your ceiling is or your budget, you can still have some fun with your entry lighting. Again, show your home’s style and make sure the light is mounted high enough to not get in the way of the door.

To find more entry inspiration, you can follow me on pinterest. Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!

Nikki

Julip's Toddler Room Inspiration

I have been scheming about the kid's rooms since we moved in. They are huge; Julip's is the biggest room in the house! We put our guest bed in there, so it has to serve as two spaces in one. That means the bedding and furniture need to coordinate in some way. 

before pic from previous owners

Her room in our old house was still pretty new and I still love the idea of make believe. There will be some new and old pieces. I'll be adding some southern charm to this new room; you know we have to represent up here. ;) I've also been working on a painting for above her crib. It's so southern and so meaningful to me...I can't wait to get it up.

Matt's making me keep the walls gender neutral since there is always a possibility that Abram could end up sharing the space with her. He says we paint too much. WHAT!? He's always my toughest client. I'm adding some "girly" colors with the accessories and things easily replaceable. I just love the way green/blue colors work with pinks.

I threw a quick inspiration board together to get the ideas on paper; hope you like!

Need help creating a home where your family can flourish? Check out our design services.

xo,

Nikki

Toddler Lake Bedroom | Storyboard

We are truckin' along on the small renovations and styling of our "lake" house. My goal was to have both kid's rooms complete, by fall, and the kitchen well under way. Well, it has been hard to get the rooms painted with little fingers everywhere, so we are making more progress on our kitchen than anything right now. First up on the blog chopping block is Abram's room. I had started transforming his room into a toddler room at our first house, and decided to go a bit further in this house. The "lake life" was a huge jumping-off point; he loves anything that moves and getting dirty outside. I am keeping the bed we bought to replace his crib, his teepee, and some of the art and decor (he still loves the planes over his bed). We are moving his shelves into Julip's room, and his dresser was always a cheap "stand-in" until we could afford a dresser that the drawers weren't falling out of.

The ceilings are only 8' so finding an appropriate light will be a challenge. I love the idea of a trunk for all of his random toys/train tracks, etc. The carpet in the room is blue...BLUE! At first I flipped out, then I decided to work with it (it was the inspiration). I have started painting the walls Benjamin Moore's White Dove to freshen everything up, and will add a mixture of pattern and color to break up the nautical vibe and keep the room toddler appropriate.

There is a dormer window in both kid's rooms. I initially thought I would add an easy window seat to both to shorten the length and give the kids a place to sit and read. Unfortunately, there are ac vents at the base trim under both windows. In Abram's room I'm now thinking about some type of floating window seat, and either a rope shelf or industrial shelf, depending on how lazy we get when it comes to building something.

xo, Nikki

Out of respect to my clients I only post some sources on the blog.

Bed | Wall Lamp | Dresser | Chandelier | Sheets

Need help creating a home where your family can flourish? Check out our design services.