2018 Design Trends with Colleen Slack of Fox Interiors
We Minnesotans pride ourselves on being some of the boldest people on the planet. The ones that can endure some of the most arduous winters, and we can do it year after year. But although we can endure it, springtime is welcome with wide open arms every year. The entire state seems to exhale a sigh of relief as we shed our winter coats. The coming of spring urges us to open our curtains and windows, replacing the stagnant winter air with the warm and inviting breeze of late March.
Along with the change of season, we are inspired to wonder – what else will change in the coming months? We sat down with one of our partners, Minneapolis interior designer, Colleen Slack of Colleen Fox Interiors to talk about the latest home trends for 2018.
2018 Design Trend #1 – Matte Black
In the kitchen, matte black is making a bold statement. “Matte black appliances are a new way to integrate color into a kitchen at any price point, and can work in both modern and transitional rooms. They’re “eye catching without overpowering the room’s design,” says Colleen. While stainless steel appliances were once the norm, people are now being drawn to bold kitchen appliances with matte finishes. And they’re not stopping at appliances – we’re seeing accent walls, fixtures, tiles and trim pop up in matte black to add some drama to your everyday spaces.
2018 Design Trend #2 – Mixed Metals
You no longer have to worry about all of your fixtures perfectly matching. Mixed metals became increasingly popular amongst designers in 2017, and now mixing your metals is widely accepted. If done well, incorporating a variety of metals can give your space an interesting depth that would not exist with perfectly matched metal hues. In 2018, brass and aluminum can live amongst one another in beautiful harmony. And yes, now copper and stainless steel do go together. We encourage anyone playing around with mixing hues to choose a dominate metal to design around, making the final design look intentional rather than that of an antique store.
2018 Design Trend #3 – Bold Textures
Color, pattern, and shape can move aside, because texture is here. Textiles, such as velvet, are invading our living rooms in the form of statement furniture. We are being drawn (by the masses) to more organic and natural elements and textures throughout the home. “Texture is everything,” noted Slack, “Matte, glossy, shiny, smooth…the variations add the interest that makes a room dynamic, especially in rooms with a neutral color scheme.” Natural stone tiles, organic linens, and reclaimed wood accents are beloved by people and designers alike.
2018 Design Trend #4 – Technology
“Smart home technology is revolutionizing the way that people live.” Said Slack when talking about increasingly popular home technology. With devices emerging like Google Home, you can not only ask Google the weather forecast, but it can control your lights, your thermostat, even your door locks–all from your phone.
2018 Design Trend #5 – LVT Flooring
LVT stands for Luxury Vinyl Tile. We know, vinyl is a buzzword associated with tacky, outdated, and even cheap. But don’t knock Luxury Vinyl Tile before you read up on it. LVT is a genius alternative if you want gorgeous hardwood floors, which, who doesn’t? But maintaining real hardwood floors can be laborious, especially in a climate like Minnesota’s. Because of challenging humidity levels, the realities of tracking in snow and mud year-round in Minnesota, and general maintenance requirements, hardwood floors can become damaged quickly. That is why LVT is such a great solution. It has all the luxury of hardwood floors with all of the convenience of vinyl flooring. “I seriously could not tell the difference between real hardwood flooring and LVT,” says Slack, who often encourages her clients to look into Luxury Vinyl Tile flooring. Colleen compares them to “the difference between dry clean only, and just tossing in the wash.”
While we once thought that the minimalist all-white-everything trend would never cease to prevail, now people everywhere are warming up to color and texture like never before. But when entering into a design project of any size, we must remember that trends don’t last forever. They slowly creep in, excite us, become the base line, only to eventually become outdated. Colleen comments on this by saying,
“Decorating and picking finishes is fun, but I like to stay away from what is extremely trendy and create spaces that have longevity. In terms of trend, jewel tones are in, but white will always be queen.”
Meaning that no matter the trending color, using white as your design foundation will never go out of style.
If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a thousand times – we want to help make your dream space become a lived-in reality. Trends come and go; at Purcell we’re looking to remodel and design homes that you will love for years, and decades, to come.
