Believe it or not, one of the most common questions we get asked is, “how do I design my new home without relying on the latest interior design trends?”
We’ve all heard the phrase “trends come and go”. But that doesn’t mean that your new home has to date before you even finish construction!
We’re going to explain why you shouldn’t rely on the latest trends in interior design when planning your new home. Our approach is to always prioritise a timeless design over a trendy design – no matter that style we choose.
WHY YOU SHOULD AVOID TRENDS
Future Focused
Build times can vary from as little as 6 months to 2 years (or even longer!). Therefore, making your colour and material selections based solely on a trend puts you at risk of your design dating before you even move in.
When looking for inspiration, be sure to ask yourself this question:
Do I really love the latest trends in interior design? Or, am I making these selections just because they are trendy?
The building process is a long journey filled with hundreds of decisions. Following trends rather than your heart will complicate the process and rob you of your joy. When you are investing so much time and money into your property, loving the outcome for many years to come is SO important.
WHAT TO DO INSTEAD
Let Your Heart Lead
Here are the steps we follow to avoid falling into the trap of the latest interior design trends:
+ START WITH YOUR STYLE
Decide which particular style screams “you”! Rather than copying the designs of strangers, discover your very own style to reflect your family, and the location of your build.
+ CREATE A VISION BOARD
When searching through Instagram and Pinterest for inspiration, try to specialise your search into the particular style you have chosen. The main pages are often filled with the latest trends, so dig a little deeper to find what you are actually looking for.
+ STYLE DNA
When analysing your saved images, ask yourself these questions:
+Which specific features of this room do you like?
+How can you utilize colours, materials and patterns to curate a space which reflects the style you have chosen?
Paying close attention to these prompts will help you to understand exactly which elements of the style you want to implement in your own home.
+ COHESION IS KEY.
Rather than choosing an array of different colours and materials for each room of your home, repeat your chosen features throughout to create a sense of cohesion. This will also ensure that each room stays true to the style you have chosen.
HOW WE DID IT AT DREAM HOME 8
Follow In Our Footsteps
This is the exact approach we took when designing our latest project, Dream Home 8.
We first analysed which aspects of the farmhouse style we wanted to infuse into the home. After deciding on a black and white colour palatte, glazing bars, shaker cabinetry, and feature lighting, we evenly distributed the features throughout the home to give character to each and every room. Having a few key features in our style toolbox made locking in our selections much easier.
Still feeling overwhelmed by the choice of colours and materials? Fear not – After consulting your vision board and budget, you will be narrowing down your choices in no time!
+ VISION BOARD
After creating our vision board, we knew that we wanted our first feature to be the use of shaker cabinetry throughout the home. We then agreed that choosing the HAG12 internal doors from Hume Doors was the perfect way to carry the vertical cladding feature used on our facade to the inside of the home. Starting with our vision board allowed us to stay focussed on our end goal, taking the guesswork out of the selection process.
+ BUDGET
When selecting our tiles for dream home 8, we were spoilt for choice by Color Tile’s, standard builders range. Using the standard range for the majority of our tile needs gave us room in the budget to upgrade a few feature wall tiles which better suited the farmhouse style. Subways in herringbone for the win!
+ LIVABILITY
Don’t tell our kids, but sometimes it’s okay to break the rules! Traditionally, modern farmhouse style homes feature curtains hung by a heavy black rod. This was a problem for us as we knew that we wanted great light and heat control throughout the home. We decided not to stay true to the style and instead, added a modern flair to the window coverings. Using a mix of block out roller blinds and light filter roller blinds from Andersens may not be traditional, but it drastically increased the liveability of the home.
TOP TIP WITH TRENDS
Consider Replacement Costs
Still tempted to use the latest interior design trends in your new build?
Don’t get us wrong, we admire a good trend just as much as the next person. However, instead of investing thousands into trendy building materials that would be costly to change later, we suggest finding ways to include the trend in styling items. Designing a bathroom? A checkerboard tile pattern will date fast and cost a fortune to change. Opt for checkerboard patterned towels instead!
