2020 is a year that none of us will soon forget!
Our lives have changed in both big and little ways and many of those changes have impacted how we live at home.
My home is my happy place now more than ever. We are in the process of building a new home ourselves and every detail of the house has an even larger importance to me now. I am truly enjoying picking furnishings and colors, even appliances! I feel a strong connection to my new home because I know that my family and I will be spending more time there than ever before.
3 trends I see reaching far into the Post-Covid future are home theatres, bringing the outside in, and soothing Zen like paint colors and texture.
My guilty weekend pleasure was going to CineBistro and sitting in those huge reclining leather chairs while someone else made dinner and brought me wine. I honestly did not even care what movie we were watching!
I think that many of us will be trying to recreate that same feeling at home. This is where dedicated family home theatres come into play. Jumbo sized screens or projectors in a glare free room with comfy seating and a place to put food – sounds like heaven!
Technological advances have made it possible to enjoy a home theatre with nearly the same quality as commercial cinemas even if they are not on the same scale. Careful planning in each stage of construction will ensure the sound quality, picture quality and comfort of those watching the movie as well as the person in the next room.
I find nature, specifically plants and flowers, refreshing so I like to have some living elements spread throughout my home. The trend now is to concentrate these areas into beautiful garden rooms.
I was born in Bogota Colombia and it is not uncommon to find full floor to ceiling glass walls in common areas of the home where you can enjoy the beautiful foliage that can grows year-round there. Sometimes there is a large planter with a water fountain or other feature in the center of the house as well. My aunt had one on the ground floor of her home near the entrance and it was beautiful! There is usually a high wall on the opposing side, so there are not privacy worries. These kinds of “atriums” are becoming more popular in the States and I believe some version of this will be present in more home design well into the future. In Florida we must contend with high humidity and high heat so these modified atriums can give us our nature “fix” without having to struggle with the mildew and bugs that can develop indoors. In Southwest Florida, these areas have frequently been built adjacent with the master shower, but I believe that they will slowly migrate to the common areas.
Calming, soothing, relaxing…
All these words can be used to describe the paint trends in 2020. As our lives get more chaotic, we all look for the respite that our homes provide, and paint color has been shown to be a big influence on our mood. Many of the boards that we see on Pinterest describe these colors as “Beach” colors or “Neutrals”, but they usually have a few things in common that make them “Zen” colors. They can be deep in hue but they are not bright or glaring and they impart a sense of calm.
Soothing paint colors do not have to be light or pastel. They can also be darker pigment rich colors like Sherwin Williams Naval pictured here…
You can see here that this rich color makes an impact without being jarring especially when paired with neutrals.
Another up and coming paint trend is a result of our tactile nature as human beings and how that affects our outlook. Paint coupled with texture is the result! Think of your favorite leather recliner worn smooth and supple by years of use or that silk wrap that is cold just for a second when it hits your shoulders then envelops you in luxurious warmth.
Now you can imagine that smoky bourbon brown on the wall of your wet bar in your office with the subtle texturing of leather.
Or that Blush color in a satin finish imbuing your powder bath with flattering tones.
I believe these paint trends will continue to imprint themselves on our living spaces in one form or another for the next few years.
Warm Regards,
Ana