Today's top model homes reveal newest design trends
What's happening in the world of interior design?
You'll see exciting and creative interiors with lots of pizazz in today's new homes.
Gray still reigns as the new neutral. Warm grays — with yellow or reddish undertones — pair with a variety of colors for a pleasing palette, said Laura O'Connor, owner of Laura O'Connor Design in Carpentersville. “A lot of color schemes show gray; it's a strong trend in design right now.”
To keep the look current, it's all about mixing it up. Say so long to matching sets and the same wood tones. Whether items are from a retail store, flea market or your grandmother's attic, you can have fun with it, said Jane Wlezien, design manager with Eleni Interiors in Naperville. “The ‘collected look' is really big now.”
Giving the ceiling a higher stature, you'll see more unusual ceiling treatments — at least painted an accent color — and new ways of making it a standout feature in the home.
This concept extends to walls where moldings, panels, wall murals and other design details give personality to the home. You might see a paint stripe on the wall that continues on the ceiling.
Here are highlights of design trends seen in today's model homes offered by area builders.
Lexington Homes
The Linden design at The Sanctuary Club in Kildeer showcases an elegant, transitional style with a gray and navy palette and a lot of silver accents.
“It's a beautiful design and on a beautiful piece of property; the home is very elegant, but it still feels like family,” Wlezien said. From the grand foyer there's a view into the family room, and in the family room, a large table sits in front of a bank of windows where the family can enjoy a view of the outdoors.
Also in this room, a two-story fieldstone fireplace flanked by windows is a stunning focal point.
The living room showcases a wall with simple panel molding that adds architectural interest to the room and has a custom look. “There's so much texture and interest to the wall that we didn't add any artwork,” Wlezien said. “This kind of wall treatment is a very current look.”
A tray ceiling and a beautiful chandelier get your attention in the master bedroom. Furnishings include mirrored accent chests on each side of the bed, which add some sparkle and keep the room light.
Ryland Homes
The Kensington model at Hunters Ridge in Joliet shows a fresh spin on a split-level design that features larger rooms and a more open plan than in the past. The home shows gray with amethyst accents.
“Although a level separates the kitchen from the family room, it's a great look that feels very open and fresh,” said Wlezien, whose company decorated the model home.
While seated at the kitchen table on a bench seat or in a chair, it's nice to look down into the spacious family room.
In the not-so-large master bedroom, designers found a way to give it a suite feel with a bench seat at the foot of the bed and a chair, ottoman and throw that give the room a sophisticated look.
Also, the room shows a mix of dark wood furnishings with silver night stands. “It's more of a silver leaf that's still warm and elegant, and we're not doing a whole room in dark wood,” Wlezien said.
The Victoria model at Windett Ridge in Yorkville showcases various ceiling and wall treatments that create excitement in new places of a room, Wlezien said.
In the living and dining rooms, a traditional crown molding is painted black while the other molding is white. Then in the living room, another black molding along the perimeter adds even more interest and brings the eye up.
Both of the kids' bedrooms showcase creative ceiling and wall treatments. In the Barbie-themed little girl's bedroom, part of the wall and the ceiling is painted pink, and circle decals decorate part of the wall and the ceiling.
A whole wall mural of a beach along with a dune buggy bed is a fun look in the little boy's room. “Instead of wallpaper, we're doing large murals will all kinds of customization,” Wlezien said.
This is not just a high-end feature anymore. People can do a lot of simple treatments themselves to make their homes look a little more custom and different from their neighbor's house.
Also at Windett Ridge, the McKinley model home features the “collected” trend showing accents with the Restoration Hardware look. This could include a few pieces that have more of an industrial look such as the cocktail table in the family room.
The kitchen features a wood dining table with chairs painted a robin egg blue, and the dining room shows a painted buffet that's a light green and is also mixed with wood pieces.
The master makes a statement with some hand-painted pieces that don't match anything, but bring a lot of interest to the room.
Design is trending toward cleaner and simpler. Draperies and rugs have lots of texture and fewer patterns. Draperies might be simple solid panels with just a clean tape trim for accent on an iron rod, and tone on tone rugs are popular with the interest from the texture rather than a pattern.
You see neutrals on larger furniture pieces with pops of the accent color on pillows, lamps and other accessories that give the home a more quiet look.
K. Hovnanian Homes
At Fairfield Ridge in Plainfield, the Colfax model shows a gray and yellow color scheme that gives the home the wow factor when pops of color jump out at you, O'Connor said. “It's not ho-hum. People are excited and want to go to the next room.”
This home is a great representation of how people live today, O'Connor said. For example, the bedroom for a teenager shows a bunk bed with a twin bed on top and a full bed on the bottom. There's a fun chair and lots of pillows. It's not just a bed, two nightstands and a dresser. The room is the kids' domain, their retreat, a place where they can hang out.
The kitchen is also a great family living space with an island, eating area and a formal dining room. The room shows white cabinetry with a black subway tile backsplash, which adds a lot of contrast along with dark hardwood floors. It's a very striking look, and the subway tile is extremely popular right now.