Recently, I attended the Fall Homearama presented by the Home Building Association of Richmond (VA). The tour consisted of five new custom builds in Viniterra, a vineyard and golf community located in New Kent County, VA. I love going to these things – they are a great way to scope out emerging trends in home building and design, as well as those features that have staying power.
Below are some takeaways from the tour (in no particular order) and a bunch of photos. Bear with me on the photos – I had no control over lighting and often had to work around all the other people touring the homes. Hopefully they will be enough to give you a feel for the spaces.
Green is In. Green is the IT color of the moment, and it was everywhere – tile, cabinetry, wall color, millwork, décor.
Wood is Back. Wood tones are back in a big way, especially in the kitchen. But true browns only, no orange- and red-hued stains. There was not much whitewashed wood; medium tones were by far the most represented.
Silver Tones are Out. I saw no silver finishes (like chrome or even polished nickel) in hardware – it was all brass, gold, and matte black, plus details like texture and mixed materials (e.g., wood + brass).
Painted interior doors. This is not a new trend; painted interior doors have been around for a while. What was different, however, was that not all doors were painted the same color throughout the home. Some were white; others were painted to match or contrast with surrounding wall colors.
Millwork. There was a ton of millwork/wall treatments. The styles ranged from super simple vertical “stripes” to more ornate, multi-layered box mouldings. Some of these treatments were on feature walls only, despite recent commentary from designers that feature walls are passe’.
Warming Trend. I saw virtually no cool grays anywhere. When gray made an appearance as a wall color or in décor, it was a warm greige or a shade teetering on straight-up beige.
Color is Here to Stay. As one would expect, whole-home paint palettes were very intentional, generally consisting of some variation of white/off-white in central open spaces (like entryway, kitchen, and great room) with dark, moody and/or bold colors in ancillary rooms.
Make a Statement. I saw a bunch of fun statement tile and light fixtures.
Window Observation. Homes on the tour demonstrated a continued use of black trim, mullions, and stiles for windows. I noted a feature in one home that I hadn’t seen before – black on the outside and white on the inside. I thought this was genius. Black windows are a very specific choice and make window treatment selections a bit more challenging. White on the interior solves that problem!
Pantries and Bars. Layouts featured “smaller” (I say that with a tinge of sarcasm) open kitchens with giant pantries/sculleries, with showy bars and beverage (aka wine) storage.
Your turn! Which of these new build features would you incorporate into your own home? Any you’d like to see on their way out? Let me know in the comments!