If the last few years have been any indication, the majority of people are ditching (or trying to ditch!) mass-produced items in favour of more localized shopping, handmade pieces, and quality craftsmanship. This resurgence of quality over quantity is a welcome historical repeat following the last industrial revolution that left us with more automation than ever before.

If you’ve followed along with us for awhile you’ll know that we’re not crazy about following trends. However, we love what trends mean for our industry: exposure of new ideas to the general public. Winnipeg tends to fall into one of two categories when it comes to trends: one group jumps on trends the moment they arrive in Europe/New York/California and live in them for years before they “reach” Winnipeg, while the second group waits for the trend to become more mainstream (featured in magazines, HGTV, friends houses, etc.) before jumping on board. Often, the problem that Winnipeggers encounter is a trend becoming popular here just as it’s dying down in other regions.

So, what can you do about it?

Trust your designer.

We have access to not only the latest trends but the latest innovations, and have the ability to take the details you like about the trend and incorporate them into a design plan that suits you and your home, taking the detail from current trend to long-term investment.

Here are eight of the up-and-coming trends for 2024:

COLOUR

Every year the colour and paint industry chooses a colour of the year. Many industries use this colour as inspiration for their product lines, effectively influencing the popular items for the year. Pantone, the most influential of the international colour experts and the one most industry experts look to for this type of information, has declared Peach Fuzz to be the colour of the year for 2024. For years, Pantone was the be-all-end-all for this info. Then, paint companies jumped on board with their own colours of the year.

Here’s a round-up of colours of the year for 2024 for popular Canadian and American paint brands:

What do you notice about these predictions?

The majority are shades of blue(!) and very few are close to Pantone’s Peach Fuzz.

Our Take:

Colour is subjective. While you may see more of these colours in 2024, especially tones, you should never feel “out-of-style” for going with the colours that your heart truly desires. Love Peach Fuzz? Great! Embrace the things and colours you enjoy.

METALS

Just like fashion, metals come in and out of style. Warm brass and black have been big contenders in the past few years but as things often go, all of that warmth has people craving the opposite again. While silvers were never “out”, you’ll start to see more aluminum, stainless steel, brushed nickel, and brushed chrome again.

Our Take:

We love all metals for different reasons (okay, maybe we don’t LOVE shiny brass, but hey, there’s a time and a place for everything) and the metals we choose for each project depend on the overall design direction for the space. If we’re generally choosing warm earthy tones such as woods, browns, greens, burgundies, or taupes, we’re more inclined to choose metals from the brass family (aged and brushed brass are beautiful!). Cooler tones like blues and bright whites often get paired with chrome or nickel, while neutral spaces can cater to just about anything.

MOOD

We’ve seen a major shift in recent years from bright open floor plans with lots of white to more segregated spaces drenched in colour. There’s something to be said about having some separation between spaces within the home, whether it’s for sound control or just general preference.

As people rediscover the joy of colour in their homes, homeowners are ‘colour drenching’ rooms all one colour, from the walls, to the ceilings and the trim, varying the sheen based on the application (most popular: flat on ceilings, eggshell on walls, satin on trim).

Our Take:

We love a good moody space. A home library space always feels cozier with a roaring fire, floor to ceiling shelving, dark paint, soft furnishings, and ambient lighting. Start with choosing your favourite jewel tone and play with the shade. Love green? Go for dark olive walls, ceilings, and trim and layer in varying degrees of lighter furnishings to offset the bold colour.

ROMANCE

Have you seen the uptick in hair bows on the celebrity red carpet? Details as small as a hair bow can add big impact to an outfit and the same can be said for your home. Instead of thinking of your grandma’s doilies when you hear that pink, red, florals, lace, and ribbons are regaining in popularity, think about these elements from a botanical point of view. Bold floral maximalism, rich colour, and soft furniture shapes (think round and oval tables, soft furniture, etc.) are all part of this trend.

Our Take:

We’re all for a little maximalism - when done right. Red tones and florals tend to make a space feel more formal and traditional so pairing them with contrasting and neutral tones as well as textures and patterns is important for balancing the bold colour for a modern look.

WARMTH

Gone are the days of gray on gray on gray (yay!). We’ll see people ditching the overused gray flooring and cabinets in favour of warm, natural, and classic wood floors (that NEVER go out of style!), and adding brown tones via paint, wallpaper, cabinetry, and furnishings.

Our Take:

Love this trend for the fact that warm tones are “back” (were they ever really gone?). We’ve been over gray tones for years, but its taken awhile for the general public to hop on board. We’re glad that a warmer colour palette will be more prevalent across the board and can’t wait to craft some truly spectacular, timeless spaces.

RANGE HOODS WITH IMPACT

Often, the last thing on people’s minds when designing their kitchen is their range hood. For years it’s just been another appliance, added in simply because you need one for ventilation and code-compliance. But why should it end up having to be boring?

Range hoods are becoming bolder and bolder, from integrating into cabinetry, being outfitted in a bold colour, texture, or material, or playing with shape.

Our Take:

This trend has been gaining popularity for the past few years and WE’RE HERE FOR IT. We’ve been designing more and more bold range hoods lately and we love that they often end up being the main focal point in the space. Other than the sink, this is where people end up spending a lot of time in the kitchen so why not make it impactful and beautiful while also maintaining function? We also love that this trend pushes the boundaries in terms of colour and texture. We love a good seamlessly integrated range hood as much as the next person but when we can shape, paint or clad it in something truly interesting we can’t help but get excited about the possibilities!

EVERYDAY LUXURY

If you read our blog post last month you’ll know that everyday luxury has been gaining popularity due to the pandemic keeping people at home. With homeowners wanting to indulge in the comfort of their own homes instead of venturing out into crowded public spas, bathrooms are becoming even more retreat-oriented. Personalization is key in this space, from multi-functional shower heads to heated surfaces, steam showers, and luxurious baths, the bathroom is the place to invest in your overall well-being.

Our Take:

We LOVE a good spa experience (we WISH we could visit Therméa monthly (okay, weekly!)). We installed a steam shower in our Downtown Project last year and we can report that it gets used on the DAILY along with some enviable aromatherapy. We also transformed the principal bath at our Gabrielle Roy project into a Nordic-inspired retreat, a change that drastically increased the homeowner’s use of the space.

CUSTOMIZED SECONDARY SPACES

Don’t think your mudroom, laundry room, or walk-in closet are worthy of a functional makeover? Think again! These secondary spaces are often overlooked because they’re often thought of as not as exciting as a kitchen or bathroom, but these are the spaces that get a lot of heavy use and they should be able to function at their best.

Our Take:

There’s something to be said about an organized pantry or closet with a place for everything, a laundry room that you actually WANT to spend time in, and a mudroom that doesn’t make you want to pull your hair out because your kids won’t put their shoes away (argh!). We can help you take the same amount of space and maximize the functionality by installing custom cabinetry and utilizing creative ideas.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Trends are great because they introduce people to things they may never have been exposed to before. However, if you’re thinking about incorporating a trend into your home we suggest you ask yourself three questions:

Does it fit my personality?
Does it fit my personal aesthetic?
Will I still love it in 5+ years?

If you don’t answer yes to all three then the trend may not be for you - and that’s okay! Trends come and go and at the end of the day it’s important to have things in your home that you truly love, no matter how new or old they are.

What’s your take on 2024 Design Trends? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

R+C