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The Latest Trends in Home Construction and Renovation

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The whole point of building a custom home or doing a major renovation is to create a space that is wholly personal, which means you shouldn't be beholden to trends. But in the interest of education, let's talk about some things that are happening now.

Natural Selections

Step away from the super-dark, hand-scraped floors for a second. Consider engineered woods with a lighter, more natural finish. Our experts say that white, gray, and washed-wood finishes are making a comeback. Think about bleached, limed, or fumed woods with matte finishes or sealed-only floors. Don't count out engineered products. They aren't necessarily cheaper, but you can achieve a more exotic look. You might also consider porcelain tiles. Porcelanosa's Parker line boasts a "wood" look. Stone floors are also showing up in unexpected places, like master bedrooms.

Fun Fact: To get the look of steel windows, your contractor can match wood on the inside of the window to the color of the outside of the window. Steel versus wood could be a $50,000 difference in price!

CLEAN LINES, MORE OPEN SPACES

Our experts say that, on the whole, new construction is going more contemporary. This doesn't mean that everyone is moving into glorious, Rachofsky-like glass houses. But on the whole, houses have cleaner lines with less focus on turrets and more use of Austin stone and standing-seam roofs. Europhiles, relax. The Mediterranean isn't going anywhere—this is Italy Dallas, after all.

Even those who choose to stay with more traditional exteriors are going with modern, open concepts on the inside. That means fewer hallways and tiny, wasted rooms. Open floor plans afford more useable space — the kitchen that opens to the den and possibly dining areas. An abundance of glass and lift-and-slide doors, designed to open and disappear, bring the outdoors in. Again, efficiency is key. Homeowners are better understanding that 100 percent of their spaces should be completely usable.

TAKE SOME RISKS

Even the most risk-averse person should have some fun when building their dream home. Maybe you're not ready to wallpaper all the ceilings. Fine. But get on board with the glass and metal trends and employ both on your staircase. In fact, why not create a fabulous, floating staircase? Too contemporary? Consider patterned woods, intricate wood designs, or an iron-and-steel combination. (On a side note, you might only need to do one staircase. It seems fewer new homes have two sets of stairs because they take up so much square footage.)

The powder bath is also a great place to try a bold wallpaper, daring paint color, or outrageous tile and hardware. There's nothing better than stepping into an unexpected and divine powder bath. But what if you hate it? That's a drag, but it's not the end of the world. "It's such a small space, so it's not significant to change it. That's why it's a good place to take chances," Michael Munir says.

FORMAL REFORMED

There has been a lot of talk about how the formal living and dining rooms have been eradicated from new homes, but that's simply not true. The rooms still exist; they function differently. The formal living room is now more of a "parlor" or an "away room," as in, "I have to get away from the televisions that seem to have shown up in every flipping room, including outdoor spaces, in this house." Many people choose to make it multi-functional — it could be a library and a bar area. It could open to the patio and be more of a party room. The point is, it doesn't disappear from the floor plan. It just becomes something that you'll actually use for more than fancy-but-uncomfortable furniture storage.

Likewise, the designated dining room still exists, but it's more open and casual. It could be the serving space for even more casual parties. Add bookcases, and, it, too could become a library.

KITCHEN CONVERSATION

We've all heard it: Kitchens (and baths) sell homes. Kitchens are the heart of the home. Grandma's kitchen: Tasters welcome. We get it! Kitchens are important. But they're also expensive. Jennifer Fordham of Poggenpohl Dallas says she tries to educate her clients from the beginning about what things cost and parse their needs. "I have to tell them that they don't need drawers in every single inch of the kitchen," she says. "You have to think about the odd-shaped things that won't fit in a drawer." She also says ventilation is key—folks come in the showroom and ask if there's any way around having it at all. "They think it's ugly, but you need it, if only to pass code," she says with a laugh.

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