If you resolve to improve your home improvement efforts in the New Year, here are some trends that might inspire your projects.
Move over paint and wallpaper. The new way to pop an accent wall in any room of the house is with tile or stone. Unique materials, including reclaimed barn wood and metallic tiles, will be boldly applied in 2016, piggybacking on the creative vertical, ledgestone and herringbone-pattern installs we saw last year. Partial horizontal backsplashes will continue to be replaced by full walls of tile in the kitchen and bath. Full wall fireplace surrounds – in stone, masonry or tile – will run floor to ceiling and serve as major design focal points in living rooms, bedrooms and other nontraditional rooms.
Every year, industry experts Pantone and Benjamin Moore announce special color picks that reflect the mood and attitudes they “see taking place in our culture.” These select colors often guide fashion and interior design trends. Pantone announced its two-color winner for 2016: Rose Quartz and Serenity, a pale pink and periwinkle blue combo that is stirring much debate. To get a sense of these colors, think of the pink and blue plastic pegs you add to your car in the classic board game Life. Benjamin Moore left many scratching their heads, and others jumping for joy, when the company announced Simply White as its top go-to color for 2016. Love ‘em or leave ‘em, these colors will pop up in paint selections this year.
Homeowners will continue to embrace open floorplans in 2016, and the kitchen will remain the primary anchor of these spaces. This doesn’t mean you have to build an addition or expand the existing footprint of your house. Rather, homeowners are making better use of their existing square footage by safely opening up walls, and designing more functional layouts, to create a larger common gathering place and living area.
We talk to more and more homeowners who want to care for elderly parents at home rather than send them to costly care-giving facilities. The projects range from wheelchair accessibility and safety upgrades, to building private mother-in-law suites. To explore the latter, be sure to check with city and county planning and zoning departments, and comply with all relevant building codes for Accessory Dwelling Units.
According to the Remodeling 2015 Cost vs. Value Report, the project with the best return on investment nationwide is a steel entry door replacement. In Denver and along the Front Range, this project boasts a whopping 112.5 percent recoup of cost. Adding new stone veneer to the street-facing façade generated the second-highest return at nearly 82 percent, confirming market demand for curb appeal. Kitchen and attic bedroom remodels continue to pay off in resale value and are good projects to consider in 2016.
When it comes to remodeling trends, we admit this list barely scratches the surface. But if you’re ready to embrace the adage “out with the old, in with the new” in 2016, then it might be a good place to start.
Bryan Soth and Dwight Sailer have owned and operated HighCraft Builders, a Fort Collins design-build remodeling company, since 1998. Contact them at (970) 472-8100 or visit www.highcraft.net.