The holidays are for spending time with loved ones, but they can also be a good time for refreshing home decor or catching up on the honey-do list.
In the spirit of the holiday season and the winter solstice, the experts at Houzz have shared their top emerging design trends to inspire Houston homeowners heading into 2024. Considering the true winter weather in Texas doesn't catch up until late January or early February, there's still plenty of time to find inspiration for that next home improvement project.
Here are the top four trends Houzz is forecasting in months to come.
From indoor to outdoor, nearly seamlessly
An increasing number of homeowners are interested in blending the indoors with the outdoors, and with Houston's extra-sunny weather throughout the year, it's easy to see why. Houzz reports that searches for solutions like "bedroom window seats" and "living room bay windows" have grown exponentially in 2023 in comparison to this time last year.
Another popular solution homeowners are looking into is a "four-season room" – think a sunroom, solarium, or an enclosed patio. The main attraction of a room like this is to have floor-to-ceiling windows that allow full visual access to the landscape beyond the house. It also provides an immersive viewing experience during a Houston rain storm — or rare snow.
Though this is a great idea for Houston'' milder months, keeping the space consistently cool during the hot summer is one thing homeowners should consider before making the investment.
"Four-season rooms" like a solarium can be great addition.
Photo courtesy of Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate
Entertainment-focused gathering spaces
Large familial gatherings are another big part of the holidays, which is another focus point for many homeowners trying to revitalize their spaces this time of year. A living room sectional with coffee table was the most-searched-for idea, Houzz discovered, skyrocketing 47 times higher in 2023 than the previous year.
Family rooms with a TV over the fireplace, built-in entertainment systems, and home theaters were three other top searches for homeowners – painting the perfect picture for families wanting to get comfortable and watch a cozy movie, play games, or watch sports.
Hidden spaces
Every house has its secrets, and the upcoming winter season shows more homeowners are incorporating whimsical hideaways and secret spaces that are just for them.
"Homeowners are gravitating toward the inclusion of 'trap doors' and 'kitchens with hidden pantries'...allowing seamless access to storage," the report said. "Incorporating a covert 'speakeasy home bar lounge' or 'wine bar and cellar under the stairs'...adds a fun element of surprise."
Houzz also predicted other kitchen hideaway ideas like appliance garages will be a top home design trend in 2024.
Green, green everywhere
Green is not just a color for Christmas, it's the "color of renewal," according to Houzz. It can be used as a year-round accent through decor, plants, and wall paint. The beautiful thing about green is that there are so many shades to choose from that can adhere to virtually every color scheme already present in a home.
"Searches for 'light green kitchen cabinets,' 'sage green walls,' 'teal living room,' 'dark green exterior,' 'green bathroom tile' and 'pewter green' have all increased compared with the same period in 2022," Houzz said.
Green can even be used in collaboration with other popular colors, such as Peach Fuzz, Pantone's Color of the Year for 2024. Lindsie Davis, the founder and principal designer of Wimberley-based home design firm Blueberry Jones Design, chose to mix the terra cotta of these Apartment F soup bowls with a lovely shade of green as a way to introduce the peachy tones into the kitchen.
Photo by Esslinger Design Company / Picture Perfect House
There's nothing like getting the family together on the oversized sectional to watch a movie or play some games.
Terra cotta is a similar color to Peach Fuzz, according to Lindsie Davis.shopaptf.com
The full report on Houzz's winter home design trends can be found on houzz.com.
