Show of hands if you’ve heard someone say, “Design is cyclical”?
Attributed to the pervasiveness of social media and a shrinking digital divide, the lines between something being on trend or a passing fad are blurring. In an era of instant appeal, what separates a fad, from a trend to always being in style?
You could say stamina; a fad might rise in likes and within a very short period leave us saying “enough already.” Trends tend to have a longer tail before running out of steam. A reoccurring trend that is consistently in vogue for years or decades posits itself as classic – but will it always be? Even a classic can come and go with no certainty to return.
So, when considering the time, energy, and investment in something like building a custom home, there’s a deeper question to ask: what makes something timeless?
Our designers have done some postulating of their own with this list of timeless design ideas to help you see the big picture in custom home design, no matter what stage of life you’re in.
For your submission, design ideas to help keep your custom forever home, forever in style.
1. Define Timeless for Yourself
If something’s always in style, does that make it timeless? Or is it because it’s stood the test of time, it’s always popular? Customization is often about options and choosing one style over another. You must define and follow your style first. Ask yourself, how can more contemporary qualities mesh with more classic fundamentals? How will you express your style across the architecture and interior of your custom home?
For example, our modern farmhouse, craftsman, and traditional home floor plans draw inspiration from classic and enduring precedents that allow you to adapt to contemporary catalysts. You can be confident when you walk into a Schumacher design studio or model home, you are experiencing construction and design that is meticulously researched and effortlessly customizable to fit your needs. Because offering a high-quality product and giving people exactly what they want for their budget in a design that will be as impressive and stunning as it is functional, will never go out of style.
2. Debate the Open Floor Plan
The open floor plan concept is here to stay; the open floor plan concept is on the way out. Rarely have we seen a trend-shattering event in custom home design such as during the pandemic. This caused a lot of custom home builders to rethink open floor plans to answer the call of more sectioned-off spaces and the consumer desire to return to more proper rooms.
As we push into the months and years ahead, depending on whom you ask, open floor plans will continue to be in demand while the shift back to more traditional layouts with clearly defined rooms is probably overdue. Our designers’ advice is more direct: an open floor plan still has many advantages for families and for dwellers who require more interconnectivity with others in the home. The coming together effect promoted by more communal spaces will always be beneficial. And so, the debate goes on.
3. Place the Kitchen at the Core
Whether or not you think a home should have more clearly defined rooms to add longevity to its design, we can all agree the kitchen should be at the center. Kitchens assume the role of a practical axis on which the rest of the home finds balance. Ensuring a centralized position in your layout, regardless of size, can also increase functionality in adjoining rooms. Remember that a kitchen will host happy memories and happy accidents without discretion. For countertops, cabinets, flooring, and appliances prioritize your budget to use materials and finishes that will retain their luster and shine for many years.
4. Include More Built-In Storage
On average, home sizes continue to grow larger each year. According to NAHB, the average size of a new single-family home is now 6.3% higher since the Great Recession. As the pandemic wanes and workers are called back to their office posts, whether these statistics will hold their upward trajectory remains to be seen. The need for storage however doesn’t seem to be diminishing. Having ample built-in storage in task-oriented areas like a kitchen or laundry room ensures these rooms don’t become obsolete. Built-in storage in a bedroom or office increases the flexibility of these spaces as your family grows – so what was once a workout room can transition to a nursery or playroom and back again. Simply having places to put things may appear less consequential when compared to other ideas on this list, but storage can enhance the long-term functionality and permanent versatility of your home, and not just for you. For future owners.
5. Incorporate Natural Light
The ideal lighting, has so many positive effects on a home, listing them could be a story all its own. At Schumacher, we’ve spent a lot of time previously discussing lighting trends and their impact on style and functionality from recessed lighting to chandeliers. These trends can move fast, and some can easily be achieved by swapping a fixture or a bulb. Adding more natural light into your home’s floor plan, however, is harder to do once it’s been established. This is why incorporating adequate places for daylight ambiance in your floor plan is on our list of timeless design ideas. Optimizing natural light has many physical and mental health benefits, while also bringing attention to the details of your home’s style and contributing to energy savings and resale value.
6. Consider These Non-Trendy Interior Design Trends We Love
Interior design trends may be the most scattered and fickle part of home design. Wallpaper is having a moment again; so are minimalism, monochromatic color schemes, and other niche movements. All signs point to these trends having a fading influence this year. If you’re looking for some ideas with more permanence, may we suggest subway tile, exposed brick walls, wet bars, and wall-to-wall carpeting? Each of these may have been pushed out by short capricious swings over the decades, but now are back and adding to the perfect balance of contemporary meets classic. Tell us if you agree.
Part of Schumacher’s custom home building approach is giving customers exactly what they want by knowing exactly what works in home design. This comes from the standard set by Paul Schumacher himself over 30 years ago.
When you have a passion for home design that always puts customers first, you develop a way of doing business that outperforms trends.
About Schumacher Homes
Schumacher Homes, based in Canton, Ohio, is America’s largest custom homebuilder, with operations in 25 locations in 12 states across the country. The National Housing Quality award winning company has built over 20,000 homes, customized to fit each family’s lifestyle, since its founding by Paul Schumacher in 1992. Schumacher Homes takes each customer’s inspiration and gives it a home. Each Schumacher Homes location includes a one-stop shopping design studio and model homes displaying the latest in architectural and product trends.