Home Building Trends for 2020 & 2021
Introduction
It’s finally 2021, and we’re definitely looking forward to incorporating the newest trends and styles into our home building projects this year. As the world canceled vacations, postponed gatherings, and spent more time indoors - we realized more than ever that our homes are places of rest and healing.
It’s for that reason that designers are abuzz with the idea of functional yards and bright, natural indoor spaces. Additionally, New Decor Trends noted that the true Architectural trends for 2020 and 2021 are sustainability in both designs and builds. As you can imagine, this has us incredibly excited - as we often prioritize sustainable, passive, and net-zero home builds as they reflect our values for sustainable living, our passion for living symbiotically with nature, and our wealth of knowledge surrounding both the large and small impacts that we have on the environment.
Both the existing trends from 2020 and the upcoming home building design trends of 2021 confirm that people are seeking more ways to be eco friendly and sustainable - which we, in turn, will be continuing to incorporate into the work we do at Lincoln Construction, to ensure that our environmental impact is minimized.
For 2021, we have found that some of the top trends followed these basic categories:
Keeping it Bright and Natural
Sustainability
Functionality
Japandi
Cottagecore
Houseplants and Indoor Gardens
Getting Bold
Building with Science
Keeping it Bright and Natural
2020 saw a lot of people working to make their homes an oasis, connecting their outdoor and indoor spaces, and increasing the amount of light and greenery in their homes. Here are a few ways people have been renovating to make their homes feel warm and inviting which will continue into 2021:
Roof Windows + Skylights
Roof windows and skylights are a great way to bring the light in if you’re in a heavily treed or darker area. Their popularity rose in 2020 as people looked for ways to bring the sunshine into their homes.
Bigger Windows
Windows, like skylights, has increased in relevance and have become important features in the home. With the current technological advancements, we’re able to increase their size without sacrificing efficiency
Dark Green Walls
Dark green walls seem like a design decision that’s counterintuitive to the bright and airy spaces we’ve just described. However, it still comes back to the need to connect with nature as much as possible.
Minimalism and empty spaces are trends heading out the door! Instead, we’re seeing an introduction of carefully selected works from artists, artisans, and craftsmen - to accentuate your taste and individuality. As builders of remote homes and passive housing, we are in love with the emphasis on working with local makers who produce ethical pieces of art and decorations.
Additionally, mass-produced furniture is becoming less popular and people are making the effort to restore older pieces to their former glory. Rich wood furniture combined with beautiful, artisanal statement pieces makes for a cozy space that emphasizes the things that make you comfortable.
How do you take the first step in finding sustainable home building products?
As people get more excited about supporting local businesses, it becomes easier to connect with makers of all kinds. Finding furniture through trading apps like Bunz or Buy Nothing groups on Facebook (and Craigslist is still a great option!) Thrift stores carry solid wood pieces for reasonable prices as well.
Looking to add art and locally made decor? Consider websites like Support Local BC, a crowdsourced index of small businesses in BC, or use Etsy for a broader range of makers.
Functionality
Gone is the concept of the “holiday only” space - whether it’s the dining room that collects dust, or the sitting room where you place your Christmas tree. As people have needed to stay in their homes for months at a time, there has also been an emergence of a collective realisation that functionality is crucial to making sure your home works with what you need. Dining rooms have been replaced with home offices, a space in which you can separate your Zoom meetings from where you prep dinner, or rest at night.
The need for functionality goes beyond these “high spaces” as well. The kitchens being renovated are beginning to plan around more people preparing food, living rooms include couches you can sink into, and reading nooks are overflowing with well-loved books - rather than a colour coordinated display of novels never opened.
Don’t have a dining room to convert to your home office? No problem! 2020 saw a conversion to multipurpose spaces, where you can build a home office anywhere. Reading nooks can be built easily with a good armchair, warm lamp, a bookcase, and some decor that makes you feel comfortable. Home offices can be designed in a similar fashion too and can be placed in any spot in the house where you can find room.
The kitchens being rebuilt in 2020 and 2021 are a focal point of the home and a place of gathering. They are being designed to be larger for multiple people to work in one space, and often include an island. There has been a move away from white, to marbling or onyx countertops, and pastel tones on the walls. Tiles are making a major comeback as well.
The bathroom has also become larger and more functional, becoming a place to relax and unwind. Just like in kitchens, white is no longer the top choice for walls - instead pastels and neutral tones are favourable as a way to invite calming vibes.
Japandi combines both Japanese-styled minimalism and Scandinavian furnishings, and is popular among interior designers for 2021. It takes 2019’s love of minimalism (remember Marie Kondo?) and the current drive for functional spaces to create clean lines and simple colour schemes. It can be described as intentional in design, rather than sparse and empty - and uses muted tones that are aesthetically pleasing.
For many of us, Japandi may sound similar to cottagecore, as described below - but Japandi enthusiasts often describe cottagecore as dark, cluttered, and a little bit mossy. This style takes a step back and “tidies up” the space, using natural pieces and plants - but ensuring that colours are light and furnishings are functional and comfortable.
This doesn’t mean that you can’t repurpose old furnishings or use eco friendly materials, as they seek to find the beauty in imperfections. It is important though, that the furnishings are low profile. Additionally, bringing nature as close to your home as possible is ideal.
Did you hear your coworker or friend mutter that they wished they could just move to a farm in the country? Yea, 2020 was taxing. But the cottage-styled home never left our collective conscious. Combining the desire for sustainable living and simpler life in the country, “Cottagecore” is a design trend that touches all aspects of expression, from clothing and gardening to wellness.
Looking to the home, this aesthetic expresses itself like a cat curled up in front of the fireplace: cozy. Bringing warm, natural, and neutral tones to the walls and floors add to making your space inviting. A further expression of this style can be seen in vintage fixtures and thrifted dishware - a perfect expression of sustainability.
Houseplants and Indoor Gardens
Houseplants rose in popularity in a major way in 2020 and will continue into 2021. Beyond their aesthetic appearance, house plants help purify the air and make you feel good! Bringing in large plants is an opportunity to show depth and style. Just remember - before picking up a new houseplant, make sure you have the right lighting and time to care for it!
Getting Bold
As we move to the outside of the home, we are seeing bold expressions of individuality in 2021. Mix and match patterns, colours, and trim are making a big splash as a way to set your home apart from others on your street.
Board and Batten are becoming increasingly popular as a way to add intrigue to your home. There are a number of ways you can arrange this material that will vastly change the style of your home.
Custom Garage Doors
Vinyl, white garage doors are not as popular as they used to be, and it seems that custom wood doors are here to stay - just like the ones designed by Artisan Custom Doorworks. Note that each garage door is incredibly different, and is built to suit the style of the home; making it a statement, rather than just a utility.
Stone Panels + Brick
Stone panels, brick, and other heavy exterior trimming are still incredibly popular - but as a feature for the lower portion of the home. Arranging the heavier features on the bottom part of the home makes it look more sturdy, whereas if they were switched it would appear top-heavy. Wood paneling, board, and batten, or vinyl siding tend to sit in the upper half.
Wood Tones + Features
Wood pillars, natural trim, and cedar shingles or paneling are making a major comeback as a way to bring natural tones to the outside of the home in 2021. Cedar shingles start bright, but wash out to a grey colour - while the trim can be varnished and stained in almost any tone. It’s interesting to note that wood pillars are often just getting varnished as the final seal, rather than a dark stain which seems to be a result of our desire to bring nature back into the home.
Building with Science
As we learn more about ways to make homes more energy-efficient and improve their air quality, we need to change the type of materials we use on the outside of the home. As Constructutopia points out, we need to consider longevity and moisture issues - but that doesn’t mean we sacrifice the opportunity for style.
2021 Home Building Trendsetters
As fans of passive house design, we love to see standard homes return to the ideas of sustainability and function. Additionally, upcycling furniture and supporting local businesses is something we can’t get enough of. There are a number of passive homes that have been built that incorporate some of these intentions and are trendsetters we want to highlight.
Our current favourite is owned by Ann Cavlovic, who by no small feat had a passive house built to be bright and natural while also maintaining the intensive standards required to be energy efficient.
Her home uses a functional open concept plan, connecting the living room with the dining space, with the kitchen flowing beyond the dining space.
The kitchen has windows all along the backyard and has an entire wall of windows. The wood used to construct the building is a decorative feature and is varnished to keep its natural colour. Heading up the stairs, she incorporates a perfectly fitted reading nook and workspace into the top of the stairs - meaning she gets to take advantage of high ceilings and bright windows as she works from her home office.
What we love about this space:
The incorporation of a large number of triple pane windows to maintain the passive house standard, as well as her desire to make her home affordable. The precise planning of the space means that every square foot has a purpose, right down to her study area - which she describes as “the writing nook designed for me”
To Conclude
To review, 2020 and 2021 home building design trends include a return to nature, with upcycled materials and furnishings, bright skylights, and larger windows. From Japandi to Cottagecore, there’s a focus on comfort, functionality, and individuality that comes from being home more often. The trends we’re seeing can easily be adapted to any home construction plan you have, and tailored specifically to your needs.
Clearly, sustainability, function, and eco-friendly materials are trends we can get on board with. At Lincoln Construction, we love helping our clients with remote builds, commercial buildings, custom homes, and renovations. We strive to use the newest technologies and strategies when working on your dream project - and ultimately build a collaborative experience with our clients.
Have a question about any of the types of builds we do? Curious about our process? We would love to chat with you! Contact us to get started on building your dream home!