After almost 20 years in the Real Estate industry, I have seen many trends come and go. These are a few that I think will be popular for 2015!
Open Floor Plans
Perfect for entertaining and gathering with the family, open floor plans provide a spacious living area and make a home feel larger, while maintaining an open and inviting atmosphere. By removing doors and widening passageways throughout the main level, home owners can create an environment of togetherness within the family that cannot be achieved as easily with divided rooms.

 
Multiple Master Suites
Home owners today might choose to have multiple master suites for a number of reasons, such as aging parents, or a child’s return to the nest. Whatever the reason, owning a home with two master suites, each with their own attached bathroom, makes for easy transitions through the stages of family life. It can also make guest accommodation quick and easy.
Custom Closets and Organization
Home storage takes on a new look in today’s housing market with built in cabinetry in walk-in pantries, custom designed his/her walk-in closets, and specialty storage spaces under bench seating. As floor plans become more open, convenient storage options are a must. New construction companies are promoting the inclusion of mudrooms, where items can be stored and organized at an entrance through the back of the home. Mudrooms are a great way to eliminate clutter as your family comes and goes.
Popular Paint Colors
Sherwin-Williams has named Coral Reef their 2015 Color of the Year. According to Jackie Jordan, Sherwin-Williams director of color marketing, “Coral Reef embodies a cheerful approach to design that we’re seeing for the coming year.” If coral isn’t your style, there are many color trends emerging for 2015. Benjamin Moore advises using a monochromatic color plan of the same color, like Gulliford Green (HC-116) their Color of the Year, in different

shades and layers. Sherwin-Williams
has also introduced several color schemes—Chrysalis, Voyage, and Buoyant—as a “forecast” for color trends in 2015, which are sure to please any of your color needs.
Flooring
Porcelain floors are a popular choice in flooring this year. Cast away your ideas of traditional porcelain tiling. Today, porcelain comes in a variety of colors, textures, and sizes, perfect for cultivating any design style you choose. According to HomeAdvisor.com, porcelain flooring is a tougher, more-durable form of tile. It’s great for rooms with high traffic, and is stain resistant.
Popular Countertops
Though granite has been the go-to countertop for home owners in recent years, according to Realtor Magazine, quartzite is on the rise as a must-have in 2015. Quartzite is a naturally occurring stone and is impossible to damage, giving it a leg-up on quartz, which is manmade. Quartzite is similar in appearance to marble, a very luxurious countertop choice, but quartzite doesn’t stain as easily.
Cabinetry
Traditional white-washed kitchens are coming back into style in 2015, but this time around, home owners are using various shades of white, like Honeymilk (Valspar) and Linen White (Benjamin Moore), to enhance their kitchen spaces. Black shades are also a popular unifier in a kitchen design theme for the new year.
Appliances
In 2015, we’re seeing double. When it comes to appliances, home owners are looking for two of everything. Two refrigerators, two dishwashers, two ovens – two, two, two. With double the appliances, kitchens are more equipped for hosting large parties as well as making the process of cooking and cleaning up after every day mealtime much smoother. Home owners are also very keen on matching their appliances and cabinet colors. Custom-built paneling provides a seamless kitchen from appliances to cabinets in many luxury homes.
Coffee Stations
We’re seeing many luxury kitchens equipped with built-in coffee stations. That’s right coffee lovers, not just an area to store your coffee-making materials, an actual coffee machine built right in to the wall! At about counter height, a built in coffee station makes your favorite part of the morning an integral part of your kitchen, minimizing counter space clutter.
Lighting
Bronze fixtures are popular now in lighting, but be on the lookout for copper and other warm metal fixtures. Industrial metals have been mainstream for some time now, as seen with the use of hanging pot racks over kitchen islands. Now, we can see that same look translating to light fixtures. Apart from lighting design, 2015 might see a growing trend in strategically placed lighting in drawers and cabinets, as well as shower lights. Utilizing lighting trends such as these in your home could help alleviate some of life’s small stresses in your new year.
Technology
In 2015, our houses are getting smarter. Different features of the home—appliances, heating, cooling, lighting, electronics, security systems—
are now able to communicate with each other. With that, each of these systems can also be controlled by remote from almost any location.

There are a number of ways to update your home to modern technology, including the installation of charging stations, which can be placed in a number of locations throughout the home. With the variety of devices most of us own today, creating
a charging station helps hide all those cables and wires that a lot of us now have throughout our home.
Safety
Considering the safety of your home and family never goes out of style. In 2015, walk-in safes or safe rooms will be a popular trend. These rooms are made of concrete and rebar, forming walls and a ceiling that range from 12-24 inches thick. Safe rooms provide protection from home invasions, storms, fires, and are perfect for storing valuables.
Home Theatres
Home theatres have been a trend for quite some time in this region, and they are one trend we can be sure won’t disappear anytime soon, but home owners are rethinking the way they create their theatres. Just like with the desire for double appliances—two is also better
than one when it comes to televisions. In 2015, there is no reason to limit your entertainment choices. With multi-screens, home owners can catch up on their favorite television shows, while also keeping up with social media, side-by-side. If you want to keep with the traditional movie theatre vibe, using a projector and a large screen is the best way to go. A popular choice in televisions this year will be the 4K Ultra HD TVs, they offer four times the resolution of traditional HD televisions.
Outdoor Living
Home owners are really vamping up the way they use their outdoor spaces for living and entertainment. Outdoor kitchens, fire pits, outdoor TV’s, and projector screens for outdoor movies make great spaces for parties and family time. We might even see a rise of poolside television sets in the luxury home market. Between sunrooms with built-in BBQs and private dog run and wash areas, there are so many ways to expand your living space beyond the walls of your home in 2015.