I’ll bet I’ve got a few trends here that you might not have seen anywhere else. These trends are what I’ve experienced from the front lines of working with clients, contractors, products, and hearing from a lot of my readers who are trying to DIY things themselves.

I’m linking up to some other experienced design bloggers who are sharing their thoughts as well. You can click through to their posts at the bottom here and then you’ll have lots of good ideas on what you’ll likely be seeing more of in the coming year!

I’ve taken a bit of a different approach to my trend list for 2021, based on what we’ve all gone through this past year and the state of the home remodeling and furnishings industry now.

So, on to what design trends I think we will see more of in 2021 and beyond!

While I think all of our habits we’ve adapted to this year will change once we are back out and about, I do think some of our new found realizations will be staying with us.

This time has already brought out an emphasis on home and family and will no doubt continue to affect how we plan for the future and arrange the functionality of our homes.

1) downsizing might be put on hold

Having kids come back home from college, having children school-at-home during the day, coping with several people working from home in the same house, etc., has demonstrated the need for keeping those extra bedrooms for awhile. I think empty nesters are going to stay put in their larger homes in the next year, perhaps remodeling to fit their needs.

I think many younger families will be moving up to more square footage after possibly being in a home that didn’t adequately work for them during this time.

With all the problems that senior living facilities went through too, this past year (my own mother and mother-in-law experiencing all that first hand), I think aging-in-place (while possibly quite lonely in the last year) is something most seniors definitely will continue to prefer.

Neither of our 90+ year old mothers voluntarily elected to go to senior living. Health issues pushed both of them to having to relent.

My MIL’s home, staged to go on the market, when it was time for her to have more care. We spent about 2 1/2 months going through her stuff to get ready to list her place and have her move to a senior living home.

Deep cleaning my MIL’s home to put it on the market. Downsizing was such a chore, and most seniors really do not want to leave their homes.

Imagine knowing what all has happened this past year and how isolated those people have been, and NOW considering that decision. You can imagine that it’s going to be tougher than ever to talk Mom or Dad into moving into some kind of group living situation, going forward.

I do think a lot of seniors who have been somewhat isolated in their own homes this past year, might consider moving closer to their family if they live far away like in a different state or city.

Proximity is so helpful when you get older, we have seen this first hand with our mothers, even if there are isolations due to this virus. There are still so many helpful things you can do as a child of an elderly person, to remain in contact when you are close by.

I think down-sizing is a wait-and-see for 2021, and upsizing might even be the new trend.

2) home offices that multi-task

I think this might be one area we will see the most change in 2021. Work situations have no doubt been affected, as so many people found WFH convenient and efficient. While some people will go back to the office, I imagine that for many this will continue to be a viable option in the future too.

Zoom meetings, facetime calls, filming and making videos (even just to explain something to a client or your boss), there is soooo much work happening on screen these days.

Not only do you need a nice backdrop and some good lighting but you need good acoustics too and some soundproofing would be nice. Oh, and do you sit or stand while you work? Maybe you have a treadmill desk or a bike desk?

A home office these days has to function for a lot more than just paperwork! And what if you have to share this space with someone else? Now that’s a challenge!

I have loved my work set up this year. The two offices we have in our home have suited me perfectly. My husband isn’t much of an office person, plus he officially retired this year, so I have rather taken over both home offices. :-)

My garage studio serves as a sample and work room.

This is the desk corner of my garage studio. It doesn’t have good natural light if I’m on a Zoom call at the desk. It is a very private place to work though, with no sound transmission coming from my office to the rest of the house.

Garage studio office with sample storage.

The third bay of my garage that we enclosed and built out as my new studio two years ago.

I didn’t even know what zooming was when I set up this office in my garage! I have found it not the best for lighting, as the corner there creates a dark shadow over my face. If I want my face to be lit up better, I have to move to the window area or set up a light.

There is great privacy out here though and no one can hear me talking except whoever I’m zooming with. :-)

I think we will be seeing more customized home offices in 2021. While a lot of people have been getting by, kind of waiting to see what their more permanent work situation might become. Once people have a clear view of where they will be working, I think they’ll be ready to invest in some thoughtful design for their workplace.

This home office built-in desk and overhead storage is useful for a client with lots of binder and paper storage needs. Carla Aston, Designer | Tori Aston, Photographer

3) kitchens with Flexible Storage

Have you found a place for that Instapot yet?

Talk about a countertop hog! My husband loves to use ours and it can tend to be left out on the counter sometimes. It really takes up valuable work space!

The Instapot isn’t the only new, must-have “small” appliance that every cook needs these days, there are so many more! We have a sous vide (a big plastic square container with the thermometer device, for cooking meats and such to just the right temp in a water bath. These two items alone could seriously take up a whole lower cabinet storage area.

Luckily, I have a walk-in pantry with lots of shelves that I added to my kitchen several years ago. (We had a tiny little closet before.)

This is the pantry I added in my kitchen remodel a few years ago. I built out into the garage to capture this square footage and it was the BEST thing I did for changing how we use our kitchen! Everything is so accessible. I love that we can keep small appliances down on the bottom shelves too.

We have now designated two of the lower shelves just for small appliances now. With only two of us in the house, we don’t need to store lots of dry or canned food, but with all this sudden interest in cooking, we need the space for appliances!

What about all you passionate bread bakers out here? Are you finding the need for more space for your tools?

All these hobbies we’ve picked up during this past year have brought home to me the need to create even more flexible storage space in the kitchen.

One of my clients was able to create a new, second pantry in their recent addition. It is perfect for easy access to small appliances and tools for the kitchen.

Existing pantry, newly outfitted with adjustable shelving.

New pantry, used primarily for appliances and overflow storage, with adjustable shelves.

In this kitchen remodel, below, we expanded the pantry with some newly found square footage after removing a wall. We also added a full height cabinet right next to that space with some great accessible storage for small appliances and serveware.

We added on to this pantry and moved the door to be more accessible to the kitchen work zone in this remodel. A new full height cabinet will be added beside this bump-out for small appliance and serveware storage.

Here’s the accessible storage created in the cabinet adjacent to the new, larger pantry in a recent kitchen remodel. Great for small appliances and serveware!

So far, my client is loving this and finding it so functional! I am getting this project photographed today, actually, so I’ll be sharing finished photos soon!

One thing for sure is that we need to incorporate more flexibility into storage. Storage that is too specific could date itself or become unuseful over time.

Who knows what small appliance we will need next year?

4) Furniture - Reupholstering and Refinishing older pieces

If you haven’t read this post about what is going on the furnishings industry right now, it might explain why your designer friend is looking a little frazzled these days.

New slipcovers were made for this dining room where the homeowner’s existing furniture was reused after the remodel. It was sturdy, well-made furniture that was worth keeping. Carla Aston, Designer | Miro Dvorscak, Photographer

Containers are stuck at ports and furniture is waiting in warehouses and not shipping out. Manufacturing has slowed and order processing and communication has become more tedious and drawn out. It’s all because of the interruption in supply lines that has been happening world-wide, due to this virus.

If you love the way your sofa sits but it is just worn out, try having it reupholstered or remade. Just remember, those workrooms and shops have been inundated with work too, with everyone focusing on all things home, so some patience is definitely required.

Before and after remake of a vintage chair. Expect antiques and reupholstery to be making a comeback in 2021.

I think the use of antiques (more than just mid-century modern) will be making a comeback in the next year. Using an antique that was well built and has a style you love is a such an excellent way to layer an interior.

I love the patina on this antique table used behind a sofa at an Airbnb we stayed at in Sonoma almost 2 years ago.

5) Good use of outdoor space

One area of the home that has seen lots of interest in the past year is outdoor space. I don’t see that as changing any time soon, even if we can all jump on a plane and travel anywhere in a few months!

We enjoyed our Thanksgiving dinner outdoors this year for the first time ever! It was really nice and unique. One we won’t forget and will likely do again. :-)

Firepits, lounge chairs, outdoor kitchens, I think these will continue to be strong investments for making patios and gardens a place to really enjoy.

I’m sure this outdoor lounge area came in handy this past year in the home of a former client. Carla Aston, Designer | Colleen Scott, Photographer

This outdoor dining area at a Sonoma Airbnb was beautiful and charming.

We might be rather tired of staying in now, but I think we’ve all learned a thing or two about ourselves and how we can live and best enjoy all the spaces in our home.

I think that home will remain an ever-present interest, as our primary haven and refuge, on through 2021. Any improvements you make to help you enjoy your home and make it more functional for you will be an investment with many returns.

Now, check out these other design bloggers, who have lovely homes themselves, and see what they are predicting will be on trend for 2021!

Pin this pin, below, to Pinterest to help us spread the word! Many thanks! :-)