Blog

2024 Interior Design Trends in Austin

Interior design trends in Austin and nationally are continuously evolving! We're grateful that the interior designers we work with focus on keeping homes timeless. They don't sway at every trend. However, it's still important to understand interior design trends to keep your home updated for home value. This applies to whether you're building or remodeling. As a custom home builder, we like to ensure the interior designers we work with are continuously staying up to date on trends and the evolution of materials in interior design.

Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Materials

As we've mentioned in previous blog posts, sustainable and eco-friendly materials are up and coming in Austin. These materials make the list of 2024 interior design trends. As home builders and clients alike start to understand the impact of home building on the environment, they are moved to make big changes. Even more so, city codes are changing to be mindful of sustainable practices and energy conservation.

Green Home Building Practices

Many custom home builders are implementing green building practices. Solar power, high-efficiency heating and cooling systems, potable rainwater harvesting, energy-efficient windows, and advanced framing with full envelope spray foam insulation are all practices that have become popular in recent years. Green homes minimize energy loss, optimize energy consumption, and improve indoor air quality.

Sustainable Homebuilding Trends

Eco-friendly construction materials are growing in popularity. Interior designers, architects, and home builders are familiarizing themselves with the latest technologies to build more sustainable homes. We've discussed recyclable roofing materials on our blog before, like metal roofing. However, many other home-building materials are recyclable. Bamboo, cork, wool, steel, and reclaimed wood are all easily renewed or reused. The current interior design market offers carpeting made from recycled plastic, rubber in roof tiles and flooring, cellulose insulation from recycled paper, recycled glass tiles, and engineered hardwood. So, there are a lot of options to choose from when you want to build your home sustainably. These items do not lose value in the aesthetic department, they look just as beautiful, if not more, than their newly manufactured counterparts.

Bold Colors and Textures

Color is coming back in 2024! Thankfully we have made it through the grey and beige eras for the most part. Custom home clients are leaning into their tastes, which include brighter color pallets. Just take a look at the paint companies' 2024 colors of the year. You will see blues, greens, and pinks. This is the year to not be afraid of color, but embrace it. As a luxury custom home builder, we work with the best craftsman who will turn your color vision into a reality in your new home.

In 2024, there will be a greater focus on textures. Interior designers want more movement and dynamic in a space. One of the best ways to do that is through textures. Raw stone and polished concrete can be a fantastic way to bring texture into your space. Right now, we are seeing a lot of stone, plaster, tiles, and wall coverings being used in almost every room of the home.

Open and Flexible Spaces

Open floor plans have been popular since the start in the 1950's. Today, we are still seeing open floor plans in our custom homes. Several of our homes are designed with open living, dining, and kitchen areas. However, areas are becoming slightly more separated with partitions walls, fireplaces, or furniture. This leads to a general openness, but you're alerted when you're moving into the next space. Separating a dining room with a bar, wine storage, or fireplace, can keep the openness alive while also maintaining intimacy within that space. Entrances to homes remain expansive and open to the rest of the living area.

We are also seeing that our clients are desiring flexible spaces. We have a few homes we're building that offer detached studios. The studios are designed to be flexible as the family evolves. These spaces can act as a gym, art studio, recording studio, yoga studio, playroom, or anything that the client later desires. It's important to build the right electrical and plumbing early on so that it's already set in case you need to change the space later. Game rooms in the main house have been popular for several years now, and they make for an excellent flexible space. These rooms can be designed in an open area of the home, usually upstairs near bedrooms, and can act as a second living room, playroom, or office.

Local Art and Craftsmanship

Local art has become a priority for many home-building clients in the Austin area. We work with an interior designer who holds art shows at their office to showcase local artists. In the architectural and design phase of planning a home, art nooks are carefully designed into the home with proper lighting. Homeowners like to familiarize themselves with the local art scene to discover art that will work with their home. Sculptures, wall pieces, fabrics, and more can be planned by your architect in advance so it is as if the home was built around the art piece.

Craftsmanship is a top priority for many of our clients. We have clients that order intricate and hand-crafted tiles from Italy. The installation of these materials can be just as or more important than the selection. Tile installed wrong will destroy the beauty of the material. It's important to work with a custom home builder who has experienced and reputable craftsmen who will install artful materials correctly and beautifully. Masonry, tile work, and carpentry are skilled crafts and it can make a huge difference in the appearance of your home based on who you pick.

Minimalism and Functionality

Modern and minimalistic design remains popular in Austin homes. Think clean lines and simplicity. This goes for the exterior and the interior. For the interior, minimalism can look like the same shade of white paint on the walls, ceilings, and trim. This creates an expansive and clean backdrop to decorate with furnishings and art. Although bold colors are in, a minimalistic style can be achieved through neutral colors in the main living areas and stronger colors in more intimate spaces.

Bring in textures to add depth to the space. Use natural wood, stone, linen, and wool to maintain the minimalistic style. Large windows and doors can create a minimalist expansive space. The architects and interior designers we work with consider natural light when designing our client's homes. Then, art pieces are selected thoughtfully so as to not overwhelm the space. Every art piece has a purpose in the space and earned its spot. When keeping to a minimalist space, storage is critical. In the homes we're building you can find hidden storage spaces on every floor. Garages are large with accompanied large storage rooms. Cabinets and built-in storage are carefully thought out to keep the space minimal while giving the client the ability to hide their excess items.

Natural Elements and Biophilic Design

As mentioned previously, texture can be brought into the home through the use of natural elements like stone, reclaimed wood, and linen. However, it's currently popular to take it one step further and include even more natural elements inside and around the home.

One way to do this is through plants in the home. During the design process, the architect and interior designer can design areas ahead of time to house plants. Natural light will play a key role in this process. The result is having a living and breathing space.

Another way to do this is through exterior courtyards. We're currently building a home with a lush courtyard right outside the master bathroom window of the home. The tub sits in front of the window and you can stare out at the courtyard full of plants with a fountain while you're taking a bath. Landscaping should be designed to play and interact with the windows of the home. Most homeowners want to see their beautiful landscaping as they walk through their living areas. Outdoor areas are becoming more expansive in 2024. The indoor is starting to meet the outdoor. We're designing homes with expansive sliding glass doors that you can open and your outdoor living area joins with the indoor.

Interior Design Trends in Austin

As we go further into 2024, more trends are bound to be discovered. 2024 will bring more sustainable homes and more customized homes that are based on the client's personal preferences, and not as much trendiness. If you're planning to build your dream home, contact us to learn more about our home-building process.

Taylor Wilson