2024 Home Trends
Unveiling the future of Lowcountry home design
Story by Brianna McCadden
Discover the home trends that are here to stay in 2024. From innovative fireplace alternatives to sustainable living, vibrant color palettes and personalized dressing spaces, the world of home design is brimming with inspiration. Listen to the voices of local industry experts, and find the perfect idea to elevate your home in the year ahead.
Illuminate your home with LED elegance
“The lighting industry is undergoing a transformation led by experts in home automation and integration. Their expertise and unwavering commitment to quality empower them to craft lighting solutions that feature adjustable color temperature and the magic of zero percent warm dimming light. These features not only accentuate your home’s beauty but also create adaptable, mood-enhancing and practical environments.
Investing in a top-tier solution promises homeowners a myriad of advantages:
- Tailored LED lighting: Custom-designed to perfectly suit your home’s unique layout, eschewing the one-size-fits-all approach.
- Effortless control: Manage your lighting via wall keypads, bidding farewell to the clutter of multiple switch-plates.
- Precise dimming: Overcoming historical dimming issues, achieving ultra-precise dimming levels as low as on percent or less.
- Warm dimming magic: Experience an automatic shift to warmer color temperatures, casting an inviting ambiance.
- Simplified accent lighting: Low-voltage lighting solutions, both indoors and outdoors, simplify the installation of accent lighting.”
– Jason Clarke, Custom Audio Video
Welcome mud rooms
“While most of us want to invite nature into our homes, we still want to keep the dirt out. Mud rooms have become a popular home design trend; a room or area with plenty of storage for shoes, coats, backpacks and even cleaning supplies. Mudrooms can add value to your home, as it’s not only storage space but will keep the interior living area clean and tidy.”
– Bart Strong, Closets by Design
The value of restoration
“There has been a movement toward restoration. Homeowners are increasingly seeing the value in restoring their existing paver hardscapes instead of replacing them. A newly restored driveway not only looks beautiful but also increases the home’s value.”
– Dominic Biangone, Seacoast Driveways
Add vibrance with colorful appliances
“The trend of adding a vibrant splash of color to kitchens through brightly-hued appliances is becoming increasingly popular. These colorful appliances not only serve their functional purpose but also act as decorative focal points, transforming the kitchen into a more lively and personalized space.”
– Brantley King, Billy Wood Appliance
Maximizing functionality
“We all want personalized, innovative spaces with built-in features that maximize storage. We need options for various tasks, a guest room and home office or a multi-use family entertainment room. Space planning prior to a project can maximize square footage. Start with the biggest wall, or work around any architectural pieces like a fireplace. Use the vertical space by adding cabinetry or floating shelves to keep things neat and organized. Try a wall bed in a home office or dual-purpose, furniture-like beds with drawer storage. Take laundry rooms to a whole new level with double duty as office spaces, potting areas, wrapping or storage spaces or even beverage centers.”
– Nancy Schmitz, Signature Closets
The return of beige
“In interior design we are seeing a welcome change. Gray had its moment, and beige is back. You can’t go wrong with pairing beige with bold patterns, texture and all colors in your wine glass from rosé to cabernet.”
– Heidi Schultz, Coastal Home
Greener living and smart automation
“There are a couple of items that we have seen increase significantly within the last couple of years, especially with people being at home more and focusing more on health and the environment. Homeowners are implementing lighting control both indoors and outdoor for a variety of reasons (sense of security, ease of use, control when away from home, elimination of banks of light switches, convenience, etc). Homeowners also are implementing some sort of home automation system to control various items in their homes. These smart systems allow a homeowner to control multiple devices (televisions, speakers/music, HVAC, pool, door locks, security cameras, lighting, pool, etc.) all from one location, as well as monitor usage to assist with being environmentally friendly and lowering expenses. Today’s world is hectic, and clients want user-friendly solutions to make their lives easier and more enjoyable.”
– Curt Hubner, Advanced Integrated Controls
Custom murals for personality
“Homeowners and homebuyers are saying goodbye to bland, in favor of personality-packed homes. We have used custom murals and wall coverings on a number of homes. Each one tends to present a unique point of view and is often highly personal to our clients. It is an impact statement, so it takes a certain sense of commitment on their behalf.”
– William Court, Court Atkins Group
Modern pool designs and outdoor renovations
“We are witnessing continued growth in modern pool designs characterized by clean, geometric shapes and simple elegance. Outdoor renovations are becoming increasingly popular as homeowners seek to enhance the value of their properties, as opposed to buying new homes. Additionally, the demand for smaller plunge pools and innovative hot tub/pool combinations is on the rise as people look to add more functionality to smaller spaces.”
– Jonathon Dunford, West Bay Pools
Sustainable and smart window treatments
“In the world of luxury window treatments, 2024 promises to usher in a blend of timeless elegance and cutting-edge innovation. Sustainability is set to play a pivotal role, with eco-conscious materials and energy-efficient solutions taking center stage, reflecting a growing commitment to both style and environmental responsibility. Expect to see a fusion of classic aesthetics and smart-home integration, as clients embrace the convenience of automated window treatments that elevate the ambiance of any room.”
– Nikki Petitt, Seaglass Windowscapes
A splash of style and sustainability
“Many trending textures, materials, shapes and colors have been introduced over the past several months and appear to be moving into 2024. These trends are pivotal for pool owners, considering that a pool is often the second most significant investment made in your property. It is important to choose wisely. Many of these choices will have to age well with popular or trend change over many years. Even a larger part of your decision-making will be in the area of sustainable energy. Products (and chemicals) will be focused on energy efficiency more so in the future. Items like variable-speed pool pump motors, improved LED lighting, improved robotic pool cleaners and automated control systems will be at the forefront of new product offerings.”
– Step Cornet, Clearwater Pool Service
Tailored dressing rooms and functional spaces
“One trend I see in architectural home designs on the drawing board is customized dressing rooms with cabinetry designed to the level of kitchens regarding both aesthetic style and function. Cabinetry in general is getting more sophisticated with specifically designed storage space for everything, especially base cabinets in open kitchens with little upper storage. The growth of open kitchens is also fueling the expansions of back kitchens and pantries. Also with more people working from home, we are designing small built-in private and functional office spaces in homes — different from large studies for retired homeowners.”
– Mike Ruegamer, Group 3
Earth tones and monochrome
“Some interior trends we are seeing are warm, earth-toned colors, displayed through upholstery, wall coverings and paint. Also, entire rooms are being painted monochromatic, floor to ceiling, including all trim work in one color. We are getting away from vast, open floor plans, transitioning to cozy, more defined spaces. Stained cabinetry is also gaining popularity.”
– Taylor Stone, Group 3/Pyramids
Resort-like pool features
“The trends we are starting to see are really the new technology for pool equipment; the lighting and the ability to not only add heat to your pool but cool it as well. There are lots of new water features as well that give your pool more of a resort feel right in your own backyard.”
– Frank Ziebell, ACR Pools
Embracing timeless elegance
“For exteriors we see white continuing on trend into 2024. Our new coral white porcelain and our designer favorite, oyster white, are leading the way into 2024. We are also seeing more people coming in for dark colors. Pennsylvania bluestone is still a classic selection, and now we have porcelain versions as well as some selections in charcoal/black – cleft collection glacier, coral nero and vintage slab. Landscape architects are having fun creating interesting patterns with contrasting colors.”
– Lisa Bakke, Savannah Surfaces
The era of fireplace balls
“I see a lot of fireplace balls replacing the standard gas logs.”
– Ron Boshaw, Boshaw Residential
Elevate comfort in living spaces
“More comfortable dining, including banquettes and swivel dining chairs.”
– Joni Burden, J Banks Designs
Convenience with motorized roller shades
“Motorized roller shades make it so easy to raise and lower the shades in your entire home with just a smart remote or app, or on a programmed schedule based on your lifestyle. They are really helpful for privacy and UV/heat protection. It’s becoming more and more popular with how busy our lifestyles are getting – motorized shades give you one less thing to think about.”
– Bob and Kate Engler, Budget Blinds
Bold patterns, saunas and wet rooms
“We have seen a lot of bold-patterned wallpapers in finished homes this year. We expect more of this in 2024 as our clients and their interior designers explore color and pattern for large architectural surfaces. We have seen a number of infrared saunas in homes this past year. There’s been an increase in wet rooms as well.”
– Evan Goodwin, Pearce Scott Architects
Natural tones trending for flooring
“In our regional market, flooring colors will continue toward the light and natural tones, continuing a beachy or coastal feel to match our casual lifestyles. Many buyers will purchase flooring that is consistent throughout the home. Homeowners are moving away from multi-flooring throughout the home. In all, flooring trends for 2024 will change only slightly.
Large-format tiles will remain trendy on shower walls and on bath floors with sizes up to 48 x 48 or even 36 x 72. Tiles with patterns and movements such as triangles and waves will remain popular.
Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) will be the industry leader due to the durability and ease of care. LVPs now have sound-reducing padding that will continue to be a big seller in the future, along with wider and longer planks that give a more robust and luxury feel, much like real wood.”
– David Cribb, Dodgson Flooring
Lighting, edging and quartzite
“Trends we see include multiple sinks on the island, customized island- and stove-area lighting and elegant custom edgings like mitered edges and waterfalls. Light-colored quartzite is also very popular. It has been an ongoing trend for a little while.”
– Andrea McGilton, Distinctive Granite & Marble
