Contemporary Housing Trends We Loved in 2019
As we reach the close of the decade, there’s no better time to reflect on the architecture, design, house and building trends we loved the most this year. 2019 opened up a lot in terms of housing, and in New Zealand it was a constantly evolving topic. Let’s take a moment to reflect on a time capsule of housing design trends for 2019.
1. Smart Homes
Technology progressed considerably in 2019, and what we were all watching on Black Mirror at the beginning of the year surely became a reality very quickly. Forget clapper lights or anything else we thought we knew about smart homes. With the increasing popularity of Amazon’s Alexa and Google Home, many homes around New Zealand can now power their lighting, temperature, televisions, sound systems, and even their fridges just by talking into the air.
Home automation is expected to grow even further over the next few years, but already we’re at a pretty cool place and it’s definitely something worth reflecting about.
2. Downsizing
Thinking back to even just five years ago, building a home was all about having the biggest, most spacious home you could get. We’re all aware of the grotesque ‘McMansions’, which valued size over any kind of design or quality. Post-housing crisis, however, New Zealander’s have a whole new mindset of quality over quantity coming into 2019.
It has become trendy to do up smaller Grey Lynn bungalows and to live in central terrace homes. Even the popularity of ‘tiny houses’ is something to seriously reflect on – who’d have thought it would be trendy to leave our mansions and villas behind to live in a decked-out shipping container? And yet, here we are.
3. Flexible Floor Plans
New Zealand is going through a lot of huge housing developments that began in the past year or so, and this means architects have had to get flexible. While traditional homes have been of the ‘Coronation Street’ style of mirrored floor plans upon floor plans, modern developments understand that each family is diverse and has diverse needs.
Modern floor plans tend to be open and spacious, with each room big enough to fit a multitude of purposes. Gone are the days of dedicated kids’ bedrooms, which become redundant once the children outgrow the tiny spaces. Instead, a room in a lot of modern homes could be used as an office, or a double room, or even a second living area, depending on the family’s needs.
4. Sustainable Features
We’ve grown a lot when it comes to implementing sustainable solutions in homes over the past year. While architects are always striving to create energy efficient, renewable homes for owners, this past year has made some huge leaps and bounds in this direction. While we’ve been used to considering the star rating on our appliances, and swapping out our light bulbs, 2019 has caused us to think about the true impact that our home as a whole has on the environment.
From the rising popularity of locally-sourced building materials such as clay roof tiles and bricks to the types of tap fixtures and plumbing that gets installed, exciting modern developments are truly being ingrained into a lot of architecture this year and it has really done a lot to make housing design more seamlessly sustainable. New Zealand’s weather conditions make your materials selection a pivotal element of the design, so smart design must cleverly incorporate the right materials for both aesthetic and performative function.
5. Change is the only constant
The only thing we know for sure in the world of home design is that innovations never cease. Talking to your architectural designer is the best way to get up-to-date knowledge on local building material trends and the latest breakthroughs in sustainable home design, so that you can leave as small a carbon footprint as possible.
Perhaps more importantly, you need to rely on your architectural designer to offer insight into where home design trends are headed from here, to ensure you enjoy a house that looks and feels modern for years to come.
Modern Home Design to Love with Gubb Design
As modern house and terrace house architects, we’re always excited about the newest trends in housing design. When you work with us to build your home, you can guarantee it will be built with passion and heart. Talk to us today about your home build.
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