Each year, new homes showcase novel design trends and products that hit the market. At the same time, needs as homeowners change and new homes must evolve to meet those needs. A good home is able to balance on-trend elements with superior design and functionality.

Today’s homes are specially designed to make home life more engaging, simpler, less costly to run, as well as helpful to us and the world around us. Here are some key traits in new homes that are making homes of 2019 more inviting than ever.

Open-Concept Floorplans
This trend has been in vogue for quite a while. It gains wider recognition each year, and for a good reason. Open-concept floor plans allow for free-flowing movement and good conversation while cooking, snacking, or enjoying a glass of wine. While we cook, our families and guests can talk to us from the comfort of sofas and barstools. By forgoing walls and corridors between a kitchen, dining room, and living room, we can socialize to our heart’s content. LifeStyle Homes has many open-concept floorplans in our portfolio, including our current most popular plan, the LifeStyle St. Thomas.

Smart Home Tech
Smart homes are here to stay. Advancements in this arena are made each year to make home life easier. New homes are embracing the future, installing smart technology with a wide range of benefits. We can have remote cameras and door locks for added security and peace of mind.  Devices are taking on chores, helping us cook food with smart ovens, and wash clothes with smart washers and dryers. We can even do our grocery shopping with smart refrigerators.

We can upkeep the home more easily with smart sprinklers and automatic temperature controls.  And these new homes offer conveniences like automatic window blinds and automatic lighting. We can run all these devices through our phones or touchpads. LifeStyle Homes is proud to offer smart-home technology standard through our partnership with TiO.

Green is Good
Homes today can reduce our effect on the environment while benefiting our immediate health, and while saving us money on monthly energy expenditures. A key component of green living is energy efficiency. All new LifeStyle homes are built to our SunSmart℠ standards and offer highly efficient air conditioners and heating systems, hybrid hot water systems, LED lighting, efficient double-pane windows, and much more—all designed to reduce the strain on resources while helping our pocketbooks. With an ever-expanding ability to control our output, we can reduce the waste of energy and water.

LifeStyle Homes also uses low VOC paints and less toxic flooring options to make our customers’ home life healthier.

Updated Kitchens
As the kitchen continues to be a hub of activity for talking with family or socializing with guests, there is an increased need for both beauty and functionality. And along with homes with open-concept floorplans, an attractive design is more important than ever. This year there is more focus on specially designed cabinetry that is attractive and functional. We’re seeing more clean and creative storage with specialized openings and inset electrical outlets to help us cook more effectively.

Kitchen styles are going in two polar directions: The first is more neutral, clean, and modern, acting like an extension of the architecture to make surrounding spaces feel larger while neatly containing all we need behind clean cabinet doors. The other style is bold to accentuate and celebrate this area of the home. We’re seeing features like gilded hood designs, showcase lighting, and dual-toned cabinets finished in deep and bright colors.

Luxury Bathrooms
Bathrooms are becoming comfortable spaces to tune out after a long day. Similar to spaces you would find in a 5-star hotel or high-class retreat, this year’s bathrooms are all about expansive beauty that’s designed to put us at ease. Tile work with ornate shapes and laid in unique patters, from large to small, are used extensively across floors and up walls from floor to ceiling.

These bathrooms follow the same polar design trends as kitchens but share a few similarities. The “destination tub” is now a key feature. This freestanding tub sits openly in a room or within an alcove, inviting us to relax in style. These tubs, as well as the shower and sinks, are accentuated with bold fixtures of brass, gold, and deep black, evoking beauty and luxury that plays dramatically off the surrounding cabinetry.