The National Association of Home Builders recently announced the winners of the Best in American Living Awards (BALA) – a prestigious awards program recognizing excellence in designs that will influence the entire residential building industry. Award recipients are lauded as the nation’s most creative and inventive builders, remodelers, architects, developers, land planners and interior designers. Below are some of the newest trends in home design that buyers will see in the coming months and years, based on submissions from this year’s BALA winners. Some of these elements are sure to inspire your next design project. Intimate Outdoor Spaces. Many single-family custom and production homes include intimate outdoor gathering spaces, complete with outdoor fireplaces or fire pits and cozy seating. These spaces are geared toward smaller gatherings, instead of the extended family-size backyards of the past. Mid-Century Modern Detailing. Mid-century modern is now 21st century chic in furniture, elevation design and detailing. Particularly in the western United States, this style has become increasingly popular. Indoor-Outdoor Convergence. What was once a distinct line between two living areas – indoor and outdoor – has been replaced by floor-to-ceiling retractable glass walls and screens. Families can both visually and physically move between these areas. Troughs and Spouts. Outdoor tables with open, trough-like water channels add interest, often culminating in a delicate waterfall off the edge of the table into a pool or water feature below. Interior Board and Batten. More often used as exterior cladding, board and batten is now being featured inside a large number of homes as well. This technique adds a threedimensional layer to interior finishes and provides an interesting alternative to paint and wallpaper. 10
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