BALA? What the heck is BALA?
It is the Best of American Living Awards sponsored by the National Association of Home Builders. This years contest winners were announced in January at the annual conference. The judges involved reported these trends...
Each year they survey the members to determine what the trends are and have been...several key trends were reflected in the annual design contest. The first being in the bathroom where clients are wanting an open feel but with a more compact floor plan and square footage. This can be accomplished by reducing floor space between fixtures, using transparent glass enclosures, and eliminating extra walls.
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| Paned glass enclosure for shower |
Kitchen features included "mega-islands", intricate light fixtures, Carrara marble, and cooking hearths. The "mega-islands" give some space for prepping meals, & cooking meals while socializing with guests.
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| "Mega-Island" |
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| Detailed ceiling |
Ceiling treatments are also a priority- a barrel vaulted, tray or coffered ceiling can add texture and depth.
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| Herringbone vaulted ceiling |
Specialty rooms could be an secondary cooking area(indoors or out), a wine room, or a pet specific area.
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| Specialty "rooms"/areas for pets |
And the last trend reflected is for multi-generational living. What exactly is that? It is sometimes called "Aging in Place" or "Aging in Style" and may show an open floor plan and curbless showers. Curbless showers are just that, there is no step or ledge to step over to get into the shower. Additional items are shower bars, lever door handles, and cabinet pulls that are longer or larger to help us grasp/open easier.
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| Curbless shower floor
Some of these should not be listed in the trend category as we all will age and will want to consider them for our own living environment. Are you going to incorporate any of these trends into your home?
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