Even if you’re not a painter yourself, you can still add peel-and-stick murals on your own. “In a weekend, you can apply a floral wallpaper mural to your home office for a stunning Zoom background or add a large landscape to the dining room to dial up the drama,” Pendleton says.
Though wallpaper has been back in style for a few years, it’s easy-to-apply wallpaper borders that AD100 designer and artist Justina Blakeney predicts will enter the arena next year. “I’m seeing wallpaper borders begin to appear in rooms—around doorways, windows, and or around the perimeter of a room,” she says. “I love the decorative accent it brings, and the borders are also fun when applied in conjunction with a contrasting or complimentary wallcovering.”
Mudroom-laundry room combos
Houzz’s 2024 home trend report cites “mud-laundry rooms” as a project that will proliferate next year. They’re exactly what they sound like: a mashup of a mudroom and a laundry room, serving two important purposes with the same amount of square footage.
Mudrooms and laundry rooms became especially important during the height of the pandemic, when people needed a “drop zone” to shed their masks and outside clothes before entering their homes. Builder Ben Neely, president of Riverbend Homes, says mudrooms connected to garages have become a priority for his clients.
“Most of the drop zones we are now designing include full cubby or locker spaces for each person in the home to hang jackets, shoes, electronics, and more,” Neely explains. “Drop zone sizes have increased significantly over the past few years as well.”
Expect laundry rooms near home entrances to get the DIY mudroom treatment. “Creating an entry area and storage in a space not really meant for that is indeed a challenge,” says designer Mary Flo Ouellette, cofounder of Squarehouse Studios, of making your own mud–laundry room. “Smart storage solutions, especially pieces that can be wall mounted to keep floor space clear, are ideal.”
Fluted everything
Fluted wood is about to bedeck cabinets, vanities, kitchen islands, and even nightstands in the new year. Houzz’s report also underscored fluted details as a major trend on the rise. While there’s plenty of furniture on the market with the fluted look, designer Steven Santosuosso, the other cofounder of Squarehouse Studios, notes that adding fluted panels to a room can have several benefits. “Fluted faux panels can be a great way to introduce texture and dimension into a space without changing materials,” he explains. “A smaller benefit is that the shapes can also contribute to sound diffusion.”