How San Diegans are redesigning smaller homes
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Warm neutral tones are so in right now. Photo: Courtesy of Jackson Design & Remodeling
Home design trends like open floor plans, color drenching and "millennial gray" are on their way out and are being replaced by separate dining rooms, earthy tones and marble, local designers told Axios.
The big picture: The average San Diego home is 1,500 square feet, according to a StorageCafe report, and residents have to get creative to design around sometimes odd layouts and tract houses built in the 1950s.
Inside the room: Creative design in such homes has often meant knocking down walls and creating one giant open space.
- But now, the idea of a more separate and formal dining room is returning, according to Jen Pinto, design department head at Jackson Design & Remodeling.
Yes, but: That doesn't mean boxing in each space behind four walls, she said.
- Instead, it could mean one wall between the kitchen and dining room, or a peninsula dividing the living room from the kitchen.
Open spaces can make you feel like your whole house has to be spotless, Pinto said.
- "If one room is cluttered, then it makes the whole place feel cluttered," she said. "I think people are just craving cozier spaces."
State of play: The challenge is having separate spaces without feeling claustrophobic in San Diego's generally small houses.
- One way to do that, Pinto said, is to use furniture to create the feeling of distinct areas.
- For example, group chairs and a sofa around a focal point in your living room to create one area.
- Then use a table and chairs in another corner to create an eating space or a place for crafts and games.
Also out: The sandy, milky-colored white oak that has been so popular, Pinto said.
- Ditto millennial gray.
- "We've been in this cloud of gray for such a long time that I think going a little bit warmer just feels more comfortable," she said. "It feels less formal, which we especially like in Southern California."
What's in: Oak will still be in, but in medium earthy tones, she said.
- "We want to feel beautiful and elevated, but still casual, where you're comfortable in your own home," she said. "And I think the warm neutral definitely does that."
- Also, marble is making a huge comeback, she said, especially dramatic special marbles with violet, burgundy and gold.
Color drenching, meaning painting all the walls and ceiling the same color, is also on its way out, she said.
- People still like a "moody aesthetic," but instead might have the four walls a darker tone and the ceiling a slightly lighter shade, she said.
- "It just adds another layer of dimension," she said.
