While many Australian’s focus on health and fitness, a better work life balance, and making more time for loved ones, a very large portion also have their New Year’s goals firmly pointed towards building their little piece of property happiness in 2018 – otherwise known as a brand new custom designed home! So let’s start the inspirational design journey right now…

Five top design inspirations:

If you are yet to start a home inspiration Pinterest board full of your favourite colour trends and architecture features, and you haven’t been trawling Instagram to find out if copper fittings are still must-have kitchen accents or if Millennial Pink is still the shade of the moment, then relax. Not only is the start of 2018 an exciting time when New Year’s resolutions become New Year’s actions, it is also the time when all of the best design blogs, supplier websites, property magazines and home builders are keen to help you discover architectural insights and colour tips, as well as reveal the latest fittings, fixtures and finishes to customise your dream home.

And here’s a taste of the top 2018 trends to get your started:

1. Metallic fixtures and fittings

First up, according to Real Living magazine’s inspirational site Homes To Love, yes, copper is still a favourite metallic. However, brass is overtaking it as the must-have accent colour, particularly for bathroom and kitchen fittings and fixtures, as well as pendant lights. If you’re not big on brass yourself, you might be pleased to know that classic silver is also not far behind brass in the popularity stakes.

Knowing what accent materials and colours you prefer is a great starting point when it comes time to select your overall colour palette for your new home, as it can determine whether you opt for standard or luxury inclusions when finalising your house plans.

2. Considered contrast

Contrast is a long-standing tool when talking about great custom home design, but as a 2018 trend it has a new paired back, simplified twist. Essentially, considered contrast refers to contrasting tones, materials, textures and even styles that add additional layers of interest to create a dynamic design space, while using only simple palettes or a limited range of textures and tones.

We love this reinvention of contrast and highly recommend this sparing, considered approach, which will maximise your wow-factor and ensure your home is cohesive. For example, if you are a fan of the latest range of Steel Matt Colorbond and PGH Bricks, like home renovators on The Block are, you can create external interest by contrasting colours, while limiting the finish to matt.

3. Tiles and nature

Tiles made from natural materials are proving to be in high demand in 2018 already, which is in-line with the Japanese inspired Wabi Sabi trend. This nature centric trend sees many new home builders choosing to mimic nature in their designs and architecture, creating inviting and earthy spaces. Examples of this are contrasting sleek marble benchtops with reclaimed timber dining areas, or pairing crisp, glossy tiles with earthen matt ceramics.

In addition to tiles, Wabi Sabi has also inspired custom interior landscaping, bringing the perfect imperfections of nature into your most intimate living spaces. Amber Tiles’ new range of eco sandstone-inspired large format tiles are particularly attractive for custom home designs in 2018 that utilise shared indoor/outdoor areas to create a seamless, durable transition, while enhancing the overall design.

4. Custom joinery

Customised storage has long been a custom design home essential and our team of custom home designers and builders have always relished working with our customers to personalise and capitalise on all possible areas of interest when finalising house plans. However, custom joinery in kitchens is a particularly exciting trend at the moment and is tipped to get bigger and better in 2018. Think natural, sustainably sourced timbers to craft open shelving, feature benchtops, or clever under-bench storage.

We are proud to work very closely with the winner of the 2017 HIA Hunter Kitchen of the Year Valley Kitchens and their custom designed joinery extends beyond the kitchen to also include entertainment hubs and expansive wall units – and they always receive outstanding customer feedback.

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5. Share your vision with design experts

Choosing to build a home that will be your sanctuary from the world, your private entertainment mecca, or your haven for culinary creativity is an admirable goal and one you definitely don’t have to go alone. Collaborating with designers and architects can take your initial ideas and inspiration from being impressive, through to being a home that will give you complete and absolute home happiness.

Simply pick up the phone, send us an email or drop into our showroom to learn how our team of custom home design specialists can turn your custom home design goals into reality.