Top 5 Home Renovation Trends for 2013

Here’s everything you need to know about what’s hot and what’s not in kitchens, bathrooms and other renovation projects this year.

Top trend #5: Composite, glass and sober colours in the kitchen

We know granite will always have its fans, but composite bench tops in engineered quartz and stone are hot now. The reason: They’re bulletproof, and offer more flexibility in the ultra-clean lines and other effects you can achieve. Laminated timber is popular for similar reasons. Gone are the striking kitchen colours of yesteryear, replaced by more sombre, some would say sober, colours. Charcoal is the new black. Blending dark, light and natural finishes together is cool. Back-painted glass splash backs have usurped stainless steel. Pull-out taps are the ultimate in convenience and functionality. Islands rule. Storage, and lots of it, is a must. And the whole effect simply must be highlighted and under lit by that clever LED lighting.

Top Trend #4: More bliss in the bathroom

Fix It Home renovations trends 2013

Here’s your checklist for the de rigeur 2013 bathroom. Charcoal as the primary colour, blended with chocolate, grey and a hint of green. Greater luxury. His and hers basins. Under-floor heating. Wet area showers. Freestanding bathtubs. Multi-nozzle showers. Designer lighting. Why would you ever want to leave your bathroom?

Top Trend #3: Multi-generational living

There are two parts to this trend: The trend to children living longer with their parents, thanks to student loans and the high cost of rental accommodation, and the trend for elderly parents to move in with their children rather than a retirement home when their own home becomes too much for them. The other day we heard of the ultimate – a couple who had converted their basement to a self-contained apartment for her parents, converted their attic to another bedroom for their eldest daughter who had moved back home when her marriage broke up, and rented a cabin in the backyard for their son who was a university student.

Top Trend #2: Living in your home longer

Retirement villages may be popping up everywhere, but there’s a growing trend for baby boomers to stay on in their own homes for as long as possible. Many are finding this can be achieved more cost effectively than they thought, and the cost of widening doorways, making taps and light switches more accessible, converting bathrooms to wet areas, and installing ramps and support rails is a whole lot less than moving. See our article on Universal Design for more.

Top Trend #1: Multipurpose rooms

Photo courtesy

The average number of people living in New Zealand homes has been dropping for years, but now it looks as though the trend has been reversed, partly because of trends 3 and 4 above. As a result, space is at a premium and the different needs of household members means that we must make better use of the spaces we have. We’re seeing offices and workshops tucked away in alcoves, extra rooms being added to attics, basements and extensions, and built-in garages converted to additional bedrooms or family rooms.

Fix It Renovations ezine July 2013