I definitely agree that open floor plans are trendy. I think vessel sinks are also features where someone will be able to look at it and say, "oh look! Installed in 2007" and not be off by much.

A few mentioned I would disagree with... hardwood floors. They've been around for hundreds of years so even when they are "out" they cycle back. I agree with daisyadair and disagree that subway tiles are "out". They've been a constant for over 100 years, so not really trendy.

And to the person who commented about copper not making a return... my guess is that the price of copper made the return of copper appliances cost prohibitive for the average buyer. If the raw material cost had not escalated, I wonder if it would have cycled back? Since copper has been around in many forms over the last 10,000 years, if the price becomes affordable again, copper will probably cycle back to in vogue in some way or another.

The vessel sinks didn't occur to me. You all are dead on. They're still attractive, IMO, but I can see a time when people will know when a bathroom was designed if it has one.

The copper appliances were "pushed" by high end companies about a year or two ago as the "new" stainless. I don't think it worked. Lauren Lake put it in one kitchen on Spice up My Kitchen and that's the only time I've heard or seen it used...and I prowl many blogs and websites for inspiration pics.

I agree that subway isn't a trend item. Subway tile makes me smile. I love it. It reminds me of riding the train as a kid. :)

~Jeannine : 110 sq ft of marble subway is en route to my house right now

Stone flooring for thousands of years. Subway tile and hardwood floors have been around for hundreds of years. Open floors plans - ditto. Houses/cabins use to contain only one room plus a separate sleeping area (if they were lucky).

Houses that became larger and larger with cavernous master bedrooms and ridiculously large bathrooms....

Overly detailed ceilings and lots of columns and wood trim everywhere, where the interior simply looks overdone....

Super high ceilings that dwarf everyone and everything, and are a nightmare to heat....

Windows so large that the drapes will bankrupt you......

Arched windows, black granite fireplaces, big fat candles, black coffee tables and end tables, porches on every new house where people never sit out, adirondack chairs on lawns and porches, all white kitchens, pillows placed on couches with a dent put in to make them look dented :).

Classic design & well-constructed materials may fade in & out of popularity, but it is never "trendy" & will never be "out of style". Stone & hardwood floors, well placed arches, beautifully done woodwork. More recent items (meaning, not hundreds of years old) that I believe will be around for a long time are stainless appliances & subway tiles, chrome fixtures - all here to stay, imho. Anything that speaks of simple, timeless elegance.

The mark of the times? Oh yeah, vessel sinks! I'll put money on that one lol! Anything else? Who knows? *shrug* Not being much of a trendy person, I won't venture any further.

& there will be those of us who will probably love faux painted & textured walls until our dying day lol!

I would say an open floor plan and staked stone screams 2000'. Also, as other's pointed out those sponged walls. On second thought sponged walls are more ninty's.

Another thing is jacuzzi's especially in Florida and California. Garden tubs for sure started in 2000'.

Oh how about gas logs? What happened to the smell of apple wood burning on an open fire?

Media rooms will go and everyone will have to have an outdoor kitchen. Or maybe those days of I have to have that, are over.

Oil Rubbed Bronze, Vessel Sinks, Glass Tile, French Door Refrigerators...

Nothing odious amongst them. They are attractive things and should still be so in fifty years, but they are all unmistakably of this decade.

I think it's partly region-dependent too. Interesting that someone said that everyone would have to have an outdoor kitchen---I think we're already there. For sure all the new houses. My neighbor wasn't going to put one in and his appraiser said that his house would actually be devalued because it was "standard" in the area---this was 3-4 years ago.

What about mismatched "furniture"-style pieces in the kitchen?

faux Craftsman elevations. Same ol' transitional insides, but newly gingerbreaded and square columned to look like "bungalows".

I have to lol at the ORB comments. I have to make a decision on the kitchen fixtures and the only thing that I think will fit perfectly is ORB! It may be new but I think it's here to stay as a new "classic" item.

Black granite on white cabinets. I love it, but it seemed too many people have these colors.

Not sure if the "open concept" will go out of style. Because of the heating, electricity costs ect., smaller homes are coming into vogue. You cannot close up a small house. Think how many mothers are watching their kids play in the family room while they're cooking.

Plus, if you have a typical dining room 13 x 14 , you can seat 6-8 people comfortably. Now you open up that space into the great room and you can seat 20 plus people. Think about it. I think open spaces will never go out. As for the kitchens, the industry will keep that going. How else would houses become dated? lol

I'm so surprised about the open floorplan parts as this must be a very regional thing as being 2000's.

Had a 70's house in CA with an open floorplan, rented an 80's with and open floor plan in TX, bought an 80's that had a semi-open plan, and then back to a 70's that also was what I'd consider open. Now live in a new construction with an open plan except the kitchen is a little more closed in which I've had in all of the above and like.

Garden tub - also not a 2000 thing as I had those in one of the houses that were added in the early 80's. Must be regional again as in early 90's it was standard in most new construction in the areas I've lived.

White kitchens - been around for ever so doubt they'll ever go out of style.

Vessel sinks I agree is a 2000's item as I can't think of a decade where that was used heavily before, unless you count the wash bowls before indoor plumbing.

I have ORB because the iron that I really wanted was too expensive, so I went with what was cheaper so I can replace later. However I like it, the look is similar. I'll keep liking it if it goes out of style, but I do think it is a 2000's thing.

Colors - not sure if there is a particular color that marks this decade like you have for the 70's and 80's. Since a lot of the popular colors could be from the 70's right now.

Granite or stone counters is definetly a 2000's thing, however I don't see it going away so probably not trendy, but rather use of new materials that is here to stay. (Marble has been around for ages).

Wood stains is another one that seem to come and go like colors, but again like colors all are re-cycling from previous decades now.

Sorry got nothing original to add as to what really would be trendy and mark it as 2000's.

I guess to me 2000's is sort of the decade where it isn't much new or trendy, but rather re-cycling of other decades.

Vessel sinks, definitely.

Glass tile & travertine.

I figure Travertine will be permanently banished from the kitchens and bathrooms of the trendy once the people who've been having it installed have to clean it themselves. (I.E. no more money for the cleaning lady to obsess over that porous stone...)

I was just down at the Valley View hospital in Ada, Oklahoma, and noted they had ornate oil rubbed bronze faucets in the public bathrooms. They were pretty enough, but that's the one place you would be comforted to see sleek, easy to disinfect SS or chrome. I've heard that once you start seeing something everywhere, it's going, going...

With that thought in mind, something that I see as eventually going out is the Must-Have-a-Palladium-Window trend; it seems like new construction for every house, dentist's office, insurance agency, restaurant, and even quick trip gas stations has at least one of those half round windows somewhere.

Hopefully the twin trends of "welcome to my garage" and the equally goofy looking "three story hipped roof on a one story house" will fade away as #1, people realize their home should look like a house, not an outbuilding, and #2, finances get so tight they no longer can afford to waste money blocking the view to show off an acre of high definition shingles. Seriously, what was the point? Bragging rights to the tallest roof in the subdivision?

Even though it's hot hot hot right now, another thing I see becoming dated is the current fad of combining rock/brick/siding on the exterior of the same building. This is done several ways, the oldest would be having a brick or stone facade in front that turns to plain siding on the sides. The idea is that it gives a home "curb appeal" by making it look "more substantial", but it just makes me think of a woman with too much makeup. There's also the recent trend of using stone "trim" around the doors and windows, and maybe running up the corners of a brick building in that faux castle-style that makes me think of a display for siding sales at a lumber yard. Although I'm sure it's a big money maker for general contractors like the three story roof, I look for that one to evaporate as tight financing will lead future homebuilders to eliminate features that were more for show than structural integrity.

Subway tiles; (this is just my personal opinion) I'm sorry, I would never, ever consider having them anywhere in my home after seeing the "prep room" of not one, but several mortuaries - all wall to wall creamy white subway, including the space between the upper and lower cabinets you would call the backsplash. I still get slightly queasy just trying to imagine standing in a kitchen looking at that stuff while I cook. *shudder*

I'll take a stab at this. I think that trends trickle down from the high end to the low end where cheap knockoffs of styles and materials give them a bad reputation. Then people at the high end move on to something new. Here are my nominations for soon to be dated trends. Keep in mind that I'm in the Pacific Northwest. Oddly, we tend to be 5 to 10 years behind in home design trends so some of these my already be dated in other regions.

Craftsman anything
Tray and coffered ceilings
Two story great rooms (great rooms never really caught on in the PNW to the extent they did in other regions. In fact we are not allowed to call them great rooms. They are great room concepts!)
Lots of white painted millwork--look for more stained wood trim to show that it is the real thing and not fiberboard or foam.
Dark colored paint and interior finishes.
Stone everywhere. Probably won't be entirely out, but it is overused.
Stainless steel appliances. This stuff goes in and out of style but when something becomes a must have, it is a sure sign that we are soon going to take a rest from it for awhile.
Hardwood floors. Overdone. Won't go entirely out, but not the entire house. I think people will start to enjoy soft carpeting underfoot in some rooms again.
Builder grade granite. Granite seems to be here to stay but some of the stuff they put in low end spec homes, and the poor quality installation is truly awful. I think that as granite becomes more common, people will realize that not all granites are pretty.
High end granite with lots of movement. This is very personal taste specific.
Floating the furniture in the center of the room.
Open floorplans. Don't work for everyone's lifestyle.
Grasscloth. Seems to be used all over HGTV. Are we witnessing the beginning of the return of wallpaper? (hope not).

Rectilinear kitchens -- "Shaker" cabinets & subway tile. It's a boxy look.

Awwwww...

A few minutes ago I was on a happy search for a gold shower curtain (so I can get color-matching gold paint and coordinated golden tiles) for the blue and white vessel sinks for my master bath. And they are already out???

:(

~Pretending I didn't read this~

Littledog - I hear you on the subway tile, though your mental image is much worse. It reminds me of public restrooms in bus stations.

I have to be honest, I hate saying the word "Great room". It's a living room, OKAY? lol. So I'm done with saying it. I've been calling our new room "the great room." No more.

Wallpaper. It will never go out of style for me. In the front part of the house will only have one wall with wallpaper, but our bathrooms have it. Nothing loud though, just pretty. :)

Well, there goes my plans for a travertine bathroom!
and I have shaker style cabinets, stainless and granite -
and saltillo floors...
gosh, I am always behind...

SO, what's the latest trend in bathrooms? Anyone care to enlighten me?

Don't ask me...I have glass tile in mine! ;-)

"SO, what's the latest trend in bathrooms? Anyone care to enlighten me?"

As the population ages and becomes less nimble, I think we'll see more walk in/roll in showers with a separate soaking tub/jacuzzi thing. (if there's a tub at all)

I have to be honest, I hate saying the word "Great room". It's a living room, OKAY? lol. So I'm done with saying it. I've been calling our new room "the great room." No more.

I completely agree. To me, it's always sounded pretentious -- like people are referring to some cavernous, medieval banqueting hall or something. Plus, it just reminds me of my ex-MIL, who loved houses with "great rooms" and often said so in her nasally whine.

OK. Must go scrub down the (original, 1940) white Subway tile backsplash in my kitchen. ;-)

They were pretty enough, but that's the one place you would be comforted to see sleek, easy to disinfect SS or chrome.

Actually, all faucet types are just as easy to clean. The "oil rubbed bronze" is often a finish on anodized aluminum, nickel, etc. It is just as easy to wipe down and disinfect as a chrome or stainless faucet.

kswl, perhaps all faucet finishes are easy to clean without destroying the finish, but certainly not all faucets are. The faucets at the Valley View Hospital public bathroom looked like this:

No kidding. Apparently they were added as part of a recent remodel. Like I said, they look pretty, but it makes you wonder, if Walmart can manage to install hands free sinks in their public bathrooms, why wouldn't a hospital? Perhaps the general contractor got them at a discount off the rack from the local Big Box store, whereas a good hands free sink system is generally made to order and cost considerably more money?

Hmmm, could be, but the point is that once you start seeing something (like a style of faucet) usually reserved for a private residence start showing up in an industrial/commercial setting, it's a good sign that the trend is tottering at the peak of saturation (i.e. palladium windows) and is on the way down...

I really, really hope the faux stone siding goes soon. I see it on almost every single new subdivision. And some is just aweful...and it's on very expensive homes!

I think the 'Tuscan' look will be heading out as a trend. No more travertine and ORB, agree with that...tho I love it. I think black countertops and driveways will be out too. Stamped concrete driveways is a trend that will be going. Actually, I think a lot of the trends will be out sooner than later, as most of the builders got the stuff done so cheaply that it won't stand the test of time like the originals that they're based on.

I second the dislike of the great room/open concept. I like my little warrens of rooms with the 8 foot ceilings. And I agree that homes will start to reflect the aging populations. We'll see more homes with 2nd master bedrooms, walk in showers, wider hall & doorways and fewer steps. We definitely looked for those features when we bought our home, we plan to stay here till retirement and we're not spring chickens anymore.

I don't care much what trends are in or out for building, but I wish furniture-makers would take some pride in what they build and stop with all the veneer added to everything. It makes me sick to plunk down good $$ on a nightstand that won't last 10 years. Usually we get solid oak or maple and have it finished.

Also, please - can we give the huge sofas a rest?? They don't fit in normal homes.

Susan

Uh-oh, I'm just about to buy ORB cabinet knobs an ORB handle for my front door.

The very dark dark wood floors etc. (which is already a recycle from the 70's) should and will go away, probably to return in another 30 years.

Though I love distressed floors, the ones that look really contrived (phony) will also be dated.

I agree that hardwood and stone floors will never go out of style, but the styles and colors of them will change.

Not sure about the open floor plan, but having one at the moment, I can say it sure makes it hard to paint rooms in the main house different colors because the walls have no stopping point.

Unless you choose a historic period (like Colonial Williamsburg, mmmmmmm, my favorite!) and decorate in strict accordance with it, your house is bound to look dated sooner or later. Such is life.

Auntjen, I plan on getting subway tile for my kitchen also. To me, it IS classic and will never go out of style. It just moved to the kitchen from the loo is all. lol.

I'll probably get slammed for this, but one thing that screams 2000 is all the stone flooring for entryways, kitchens and bathrooms. They all look the same to me. Beige or brown. Where's the color? That's why I'm going with Crossville Color Blox 12" x 12" cream and rust checkerboard ceramic tile for my kitchen! People seem to be afraid of color on their floors! I love colorful kitchens.

McMansions should be out soon - who can afford them? - not the next generation - that's for sure -

I love my Paladian windows & high ceiling in our LR/DR. They makes the room so much brighter. Ours is an older home (90s circa) so it's not a 2000 thing. Interestingly, most of the newer homes do not have high ceilings. I think it's because houses w/ double story rooms require a larger yard (d/t larger footprint) and most of the lots available now day are very small.

2000 trend for me:
---better energy efficient.
---better consideration for environment; increase use of eco-friendly material
---better consideration for function & lifestyle (the abandonment of formal living room in exchange for a larger multi-functional family room, larger kitchen, etc)
---better wiring that takes in consideration of modern technology (cat-5 wiring, internet ready house, outlets on floor for easy lamps plug-in)
---use of luxurious material
---emphasis on outdoor living space: outdoor kitchen, outdoor fireplace/fire pit, etc, better outside landscaping.
---emphasis on architectural details: moulding, millwork, arch entryway, etc.
---large shower in 2ndary bathroom instead of tub.
---large luxurious master bath.
---large master closet.

I think 2000 is a HUGE improvement over the 80s. My PIL lives in an 80s house and what a beast that is: leaky windows, ugly interior & exterior, crappy material, small & narrow kitchen.

The 50-60 brought us some good architecture. 70 was transitional, then 80s was just awful awful. 90s was transitional and I think 2000 is not bad at all.

McMansions should be out soon - who can afford them? - not the next generation - that's for sure -

Yes, and not even the current one so much...

Also, please - can we give the huge sofas a rest?? They don't fit in normal homes.

Actually, I can never find a sofa large enough LOL!!! Our family room is quite large, and anything smaller than 90" seems too small for the scale of the whole room. Go figure =)

Brown and blue.

Ack.

Brown and blue.

YES! Good riddance also to its evil twin:

Brown with pink.

Double-Ack.

-Lena

I'm glad I'm not alone in my dislike for brown and blue and brown and pink -evil twins is a great name for these losers. (Just my personal opinion for anyone who likes these combinations.)

I think exposed range hoods will date to the 2000's. It's a look I like, though, but not sure if it is classic per se.

Flipper kitchens: dark, espresso wood with cheap granite and stainless steel. This color combination is nice, but done too cheaply is an eyesore.

I agree that the Tuscan style will go out of style. I'm a firm believer that respecting the architecture is important when designing the interior of a home. Making a ranch style house "Tuscan" is not okay!

I'm so glad to hear y'all say that Tuscan is going out of style! I thought I was the only one who didn't like that look!

Espresso painting and distressing are, IMO, cheap even when they were marketed as being high end. If I have nice wood, I wouldn't want to camouflage its grain with a muddy dark brown, nor would I want it to look beat up. I have kids to help me get the beat up look!

I don't think the "large luxurious master bath" is going out of style, which IMO is a darn shame. When m'baths are larger than children's bedrooms, there's something wrong with a family's priorities. JMO.

I don't think I could ever go back to the 8ft ceilings and lots of rooms. Too confined to me and I love the open kitchens to the family rooms. I've had every kind of house concept, just about, and can't ever see the open concept ever going out. Too convenient for a family and great for entertaining. It has been around quite some time, especially in contemporary homes. I'm glad traditional homes have it now.

I have to say that ORB is used everywhere, but, what's the alternative to a rustic-style door or home? Black iron looks good, but it's almost the same look, IMO. What are you going to put on it, shiny chrome hardware? I don't think so. I do think antique brass may be making a comeback though.

I think there will always be a interest in a rustic or tuscany look. If you look at older homes in some really nice older neighborhoods, you will see tudor-style, country french, etc homes and they still look good today.

I have to say I need more color than the white subway tiles and I think they have their place in a some homes. They are pretty, but now overused, once again.

Adios to Tuscan, brown&blue, stacked stone veneer, Turrets or silos or whatever that round space is attached to every new home, heavily textured walls, huge mouldings and heavy crown moulding, fake plants - especially fake leafy things on top of kitchen cabinets.

Hello to light, unadorned spaces. Simple mouldings, naked or nearly naked wood (no heavy stains), light simple window dressing, spare decorating with a few spotlit pieces and no "collections". Vaulted ceilings out, but higher (9') ceilings staying. An emphasis on texture over color.

I'm waiting for natural oak cabinets to come back in style. Shouldn't be too long.

If you added up every design element, color and/or trend that has been listed...there wouldn't be anything left to put in the 'perfect' house.

On the OP, over on Building a Home, people are now too afraid to add the things they've always wanted in their home for fear of being dated.

What I always get a kick out of, on threads like these, is when an element of one of the 'critics' becomes criticised. Then it's usually...stand back!...but that's just my opinion.

How about Brandon Beige and Pleasant Valley? Broadly speaking, they could be "brown and blue", but they're not the usual chocolate brown/robins egg combination which, I have to admit, I liked before they became hip and I will continue to like afterwards.

I'm guessing that greys will probably go out of style too. We have them in other parts of the house. I will say that with all the green-greys we have in here now, I stayed away from "Silver Sage" just Because LOL

These threads always turn into "things I hate/dislike/wouldn't put in my home" threads. That's too bad, because I'm sure feelings get hurt. We're all here because we love making our houses our homes. If we were all the same, the world would be pretty boring.

Well put, Allison.

Yeah, I think the OP of this thread was asking what elements became popular in "2000", not what trends you liked/disliked, what trends you follwed, personal tastes, etc.

I think some things that clearly became more prominent this decade are stainless steel, faux stone and vessel sinks.

I think I am in trouble. :) I just painted 4 rooms blue, I have brown furniture and I am putting in ORB lights and knobs in the kitchen. I wonder if I can come up with anymore dated things to do before I finish!

I wasn't trying to be offensive, and I hope no one took my comments as deliberate attempt to hurt anyone's feelings. I was very careful (I thought) to explain why I believe the things I mentioned were trendy; mainly, they are used *everywhere*, and saturation has always been the signal for change. (Ornate ORB is lovely, but in some places, it is inappropriate, no matter how popular it is)

There's also the case to be made that so much of what we've seen in building styles has depended on easy credit being available to the homeowner/homebuilder. It was nothing to add a few thousand to a loan for hoopdy upgrades suggested by the builder. (You could always refinance in a couple of years when the value of your home went up.) But now that bubble has burst, and credit has become as tight as bark on a tree, it's not hard to see that alot of those 'builder's extras' go the way of the dinosaur.

As for the subway tile, I was also very clear that I was stating my *opinion* of it's use in a home, based on my past experience with the material. I shouldn't have said anything, as it didn't fit the thread. Y'all enjoy it in your kitchens, I just won't look. ;^)

No one has mentioned the one thing that will scream 2000 to me...multi colored cabinets in a kitchen. Ie black island and natural premiter cabs. It's a nice look, but it's a very specific look dated to today.

I'm also in agreement that vessel sinks will be a specific period thing...and also, say it ain't so....cherry cabinets. Just like the oak of the 80's, cherry is everywhere now a days. I'm not saying it's bad (I have them in many rooms) but it would be fair to say it's very popular now, a much so as oak was in the 80's.

Some day someone will buy my house, with it's very expensive cherry cabs that I love, and say...Thank god for paint!! ANd that's ok because that's life :O)

Wait til they see the crocodile tile in the master bathroom :OP