Here’s what’s hot in housing design from three of Ottawa’s best builders and designers

October 25, 2024

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From open floor plans to Tuscan-style colours to farmhouse chic, housing design trends are forever in flux. When tastes change and designs feel outdated, consumers rely on finding the right designers that will bring them closer to their dream home. The 41st Greater Ottawa Home Builders' Association Housing Design Awards Gala will take place on Nov. 2. to celebrate the achievements of the city’s top businesses in the industry. OBJ asked some of the finalists what they thought were the hottest trends in housing design, based on their work in Ottawa. Transcripts are edited for length and clarity.

Lianna Mackie, Mackie Homes

“Interior-wise, we're getting back to more organic materials. We're seeing richer woods. The all-white kitchen, I think everybody can agree on, it still works in a timeless and classic moment, but people are incorporating more organic materials. Green is a hot, hot colour right now, along with brass plumbing fixtures, etc. So, like a really muted green. There's a green from Benjamin Moore called “lush,” and we just had a client choose this for their home and it's going to be stunning, and they're mixing in some walnut. White oak was really heavily used over the past couple years but now we’re seeing a trend of using walnut as a wood species.”

Antonio Sanchez, Sanchez Homes

“One of the things that our clients have been looking for is sustainability. The last house we did was a cross-laminated timber home and sustainability was key. The clients, right from the beginning, their goal was that the house was to be there for 100 years. They knew the house was going to outlive them, but the 100-year benchmark was really important to them. All the trades that worked at the house, that was something that was sort of ingrained, as this house had to be here for 100 years. So sustainability definitely was high on the list of things that they wanted. Another thing that they wanted was to keep all the trees on that property. They went to huge efforts to make sure that none of the trees were cut down. That, again, lends itself to sustainability and environmental impact on these new custom homes. Another thing on a lot of our new builds are larger, triple-pane windows. They want to bring that natural light into the home, the outside into the house to reduce energy costs. Triple-pane glass reduces the energy cost of the home.”

Wael Bakr, Laurysen Kitchens

“When it comes to finishes and colours, we're moving a little bit away from the whites. We had whites forever. People are going back to the browns. When it comes to workability with the kitchen, we are seeing much more ergonomic designs to benefit people from different age groups. That’s why there are lots of accessories like spice pullouts, spatula pullouts and I have a minimum of 50 solutions for garbage pullouts … Everything now is organized and within the drawers, there are organizers. There are organizers for pots and pans, for cutlery, for vegetables; literally, name it, and we have it in the kitchen industry. We are also seeing a new material that looks like wood, has the same richness and depth, but is much more durable. We are also seeing a trend of kitchens going up to the ceiling, that’s a trend. We are seeing many of those trends in the bathrooms as well. Vanities and organizers for your hair dryer and straightener. People aren’t spending lots of time trying to find toothpaste. We look at people’s problems and we find a solution. The final big change is that people are willing to spend money on projects other than the kitchen and bathroom. We are seeing more extensive projects, costing $20K, on a mudroom, on a laundry room. Ten years ago, maybe I did a laundry room once in a blue moon, but now it’s all the time. People are asking more for projects for their home office. It’s amazing for the industry and the designer because doing kitchens all the time can become a bit stagnant. It’s good for the clients because everything is organized. It’s no longer just a kitchen.”