South Jersey Home Renovations, Landscaping, Hardscaping and Nightscaping

A shift in at-home design is occurring, from extravagant and ornate to functional and comfortable.

Here are 5 trends that may become the future of luxury interiors.

People have adapted to larger and less frequent grocery hauls and to preparing more meals at home. These shifts have led to a newfound need for ample food storage space. City-dwellers have traditionally considered a large kitchen a luxury, being able to depend on easy access to restaurants, grocery stores and farmers' markets. But at-home dining has been on the rise, and interior designers have been seeing a spike in demand for double pantries as a second storage area for additional food.

Consumers have grown accustomed to using antibacterial agents, and antimicrobial surfaces have become popular. These include copper, brass, bronze and copper-nickel, which are all antimicrobial by nature.

Krion, a less expensive alternative created by the company Porcelanosa, has become a highly popular material for surfaces. The antimicrobial material imitates the texture and feel of stone, but lasts much longer. Furthermore, Krion's toughness makes it more durable to the use of heavy-duty cleaning products, which makes it a dependable material for surfaces in hotels and other public spaces.

Large, two-story foyers have become a popular fixture of modern design, but they often amount to underutilized space in the entrance area of a house. Now, an old-fashioned feature is staging a comeback in the form of the mudroom, which allows people to take off layers and shoes before tracking anything else into the home.

There is a renewed emphasis on outdoor spaces and bringing elements of nature into the home. Expect to see more home herb and vegetable gardens, more plants within the home, and more furnished patios and balconies. In luxury industrial design, there is a clear trend towards vertical gardens or green walls. Fire pits and outdoor dining areas will also become more ubiquitous.