6 Home Renovation Trends To Keep An Eye In 2021

It's finally 2021, and so it's time to think about your next home improvement project.

With 48% of homeowners currently considering renovating all or part of their homes, we wanted to highlight the top six home renovation trends that you need to keep an eye on in 2021.

Canadians expected to allocate more disposable income on home renovation projects in 2021

According to a recent report published by the Atlas Group, Canadian homeowners are predicted to spend $80B on home refurbishment in 2021, up 23% compared to last year's data.

The experts blame the global pandemic, consumer uncertainty, multiple lockdowns and massive layoffs for causing the market to shrink in 2020.

What were the top home renovation trends in 2020?

• Home wellness tech

This includes water and air purification systems or circadian lighting to improve sleep.

• Energy efficiency

Energy-efficient products have been trending over the last two decades. Yet, since 2015, according to the International Energy Agency, "improvements in global energy intensity have been weakening each year." So, as never before, energy efficiency will continue to influence product development past through 2021.

• Paint

It was another unexpected trend among millennial homeowners. As many migrated their workstations to home, it became necessary to convert the rooms into more cheerful, inspiring and creative spaces.

• DIY home renovations.

With the advent of DIY-focused channels on platforms like YouTube and TikTok, many homeowners felt empowered to take on the home renovation projects themselves. Some popular channels include HouseImprovements, HomeAdditionPlus and DIYNetwork.

• Climate change.

Last year, it wasn't a surprise when people questioned the product manufacturing's ethical side and whether their purchase contributes to climate change. The viral popularity of a young eco-activist Greta Thunberg and wide media coverage of global ecological disasters made people question their consumption habits.

Is there a theme that will set the direction of trends in 2021?

Homeowners will see multiple themes appearing among the most prominent trends, yet these six will manifest the most:

1. Warm colours as a symbol of joy, revival and hope.

2. Conversion of living spaces into home offices

3. Décor inspired by zen philosophy

4. Multifunctional furnishings

5. Smart home tech

#1 Warm colours

Life is too short to be afraid to experiment with ideas and styles, especially after such a gloomy year.

Living through a series of lockdowns in complete separation from the world made people bored with their old living spaces. So the need to repaint their walls, swap furniture or add more natural light has emerged.

As many people believe this year will bring happiness and revival, thereby the colour palettes symbolizing more cheerful, playful and warm emotions will prevail in projects.

As of the official Pantone's 2021 colour pallet, PANTONE 17-5104 Ultimate Gray + PANTONE 13-0647 illuminating are the colours to empower a message of happiness, hope and resilience.

Pantone colour of the year has been influencing the product design in industries like fashion, home furnishings and industrial design for the past 40 years.

Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director Of The Pantone Colour Institute, says,

"The union of an enduring Ultimate Gray with the vibrant yellow illuminating expresses a message of positivity supported by fortitude. Practical and rock solid but at the same time warming and optimistic this is a colour combination that gives us resilience and hope. We need to feel encouraged and uplifted; this is essential to the human spirit."

#2 Home offices are on the rise

Forty-seven percent of Canadian employees expect to work from home moving into 2021.

For this reason, the conversion of rooms into a home office will gain an incredible rise throughout 2021.

The four pillars of ideal office space will include natural light, ergonomics, green corners and minimalist décor.

As Jennifer Jaden, founder of Societygal and CEO of Gal Media, says, "an office is a place of inspiration and flow."

We believe that design ideas aimed to increase productivity and overcome procrastination will gain popularity at the beginning of spring or close to mid-summer.

#3 Zen décor

Minimalism defines modern design as a practice of simplicity. In Sweden, it's called Lagom.

It typically incorporates laconic silhouettes, unusual patterns of light and colours, an ample amount of clear, unobstructed space, or even a sense of Scandinavian rigorousness with a big emphasis on the use of natural materials.

That's why we believe that zen philosophy will capture the eyes of homeowners craving for a tranquil home environment.

What It Means To Create a Zen-Focused Home

Zen philosophy promotes a simple way of living. A person's mind is free from the materialistic world, following the path of self-exploration and self-healing.

But how can you implement zen philosophy into your new home renovation project this year? Some elements include:

Neutral colours

• Opt for a warm, neutral colour palette when carrying on the interior work. The neutral colours should reflect the Earthy tones to create harmony between your living space and nature.

Natural light

• Natural light is the source of Vitamin D. It's productivity and serotonin boosters, which improve your mood. Large picture windows admit more light to your rooms, and unique style with functional hardware creates stylized aesthetics that let the people relax into a cozy environment.

Nature elements

• Green plants help us reduce stress and improve wellbeing. However, plants can also reduce carbon dioxide and airborne dust levels, increase humidity and keep air temperature down.

#4 Multifunctional spaces

Multifunctional space is all about making the most of small spaces.

The concept of multifunctional spaces is inspired by tiny homes. Every element in the tiny homes serves a purpose.

The main principle lies in assigning the home areas to particular activities, such as using your kitchen table as a workstation.

Some designs include a foldable bed that can be slipped behind a couch after night; or, a chair with integrated magazine racks and bookshelves.

The similar one was designed by the Versatile Furniture.

Multifunctional furniture will undoubtedly rise in demand since many homeowners expect to start working from home this year.

#5 Unique light fixtures

Lighting is the central piece of any home.

When properly positioned, it creates an atmosphere filled with soothing colours and brightness.

In 2021, an emphasis on the amalgamation of technology, design and functionality will be noticed in many lighting products.

Some trends to take a note of include:

• Matte black, geometrical and smooth edges in kitchen fixtures

• Pendant lamps such as industrial inspired clear fixtures hung at varying distances and heights, with exposed Edison bulbs

• Geometrically shaped chandeliers

• Wood bead fixures to follow the concept of using natural material in your interior design

#6 Smart homes

Although we see the release of new smart home devices every year, they never cease to amaze us.

The groundbreaking technology on which they're built is constantly being improved, that's why it is something you expect to see among the top trends every year.

Take as an example the mass roll-out of the 5G network. It promises data transmission speeds of up to 1,000 Mbps, which enables to create a unified system of devices.

The speed and reliability of interconnected systems will enhance communication between various sensors responsible for tracking the energy use, and in the case of any anomalies, distribute energy consumption between all devices at home based on their usage.

Of course, such interactivity between machines is only possible on paper right now, but we believe with the new 5G network, this fiction will turn into reality.

Below are our top smart home tech innovations to follow in 2021:

• Smart speakers like Amazon Alexa and smart displays like Google Nest Hub Max will continue to be a sales hit throughout 2021.
  

• Home security cameras such as Arlo Ultra, which can stream video signal in 4K and 2K, automatically zoom and track moving objects, understand the visual context and turn on alarm or call 9-1-1 in the case of emergency; it's a type of connected security system we expect to find more consumers in 2021.
  

• Devices for improving wellbeing will be the source of valuable information on how to stay healthy physically and mentally. They also collect health data to determine potential health risks using external sensors in smart TVs and wearable devices.