32 Showhouse Design Trends That Will Help You Up Your Style Game

The new trend for multipurpose rooms as allowed designers to extend the functionality of each and every room so no space is wasted. Kentucky-based designer Benjamin Deaton of Benjamin Deaton Interior Design was inspired to create this "Parlour Games" room which incorporates a bar and a collection of board games to make this colorful room (a nod to the azure walls of influential designer Bunny Mellon's Manhattan dining room), a stylish and fun place for a family to gather and spend time together.

"With Covid, we use our spaces in different ways" says designer Benjamin Deaton of how he transformed what might have been a less-used formal living room in the past into something "young and fresh." Far from stuffy, the mix of vintage and new makes it "a room you actually want to go in," says Benjamin.

A tropical, greenhouse-inspired design was the objective of West Palm Beach-based Casa Gusto. Paper mache vines are draped throughout the space painted a fresh, verdant Saybrook Sage by Benjamin Moore.

Like so many Kips Bay Palm Beach designers, Cris Briger, Pablo Briger and Charles Peed of West Palm Beach-based Casa Gusto wanted to reference the outdoors in their entry and hallway which has been glassed-in to emphasize the greenhouse connection. Scalloped detail on the ceiling continues a design motif seen throughout the home. "Scallops improve everything," says Pablo. Another interesting details: styrofoam faux-wood beans on the hallway ceiling sourced on Amazon.

The home’s rear courtyard and garden was transformed by Jorge Sanchez, Claudia Visconti, Brian Vertesch and John Lubischer of Palm Beach-based SMI Landscape Architecture. The courtyard is enclosed by a vine patterned lattice dressed in Benjamin Moore’s Aegean Teal and anchored by a pebble mosaic koi pond made of crushed terra-cotta brick. Yellow oncidiums hung in handmade terra-cotta pots adorn the walls, adding color.

SMI Landscape Architecture shows the value and beauty of taking your outdoor space to the next level.

No longer just about function, today's poolscapes are designed for glamour and to create a unique design moment. Palm Beach-based Fernando Wong of Fernando Wong Outdoor Living Design drew inspiration for this home's motor court and pool area from classical Hollywood movie set designer Cedric Gibbons (An American in Paris, The Wizard of Oz). The space is defined by native plants, Christmas palms and three varieties of oleander framing the pool area.

Ellen Kavanaugh of Palm Beach-based Ellen Kavanaugh Interiors shows the enduring power of pink in outdoor and indoor rooms, as well as how organic, natural textures and handmade, artisanal pieces that celebrate the art of the craft are still hot in home decor.

On the awning-covered balcony, designer Ellen Kavanaugh has featured a chic brass, minimalist bar.

A consistent design theme in this Palm Beach show house are flora and fauna everywhere, most often showing up in wallpaper (which was also abundant). Washington, D.C.-based designer Lorna Gross dubbed her space "The Menagerie Dining Room" and says she was influenced by a similar trend for florals and woodland themes in fashion. The name was an ode to the number of elements from the natural world, from giraffes to zebras in metallic wallpaper to dragonfly napkin rings that popped up in this exquisitely dreamy space. Lorna joked about the mood, "what would Tinkerbell want to see in this room?" Custom embellished barn doors took a luxe approach to that farmhouse staple. "I felt like people needed a lift," Lorna says about her charming, transportive room. Lorna recommends the sliding doors and mirrors if you want to make a small dining room seem bigger. For inexpensive but chic artwork, Lorna recommends framing and hanging vertical sections of beautiful wallpaper.

Highlighting the on-trend approach of using lighter wood tones, Mark Williams and Niki Papadopoulos of Atlanta-based Mark Williams Design created a unique blend of old and new with bright, fresh white oak cabinets combined with tiled kitchen walls and the incorporation of the home's original terra-cotta tiles. The team drew inspiration from the Spanish Mediterranean style of the home. A collection of pottery on the countertop shows the new movement toward handmade, artisanal goods in design. A striking artwork shows the applicability of contemporary art in this new approach to kitchen design.

What better message for a family room than global influences and a style that blends a modern and organic point of view? New York City designer Mikel Welch of Mikel Welch Designs brings warmth and style to this family room with a sophisticated monochromatic palette. Linen floor-to-ceiling drapes, midcentury-style cradle chairs and Mikel's own Exposure Cabinets from his home furnishings line deliver a sense of calm to this space.

This luxurious laundry room from designers Lisa Hynes and Heather Weisz of HW Interiors embraces a boutique aesthetic in the most unexpected space. Bleach walnut barn doors save space and offer a dramatic reveal. An onyx floor and cabinets are backlit to elevate anything from cleaning products to the canned goods stored there. The space also includes a dog shower to make this an all-purpose, multi-functional utility room, in keeping with current trends.

Closets are no longer just about organization. They are also increasingly designed and decorated social spaces where dressing and meeting with friends becomes an event. Designer Nicole White created a boutique-worthy experience in this gorgeous closet featuring a large artwork by Kabriah Asha and a statement ribbon candy light fixture. White has installed a long mirror on the left for capturing selfies and used open glass storage to highlight jewelry, shoes and other accessories to create a boutique display-case effect. White recommends using brass hardware for rods and hooks inside closets to enhance the luxe factor. A makeup station with an oversized mirror and seating creates a fully functional space. White's advice for homeowners who want to take their closet to the next level? "Treat the closet as a room."

Miami-based designer Nicole White of Nicole White Designs created an ultra-sophisticated bathroom she dubbed "A Modern Afro-Inspired Palm Beach Retreat." Unapologetically chic, this bathroom features moody black tones in slabs of marble that continue on the wall. Three kinds of tile are featured in this stunning bathroom. Porcelain fluted tile that looks like wood tile offers warmth and contrast and a reflective bronze 3D tile above the vanity adds drama and glamour. A sexy curved tub ups the glam factor while linear LED lights on the ceiling make this space feel like the hottest spot in town.

"We have a lot of curves in the room," says Houston-based designer Nina Magon of Nina Magon Studio of this hip blush bedroom that she says suggests "a little hotel in Milan" with its European modern vibe. Called the "Contessa's Bedroom" this guest space features a futuristic sensibility thanks to Benjamin Moore's Rosy Tan wallcolor and a custom-designed bed frame from Dekton by Consentino. Curves on the rug, curves on the light fixture and curved mirrors throughout make this cheeky room both delightfully throwback and very of-the-moment.

One thing that stuck out at this Kips Bay Decorator Show Home Palm Beach was the number of designers embracing pattern everywhere in their rooms, whether in upholstery, accessories or wallpaper. Massachusetts-based designer Mally Skok created a seating area on the home's second floor that exemplifies this trend, a cozy nook with a custom bench where colorful pillows in multiple patterns added to the charm of what she calls "The Sunny Spot." Corals, pinks and apricots are used in abundance in this space which also shows the new trend for woodwork (door frames and baseboards) and ceilings painted in bright, complementary colors. Benjamin Moore Golden Gate paint and Mally's own Secret Temple wallpaper give the space vibrancy and energy.

"Flock Hall" by New York-based Harry Heissmann in collaboration with muralist Staszek Kotowski features scalloped detail on the painted ceiling. Scalloped effects proved a big trend at Kips Bay Palm Beach. The painted wood detail and tassels suggests Moorish architecture and shows the delightful possibilities of adding whimsy and high-design to small spaces.

One of the stand-out unexpected spaces in this Palm Beach home is this vestibule connecting the public family room with the primary bedroom. The main wall features a grisaille mural of an ostrich group going about its day. A built-in bar ups the playful factor. The designer suggests the bar as the ideal place for a pre-bed nightcap or morning coffee.

Nothing elevates a space like a mural. While not everyone can afford to have an artist custom-paint a mural there are ways to use a unique wallpaper or DIY a more graphic design to create a similar effect in your home.

Escape is a big theme in contemporary design, as people stay at home but long for a transportive experience. Atlanta-based designers Tavia Forbes and Monet Masters of Forbes + Masters created a deluxe powder room for the home that gives a tropical feel with a spa-like rain shower and garden stool inspired by outdoor bathing in Dorado, Puerto Rico. Gorgeous gray marble streaked with pinks and creams adds to the exotic effect along with blown-glass vases for plants that will receive plenty of moisture in the space and also bring the outdoors in. Another big trend on display: many types of tile and lots of it, including single slabs on walls to make a space that is dramatic, filled with texture and is easy to clean.

Atlanta-based Courney Giles of Courtney Giles Interiors embraces the home’s South Florida location in this primary bedroom. A sisal rug has been painted by artist Mary Meade Evans. A scalloped slipper chair shows the trend for scalloped details. Woven grass shades help enhance the tropical vibe when paired with linen drapes.

Designers poured attention into ceilings and floors in this show home, including Westchester-based Brittany Bromley of Brittany Bromley Interiors who mixed French and Palm Beach flourishes in this bedroom. A hand-painted floor and hand-painted, scenic wallpaper show the influence of bespoke touches and botanicals in home design. Intricate cornices in a scalloped design suggest traditional European-style window treatments.

Designers Lori Deeds and Cece Bowman of Palm Beach-based Kemble Interiors describe this dreamy bedroom as "a bit fantastical." Continuing a trend for hand-painted murals, this room features exotic passion flowers in the design to drive home references to the Garden of Eden. Laser-cut shutters create dappled, raindrop-like light filtering into the bedroom. An Astroturf floor and embroidered bees on the wallpaper continue the "night garden" motif.

Ontario-based Alexandra Naranjo of Alexandra Naranjo Designs created a guest closet featuring vibrant shades of turquoise and lavender on the chinoiserie-inspired wallpaper and trim and ceiling in Benjamin Moore’s Poolside Blue. With the addition of seating, statement lighting and intentional design, closets are moving from a private to a public space in homes.

Homeowners are increasingly designing their homes for themselves, not for resale. No better illustration of that trend is designer Alexandra Naranjo's guest bath featuring a Kohler Artifacts Freestanding Tub in Indigo Blue. An oversized gold chandelier by Currey & Company and de Gournay and Phillip Jeffries wallcoverings enhance the jewel box feel of this space. Alexandra painted the molding with Benjamin Moore’s Old Navy.

Atlanta-based Anna Braund of Anna Braund Interiors created this tented upstairs balcony inspired by her travels to Morocco. The trend for natural fibers can be seen in the rattan and wicker pieces which turn a pass-through space into a warm and welcoming gathering place.