Brave New Future

You can chalk it up to IKEA.

The Swedish manufacturer of all things contemporary and modular — who changed the look of apartments and starter homes more than 20 years ago — is the reason modern style is gaining on traditional design and is an emerging style of choice among today's homebuyers, especially younger ones.

"Children of baby boomers are inspired by IKEA; they have IKEA products in their apartments and are willing to put products following this design style in a permanent environment — such as a kitchen — as they come into the housing market," says Renee Hytry, senior vice president of Global Design for Cincinnati-based Formica Corp.

But while younger buyers are a stronger market for contemporary design, don't ignore their parents. Cash-flush baby boomers — who in many cases are downsizing or have second homes — are eager to try something different than the kitchens they had while raising children in the suburbs. "New homes in the past two decades offered formulaic kitchens. Now, as the market cools, people will remodel again and go more contemporary," Hytry says. "It's the brave new future."

Even buyers who don't want an all-contemporary home are asking for pieces of it. Take lighting, for example. "Contemporary is coming around in lighting," says Frankie Cameron, a design consultant with Bellacor Lighting in Mendota Heights, Minn. "Younger people are generally more comfortable with it as a whole look, while older buyers are making it more eclectic — adding [contemporary touches] to traditional elements."

One sign contemporary style is truly catching on, says Hytry, is that similar elements are showing up across the globe. "What's in London is in New York," Hytry says. She says contemporary style is also making its way into more traditional markets, such as the Midwest.

Hytry offers some predictions and suggestions for the next few years:

• This Sarasota, Fla., kitchen, designed by Judy Adams Hunt of Eurotech Cabinetry, took first place in the 2005 NKBA design competition in the small-kitchen category and won best overall kitchen. It features glossy wood-grain laminate cabinets from Artcraft Kitchen of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. www.eurotechcabinetry.com

  Offer more glass. Glass will remain popular — from custom glass tile on backsplashes to thick glass countertops — because it's produced in colors and finishes that complement all decors.



• Think plastic. The natural look — wood and stone — is at its peak. The next trend will be material for material's sake, like Bakelite, which popularized plastic in the '50s. Plastics are now seen as clean and contemporary.



• Use more concrete. This commonplace material will continue to intrigue buyers as builders become more familiar with its use as an interior finish and as concrete-look products hit the market.



• Consider brown interiors. Brown isn't the new black; it's the new neutral. "This is what I call the Starbucks effect," Hytry says. "Everyone is in love with brown. And the combination of brown and cream [popular in the '70s] looks new again. Think of a 'lots-of-milk-in-your-coffee' color."



• Add a touch of bronze. This color blends well with brown, so it will remain popular. Bronze is a contemporary warm metal, as opposed to copper, which produces images of country kitchens. Metals in general are warming up in home design.

Hytry says these trends can only grow stronger as more consumers read magazines and shop at retailers such as West Elm. "Contemporary is becoming the language of life. People are just more comfortable with it." Odds are the next buyer will find it aesthetically pleasing too.

These products represent the latest and greatest in contemporary styling:

Lalique amber murano three-light wall sconce from ET2: www.maximlighting.com	Milano semi-flush ceiling light from Uttermost with a brushed nickel finish and brushed maple shade: www.uttermost.com
Formicaฎ Solid Surfacing Real Concrete: www.formica.com	DPI's hardboard EZ Backsplash Kit in stainless steel: www.backsplashkit.com