Last year, homeowners were forced to spend most of their time indoors due to the pandemic which opened opportunities for different home remodelling ideas.

Home renovation has always been a popular activity for homeowners, but the pandemic undoubtedly made it trendier—with many looking to reinvent their living spaces based on their ever-changing lifestyles. Be it a bathroom redesign from Easy Reno, bathroom renovation contractor in Toronto, or a kitchen upgrade, these trends are focused on the growing need for more space.

This year, we’re likely to see minimalistic styles being adopted, more use of smart home technology and different vibrant and comforting colours. Here are some trendy designs to inspire your home makeover in 2021:

1. Creating multi-zone kitchens

Homeowners are spending more time in the kitchen than ever before due to the pandemic and traditional kitchen designs are now becoming outdated. Maximizing spaces and expanding kitchen storage has become a must during home renovations in 2021.

“Storage has really come into focus as people have spent more time at home during the pandemic,” said Liza Hausman, vice president of industry marketing at Houzz, in a statement. “More homeowners are reaching out to professionals ... for help making their kitchens work better, most often within the same layout and square footage.”

Having a multi-zone kitchen that includes a designated space for preparing meals, custom-made nooks for preserving pet’s food, a work and study station—which includes specialized shelves for book storage—and other private spaces is one of the most important makeover requests for homeowners.

2. More private and personal spaces

Working and schooling from home was the order of the day during the past year and creating personal spaces become more necessary than ever before.

Homeowners with open floor plans are starting to build custom corners with a consistent theme. From carving out an office from your bedroom to upgrading your garage to a mini-gym and living room area to a home school, homeowners are slowly bringing back the need for a creative private space.

A little architectural change can be particularly useful to those who still want to retain flexible design elements despite their evolving lifestyles. Archways are a good example as it can be used to create room partitions which keeps an open space, yet, providing sufficient closure for additional privacy.

3. More smart home automation

Technology is changing the way we live our lives and for many homeowners, it is creating a much accessible and pleasurable home experience. This cutting-edge home automation technology is capable of transforming our homes with a nearly inexhaustible list of integrated features.

Top of the list is technology such as motion-sensor lighting, automatic blinds or even hands-free faucets—to ensure compliance with WHO guidelines against COVID-19. The kitchen isn’t left out during this tech makeover with many available Wi-Fi enabled appliances to be used to improve efficiency.

However, the global rollout of 5G technology as well as an upgrade in WiFi technology to WiFi 6, means smart home devices will now be connected much faster on more powerful networks.

4. Building sustainable spaces

Our lifestyle choice has become increasingly influential in carving the right home design to suit your individual preference. Whether you choose to modernize your living room with naturally made furniture, building sustainable spaces that are durable and environmentally conscious is very important.

Stainless steel interiors—with increased recyclability—alongside advanced Wi-Fi and cooling technology allow homeowners to enjoy a much more energy-saving and accessible home.

5. Using vibrant and comforting colours

Now, homeowners are prioritizing the need to own rooms where they can relax and unwind, making necessary adjustments to ensure their comfort.

Whether that includes applying darker-toned tints to the walls or spicing it up with very vibrant colours, homeowners are prioritizing comfort during their makeovers this year. Hues such as sand, beige and other brighter colours are expected to grow in popularity while neutral colours will have less adoption this year than before.