Drawing on the concept of functional luxury, three diverse creatives with an exceptional eye for detail share their expertise and vision for trending home designs worth emulating

by ARCHANA AITHAL ROSE

GRAPHIC EFFECT
It’s a fact: the best-looking homes are often born of illustrious collaborations between architectural teams and interior designers. With an inimitable grasp of architectural and interior design from the ground up, the owner of Halcyon Homes Devin Bouton turned to a recent project from his roster of premium custom homes to forecast the future. He said, “Black and white, modern farmhouse exteriors are the current trend. My clients are currently requesting white siding, while selecting black for all of the other components. Black windows, gutters, front doors, and roofs give that sharp contrast that people are aiming for. The farmhouse aesthetic lends an organic feel to the black and white theme without making it look overtly modern. This contemporary approach renders an almost perfect balance.” halcyonhomes.net

MIA CUCINA
Kitchens are the hearth of the home, and they’re ever-evolving spaces that keep up with changing times, especially now as working from home has become the new normal. Joe and Britt Laspino, the dynamic designer duo at Builders General, apply a kind of formal logic to future kitchen trends by breaking it down into three aspects: the evolution of the island, banquet seating, and maximum utility. “We refer to it as a wall island, reconfiguring the standard L-shaped kitchen that’s too small to allow the enhanced working mass of an island,” said Joe, expanding on a recent project the couple designed for a client in Fair Haven. He added, “Benchstyle seating is gaining popularity because it conserves space and provides a comfort zone for more than meal time. And the trend toward utility is inspired by our clients’ need to have easy access to storage, everyday tools, devices, and countertop objects, along with appliance cabinets for things we want stowed away.” buildersgeneral.com

PRÊT-ÀMANGER
With entertaining and quality family time at the forefront, a formal dining space is one that demands superior comfort, scale, and a welcoming aesthetic. No stranger to spatial challenges, the interior wizards at Lawrence Mayer spoke of the unique design elements of a formal dining room that encompass all three of these aforementioned necessities. Designer Sandie Gershenfield said, “The creative brief for my client’s design goals were timeless and relaxed elegance. Lots of texture and warmer tones are forecasted for 2022 with burnished browns bringing warmth and refinement to spaces. Keeping with that, texture is a key design element in this dining room with grass cloth adding both texture and dimension in addition to being timeless. The cane-backed chairs, hand-knotted area rug, and linen host and hostess chairs provide extra depth, weight, and tone that speaks a singular yet versatile design language.” lawrencemayer.com