I just got a promo e-mail from Marvin Windows and they did a survey of architects to figure out the home trends for 2011 – we’re actually doing quite a few of them…

#1 – New life for old materials

We’re repurposing the the non-rotten floor joists in our place and making them into a screen between the stairwell and the hallway. Other than recycling bricks from new openings when we close old openings (not really “new life”) we’re not doing much with old materials because we don’t have much in the way of old materials to work with. Unless you count the fact that we’re giving new life to an old shell…

#2 – Designing for yourself

This one we’re definitely doing. We’re doing 2 family instead of 3 because we want to use the back yard and we’d only have a roof deck if we did 3 family. And Dan’s getting two “bedrooms” for his art studio – which is a rather extravagant use of space in Manhattan. We’re also doing things like putting the kitchen in the front of the building (which isn’t very popular), because we like it that way… All in all we’re liking the fact that we’re working with a shell  – we can do anything we want – there are no walls or staircases we have to work around.

#3 – Natural Materials

This is the one we’re not doing so much. Yeah, there will be wood floors, doors and windows. But that’s not all that out of the ordinary. The few places where we’re having solid wood doors are dictated by FDNY (they’re fire doors), and the all wood windows are dictated by historic preservation and budget (the aluminum clad windows were more expensive).

#4 – “Trad-Mod”

“Traditional-Modern” style sorta describes our aesthetic. We do mix traditional elements into a generally modern décor – but that’s nothing new for us.

#5 – Relaxed outdoor living

This is definitely a big thing for us. We wanted a garden – that’s one of the major points of getting a townhouse. Dan wants to be able to barbecue, etc. A roof deck just wouldn’t have been the same. We’ll have both – it’ll be interesting to see which we use more.

#6 – Energy efficiency & sustainability

We take a rather Republican view about energy efficiency and sustainability – we do it because it saves us money. Sure, we don’t want to kill polar bears, but honestly we don’t really care how “green” our renovation is. Recycled materials don’t save us money, but we will have great insulation, energy efficient windows, efficient zoned HVAC, dual-flush toilets, etc. So energy efficiency – yes. Sustainability – not so much.

Since we hit at least partially on all 6 trends, does that make us “trendy”?  lol