Did you know your color choices say a lot about you? As we wind down the 2016 year, Post and Beam Living looks at trending color choices and how color/decor choices coincide with generational life stages.
Now Trending for Millennials
Millennials like clean lines and contemporary styling—and they are willing to sacrifice space to get it. Lack of ornamentation is significant and intentional. While bright, energetic colors are popular, Millennials prefer to keep them to home accents, opting instead for exteriors and interiors in neutrals. Black, white, and nuanced grays are their primary color choices, but the use of natural wood tones and colorful accents warms the overall palette.
Trends for Millennials go beyond wall color. Matte blacks are popular for appliances, cabinetry, lighting fixtures, plumbing fixtures, counter-tops, furniture, and more. These black surfaces create a modern look that implies a forward-thinking space. Stainless steel appliances are not necessarily their first choice in finishes. Millennials see the new black stainless appliances as something unique and representative of their generation.
Bathtubs continue to decline in popularity among this group. The majority do not want a bathtub in their homes, and are including them only for resale value. If they do invest in bathtubs, Millennials want them to look good and reflect their style—which is why freestanding tubs are currently surpassing built-ins.
Exterior trends are also shifting. While we’ve seen metal roofs in recent years on porches and accents, metal is now trending for siding alternatives and standing seam roofs are popular on new homes and replacement roofs; both complement contemporary homes but also work well on transitional and traditional designs. They also appeal to those seeking maintenance free structures. 
What Gen X Wants, Gen X Gets
Generation X is the in-between generation; they have their feet planted in both the Millennial and Boomer camps. The Gen X generation is comfortable with computers even though they didn’t grow up with them, they are highly tech savvy but remember a simpler time pre-internet. In their homes, they bridge a similar divide. They appreciate the clean lines and simplicity of contemporary homes but have warm memories of the more traditional homes of their parents. Thus, transitional styling provides a happy medium, and design aspects for Gen X’ers borrow from both styles.
Just as with design styles, the color choices of Gen X also borrows from both generations; whites, blacks, sand or stone browns and grays are basics. But for Gen X, espresso brown or midnight navy can stand in for softer shades of black, and cooler grays are replaced with warmer organic gray-brown mixes. Wood elements warm the space with the exposed post and beam frame along with floors, feature walls, counter-tops and cabinets.
Warmth for Boomers
Baby Boomers building homes today appreciate quality and craftsmanship. They find security in designs that hold more character and detail than most contemporary homes offer. At the same time, this generation is always renewing and redefining itself, and overall, they are increasingly attracted to homes that are more open and streamlined than they’ve owned in the past. Open floor-plans, abundant natural light, and authentic materials are preferred. Color choices tend to be warmer for this generation; sandy beige, muted sage greens, creamy yellows and warm off whites dominate but Boomers are not beyond adding pops of color here and there. They’ve lived with the contemporary styles of their past and are now very comfortable with themselves. Boomers know what they like and don’t care as much about trends.
